Need help w/ Internet-Less Folding@Home!!!!

[CupCak3]

Here's the dealio... At work I just got a nice new P4 w/ a bunch of RAM

buuuut, I cannot install any software nor can the software I have on the box use the internet. Thiswas all fine and dandy so I backuped a copy of my folding@home directory from one of my Barton boxes, then started F@H back up, told the config to ask b/f connecting ti internet then also to use queuing so I won't ahve to be transfering every day. I then ripped out that dir and put the copy of the origional in its place.


All fine and dandy until I get to work with my Folding@home directory. I then dump it on my HDD, fire up the winFAH.exe, and it asks me to get on the internet. I was like WTF MATE.... evidenty the winFAH.exe file is a little bastard and needs a user ID file to run... WHICH IT STORES IN THE REGISTRY (this made me very unhappy when I found this out at work) The core would no proceed until I had this user ID. I looked at the queue.... sure enough.. all full :|

This normally wouldn't be a problem buuut like I said b/f I can't install anything on my machine thus I cannot edit any of the registry.

Any way around this guy?


Thanks!

 

[natethegreat]

Here you go: Link

Thanks GLeeM for that great tutorial!

Edit: read a little to fast, I don't know if sneakernetting will solve your problem

 

[CupCak3]

yeah still the problem w/ the registry file



Thanks anyways mate!

 

[theAnimal]

Are you running it with the -local flag?

 

[Spacehead]

-local = makes the client use info from directory it is in rather than the registry. If you have never installed the GUI you don't need to use this. If you have installed the GUI you DO NEED to use this. Also, use this flag if you're running two or more copies of the CLI version.

From MDE's setup guide

 

[CupCak3]

hrm, but does CLI version support queuing?

sorry, I'd look it up my self but I'm on my way out to work...


Thanks!

 

[GLeeM]

CLI will also queue, but it will need that UserID in the registry.

If you cannot merge a ".reg" file then you will not be able to run F@H.

I recommend DPAD.

 

[CupCak3]

what is this DPAD you speak of GleeM?


Thanks!

 

[GLeeM]

There may be other projects that can run on a no-net computer.

One of the nice things about DPAD is that there are no WUs do download!

It has an executable that will run it in the background, with no window showing.

It has .bat files that set it up to run with or without inet connectivity.

After it is running all you have to do is move the "results.txt" file to your connected computer and run the "manualsend.bat" file; once a day/week/month, as often as you wish.

I would run it on your connected computer for at least a few hours first so it can get some optimised starting point files. This will keep the results.txt file nice and small on the non-connected computer, (the results.txt file needs to be at least 100KB big for it to send), if you don't have the optimised starting point files the results.txt file will be many MB after a few days.

The TeAm is in 2nd place and will be overtaken in about a year without more crunchers.

The aim of DPAD is to help design a Particle Accelerator that will be built in the future.

I hate pointing you away from F@H, but I hate to see that computer sit idle also.


And if you can't get an IT person to merge a .reg file for you ....?

 

[Freewolf]

Dpad is the only thing I can run on my work machine.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Don't mind if I chip in with another recommendation: BOINC Rosetta@Home.

By default it does need installation, but what you can do is install BOINC on a PC where you have full admin rights and internet access, fire up R@H, cache up the work units, exit BOINC, copy the BOINC folder over to the restricted-rights internet-less PC, fire up BOINC and voila it's part of the fleet. To upload results simply copy the folder back to the internet-ed PC and fire up BOINC again. The folder names can be arbitrary.

 

[CupCak3]

BespinReactorShaft, could you elaborate on this? I'd be interested in learning more about the BOINC option.

Keep in mind I need to ensure BOINC will never try to contact the internet.

Thanks!

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Originally posted by: CupCak3
BespinReactorShaft, could you elaborate on this? I'd be interested in learning more about the BOINC option.

Keep in mind I need to ensure BOINC will never try to contact the internet.

Thanks!

No problem. Have you tried setting up BOINC before? If not, start out with this: http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/rah_intro.php

I think it might be easier "hands-on" by just downloading the BOINC client and trying out the steps I mentioned above. The only part which is not too obvious is to tell BOINC to cache enough work units. It's easy to explain that once you've already set up an account.

BOINC allows you to suspend all network activity so it won't bother you with connection attempts. This can be enabled/disabled directly off the tray icon.

 

[CupCak3]

GLeeM: I'll play around w/ your suggestion hopefully b/f the weekend

BespinReactorShaft: LMK how to cache the work units and not contact the internet and I'll set it up to work over the weekend

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

OK, after creating your account:

1. Goto: http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/home.php
2. If this is your 1st time, log in with email and password
3. Look under Preferences, click "View or edit general preferences"
4. You'll be at: http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/prefs.php?subset=global
5. Scroll down and click on "Edit preferences"
6. You'll be at: http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/prefs_edit_form.php?subset=global
7. Look under Network Usage
8. For "Connect to network about every..." you can enter up to maximum 10 days (this is basically just the cache size)
9. For "Confirm before connecting to Internet?" you should enter "Yes" (as I mentioned before, a more easy-to-control way is to run BOINC, right click on its tray icon and click "Network activity suspended")
10. Click "Update preferences"

Edit: You can actually just skip to Step 6, I was just going step by step from your main account info screen.

 

[CupCak3]

well I installed and registered BOINC last night like you suggusted and now this morning, I read your last post and changed the prefs you told me to.


now I keep getting "connection defered xx:xx:xx" and no work has downloaded

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Hmm... the server's probably too swamped with requests at the moment. I'm also getting this message (deferred for 28:06:39). Best advice would be to wait I'm afraid.

 

[GLeeM]

Awesome, I didn't know BOINC could be sneakernetted! Freewolf probably would like to know.

What is the current deadline on Rosetta WUs?

Would it be possible to use two instances/folders so that you could bring a full cached instance when it is time to bring the other instance home to send? This would avoid losing 16-24 hours of crunching, but be more work.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Originally posted by: GLeeM
Awesome, I didn't know BOINC could be sneakernetted! Freewolf probably would like to know.

What is the current deadline on Rosetta WUs?

Would it be possible to use two instances/folders so that you could bring a full cached instance when it is time to bring the other instance home to send? This would avoid losing 16-24 hours of crunching, but be more work.

The latest deadline in my queue is 21st Feb.

I currently have two folders on my offline PC just for that purpose you mentioned.

 

[Insidious]

CC3,

Please believe me when I write that I am not trying to throw a wet blanket on your attempts to use that computer for the good of science, but I want to mention that the reason most workplaces remove admin rights is that they don't want applications like this running. Frankly, I sometimes tend to take an attitude that makes that not matter a lot t me, but the issue can become ugly fast.

some workplaces.... mine, for instance... run audits via their network and know what processes are running... they are looking for any process indicative of software installs which are not supported by company IT.

We have had members of AT become intangled in VERY serious legal situations and (IIRC) we have had members terminated over this company policy breach.

PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you are not putting yourself in jeopardy over this. Science is important, but DC cannot compare to your employment on the priority list.

-Sid

(Please forgive me if I am sounding too dramatic... but this is real)

 

[CupCak3]

all of mine are Feb 2nd

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

All right... so you've managed to get some work units downloaded?

 

[CupCak3]

Originally posted by: Insidious
CC3,

Please believe me when I write that I am not trying to throw a wet blanket on your attempts to use that computer for the good of science, but I want to mention that the reason most workplaces remove admin rights is that they don't want applications like this running. Frankly, I sometimes tend to take an attitude that makes that not matter a lot t me, but the issue can become ugly fast.

some workplaces.... mine, for instance... run audits via their network and know what processes are running... they are looking for any process indicative of software installs which are not supported by company IT.

We have had members of AT become intangled in VERY serious legal situations and (IIRC) we have had members terminated over this company policy breach.

PLEASE, PLEASE make sure you are not putting yourself in jeopardy over this. Science is important, but DC cannot compare to your employment on the priority list.

-Sid

(Please forgive me if I am sounding too dramatic... but this is real)

you didn't sound dramatic at all, its very good advice. :thumbsup:


its actually kinda sad to see how many people that don't know that everything they do on their work pc can be tracked and documented

 

[Insidious]

:beer: