Folding Forum

i've been looking into getting a passkey and i was wondering.

why not use passwords instead of passkeys?
passwords being a string of text you choose
passkey being a string of text assigned to you

I don't know any official response, but I can think of a couple reasons.

1) The server has to manage multiple passwords for the same name. It would have to know whether you connected to FAH as JohnSmith with password1 or JohnSmith with password2 and credit those to different accounts. That's not a security issue, that's an account issue.

2) If you fail to store your password so that FAH tries to upload a result (hours/days later) the points will be lost. If you fail to enter the correct passkey, the points will be credited to JohnSmith just like those with no passkey, and it will be up to you to sort out which JohnSmith gets to count them. [Passwords are designed to PREVENT unauthroized access. FAH is designed to PERMIT access by anyone, whether you have a passkey or not.]

3) If you misplace your password, you will probably expect somebody at Stanford to rescue you. If you misplace your passkey, it's up to you to deal with the problem. The extra clerical work that Stanford might have to do can't be paid for on a Science grant.

4) What happens if two people with the name JohnSmith happen to choose the same password? How would Stanford tell them apart?

5) The Passkey does give Stanford access to an email address for you. A password would be of no use to them. In an emergency they could probably contact you. (I know of no plan to do anything like that, but they might decide to in the future.)

With user picked passwords there are to many variables, to many chances of a bad password selection, invalid characters, etc. The passkey is 32 characters long, would you make a password with the same criteria? I know probably wouldn't.

Folding@home - FAQ-passkey

Your passkey is never lost if you can remember your fah user name and the email address used to create the passkey. Simply enter the same data again, and Stanford will send you the same passkey again.

Passkeys assure randomness, which equates to better security. Choosen passwords, especially 32 characters long, would tend to contain repeated characters. Human nature, easier to remember. People also tend to use the same passwords in many places. If one of those other places gets hacked, it would be easier for someone to also get your standford info.

It's also easier for Stanford to handle the data when it is a known length, and known format. (yes, that probably has a slight drawback, but easily outways the others of self choosen passwords)

We could also ask the question, Why not a passkey?

I have a few questions regarding passkeys.

Is a unique passkey applied to each client or can I use 1 passkey for all clients?

I have 15 clients running that all belong to 1 team. If I add a passkey to each client will it effect my current team stats?

Can I add a passkey midstream without effecting the current work unit in progress any more than a normal ctrl-c?

Many Thanks

weedacres wrote:Is a unique passkey applied to each client or can I use 1 passkey for all clients?

You should use the same passkey for all clients.

weedacres wrote:I have 15 clients running that all belong to 1 team. If I add a passkey to each client will it effect my current team stats?

No.

weedacres wrote:Can I add a passkey midstream without effecting the current work unit in progress any more than a normal ctrl-c?

Yes.

Thanks

So even if you use a passkey, other people can still contribute under your donor name? What's the point then?

jewdozer wrote:So even if you use a passkey, other people can still contribute under your donor name? What's the point then?

If someone tries to trash your username by doing things PG doesn't approve of, PG can separate your contributions from the others and not have to zero out your stats. Wouldn't you agree that's a good advantage?

I see, that hasn't crossed my mind.

Another question I didn't feel warranted starting a new topic:

I've just read the SMP2 bonus points announcement. It appears that, to be eligible for the bonus points on SMP2 core projects, you need a passkey.

Since PS3 does not support passkeys, will the points generated by the WU returns on the PS3 still be added to the same account if I set up a passkey for it to use on my PCs?

jewdozer wrote:Since PS3 does not support passkeys, will the points generated by the WU returns on the PS3 still be added to the same account if I set up a passkey for it to use on my PCs?

Yes. Using, or not using the passkey doesn't change your stats in any way.

I recently installed another computer running a pair of BFG/GTX275 cards. Can the same passkey be run on seperate machines with the same log in name for FAH? My first machine is running two GTX285 cards. I ask this because I have seen my ppd not being posted with the 275's just installed.

Normally, you SHOULD use the same passkey and the same UserName on all of the computers that you mange. Stanford will assign a unique value for UserID to identify each computer uniquely.

The stats did not update for about 12 hours during the last 24. The stats have probably posted by now. See viewtopic.php?f=18&t=13186

Bruce,
I now have my two machines running with the same passkey. I also checked my stats and ppd's are up to date. Thanks for setting me straight on the procedure.