Folding@Home bigadv EOL 3rd Anniversary Challenge: [H] vs TAAT

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Endgame124

Senior member
Feb 11, 2008
954
669
136
OK, so not a big deal, but I just got my 4th 5950x, but this one will just upgrade an existing 3900x. At least I will now have 4 of them, and they are worth 700k each in F@H if we are desperate.
If you do end up folding, I’d be interested to know how much gain you get going from a 16 core slot to a 32 core slot. In my system, while also folding with a gpu, I only seem to pickup minimal ppd going above 16 cpu.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,482
14,434
136
If you do end up folding, I’d be interested to know how much gain you get going from a 16 core slot to a 32 core slot. In my system, while also folding with a gpu, I only seem to pickup minimal ppd going above 16 cpu.
If I do, only one does GPU + CPU, but I can change it and let you know. Normally, everything for F@H is GPU, and everything for WCG/Rosetta is CPU.
 

cellarnoise

Senior member
Mar 22, 2017
709
394
136
I remember the times when Endgame and I were friends? Fond memories? :)


Edit 3: No longer a meme link. Can't find a good one, so this link... :)

Though I don't have an answer to the fatal End of Game / Line ! :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Endgame124

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,482
14,434
136
Start time is noon UTC the 23rd ? Thats means 4 am This Sunday PDT ?
 

Skillz

Senior member
Feb 14, 2014
911
929
136
PDT will be 5AM, but I don't think you're using PDT I think you need PST which would be 4AM.

Use this calculator:

 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,482
14,434
136
PDT will be 5AM, but I don't think you're using PDT I think you need PST which would be 4AM.

Use this calculator:

Close counts. I will make sure its all up before I go to bed Saturday. Its almost ready now. Was wondering if midnight or noon (12 hour clock or what).

And even though I live here, I still get the Daylight with standard. So summer is daylight... 68 and dizzy is a permanent condition which only gets worse.
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,184
753
126
Well, I've never run Folding@home, mostly because it doesn't show up in my silly BOINC milestones stats. But I just installed it on my main PC and got a passkey, so I guess you can add my name to the list for the challenge... :)

My ID is Fardringle and I already joined team 198.

I would appreciate some setup advice. Like do I need a separate passkey for each computer, or do I just use the same one? And how do I tell the client to only use GPUs and not CPUs? EDIT: I just found how to delete the CPU slot in FAHControl. Still need to know about the passkey, though.
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,184
753
126
OK. I tried installing FAH on my Linux machine that has the four old Quadro K2200 cards just to see how poorly they do. ;)

I was able to install FAHClient and FAHViewer from the Folding@home web site, but when I tried to install FAHControl I get an error that says "Error: Dependency is not satisfiable: python-gtk2|python-gnome2".

I tried running sudo apt-get -y install python-gnome2 based on multiple results in a Google search, but I just get "Unable to locate package python-gnome2".

What am I missing?

Running Linux Mint 20...
 

voodoo5_6k

Senior member
Jan 14, 2021
395
443
116
OK. I tried installing FAH on my Linux machine that has the four old Quadro K2200 cards just to see how poorly they do. ;)

I was able to install FAHClient and FAHViewer from the Folding@home web site, but when I tried to install FAHControl I get an error that says "Error: Dependency is not satisfiable: python-gtk2|python-gnome2".

I tried running sudo apt-get -y install python-gnome2 based on multiple results in a Google search, but I just get "Unable to locate package python-gnome2".

What am I missing?

Running Linux Mint 20...
If you control that workstation remotely (the linux one), you don't need FAHControl at all. I never install it.

Try it like this here: https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...he-moonshots-win.2599137/page-7#post-40648882
 
  • Like
Reactions: Assimilator1

StefanR5R

Elite Member
Dec 10, 2016
5,459
7,718
136
Python 2 and Python 3 are different languages. For a while, developers maintained the runtime environments for both, but at some point they practically abandoned Python 2. Also, for a while, most Linux distributions shipped Python 2 and Python 3, but now most ship only Python 3. All users of the Python 2 language are left out in the cold. (Though not without advance warning.) — That's quite a far cry from, say, support of the different FORTRAN languages.

As for FAHControl on Linux, there are different possibilities:
  • Dig out a distro with Python 2. (I don't know if there is a current one.)
  • Install the respective Python 2 packages from a nonstandard repository. Somewhere in the Annual Folding Race thread, someone mentioned the procedure. Was it @crashtech? — Edit: post #154
  • Install an as yet unreleased port of FAHControl to Python 3. This too was mentioned in the other thread IIRC... by @biodoc? — Edit: post #165
  • Control the Linux clients from the command line.
  • Control the Linux clients "remotely" from FAHControl on a Windows computer.

(Ninja'd by @voodoo5_6k.)
 
Last edited:

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,184
753
126
Thanks for the info. Not sure I want to go through all that for something that I really have no intention of running other than this upcoming challenge...
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,482
14,434
136
OK. I tried installing FAH on my Linux machine that has the four old Quadro K2200 cards just to see how poorly they do. ;)

I was able to install FAHClient and FAHViewer from the Folding@home web site, but when I tried to install FAHControl I get an error that says "Error: Dependency is not satisfiable: python-gtk2|python-gnome2".

I tried running sudo apt-get -y install python-gnome2 based on multiple results in a Google search, but I just get "Unable to locate package python-gnome2".

What am I missing?

Running Linux Mint 20...
In my opinion, you have 2 options.... Use mint 19.2 and it only uses python 2 and all is fine

OR

Use mint 20, and do the below (from biodoc, never tried it yet)

sudo apt install python-gobject-2
sudo apt install python-cairo
wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/p/pygtk/python-gtk2_2.24.0-6_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i python-gtk2_2.24.0-6_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f

OR Option 3, use just the remote stuff like above..

BUT it looks like you don't want to run it. Well, if you do the option here would be the simplest, and we DO need all the help we can get, when this one guy has 120 million ppd.
 

StefanR5R

Elite Member
Dec 10, 2016
5,459
7,718
136
Besides, Fahcore22, the GPU application of Folding@Home, performs better on Linux than on Windows. AFAIU that's mainly because Fahcore22 copies a lot of data between VRAM and main memory all the time, and the Windows graphics driver stack does a lot of data copying on its own too.
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,184
753
126
I tried following the instructions to set up remote control from the link that voodoo5_6K posted, but I don't see the options that I'm supposed to change in the /etc/fahclient/config.xml file. This is the entire file (minus my passkey):

config>
<!-- Client Control -->
<fold-anon v='true'/>

<!-- User Information -->
<passkey v='snip'/>
<team v='198'/>
<user v='Fardringle'/>

<!-- Folding Slots -->
<slot id='1' type='GPU'>
<pci-bus v='1'/>
<pci-slot v='0'/>
</slot>
<slot id='2' type='GPU'>
<pci-bus v='2'/>
<pci-slot v='0'/>
</slot>
<slot id='3' type='GPU'>
<pci-bus v='3'/>
<pci-slot v='0'/>
</slot>
<slot id='4' type='GPU'>
<pci-bus v='7'/>
<pci-slot v='0'/>
</slot>
</config>

I'm sure that other stuff can just be added, but I don't know the proper formatting...


I also tried following the instructions that markfw posted, but the python-gtk2_2.24.0-6_amd64.deb file doesn't exist on that server.

I'm not trying to be difficult, but it seems that my computer IS.. :(
Don't really want to reinstall the whole OS to go to an older version of Mint, either...
 

StefanR5R

Elite Member
Dec 10, 2016
5,459
7,718
136
I tried following the instructions to set up remote control from the link that voodoo5_6K posted, but I don't see the options that I'm supposed to change in the /etc/fahclient/config.xml file.
I edited an example config line into the HowTo now.

You need to *add* many of the interesting config options to config.xml; they are not in there by default.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
25,482
14,434
136
I edited an example config line into the HowTo now.

You need to *add* many of the interesting config options to config.xml; they are not in there by default.
Is it possible to just show the lines to run, instead of a link to a set of links ? So it I install mint 20 (which I may do tomorrow for 5950x number 4), then I can run these ?> since biodocs lines don't work ?
 

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,184
753
126
And after all that, I don't think I'm going to let the Quadro K2200s run Folding. I know that they are slow, but about 8 DAYS (estimated) to complete each task for between 60K and 80K credits just doesn't seem worthwhile. :rolleyes:

My main machine seems to be doing OK at around 2.1M PPD, considering that it's not a super powered machine, so I'll probably let that one run for the challenge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ken g6

StefanR5R

Elite Member
Dec 10, 2016
5,459
7,718
136
And even though I live here, I still get the Daylight with standard. So summer is daylight... 68 and dizzy is a permanent condition which only gets worse.
I am younger than you, and apart from a more or less noticeable tinnitus haven't suffered such physical damages yet as you did. But whenever I need to mentally convert between local time and UTC, I too always have to stop for a split second and remind myself whether I am living in the UTC+1 or the UTC+2 timezone.

The introduction of daylight saving times was one of the simpler mistakes which modern societies made. It is almost a given that they will revert this mistake eventually. However, watching how long it takes societies to take a step back, recognize the mistake, and then organize the reversal is really painful, and makes me utterly pessimistic about the ability of mankind to revert its graver mistakes.
 
Last edited:

voodoo5_6k

Senior member
Jan 14, 2021
395
443
116
Is it possible to just show the lines to run, instead of a link to a set of links ? So it I install mint 20 (which I may do tomorrow for 5950x number 4), then I can run these ?> since biodocs lines don't work ?
Here's what I do on Debian (I guess Mint is similar, but check the paths to be sure)...

Note 1: This assumes you have your system installed & updated, and the GPU is ready to go (i.e. drivers etc. are installed).

Note 2: I prefer to install the client without autostart and launch it via a script (the same for BOINC). That way, I have more control over what the system does after a reboot.

Code:
#Install the client manually
sudo wget https://... (insert the link to the newest fahclient for Debian)
sudo dpkg -i fahclient_file_name (*.deb)

#Place GPUs.txt in /var/lib/fahclient
sudo wget https://apps.foldingathome.org/GPUs.txt -P /var/lib/fahclient

#Edit config.xml
sudo nano /etc/fahclient/config.xml

#Enable GPU (change the below option to true)
<gpu v="true"/>

#Enable full power (change the below option to full)
<power v="full"/>

#Add remote access config & password (change x.x.x.x to your admin workstation's IP address and xyz to your desired password)
<allow>127.0.01 x.x.x.x</allow>
<password>xyz</password>

#Preconfigure the client (add the following)
<client-type v=”advanced”/>

#Preconfigure the slots (add the following and adapt for your system)
<slot id=”0” type=”GPU”>
  <paused v=”true”/>
</slot>
<slot id=”1” type=”CPU”>
  <paused v=”true”/>
</slot>

#Save and exit

#Restart fahclient
sudo /etc/init.d/FAHClient start

Now, go to your admin workstation's FAHControl and add your new client, with its IP address, password (configured in the config.xml), and port (usually 36330). Check your firewall to allow such traffic. Once FAHControl has connected to the client, check and maintain your configuration, and unpause the slots. Done.
 

voodoo5_6k

Senior member
Jan 14, 2021
395
443
116
As I still have no shipping confirmation nor even an update on my missing parts, I've now refilled the loop just for the race. Currently, I'm circulating the coolant to check for any leaks. In the evening or tomorrow, whenever I find the time, I'll be up and running again, just in time for the race :)

Edit: Vegetable typo corrected :D
 
Last edited:

StefanR5R

Elite Member
Dec 10, 2016
5,459
7,718
136
#Add remote access config & password (change x.x.x.x to your admin workstation's IP address and xyz to your desired password)
For whatever reasons, there are HTTP Server config options and Command Server config options. As far as I have looked through my clients, I am using only the Command Server config options myself.

#Edit config.xml
sudo nano /etc/fahclient/config.xml
First check whether the file is located in /var/lib/fahclient/config.xml or in /etc/fahclient/config.xml. (The former may be a plain file, or a symlink to the latter. If /var/lib/fahclient/config.xml is a file, not a symlink, then stick with /var/lib/fahclient/config.xml.)

<fold-anon v='true'/>
Remove this line, or set it to false (unless you ever want to eventually remove your user config and make the client run anonymously).
 

BWG

Junior Member
Jan 11, 2022
11
13
36
https://foldingforum.org › viewtopic
Guide for installing FAH v7.6.21 on Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS v1 - Folding Forum

That has a custom FAHViewer and python2 if you guys ever need it. Works great, usually although sometimes the viewer can lock up, but it won't affect the client.