Folding Optimization Thread

***Ozzie*** · 04-24-2005, 12:50 PM

I quit using the switches altogether when the talk was they no longer did anything. Then Supdawg found out he could increase his production with the -config switch. Now I'm reading that some are using additional switches again.

Can we get this info on one thread so we can get the most out of our folding?
I run both AMD and Intel...any differences in optimizations?

FB · 04-24-2005, 12:54 PM

i just use -advmethods and -local seems to work good on my AMD64
although i always seem to get the same things, no matter what switches i use.

phalinx · 04-24-2005, 01:07 PM

Ozzie,

Can you make the thread a sticky? When I was at Folding@Home, I've read some posts that indicated that certain cpu's are assigned to certain servers. Pande said that your cpu, amount of ram, and overall performance are taken into account and then assigned wu's by certain servers.

I'm mainly folding 450 QMDs w/ -advmethods -local flags. That's 4 consoles @100% cpu usage on rig1. Rig2 is folding 2 450 QMDs @100% cpu usage w/ the same flags. It's only when I take off the flags I get different work units.

Cheers

Phalinx

***Ozzie*** · 04-24-2005, 04:17 PM

I normally don't stickie a thread until it's been earned, but we'll try it out with the expectation that our members will give their input to turn it into the useful resource it's capable of...

phalinx · 04-24-2005, 04:18 PM

Also, if you use the -config, make sure you type in "yes" to allow for large wu's over 5MB in size and have atleast 1.5 - 2 GB or ram. Here is a link for QMD facts:

http://folding.stanford.edu/QMD.html

Cheers

Phalinx

epicbard · 04-24-2005, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phalinx

Ozzie,

Can you make the thread a sticky? When I was at Folding@Home, I've read some posts that indicated that certain cpu's are assigned to certain servers. Pande said that your cpu, amount of ram, and overall performance are taken into account and then assigned wu's by certain servers.

I'm mainly folding 450 QMDs w/ -advmethods -local flags. That's 4 consoles @100% cpu usage on rig1. Rig2 is folding 2 450 QMDs @100% cpu usage w/ the same flags. It's only when I take off the flags I get different work units.

Cheers

Phalinx

wow i want some QMD action! im tired of tinkers keeping me down... im gona try the switches

FB · 04-24-2005, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phalinx

Also, if you use the -config, make sure you type in "yes" to allow for large wu's over 5MB in size and have atleast 1.5 - 2 GB or ram. Here is a link for QMD facts:

http://folding.stanford.edu/QMD.html

Cheers

Phalinx

Quote:

What about SIMD (SSE/SSE2/3D-Now) support? QMD core uses double precision only. Therefore, only SSE2 will be useful. Currently, Intel Pentium 4 SSE2 is supported, and AMD Athlon64 SSE2 will be added soon.

thats why i have never got one i guess

phalinx · 04-24-2005, 04:51 PM

FB

Pande is suppose to update/optimize the QMD core to allow for Intel/Amd cpu's w/sse2 instructions. I haven't seen a date or indication as of yet. They were talking about it over at F@H. Also, if anyone is interested in clustering cpu's and wu's, here is a link:http://fahwiki.kakaostats.net/index....install_script

FB how much ram do you have? If you have atleast 1 gb and are folding one client, it should be enough for 1910-1912 QMDs.

Cheers

Phalinx

FB · 04-24-2005, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phalinx

FB

Pande is suppose to update/optimize the QMD core to allow for Intel/Amd cpu's w/sse2 instructions. I haven't seen a date or indication as of yet. They were talking about it over at F@H. Also, if anyone is interested in clustering cpu's and wu's, here is a link:http://fahwiki.kakaostats.net/index....install_script

FB how much ram do you have? If you have atleast 1 gb and are folding one client, it should be enough for 1910-1912 QMDs.

Cheers

Phalinx

i have 1 gig

phalinx · 04-26-2005, 08:12 AM

FB

With 1gb of ram and by setting the -advmethods flag, you should be receiving 450 QMDs. On a side note, I was thinking even with 1 non-HT cpu would it be possible to fold 2 clients?

console 1 set to 50% or less
console 2 set to 50% or less

This is ofcourse if you have atleast 1gb of ram w/ only the -local flag.

I might try it this weekend. That would mean on an HT cpu you could run 4 consoles instead of 2.

cheers

Phalinx

phalinx · 04-27-2005, 07:05 PM

Update for QMD settings:

As far as Timer checkpoints are concerned, just set them to 30 mins. Apparently, they have their own checkpoint built in. So setting it to 3,10, or 15 is a waste of time.

So for those that have AMD or Intel HT cpus w/1gb of memory or less, just use the FAH502 text only console and use the following settings:

1. Name...
2. Team ...
3. set as service ..no
4. ask to send and receive..no
5. Use windows settings..yes
6. advance settings .. yes
7. Enable large packets of 5mbs...no (if you enable yes, please note that it may require large amounts of ram and the QMDs may not be optimized for AMD SSE2 instructions) With Intel HT cpu's you can configure 2 consoles; however, 1 GB of ram may not be enough with other processes running.

8. Priority .. low
9. Cpu usage 100%..you can still browse, download, and voip. However, burning, gaming, etc will not work unless you have a dually.
10. Timer checkpoint 3,5,10, or 15mins. QMDs set for 30mins.
11. Pause for battery power..yes
12. wu's w/o end dates..no (yes if you don't have your machine on all the time)
13. machine id 1-8 (This applies to your user id and number of consoles running on each machine) I have mine setup w/4 consoles running 1-4 on rig1 and rig2 consoles 5-6 whiles using the same user name.

Cheers

Phalinx

phalinx · 04-27-2005, 07:12 PM

Also, if you want QMDs only, please use the -advmethods -local flag. Once the consoles are running, your machine is analyzed for cpu speed, amount of ram, and overall system performance. A core will be downloaded. It may or may not be a QMD. (folding 2 QMDs : I would recommend atleast 2GB of ram.)

Gromacs are different. Only use the -local flag and type "yes" for wu's over 5mbs in the config. You will get other wu's of varying point values as well.

Cheers

Phalinx

Underwater Mike · 04-27-2005, 07:22 PM

What's the diff between idle priority (the default) and low? I thought that idle is the setting to use to have the least impact on higher-priority tasks?

phalinx · 04-27-2005, 08:14 PM

Underwater Mike,

Here is a good link to read about cpu idle\low priority.

http://www.blacklocus.com/Folding-optimise2.htm

Quote:Core Priority (idle/low)? If you specify ‘idle' here then Folding@Home will suck up any free processor cycles going. However, if you're running other back ground applications such as a peer-to-peer program or virus checker, then you may need to set this to ‘low'.

Cheers

Phalinx

Underwater Mike · 04-28-2005, 08:29 AM

Thanks!

04-24-2005, 12:50 PM	#1
*Ozzie* missin' TQ Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Apple Valley, MN Posts: 10,239	Folding Optimization Thread I quit using the switches altogether when the talk was they no longer did anything. Then Supdawg found out he could increase his production with the -config switch. Now I'm reading that some are using additional switches again. Can we get this info on one thread so we can get the most out of our folding? I run both AMD and Intel...any differences in optimizations? __________________ Have you supported your forum today? Change is the only constant in life Last edited by Ozzie : 04-24-2005 at 02:01 PM.
(Offline)

04-24-2005, 12:54 PM	#2
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	i just use -advmethods and -local seems to work good on my AMD64 although i always seem to get the same things, no matter what switches i use. __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace.
(Offline)

04-24-2005, 01:07 PM	#3
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	Ozzie, Can you make the thread a sticky? When I was at Folding@Home, I've read some posts that indicated that certain cpu's are assigned to certain servers. Pande said that your cpu, amount of ram, and overall performance are taken into account and then assigned wu's by certain servers. I'm mainly folding 450 QMDs w/ -advmethods -local flags. That's 4 consoles @100% cpu usage on rig1. Rig2 is folding 2 450 QMDs @100% cpu usage w/ the same flags. It's only when I take off the flags I get different work units. Cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714 Last edited by phalinx : 04-24-2005 at 01:12 PM. Reason: name spelling
(Offline)

04-24-2005, 04:17 PM	#4
*Ozzie* missin' TQ Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Apple Valley, MN Posts: 10,239	I normally don't stickie a thread until it's been earned, but we'll try it out with the expectation that our members will give their input to turn it into the useful resource it's capable of... __________________ Have you supported your forum today? Change is the only constant in life
(Offline)

04-24-2005, 04:18 PM	#5
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	Also, if you use the -config, make sure you type in "yes" to allow for large wu's over 5MB in size and have atleast 1.5 - 2 GB or ram. Here is a link for QMD facts: http://folding.stanford.edu/QMD.html Cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714
(Offline)

04-24-2005, 04:51 PM	#8
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	FB Pande is suppose to update/optimize the QMD core to allow for Intel/Amd cpu's w/sse2 instructions. I haven't seen a date or indication as of yet. They were talking about it over at F@H. Also, if anyone is interested in clustering cpu's and wu's, here is a link:http://fahwiki.kakaostats.net/index....install_script FB how much ram do you have? If you have atleast 1 gb and are folding one client, it should be enough for 1910-1912 QMDs. Cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714 Last edited by phalinx : 04-24-2005 at 04:53 PM. Reason: typo
(Offline)

04-26-2005, 08:12 AM	#10
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	FB With 1gb of ram and by setting the -advmethods flag, you should be receiving 450 QMDs. On a side note, I was thinking even with 1 non-HT cpu would it be possible to fold 2 clients? console 1 set to 50% or less console 2 set to 50% or less This is ofcourse if you have atleast 1gb of ram w/ only the -local flag. I might try it this weekend. That would mean on an HT cpu you could run 4 consoles instead of 2. cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714
(Offline)

04-27-2005, 07:05 PM	#11
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	Update for QMD settings: As far as Timer checkpoints are concerned, just set them to 30 mins. Apparently, they have their own checkpoint built in. So setting it to 3,10, or 15 is a waste of time. So for those that have AMD or Intel HT cpus w/1gb of memory or less, just use the FAH502 text only console and use the following settings: 1. Name... 2. Team ... 3. set as service ..no 4. ask to send and receive..no 5. Use windows settings..yes 6. advance settings .. yes 7. Enable large packets of 5mbs...no (if you enable yes, please note that it may require large amounts of ram and the QMDs may not be optimized for AMD SSE2 instructions) With Intel HT cpu's you can configure 2 consoles; however, 1 GB of ram may not be enough with other processes running. 8. Priority .. low 9. Cpu usage 100%..you can still browse, download, and voip. However, burning, gaming, etc will not work unless you have a dually. 10. Timer checkpoint 3,5,10, or 15mins. QMDs set for 30mins. 11. Pause for battery power..yes 12. wu's w/o end dates..no (yes if you don't have your machine on all the time) 13. machine id 1-8 (This applies to your user id and number of consoles running on each machine) I have mine setup w/4 consoles running 1-4 on rig1 and rig2 consoles 5-6 whiles using the same user name. Cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714 Last edited by phalinx : 04-27-2005 at 08:33 PM. Reason: addition info
(Offline)

04-27-2005, 07:12 PM	#12
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	Also, if you want QMDs only, please use the -advmethods -local flag. Once the consoles are running, your machine is analyzed for cpu speed, amount of ram, and overall system performance. A core will be downloaded. It may or may not be a QMD. (folding 2 QMDs : I would recommend atleast 2GB of ram.) Gromacs are different. Only use the -local flag and type "yes" for wu's over 5mbs in the config. You will get other wu's of varying point values as well. Cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714
(Offline)

04-27-2005, 07:22 PM	#13
Underwater Mike Thoroughly water-cooled Join Date: May 2003 Location: Somewhere, beyond the sea Posts: 2,595	What's the diff between idle priority (the default) and low? I thought that idle is the setting to use to have the least impact on higher-priority tasks? __________________ My boxes
(Offline)

04-27-2005, 08:14 PM	#14
phalinx The SilentSentinel Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 805	Underwater Mike, Here is a good link to read about cpu idle\low priority. http://www.blacklocus.com/Folding-optimise2.htm Quote:Core Priority (idle/low)? If you specify ‘idle' here then Folding@Home will suck up any free processor cycles going. However, if you're running other back ground applications such as a peer-to-peer program or virus checker, then you may need to set this to ‘low'. Cheers Phalinx __________________ "Few are the Heroes upon this Globe who deserve the reward of Michelob." David Blackshire FOLD FOR ABXZONE 1714
(Offline)

04-28-2005, 08:29 AM	#15
Underwater Mike Thoroughly water-cooled Join Date: May 2003 Location: Somewhere, beyond the sea Posts: 2,595	Thanks! __________________ My boxes
(Offline)

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