Folding@Home

[Tages]

So, I've started a Team CBR (http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=78402) at Stanford's site for Folding@Home, a distributed computing project that takes your unused CPU power and uses it to perform protein folding simulations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_folding) that helps research into cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, Mad Cow and other such diseases.

Normally a single contributor is statistically insignificant, but a team of contributors can put a lot of help toward the cause.

(And I'll be contributing as soon as I find out why it isn't working on my system preferences)

So, go here (http://folding.stanford.edu/) to the home page and see how you can chip in. Team CBR is team #78402.

[Drew Van T.]

(And I'll be contributing as soon as I find out why it isn't working on my system preferences)

I installed it some time ago, but after a few weeks it began to mess up my power save settings. Some of their projects get finicky if they don't get to run continuously (your contribution is refused).

Nevertheless, I second the suggestion (issues are minor and probably limited to my own configuration particularities).

[K'Nort]

So is it sort of like that SETI project? I have a friend who has been running that on his PC for years.

[Jeff Brady]

About 30 minutes for me to render a frame.

[Tadhg]

So is it sort of like that SETI project? I have a friend who has been running that on his PC for years.

Yeah, that's exactly how it works.

[BlairH]

I've been meaning to install f@h for a wee while now. Now's as good a time as ever I suppose. I've joined the team.

Quick question: Can F@H use all of the cores in my CPU?
EDIT: How silly of me. I've just checked the task manager. Of course it does! D'uh!

[Tadhg]

I've been meaning to install f@h for a wee while now. Now's as good a time as ever I suppose. I've joined the team.

Quick question: Can F@H use all of the cores in my CPU?
EDIT: How silly of me. I've just checked the task manager. Of course it does! D'uh!

You should run f@h on your PS3 or your GPU if you have an ATI card

[Drew Van T.]

I've joined the team.

About that: is it normal that the team page is still empty? (because I've joined under a new name too). Or is it that you have to complete a whole "segment" of calculations before your name starts to show up?

Not that I would ever dream of competing with Blair's multiple cores, of cores. :)

[Rallura]

It's pretty!

[Rallura]

When is it going to show team stats?

[Drew Van T.]

My guess is that someone has to complete an entire set of calculations before they show up. At the moment I'm only halfway there.

[Chris N]

Question. Does my computer need to be running constantly or does it deal with my turning it off and on sometimes.

[Drew Van T.]

Your PC should be running all the time. That's what it's built for, anyway (it's just too bad that it wastes so much energy).

The F@H program lets other tasks you're executing take priority over itself, but I have noticed that it's a good idea to pause it when you're doing several things at a time. It just slows things down too much sometimes.

[Jeff Brady]

I've completed a fold (WU), but it's not showing up on any stats.

[Drew Van T.]

You're up there now, Jeff. The page is just not updated very quickly, apparently.

[BlairH]

The F@H program lets other tasks you're executing take priority over itself, but I have noticed that it's a good idea to pause it when you're doing several things at a time. It just slows things down too much sometimes.

Yeah, whenever I'm gaming (which is most of the time!) I turn the client off.

At night, I turn the computer off.

[BlairH]

You should run f@h on your PS3 or your GPU if you have an ATI card

My GPU can't fold (it's an Nvidia 8800GTX. For some reason, ATI has a monopoly on folding, as if they're some kind of Origami masters.)

My PS3 would be able to fold, but the internal wireless card is -to quote one reviewer- "a shitload of fuck". Sometimes I can get it to pick up my wireless access point, sometimes it just doesn't see it. It seems to work better when it's in my bedroom, since it's closer to the router, but even then it's fussy. As a result, I can't even download the client!

In contrast: I have no problems with the 360 wireless adapter (probably because it has an external antannae)

[jessecuster3]

I am in.

Let's see how it goes.

[Tony Bang]

According to this, I'll have my first WU done by the time school starts back up!

[BlairH]

Energon cubes!

That's me done my first WU. I've also installed it on my laptop, but it's not on nearly as much as my main rig.

[Maniacle Mike]

I saw something about the PS3 being able to hook up to the f@h project. One of the few things that make me consider getting one. Anyhow, if you got one you may consider using that instead of your PC. Maybe use both?

[BlairH]

Use them both!

I've tried to use my PS3 with F@H, but -like I say- the built in wireless card is ass.

[Drew Van T.]

I've also installed it on my laptop, but it's not on nearly as much as my main rig.

Are you using the same username - "account", if you will - on both machines?

[jessecuster3]

So, does every WU have 5000 frames or does it vary?

[BlairH]

Are you using the same username - "account", if you will - on both machines?

Nope. Blairs_Computer and Blairs_Laptop respectivley. If I get my PS3's wi-fi card to stop being a b*tch, it'll be Blairs_PS3.

[Justin D.]

This is a cool idea. I'm using it on my work computer because it stays on 24-hours a day on an almost daily basis. I noticed something funny about what the program says it's working on. It's called p3040_supervillin-03.

Am I helping to build an evil protein?

[Jeff Brady]

So, does every WU have 5000 frames or does it vary?

So far, mine have 4000 frames each.

[Drew Van T.]

Team Ranking (incl. aggregate) 27219 of 72720

We have already passed...ummmm...45501 other teams in the rankings.

Clearly we are insanely good. :D

[jessecuster3]

So far, mine have 4000 frames each.

Interesting, so even on the same team, we have varying proteins we are folding?

[Jared H.]

I'll give it a shot when I get home.

and I'll try to spread the word, too.

[Drew Van T.]

Nope. Blairs_Computer and Blairs_Laptop respectivley. If I get my PS3's wi-fi card to stop being a b*tch, it'll be Blairs_PS3.

In the meantime I have looked it up, Blair, and it turns out you can actually use the same username on more than one computer. All the credit would go towards that one username.

Not that it really matters, of course. It's just something I was wondering about.

[Rallura]

It took me forever to finish the first WU, sheesh. And looking at the group results is making me very envious of everyone else's computer...

[BlairH]

It claims that I'm only using one processor. Is there some kind of multi-core client that I have to download? (According to the FAQ, yes I do, but I can't seem to find the multicore client download link on their site.)

[Rallura]

It claims that I'm only using one processor. Is there some kind of multi-core client that I have to download? (According to the FAQ, yes I do, but I can't seem to find the multicore client download link on their site.)

I don't see it either. I see the multi core FAQ, but not the link...

[Drew Van T.]

It took me forever to finish the first WU, sheesh. And looking at the group results is making me very envious of everyone else's computer...

Especially of Tadhg Adams' computer, I am sure.

Tadhg, dude, what the heck? Are you using the special version of the program that lets you take advantage of your graphics card, or did you have a head start on the rest of us? Good for the team, in any case.

[Rallura]

Especially of Tadhg Adams' computer, I am sure.

Tadhg, dude, what the heck? Are you using the special version of the program that lets you take advantage of your graphics card, or did you have a head start on the rest of us? Good for the team, in any case.

Knowing Tadgh, he's probably running it on his brain...Or Rin's!

[BlairH]

special version of the program that lets you take advantage of your graphics card
ATI graphics cards are quite good at folding. Nvidia cards -even if it's the latest Geforce 8800 GTX- just can't be coaxed into folding. Lazy buggers, all they do is sit around in your PC, smoking dope and playing video games, they simply refuse to do serious work.

http://file033b.bebo.com/12/large/2007/05/14/15/11330704a4376255711b589453010l.jpg

Get a job you bum!

[Jeff Brady]

Especially of Tadhg Adams' computer, I am sure.

Tadhg, dude, what the heck? Are you using the special version of the program that lets you take advantage of your graphics card, or did you have a head start on the rest of us? Good for the team, in any case.

He's got it running on every computer in his office.

[Drew Van T.]

ATI graphics cards are quite good at folding. Nvidia cards -even if it's the latest Geforce 8800 GTX- just can't be coaxed into folding.

Mine's the Nvidia GeForce 6800. Hey, it's a two-year-old laptop.

[BlairH]

Mine's the Nvidia GeForce 6800. Hey, it's a two-year-old laptop.

As far as laptops go, that's actually quite good. I have an old Alienware lappy from the same era, with the same card, and it ran most of the games of the time with ease. It's a nice, well-built machine, but I seldom use it these days (I mainly use it as a portable media-center sort of thing).

[Tadhg]

Yeah, I have it running on close to 100 computers at the moment. But the 92 lab machines all show up as 1 CPU because they all report the same machine ID due to a mistake on my part. With school returning, my meteoric rise is about to taper off.

The multicore client is the SMP client on the download site. It'll still only show 1 Processor even if you're using the SMP client, but it'll do the harder WU that give more points.

[Ronald Bryan]

Well there, I finally set Folding@Home up on the PS3.