Installing DPAD on a LAN

[amdxborg]

I need a install file/.bat file to install DPAD on about 20pcs running Win98 over a LAN from a single pc. Basically just copy the Muon folder to the pcs, "\\pc\program files\muon" and a shortcut for the muon1_background.exe file to the windoze startup folder.

The only problem is that these pcs don't have a internet connection, so I need another file to take(cut/copy?) the result.txt files from "\\pc\program files\muon" to seperate folders on a single pc from where I can get them. And occationally update the sampleresult.dat files (copy them to the pcs).

Writing this should be pretty easy, but I don't have the patience...and I'm a bit fuzzy on all the commands...🙁

Hope someone can help me!!!

 

[Overkiller]

hey Amdxborg...

I think Muonmonitor can take all your results.txt and append them into one big results.txt and then u can send it out as one..

Not 100% positive. DanC will probably know how to combine all the results.txt because he's the man 😉

 

[amdxborg]

Thanx Overkiller!!!

Hope DanC the man, has a smart answer!!!

 

[Stormgiant]

Yes, that's the answer.

Using MuonMonitor go to folder "TOOLS" and choose Merge Result Files and it produces a big file with all the files you pick to use. That's it.

 

[amdxborg]

Thanx Stormgiant, that would make things a lot easier!!!

But thats still only half the solution, I've still gotto get Muon on the pcs first and then get the results back before I can merge them.

I could propably go to every pc and do everything manually. It would just be so much easier if I had a .bat file that I could run that copies everything to all the pcs at once and then a .bat file I could run to retrieve all the result files at once...

Is there anybody willing to help me setup something like this? Maybe I should offer a xxxk result file as a payment...🙂

Thanx for ur help so far!!! 😀

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Well, I used to do some .bat "coding" back in my good old DOS 3.3 days (when I was 7 years old 😀 )

What exactly do u need? From my idea thes .bat files would have to look like that:


Install.bat

copy c:\Muon networkpath1\muon
copy c:\Muon networkpath2\muon
copy c:\Muon networkpath3\muon .... and so on for all PCs

Run.bat

networkpath1\muon\muon1_background.exe
networkpath2\muon\muon1_background.exe
networkpath3\muon\muon1_background.exe .... and so on for all PCs


Retrieve.txt

This one is more comlicated. I don't know if u can "cut" the results.txt while muon is running. I don't think so as I guess it's constantly written to. So u'd have to stop it first, "cut" the file and restart it with run .bat. I write "cut" cause there's no cut command afaik. U'd have to do it with a "copy" and then "del" I guess. But the main thing is: is there a way to end muon other than the task manager? I don't know.

If u cust copy the results.txt it'll do the first time. But the second time u gonna have the same results again when u retrieve all the files and wanna merge them. So u'd have to edit them all by hand and delete the already sent lines.

So the main things are (how I understand it)

- either find a way to end muon.exe without the taskmanager (good solution in combo with run.but)

- find a way to automatically cut the old results from the ever growing results.txt (bad one)

- determine if results.txt is a permanently written to file. If yes, BAD. If no, u win!! Cause then u can simply copy, delete and generate an empty one so muon.exe won't even notice and the prob of cutting the old results is obsolete.


Now it's up to u amdxborg. Gimme mire info on the behaviour of DPAD and I gonna help u! 😀



Christian

 

[Overkiller]

results.txt is a temporary file created by DPAD. this file can be opened using notepad during operation and modified (if modified incorrectly dpad will fail when it tries to write to it the next time it runs). Once results are uploaded results.txt Disappears and re-appears once another run is completed.

Runs do NOT take a long amount of time generally...on a 3.2ghz P4 w/ 2 threads i'd say...erm...40-50 runs per every ~20 hrs? <-- just as a time frame

So as long as the bat file can COPY the results.txt into the "main one" on the "main pc" so that all the results.txt can be merged into one jumbo one..the results.txt can be deleted after the proper COPY>paste command is executed.

Results.dat is a permantly written file where every run is recorded. DPAD looks at results.dat and "learns" from its prior runs hence this is a critical file and should not be touched..unless ur adding results of OTHER people (i.e. to improve ones chance of getting highets muon value).

This is not that good of an idea b/c the science is really important in this matter and one never knows when a "random" design will give the highest transfer value (hence everyone getting the same design isn't a good idea)...

In conclusion 😉,

results.txt can be read, edited, and deleted all while Muon is running.

The problem however is the fact that if the results.txt file is just copied over and deleted then nothing is ever written to results.dat and the design cannot conceivably continue improving b/c there is no prior "history".....

This can be combated by periodically (every few days) taking the results.dat file from the pc that UPLOADS (once results have been uploaded results.dat is written to...) all of the data and putting it on all the pcs.
-while all the pcs are sharing a common results.dat it includes random trials from 20 various pcs, hence its not like sharing a results.dat amongst 2 pcs....

DanC please correct me on the issue with the results.dat [whether it is written to during upload, or written to when the run is completed]

That is all 😀

 

[Stormgiant]

WOW... Hold on dude...

First of all, i would prefer to install myself on each machine at a time, not by a batch procedure.

Now, about your post...
- the install.bat works pretty good if he gets some shared drive on each machine. i prefer to go there and do it myself.
- the run.bat simply doesn't work because you are issuing the comand to run all those program in the machine that is running the .bat file 🙁 it's better to install it running a program like firedaemon or by putting a line on the startup folder...
- the retrieve.bat.... well, DOS does have the move command, you did know that, yes ? 😉 hehehehe If the program is running on a shared drive, you can create a batch file to copy the results.txt whenever you want..
Mind you all that DPAD only writes stuff to results.txt when it ends every wu is working on, so to speak, every 5 to 60 minutes depending on the machine. there is one file that he writes every 3 minutes and it's called autocli.sav...

Hope some light has been shaded... 🙂

That's for this stuff this team is so great. Everyone is looking out for the team fellow next to them... 🙂🙂🙂

 

[amdxborg]

Well THANX a lot to BlackMountainCow, Overkiller and Stormgiant!!!

I've now got a better idea what to do!!! I'll report back as soon as I get a chance to test it!!!

Yeah this TeAm is great, the team is one of bigger reasons I'm running DPAD!!!

 

[Stormgiant]

Originally posted by: Overkiller
results.txt is a temporary file created by DPAD. this file can be opened using notepad during operation and modified (if modified incorrectly dpad will fail when it tries to write to it the next time it runs). Once results are uploaded results.txt Disappears and re-appears once another run is completed.

True.

Originally posted by: Overkiller

results.txt can be read, edited, and deleted all while Muon is running.

True, very true...

Originally posted by: Overkiller
DanC please correct me on the issue with the results.dat [whether it is written to during upload, or written to when the run is completed]

It's writen everytime it completes one run, or wu...

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Originally posted by: Stormgiant

- the run.bat simply doesn't work because you are issuing the comand to run all those program in the machine that is running the .bat file

Ouch! Yeah, u're right. The way I wrote it it would all be executed on the machine with the .bat file

Originally posted by: Stormgiant
.. well, DOS does have the move command, you did know that, yes ? 😉 hehehehe

Really? Has that been in DOS 3.3 and 5.0? I never worked with 6 or 7. Damn. Where's my DOS manual .... 😀

 

[Stormgiant]

Originally posted by: BlackMountainCow

Originally posted by: Stormgiant
.. well, DOS does have the move command, you did know that, yes ? 😉 hehehehe

Really? Has that been in DOS 3.3 and 5.0? I never worked with 6 or 7. Damn. Where's my DOS manual .... 😀

Dunno exact when, but around 6.0. Remember that Micro$oft did react to the apperance of DR-DOS by putting some of the command that were used by them, and not offered in DOS.

 

[Overkiller]

ah, thanks for the information storm.

I did not know that the .dat file was modified after ever run as well.

Thank You for the heads up!