Folding Forum

It seems that client downloads some data from the server. The download process takes forever.
Client is connected with 150Mbit/s data transfer. Will upgrading network connection speed to e.g. 500Mbit/s
significantly improve PPD?

I see download process in client logs:
08:08:59:WU02:FS02:Downloading 51.88MiB
...
08:16:50:WU02:FS02:Download 74.57%

I personally won't call it significant but it will be measurable. How much the difference is will depend on how quickly you fold the WUs, i.e. the faster you fold WUs, the higher the points you get as opposed the slower you fold the WUs, the lower the points are (assuming that you can fold before the Timeout).

Welcome to Folding@Home!

On downloads, you can adjust at which percentage of the current Work Unit you start the download of the next work Unit. By Default this is 99%, but there is a command:

next-unit-percentage v='99'

Which you can add to your expert settings with a percentage that makes the download finish before you reach 100%. (You did not include enough of your Log for me to guess what percentage this might be, lets use 95% as an example. You will pick a percentage that completes just before the current WU gets to 100%)

Using Windows: (I don't know what you use, you did not include enough of the Log for me to know)

In the taskbar to the lower right of the screen, you should see a F@H molecule icon, click it (you may need to click an Up Arrow to see it ^)

The second item in this menu is Advanced Control, click it

On this screen to the left is a Configure button, click it

Now you get a screen with an Expert tab, click it

Click Add, In Name type next-unit-percentage, and in Value type 95, now click OK and Save.

If you click on the Log tab, your new parameter should be there.

08:45:48:
08:45:48: <!-- Work Unit Control -->
08:45:48: <next-unit-percentage v='95'/>
08:45:48:

Now your slow network speed will have less impact on Folding. (The Quick Return Bonus is still measured from the start of Download to the completion of Upload, so this improves WUs per Day, not Points per WU)

JimboPalmer wrote:...Now your slow network speed will have less impact on Folding. (The Quick Return Bonus is still measured from the start of Download to the completion of Upload, so this improves WUs per Day, not Points per WU)

Just a minor technicality... the points for the WU is calculated on the Server based upon the time it was assigned until the time it was returned. Thus, the time to download/upload does impact how much points you get but in my case (1000 down, 500 up), I don't think I will gain 100s of points per WU, maybe 20 points or so if I assume instant download/upload.

JimboPalmer wrote:next-unit-percentage v='95'

Still experimenting with that parameter. I observed there is a work Queue. So things are going in parallel and next WU gets a separate thread (just guessing). Maybe I should limit number of CPU threads assigned to CPU calculation slot to give some 'room' for that download thread. As far as I understand only one thread is reserved/assigned to one GPU.

PantherX wrote:(1000 down, 500 up)

I tested connection with speedometer. 150Mbps DOWN and 10Mbps UP. From my experience it is quite reliable. As you pointed out that may have a very low impact on points per day. Looks like not very critical upgrade for folding.

Thanks.

The download size of WUs is not constant, so the time taken will vary. Depending on your network speed AND on the TPF of the active WU, you don't want to download either excessively early or excessively late. In any case, the download and upload time both do reduce your bonus points ... but probably not very much unless you get a huge WU assigned to a very fast hardware.

My ISP is 30/5 and I have no issues Down or Up.

99% always has a WU ready for me, and I have uploaded by 3%.

KtC wrote: Will upgrading network connection speed to e.g. 500Mbit/s
significantly improve PPD?

No

KtC wrote:It seems that client downloads some data from the server. The download process takes forever.
Client is connected with 150Mbit/s data transfer. Will upgrading network connection speed to e.g. 500Mbit/s
significantly improve PPD?

I see download process in client logs:
08:08:59:WU02:FS02:Downloading 51.88MiB
...
08:16:50:WU02:FS02:Download 74.57%

No, it is not your connection speed but FAH server or internet provider is too slow.
With a 150Mbit data connection you should be able to download 15MB/s. So this work unit with 51.88MiB should download in 4 sec. You log shows it takes 10 minutes.

You can try to configure a proxy on your machine to see if routing over another country helps download speed. But I doubt it.

It will make a difference, but very little.
Consider that most WUs take 4 to 12 hours to complete (depending on the hardware),
The data transfer of 2 minutes won't make that much difference in PPD.
I ran my servers on a shoddy 10Mbit connection, and switching it out to a 1Mbit wouldn't have made a whole lot of difference, as most of the network delay was on the FAH server side. Not on my side.

Given the average connection speed of users, if you see any download/upload take minutes and not seconds, the limitation will be on the server side (congested server)
I've had uploads take up to 30minutes, it's rare, but generally nothing you can fix on your end if it only happens occasionally.