Folding Forum

First, thank you all for all your help in getting the console client set up.

http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?p=949#949

However, now I have too much of a good thing. In the process of trying to figure out what I was doing (with the vague or perhaps misguided idea of coming up with instructions for adding a console client so easy even anko1 could do it ), I set up a new folder C:\Test and copied my steps, including setting it to machine 3. However, I never (at least I don't think I did) started it. So at this point, in theory, I have my console client running on machine 2 and my graphical client off. Then I go to restart my graphical client and get this for the log when I click on the graphical client:

-- Opening Log file [December 5 02:29:33]


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

Folding@Home Client Version 5.04beta

http://folding.stanford.edu

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

Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home
Executable: C:\FAH2a\FAH504-Console.exe
Arguments: -configonly

[02:29:33] - Ask before connecting: No
[02:29:33] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[02:29:33] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[02:29:33] - Machine ID: 2
[02:29:33]
[02:29:33] Configuring Folding@Home...



--- Opening Log file [December 5 07:25:13]


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

Folding@Home Client Version 5.04beta

http://folding.stanford.edu

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

Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home
Executable: C:\FAH2a\FAH504-Console.exe
Arguments: -configonly

[07:25:13] - Ask before connecting: No
[07:25:13] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[07:25:13] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[07:25:13] - Machine ID: 2
[07:25:13]
[07:25:13] Configuring Folding@Home...


[07:25:42] - Ask before connecting: No
[07:25:42] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[07:25:42] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[07:25:42] - Machine ID: 2
[07:25:42]
[07:25:42] -configonly flag given, so exiting.


--- Opening Log file [December 5 08:14:44]


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

Folding@Home Client Version 5.04beta

http://folding.stanford.edu

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

Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home
Executable: C:\Test\FAH504-Console.exe
Arguments: -configonly

[08:14:44] - Ask before connecting: No
[08:14:44] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[08:14:44] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[08:14:44] - Machine ID: 2
[08:14:44]
[08:14:44] Configuring Folding@Home...


The program will continue in non-service mode now, working in C:\Program Files\Folding@Home.
The next time the computer is starts up, you should see work automatically
continue there. Note that when this service is running, you should not try
to manually run F@H from that directory at the same time.


[08:19:42] - Ask before connecting: No
[08:19:42] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[08:19:42] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[08:19:42] - Machine ID: 3
[08:19:42]
[08:19:42] -configonly flag given, so exiting.


--- Opening Log file [December 5 08:27:53]


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

Folding@Home Client Version 5.04beta

http://folding.stanford.edu

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

Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home
Executable: C:\Test\FAH504-Console.exe
Arguments: -configonly

[08:27:53] - Ask before connecting: No
[08:27:53] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[08:27:53] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[08:27:53] - Machine ID: 3
[08:27:53]
[08:27:53] Configuring Folding@Home...



--- Opening Log file [December 6 15:46:10]


# Windows Graphical Edition ###################################################
###############################################################################

Folding@Home Client Version 5.03

http://folding.stanford.edu

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

Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home


[15:46:10] - Ask before connecting: No
[15:46:10] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[15:46:10] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[15:46:10] - Machine ID: 3
[15:46:10]
[15:46:10] Loaded queue successfully.
[15:46:10] Initialization complete
[15:46:10] + Benchmarking ...
[15:46:12]
[15:46:12] + Processing work unit
[15:46:12] Core required: FahCore_79.exe
[15:46:12] Core found.
[15:46:12] Working on Unit 06 [December 6 15:46:12]
[15:46:12] + Working ...
[15:46:13]
[15:46:13] *------------------------------*
[15:46:13] Folding@Home Double Gromacs Core
[15:46:13] Version 1.91 (April 11, 2006)
[15:46:13]
[15:46:13] Preparing to commence simulation
[15:46:13] - Looking at optimizations...
[15:46:13] - Files status OK
[15:46:33] - Expanded 9453186 -> 34412398 (decompressed 364.0 percent)
[15:46:34]
[15:46:34] Project: 3905 (Run 1229, Clone 4, Gen 1)
[15:46:34]
[15:46:34] Assembly optimizations on if available.
[15:46:34] Entering M.D.
[15:46:58] (Starting from checkpoint)
[15:46:58] Protein: IBX in water
[15:46:58]
[15:46:58] Writing local files
[15:46:58] Completed 216 out of 25000 steps (1)
[15:47:18] Extra SSE2 boost OK.
[15:55:43] Opening http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main ... name=anko1...
[16:06:13] Writing local files
[16:06:14] Completed 500 out of 25000 steps (2)
[16:38:56] Writing local files
[16:38:57] Completed 1000 out of 25000 steps (4)
[17:11:23] Writing local files
[17:11:24] Completed 1500 out of 25000 steps (6)
[17:43:43] Writing local files
[17:43:45] Completed 2000 out of 25000 steps (8)
[18:15:56] Writing local files
[18:15:57] Completed 2500 out of 25000 steps (10)
[18:48:24] Writing local files
[18:48:25] Completed 3000 out of 25000 steps (12)
[19:21:00] Writing local files
[19:21:01] Completed 3500 out of 25000 steps (14)



So you can see that my graphical is now running on machine 3. I assumed that machine 1 was out of the picture, and when I checked the processes in the Windows Task Manager, all seemed good, with one program using 48% and the other using 48% or so.

Everything runs hunky-dory for awhile and then I notice that my graphical client has gone from 4min/frame to 6min/frame. So I click on the task manager to see what else is running to discover, low and behold, that I have three cores running at about 30%. I figure out which core is not being used by M2 or M3 and exit it. Check back a little later expecting that the time will have dropped, but no, it's still at 6min/f. Go back to task manager, and still have three cores running, but the third core is a different one. Hence, I've come to the conclusion that Machine 1 is alive and well somewhere, though I'm not sure what prompted its resurrection, since it was just M2 and M3 for several days.

I should also mention that I started to download a console client in C:\Program Files\FAH2, but like \Test, I didn't think I started it. Also I conducted an experiment (yes, I know, that's how I got in this mess in the first place), and shut down the console client I can "see" [the one I have a short cut to, that ends up in my task bar, and is on M2], and the process rates on the other two cores have jumped up to 48%. I also have two copies of FAH504-Console.exe in the Task Manager.

So, now I have some questions. (I see you rolling your eyes. )

I presume that there's no advantage to running three programs when I can only use 30% on each, but is there a harm, other than slooooow processing?

I confess I have an inherent level of discomfort in not being able to track what's going on with M1. So I'd like to get rid of one of the console clients, preferably one that I can't "see." My first thought was to just trash \Test and \Program Files\FAH2, but I'm afraid that I'll loose machine 3 (or rather all the work the graphical client has done so far), and I don't see how to indicate which machine should be assigned to the graphical client. [Well the obvious solution is to wait till the unit is done.] So, I guess I'm asking, if I wait until the graphical WU is done, and then I trash \Test and \PF\FAH2, and then restart \FAH2a, will order be restored to my universe?

I've also noticed that when I close the window for the console client \FAH2a and then reopen it, sometimes it resumes the prior WU and sometimes it gets a new one.

Thanks again for all your help. I'll accept that maybe I have to start over with trashing all the consoles and just starting that from scratch (on M1?).

PS - just noticed that the console version above was launching from \Program Files, even if the executable was in a different directory. I presume this means I did something else wrong?

ed. for grammer

Sounds like a couple of things are going on. ID#1 is probably running as a service and is launching on startup.

or as we see from your log file:

Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home
Executable: C:\Test\FAH504-Console.exe
Arguments: -configonly

[08:14:44] - Ask before connecting: No
[08:14:44] - User name: anko1 (Team 47815)
[08:14:44] - User ID: 14991F842ED3B1A8
[08:14:44] - Machine ID: 2
[08:14:44]
[08:14:44] Configuring Folding@Home...

The program will continue in non-service mode now, working in C:\Program Files\Folding@Home.
The next time the computer is starts up, you should see work automatically
continue there. Note that when this service is running, you should not try
to manually run F@H from that directory at the same time.

ID#2 looks like it is using the same directory as ID#1.

You should add -local to all your shortcuts to keep the clients using their directory and not "sharing" data.

When you startup your computer, look and see if there are any F@H clients running. If not then -local should take care of your issue. If yes, then you need to run -configonly on your clients and turn off run as service.

The quick and dirty approach.

Open services.msc and stop every copy of FAH that you find there.

Find all FAH directories/folders on your machine.

Make a new directory on c:\ called "folding@home".

Move all the folding directories there.

If a third directory exists, delete it.

Do a -configall on each client and make sure the machine id's are different.

If you are starting as a service, you will need to follow my old guide, where it mentions how to find the FAH stuff in the registry.

Now append -local onto each imagepath/shortcut.

Reboot, or restart the service(s).

If not, just restart the shortcuts you created to startup each client, making damn sure you added that -local flag to each one.

The End.

v00d00 wrote:Do a -configall on each client and make sure the machine id's are different.

I think you really mean do a -configonly -local on each client.

The fundamental problem in everything shown in the log is the fact that -local was missing from each run, although there may also be an issue if one or more services have been defined.

anko1 wrote:I presume that there's no advantage to running three programs when I can only use 30% on each, but is there a harm, other than slooooow processing?

There is no advantage but there are two opportunities for harm.

Slowing the processing is undesirable for scientific reasons. It extends the time before the entire project can be completed. From the points perspective there is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, though there has been some talk of changes to the points system that might change that. If that happens, running 3 will earn less that running 2 (presuming that you have dual-core hardware), simply because that's what the science needs.

If two different clients start in the same directory (such as when you forget to specify -local) you'll probably lose work, whether you have two or three clients.