Folding with a dual

Hey guys,

I'm relaitvely new to folding, read about it here and thought that it was an amazing idea and wish I had found it sooner.

anyways, I was wondering about maximizing the use of a dual-core CPU. when using my P4 @ 2.8Ghz, the CPU stayed pegged at 100% usage, which is what I want.

when I made the switch to folding with a dual-core, it only harnesses 50% of each core. I'm wondering if I can can set affinity to a single core, and then open a 2nd copy of the client and assign it to my 2nd core to get 100% usage on both cores. or will that just give me double-copies of the same WU?

 

Why not just go and turn Hyper-Threading off?
I have a P4 (Prescott) that I use for F@H,but I leave HT on.
Leaves me some CPU for doing other things at the same time.

Might also want to read this.

http://fahwiki.net/index.php/FAH_&_SMP

 

The dual-core in question isnt hyper-threaded.. it's a pentium e5400 clocked from 2.7ghz to 3.04. I've tried both the GUI client, and the SMP client.. both only give me 50% usage on both cores, and I have it set to use 100%.

but I've found that setting the fahcore to one cpu core will max that core out. then i can open a second copy of the client and set it to the other core, and it gives me 100% usage on both cores.

but what I'm not sure about is whether I will get points for both clients, or are they both working on the exact same WU and i'll only get the standard points for completing 1 WU?

 

You are not running SMP AS YOUR cpu is dividing the uniproc work in two. Running two instances with your current client will give you poor results use this instead, Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008/7 SMP2 client console version

WATCH your heat closely at the beginning.

 

BTW, is that CPU a single physical core? If it's a real dual then you will see 4 CPUs in task manager.

 

Thats a good question. I only see core0 and core1 when I set affinity, so I would guess it's not a true dual?

I've attached a speccy report of the CPU.

 

hmm. I tried the smp2 client again, and it only ran 50% on both "cores" like the standard client. So, I set affinity of the smp2 client to core0, and opened the standard client on core1, both have different sized WU's, so I should be getting scored for both this way now, and I have both "cores" reporting 100% usage.

crude but effective, I'd still like to learn the proper way though if there is one

 

You shouldn't have to do it that way. Did you you tell SMP2 that you had 2 procs? Copy and paste the smp2 log here and I'll look at it

 

I am not expert in folding, i have been led by the hand by Augie.
The only input i will make how do you set the flags in the SMP client??

C:\Users\bill\fah\Folding@home-Win32-x86.exe -smp -verbosity 9

These are mine and all 8 cores run at 100%

 

heres a stupid question, where does the SMP2 console client locate the log file? I feel like an idiot searching, and im only finding the standard clients log file

hah found it.. never mind lol

 

Bill, i am more of a noob than you when it comes to folding, this isnt a FPS or RPG, im not in my strong area. you will have to explain to me about setting the flags. I only installed the client with basic parameters.

 

How do you start your client? Your shortcut should look like Bill's. The SMP parameter is the key.

 

@Nico_Palm

I have never set affinity,but did research it and found no cause to use it,just my experience.

Depending on which cpu client you download and use (graphical or console) there is a place to set your switches also called flags which informs your client what to download to work on if your device is capable to do so.

you also stated you set up your client to the basic settings which would be uniprocessor (50%) and not SMP (100%) all that is needed to allow your cpu to do is to use the switch/flag to -smp -verbosity 9 within your client.

A suggestion would be to download the beta v7 client which installs all types of clients according to your hardware automagically with no user intervention needed unless like me you desire a different setup.

fold on

 

Thanks auggie and noprob, I read everything I could on the F@H site, went through all the guides until i came across the one that explained about the flags and where to enter them while setting up the client.

I added the -smp flag, and it's running both cores 100
% on 1 client, temps holding steady at 44 celcius with the HSF on 50%

what does the -verbosity 9 flag do? I have yet to add that flag..



Also, now that that is settled, anyone feel like helping me set up a monitoring program for the console client like Fahmon or something along those lines?

 

you are most welcome!

the flag -verbosity 9 allows the most information to be shown within the log file,with v7 client I believe it would be set to 5 as that is the highest setting for that client.

as to a monitoring program I choose HFM as it includes the bonus points for SMP WU's (once you have 10 WU's done, to kick in the bonus points) and is actively updated/improved upon,but FahMon is still usefull in a pinch and simple to install/run.

I use both on my main computer and only HFM on my home networked computer,but will mention here that the beta v7 client has the monitoring client already part of the client,just a heads up on that.

 

Well I looked at HFM and FAHmon and I had no luck setting them up properly (everything said N/A). So I will download the beta client and see what it is like. I like simplicity if possibly, so if it makes my life easier, i'll probably make the switch to the beta. will also see which client gives me the most points on a 20WU average I suppose for something to do

 

once installed/setup you have to manually add your client onto the monitoring programs.
usually, as memory recalls, by clicking on add client then navigating to the folder where you installed/run Folding@home from.

as to the beta client v7 you are on your own there as it is to me very different and I just haven't put the time in to figure it out properly to monitor clients which I believe to be networked so not so sure it will monitor itself,it is all new to me this v7 client and in it's second beta phase.

may the fold be with you

Edit

running XP Pro SP3 here. (noticed in your sig you may be running win7)

 

Yes, that PC in my sig is a freebie throw-together I'm building for my 12 year old little brother, but I do have windows 7 x64 on this PC as well.

so far the beta has handled everything automatically, including the monitoring part. it has not completed enough to calculate my PPD yet, but it has given me an ETA of 24 hours per WU. I was completing 2-3 WU's daily with the other client, but I think they were alot smaller and worth less points, so we shall see.

screenshot added of the Expert level monitor.

 

Where's that screenshot from nico? I never seen that before. Welcome to the fold.:wine

 

Thats a screenshot of the BetaV7 client's main interface. it gives alot of detailed info, as well as monitors the action. I'll be seeing which client produces the most points per month (BetaV7 vs. SMP2 Console) and stick with the best one

and thank you, it's all for a good cause, too many of my family members are afflicted by the ailments that this program is working towards helping. So I'm glad to be a part of it.

 

I find it funny that Stanford actually kept to a schedule as they usually say nothing.I was away for 6 weeks and this happens. I'll fire v7 up when my current WU finishes in three or four days.

 

ahh so it's normal for a WU to take 24 hours or more, I thought it seemed like too long after using the standard client. With the standard graphical client I finished 6 WU's in 2 days, but only got about 500 points for it.

I only have 10 WU's total so far, for a score of 932 or something close to that.

and from what i've been reading, even with just my CPU running, I should be able to score a bit better than that.

 

@Nico_Palm

your dual core cpu is way more powerful than mine as it takes just a little over 3 days (72+ hours/near 84 hours on certain WU's) for my machine to complete this type WU. (reason I decided to do the single core WU's [50%] which in reality is 100% of that core,leaving the other core open to surf the web fiddle on whatever I'm interested in at the moment)

Keep in mind if this is your first go at SMP/Folding@home (crunching is what I call it) ,you will not receive any bonus points until the 11th. SMP WU,thereafter it is all bonus points if completed within the allotted time frame.

not to worry though it goes by very quickly. (at least it did for me)

looks like 11 or 12 days for your bonus points to kick in,took me much longer,but well worth the required time frame once completed.

I also use the GPU client x2 on this computer and though to share that if you decide to do both SMP/GPU on the same computer you will get the best points if you set the GPU client(s) to low which is a little higher priority than idle which the SMP client should be left on (doing all this within the client not windows task manager),but I have decided to save up for an i7 upgrade in the near future as the co$t to operate the GPU client(s) 24/7 are not economical, imho.

I'm glad to hear you are doing well with the v7 client which has me to wonder why I haven't used it other then to just check it out.

fold on

and hello from this side of the border. (noticed you are in Canada)

 

Yes, I've found that even with the client set to idle cycles, if you play a game with quick framerates you will see some stuttering with the picture. I noticed a big impact on racing games, but almost no impact on older directX9 era games. but I can definately understand why you would want 1 free core for quite a few reasons, thats what affinity was made for right?

and regarding the GPU client, right now this PC only has a 350W PSU, and with a slight OC on the processor, I dont need to over-burden it with a GPU yet.

my list of upgrades include a new 650W PSU, a new motherboard with better overclocking capabilities, mainly better memory dividers. and a decent HD GPU that will play anything I can throw at it.

cooling on this PC is already quite decent, I can keep CPU core temps under 45-47 celcius on Prime95 or OCCT linpack with 55% or less CPU fan speed. for some reason with this asus motherboard though the northbridge in constantly over 75 degrees at stock speeds, even with the large passive-style trademark asus heatsinks mounted on both the NB and SB. so I had to add a side-mounted 4-inch fan blowing directly at the two heatsinks to keep them under 80 degrees with the slight OC. it also has a front mounted intake fan, and a rear-mounted exhaust fan, both just standard fans, but they do the job and aren't too noisy.

 

Couple of points to add -

It used to be a requirement to have a passkey for -bigadv units and I have not read in any documentation yet that that requirement has been lifted. Also, having a passkey ensures that no one can fold under your name without permission. Passkey link

I think you will find that folding can stress your system harder than any testing program especially when overclocking even in small steps. Running 24/7 at 100% will find even the smallest instability and there goes your work. (I've lost some -bigadv units in the 80 and 90% completed range and that shoots 2 or 3 days work down the tubes. It doesn't take long to figure you have to go back and find the culprit when something like that happens.)

Nice to see some action in the folding arena again and glad you could join the team Nico_Palm.:major

 

Thanks lbmest,

I will definately keep that in mind. That is also why I have not gone further than 3.06Ghz on this motherboard from the stock 2.7. Also due to the lack of memory dividers (it only has DDR3 800Mhz, although my RAM is 1333Mhz), and the lack of voltage options (everything is automatic which adds fluctuations, and therefore instability).

I've run prime95 for almost 3 straight days doing a blend test, and this PC is solid at 3.06. As soon as I up the bus speed from 226 to 228 or 230 I start getting BSOD's. I'm pretty sure It cant be the memory, as it's already quite underclocked, so I'm guessing it has to be power fluctuations caused by the auto-voltages. It is still a very good board for an OEM Asus board from one of their pre-built desktops, but I'll be making the switch to an after-market board shortly.

As for the password, I've already set one on the config menu setting up the client, or is this a different one?

 

If you are referring to the password you set on the client connection tab of the configuration, that is different from the passkey assigned by Stanford. As I said, I don't know if the passkey is still required for the -bigadv units but it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and get one and put it in your configuration. Use the link I posted earlier to get one.

 

Thanks again lbmest,

I got a passkey, and entered it into the betaV7 client. I'm not sure if it will make a difference or not as I'm about halfway through the first 24-hour WU on this new client so i wont have anything to compare to, but it can't hurt

 

My bad about the passkey. :-o totally forgot...

To the best of my understanding it is required to have the passkey to receive the bonus points,plus it protects you (your production and points) if another user has your same ID/user name, if caught cheating,which zero's out points.

On the older program SMP/cpu client to receive bonus points the clients needs to be setup proper which includes the passkey,selecting Big for WU's and setting Set -advmethods flag always, requesting new advanced scientific cores and/or work units if available to yes,then on the extra settings I put in -smp -verbosity 9,but I believe the v7 client does most of this automatically for you.

as to putting the passkey in late on your first SMP it should be ok,I'm not sure?

my apologies about not informing you about the passkey and Thank You lbmest for putting it out there.

fold on

 

No biggie, most of that stuff is automagic on this beta i think, at least so far.

although i'll add a few screenshots here with a few questions to make sure everything is golden.

Pic #1
-This is where i entered the passkey, i'm 99% sure it's in the correct location. It has a section for password, and a passkey and I paid attention to the wording lol

Pic#2
-This is what I set advanced options to, again, just making sure everythings ok.

Pic#3
-Not quite sure what this is for. could this be where i need to set certain flags or commands? All the other options are the same options from the console client, just presented in a windowed form. So I would assume that this would be the spot to set flags? would appreciate input from a more knowledged person lol

 

I would set check pointing frequency to the highest setting as your client is posting info in the log file every 3 minutes as you have it set.(which imo cost time = costs points = less pointage/production) though this is a user preference option .

all the rest looks ok as you stated and I believe to be correct as this v7 client did set my SMP and 2x GPU's up correctly when I test ran this client.(not the configuration I desired and need to research to set up the config file manually)

I believe you are correct on #3,but see no point in this option being available (as v7 seems to do it all magically) unless needed or specified for certain instances?

seems to me you are using the v7 client the most at least in this team atm,I'm just to lazy to research manual config file directions/proticol.

fold on

 

Agreed

I think you have got what you need at this point. See how your clients do for the next few days and possibly can be adjusted later if needed.
v7 Flag information

 

Thanks guys,

I've set the checkpoint frequency to be less frequent.

Also looking at the V7 flags posted by lbmest, I see the -bigadv flag is still used for V7. I wont add it yet, I'll complete a few WU's under this configuration to get a baseline of performance, and then compare in a few days to see what improvements, if any it gives me with this client.

but when I enter the "client-type=bigadv" flag, will it go in "extra client options" or "extra core options"?

 

I would think it to be "extra client options" as core options are concerned with forcing the cpu to do a certain task(s)

I have never used this option since I have never owned an i7 cpu.

fold on

 

yes, I did some reading on a few F@H forums and they said that as well. when you click the add tab for client options you will be given 2 boxes to fill out with the command, "client-type" goes into the first box, and "bigadv" goes in the second box, then you are set

once I am finished this WU and will see what changes I get.

and i'd love to own an i7, but my current combination scores 6.5 windows experience index score for both the processor and RAM respectively, and I've seen some i7's score lower, in the high 5's. So I'm not overly concerned abut making that switch yet.

I'll most likely OC this one a bit more with better hardware, and tough it out until an AM4 or something comes out :-D

don't get me wrong, intel is awesome and definately quality stuff. But amd makes upgradability so much easier and affordable, and it leaves your options more open than the intel socket series.

 

Nico_Palm those 481 and 552 pointers once your 10 WU's are collected will double at minimum,usually a little more than doubled,but realize I've done these SMP WU's and only received them once every 3 and a half days,you will near daily and triple my SMP production/points,I digress and have 3x GPU's working also in the production,but desire as soon as financially able to upgrade to the i7.

may the fold be with you