Folding Forum

For the last three days at least 8 hours a day this machine has spend spinning its wheels trying to get something other than "Work Unit has an invalid address." Right now these CPUs have done no folding for 12 hours.

Are we done? Should I go look for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence now?

And while I'm venting. How come PS3 and GPU work units are so much more valuable (point wise) than PC work units? Are you trying to drive out the PCs like you did the old hardware? If you are that's fine I understand Standford's research is on the bleeding edge. This machine has been folding for over three years straight now. Three years may as well be an epoch for computers, it was bound to become obsolete.

Anthony

Hello birefringent, it would be helpful to see your fahlog.txt contents. First 35 lines of the file, plus the last 50 lines or so, showing the error.

As for points, they are based on the scientific production of the hardware. A CPU typically has 1 or 2 cores, maybe 4, where as the PS3 has 7 cores, and GPUs have 100s of small cores. PS3s and GPUs produce more scientific results, so they score higher points. Just as a Pentium 4 running at 3.6 GHz produces twice as many points as a Pentium 4 running at 1.8 GHz, the newer technology improves that performance too, producing much higher points.

For example, a P4 2.8 Ghz single core CPU is benchmarked to earn 110 Points Per Day, 220 PPD for Big WUs. Scale that up to the SMP client, running multiple cores (64) with tons of memory (20 GB), processing 1 very large work unit can earn more than 111,000 PPD. Higher horse power, goes faster, earns more points.

More work done equals more points... that's fair, right?

Thank you for responding 7im.

The log below is the same as every other log that other people have posted when faced with this same problem in the past. I'm really just pointing out that the assignment server isn't.

As for point allocation. First, I had no idea that a PS3 was powerful enough to model a thermal nuclear explosive in real time. The 1989 export ban on 80386 based computers seems sort of stupid now. But I digress.

As I understand it the high end processors are being used to shoot random rays through the solution space looking for interesting areas to explore in more detail. The PC are grinding out the space in between. While it may seem counter-intuitive, if the objective is to understand what's actually going on, the mopeds are at least as valuable as the hot rods. Again, I get that hardware becomes obsolete. And if I or my wife had full time work I would buy a half broken PS3 just to fold. But that will have to wait until shrubanomics gives up the ghost.

With sharp pointy pointy teeth.
Anthony



[18:16:55] - Ask before connecting: No
[18:16:55] - User name: birefringent (Team 1)
[18:16:55] - User ID: 4102CB13290D2AE
[18:16:55] - Machine ID: 1
[18:16:55]
[18:16:55] Loaded queue successfully.
[18:16:55] + Benchmarking ...
[18:16:57] - Preparing to get new work unit...
[18:16:58] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:16:58] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:16:58] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:16:58] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:16:58] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:16:58] - Error: Attempt #1 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:17:12] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:17:12] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:17:12] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:17:12] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:17:12] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:17:12] - Error: Attempt #2 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:17:29] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:17:29] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:17:32] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:17:32] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:17:32] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:17:32] - Error: Attempt #3 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:17:57] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:17:57] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:17:57] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:17:57] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:17:57] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:17:57] - Error: Attempt #4 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:18:42] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:18:42] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:18:42] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:18:42] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:18:42] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:18:42] - Error: Attempt #5 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:20:13] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:20:13] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:20:14] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:20:14] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:20:14] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:20:14] - Error: Attempt #6 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:23:01] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:23:01] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:23:01] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:23:01] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:23:01] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:23:01] - Error: Attempt #7 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:28:35] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:28:35] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:28:35] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:28:35] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:28:35] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:28:35] - Error: Attempt #8 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:39:26] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:39:26] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:39:26] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[18:39:26] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[18:39:26] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[18:39:26] - Error: Attempt #9 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[19:00:49] + Attempting to get work packet
[19:00:49] - Connecting to assignment server
[19:00:49] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[19:00:49] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[19:00:49] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[19:00:49] - Error: Attempt #10 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.

Recently, there have been a lack of WU's for the uniprocessor clients that have less than 512MB allocated to it. If possible, try reconfiguring to increasing the RAM to 512MB or greater and big WU's. People have have good success getting WU's with that combination.

It might also help to know your client version and settings, and the OS you use.

toTOW wrote:It might also help to know your client version and settings, and the OS you use.

Yep, the 12 or so lines from the log right before the section posted. The ones with all the ###'s.

Shrubanomics, huh? Nee!

Microsoft Windows XP
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 3

Dell DIMENSION 8400
Intel(R)
Pentium(r) 4 CPU 3.20 GHz
3.19 Ghz, 1.00 GB of RAM

This is a dual processor system. I've placed no restrictions on FAH.
The most recent core is FahCore_b4.exe 2/24/2010 11:14 AM but there are several others. New cores are downloaded regularly. The client.cfg file is dated 4/8/2010 11:02 AM

I truly dislike seeing the CPU usage icon near zero.

Anthony


Shrubonomics - I distinguish Shrub (I mean W) from his father Bush. Shrubonomics is when you gut all the economic regulatory agencies so the uber-rich can do as they please, screw the rest of us, and not go to prison where they belong. I work, when I have students, for ordinary people. They are saving their money. Curiously, folding statistics are a decent metric of the economy. If you know who's who you can even use the information to invest wisely. And I apologize for being OT.

Sorry 7im, the other information you requested.
Anthony

--- Opening Log file [April 8 22:45:37]


# Windows Console Edition #####################################################
###############################################################################

Folding@Home Client Version 5.04beta

http://folding.stanford.edu

###############################################################################
###############################################################################

Launch directory: C:\Documents and Settings\Anthony\Desktop\FAH
Executable: C:\Documents and Settings\Anthony\Desktop\FAH\FAH504-Console.exe


[22:45:37] - Ask before connecting: No
[22:45:37] - User name: birefringent (Team 1)
[22:45:37] - User ID: 4102CB13290D2AE
[22:45:37] - Machine ID: 1
[22:45:37]
[22:45:37] Loaded queue successfully.
[22:45:37] + Benchmarking ...
[22:45:40] - Preparing to get new work unit...
[22:45:40] + Attempting to get work packet
[22:45:40] - Connecting to assignment server
[22:45:40] - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[22:45:40] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[22:45:40] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[22:45:40] - Error: Attempt #1 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.

Updating your client to version6 will help: http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegrou ... 86-623.zip

Yep. Drop the new v6.xx executable file in to the exact same fah folder. Then rename the client.cfg file to client.old. Then run the client. It will prompt for the setup questions again, user name, etc. Answer all the same way. If you don't remember, open the old file and look! Then you're off and running again.

Done, done and done.

Thank you
Anthony

Same problem as others have recently reported.
I'm running Windows 2000 on this desktop, so I don't think I can upgrade to v6,
and the memory's a bit low.

This copy from an _earlier_ trouble-free part of the og tells you something about my machine set-up:
(The problematic part follows after this extract).... Here's the beginning of the current logfile starting from 6 April :
[removing some blanks]
Thanks in advance for your advice

Mike