DNet Mac client questions

[Sukhoi]

I might be assimilating a new Mac, so I need to tell my friend how to install the client. First off, is this the correct client for the new Mac's?

http://http.distributed.net/pub/dcti/current-client/dnetc-macos-68k.sit

The PPC client is for the Power PC's, right? He doesn't have one of those.

Now, when he DL's the file, what will be in there? I think I remember hearing that there're both a normal client and a hidden client. Does he first unzip/whatever the file into the folder he wants RC5 to run from? Then I assume he runs the normal client and gets his account logged in, etc. Then should be put the hidden client in the start up folder?

Now, how does the client know when to fetch/flush if it's running totally hidden? Will it automatically sense an internet connection? Or will he have to start up the normal client and tell it to fetch/flush?

Also, how do I tell it to do RC5 only? I believe all the DNet clients default to OGR. Thanks.

Also, is the non-hidden Mac client identical to the PC client in appearance? Are all the menu's the same, etc.? I need to be able to tell him how to change his buffer size and things like that.

 

[jatwell]

Unless it a REALLY old mac, he'll use the PowerPC one. The 68K ones only went up to 40Mhz or something like that. I think anything over 100Mhz is a PowerPC. If he has an iMac or any newer generation one, it'll be PowerPC.

 

[AppleTalking]

Jatwell's right, any machine purchased within the last five years is a PowerPC.
You're description of the setup procedure is correct: download the file, unstuff it using StuffIt Expander (which he should have already, if not go here to get it), then fire up the regular dnetc client. All the configuration menus are the same as on the PC, so setting up the client shouldn't be a problem. Put the hidden client in the Startup Items folder inside the System Folder so that it will automatically run in the background. AFAIK, the Mac dnet client automatically senses an Internet connection; I think it's designed to run in a permanent "lurk" mode. Therefore the hidden client should have no trouble fetching/flushing on its own.

I run a bunch of Macs at my school (just look at my herd page in my sig) and I run the hidden client on all of them. I've never had a problem with fetching/flushing or configuring the client. If you need any more help, just ask!

Nick Klingaman
appletalking@home.com

 

[Sukhoi]

I'm glad I asked. I thought all Power PC's said Power PC in the computer's name.

I'm glad all the menu's are the same...that'll make setting up the client a lot easier. Thanks for the help

Oh, just thought of this. Do I put the actual hidden client in the StartUp folder, or a shortcut (aren't they called aliases on Macs)? If I put the actual client there, how will it know to access whatever folder I expanded the original file to?

 

[AppleTalking]

Sukhoi,

You're right, I should have mentioned that. You need to put an alias to the dnetc faceless client in the Startup Items folder.

BTW, all PowerPC means is that the computer has a PowerPC chip inside. The RISC PowerPC has a different instruction set than the CISC 68000 (68K) chip, hence the need for two different clients. PCs don't have this problem, as all x86 chips are CISC. The new Macs have PowerPC 750 (G3), PowerPC 7400 (G4), or PowerPC 7450 (G4e) chips inside, so they're all PowerPCs.

Nick Klingaman
appletalking@home.com

 

[Sukhoi]

Ok, cool.

 

[Sukhoi]

Just to make sure, the Mac client runs idle in the backround like the Windows client, right?

 

[AppleTalking]

Yes, the Mac client only uses the idle processor cycles. In administering more than a dozen Macs with the dnet client (including my Mac here at home), I haven't found it to be the cause of any system slowdowns or crashes. Now the Mac OS's poor attempt at multitasking, that's another story . . .

Nick Klingaman
appletalking@home.com

 

[Sukhoi]

Yeah, I thought I had heard about Macs being bad at multitasking, I just wanted to make sure the DNet client didn't interfere with anything else. But it sounds like it should work fine.

 

[dennilfloss]

There's also the Borg preconfigured Mac disk: click and save target as .

 

[Stanman]

Dennifloss so how does this preconfigured mac disk work? how do i make it run undetected?
Also if i download it on a pc, (real computer) and i put it on a floppy and will a mac read it?

Stanman RC5 stats

 

[ZapZilla]

[Word of caution]:

Most of the newer PPC Macs (especially iMacs) that I've run the RC5 client on 24/7 have overheated and locked up, often times displaying in the foreground the otherwise hidden RC5 client on the locked up screen !

I havn't run the RC5 client on any G4s yet so I don't know if they overheat or not.

The OGR client runs cooler and hasn't overheated/crashed any of my Mac herd.

Of course, my Mac herd is not in an air conditioned environment, but regardless you should be aware of the potential for overheating when running the RC5 client on Macs.

[/Word of caution]

 

[dennilfloss]

Stanman,

The person who could answer these questions is Diffusion. He made the Borg Mac client.

 

[GSmith]

Mac OS 9 is slightly better at multitasking, and I've found an average of 10% higher RC5 keyrates over 8.x. Havent had a chance to play with OS X yet. Boss said he ordered it so we should have a copy at work to play with soon.

 

[torque2k]

I've been running the whole dnet package, crunching RC5 and OGR, on my dual-processor G4 450MHz, under Mac OS 9.04, and it's rock solid, and CRANKS! OGR speeds are currently averaging 6.93MNodes, and RC5 is running at about 2.85MKeys/sec...

Why is it, anyone, that when I benchmark, the best OGR score I'm getting is 5.2MNodes/sec, and 4.0MKeys/sec, drastically different than my current actual packet rates have been (with no other processes running other than Norton AV 6.0)?

BTW, I'm currently using the 13-467 client, and I get MUCH better scores than the older clients... Are they still counting these packets?

Enjoy the Mac world for a change! Let's see what March 24th brings me...