SMP Affinity Changer

This forum contains information about 3rd party applications which may be of use to those who run the FAH client and one place where you might be able to get help when using one of those apps.

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zorzyk
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:12 pm
Hardware configuration: abit IP35 PRO,
Q6600/B3 3042 MHz (9*338) / CPU VCore 1.3550V,
DDR2 4x1GB: Corsair Twin2X DDR2 800MHz CL4-4-4-12 DHX @ 845 MHz CL4-4-4-12 / 2.2V
Location: Poland

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by zorzyk »

A-Ch with one SMP client on Pentium D915 (2800 MHz stock, dual core, 1 MB RAM) gives about 5% decrease of folding time, which means about 2.5 hours less needed to complete WU (p2653: was ca. 52 h, with A-Ch now 49h 15mins), and PPD raised from 815 to 855.
thriftyj*
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:23 pm
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Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by thriftyj* »

*hondo* wrote:Hi Guys

Can someone make the need of this affinity changer stupidly simple for me please?

I'm now on an Asus Intel Q6600 box running two instances of F@H.

Will affinity changer be of any use, or not?

Thank you. :)
hondo^
The need for it will be up to you. I just installed it and tested it myself and am seeing it work. What rilian did was make the computer work better.

the SMP divides the work into two cores - but sometimes one core is working hard and the other core is lagging.

Affinity- (as I understand it and grossly oversimplify) checks the two cores every so often. Even outs the work load making the core with less work get more, working the computer work more efficiently.

Voila' - more efficient code. Will it work for you? [install it where it is supposed to go, correctly, and I think it will - but I am still a new believer - although, if it is good enough for uncle fungus? I would stake my fungus on it! :mrgreen: ]

thanks again, rilian.>>increased speed 11% on WU 2653
Folding for cures.
él Mero
Posts: 49
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:14 pm

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by él Mero »

Although rilian does a great job advertising this software, the guy you really should thank is nik4eva, the developer.
rilian
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:58 am
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Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by rilian »

él Mero wrote:Although rilian does a great job advertising this software, the guy you really should thank is nik4eva, the developer.
agree
thriftyj*
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Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:23 pm
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Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by thriftyj* »

Many thanks to nik4eva.

rilian is to be thanked as the one who answered my questions and the one I was speaking with. :mrgreen:
Folding for cures.
MoneyGuyBK
Posts: 179
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 6:40 am
Location: Team_XPS ..... OC, S. Calif

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by MoneyGuyBK »

él Mero wrote:Although rilian does a great job advertising this software, the guy you really should thank is nik4eva, the developer.
Many Thanx to nik4eva, rilian and Folding Forums for developing and promoting this great tool.
A-Ch has netted me [and humanity and the science] a good 3.5 hours per SMP.... Kudos.


Peace
T.E.A.M. “Together Everyone Accomplishes Miracles!”
Image
OC, S. California ... God Bless All
*hondo*
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:50 am
Hardware configuration: Geoforce 250 GTS Active for F@H

4 Core Intel not used at all for F@H
Location: England UK

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by *hondo* »

:oops: Sori for asking maybe a stupid question, but how do you know if Affinity Changer is working or not?
Jeannie
Posts: 49
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 3:07 am
Location: Central New Jersey

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by Jeannie »

*hondo* wrote::oops: Sori for asking maybe a stupid question, but how do you know if Affinity Changer is working or not?
By comparing how long it takes to complete a particular work unit without the affinity changer to how long it takes to complete another WU of the same project with affinity changer, on the same client.
If you're using something like FAHMON to monitor your client(s), the monitor will also display Points Per Day (PPD) for each client for the projects you are running, which gives you a quicker 'answer' to how the affinity changer affects your client. Again, you need to compare the same project, and allow for the fact that there are normal variations in the 'speed'. For example, one of my computers almost always gets WU2653, using Windows SMP, and it usually gets around 990 PPD, but sometimes gets as low as 900 PPD if something else is running on the computer (but usually only changes to as low as 950). When I tried the Affinity Changer, my PPD went down into the 700's, so I don't use the Affinity Changer (my processor is an AMD; the Affinity Changer was designed to work with Intel processors, so I'm not complaining.)
butc8
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:37 pm

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by butc8 »

Jeannie wrote:
*hondo* wrote::oops: Sori for asking maybe a stupid question, but how do you know if Affinity Changer is working or not?
By comparing how long it takes to complete a particular work unit without the affinity changer to how long it takes to complete another WU of the same project with affinity changer, on the same client.
If you're using something like FAHMON to monitor your client(s), the monitor will also display Points Per Day (PPD) for each client for the projects you are running, which gives you a quicker 'answer' to how the affinity changer affects your client. Again, you need to compare the same project, and allow for the fact that there are normal variations in the 'speed'. For example, one of my computers almost always gets WU2653, using Windows SMP, and it usually gets around 990 PPD, but sometimes gets as low as 900 PPD if something else is running on the computer (but usually only changes to as low as 950). When I tried the Affinity Changer, my PPD went down into the 700's, so I don't use the Affinity Changer (my processor is an AMD; the Affinity Changer was designed to work with Intel processors, so I'm not complaining.)
Or go into task manager under processes there should be a "FahSmpAffinityChanger.exe" there, and dont worry if it says it uses 00:00:00 cpu time.
*hondo*
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:50 am
Hardware configuration: Geoforce 250 GTS Active for F@H

4 Core Intel not used at all for F@H
Location: England UK

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by *hondo* »

Thanks for the information you Guy's, I don't know if I've done something wrong but to be honest I can't see a major difference, with or without Aff/Ch.
On the same WUs P3050 & P2653 for 2 Hours I ran with Aff /ch, after which I un-installed it and for a further 2 hours ran without it.
The result was

With A/F PPD= 3317

Without A/F PPD = 3322 :e?:
The CPU is a P Q6600.

Thanks again all you guy's for the feedback. :)
rilian
Posts: 53
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:58 am
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Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by rilian »

*hondo* you did use two FAH SMP ?
*hondo*
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:50 am
Hardware configuration: Geoforce 250 GTS Active for F@H

4 Core Intel not used at all for F@H
Location: England UK

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by *hondo* »

rilian wrote:*hondo* you did use two FAH SMP ?
Yes the same one's, P3050 & P2653 Did I do something wrong?
:e?:
bruce
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Location: So. Cal.

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by bruce »

Affinity changer seems to work best with a single copy of FAH-SMP (four copies of FahCore_a1) on 4-core hardware or two copies of FAH-SMP (8 copies of FahCore_a1) on 8-core hardware. If you have more copies of FahCore_a1 running than you have physical cores, the benefit diminishes rapidly.
rilian
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Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:58 am
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Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by rilian »

bruce please check your last post. A-Ch does not work on 8-core hardware so far. i guess you need to divide by 2 all core-related part
Last edited by rilian on Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
*hondo*
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:50 am
Hardware configuration: Geoforce 250 GTS Active for F@H

4 Core Intel not used at all for F@H
Location: England UK

Re: SMP Affinity Changer

Post by *hondo* »

I'm sorry you guy's I can imagine this must be frustrating for you, I'm clueless to what you are saying. :e(

My CPU is an Oced Pentium Q6600 which I thought is a 4 core. I'm running two SMP WUs, which are completed within usually < 24 Hrs. Is there a more effective way to run this CPU either with, or without A/Ch ?

Thanks again. :)
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