Amazon EC2 Folding Guide

Guides:
- Micro Linux Guide This Guide is Available. Note: NOT worth doing (ie no fun at all).
- High-CPU Extra Large Instance Linux This Guide Is Available. Note: Fun to do but expensive ($17 for a 6702 unit)
- High-CPU Extra Large Instance Windows
- Others


Why? Because more than one person has asked.

WARNING: 99.9% of the time folding in Amazon EC2 makes no economical sense. Actually it makes no sense at all.

Then why do it?
1 - Because you can and it is [H]ard
2 - Because you live in the Kingdom of Tonga where electricity is really expensive.
3 - You need those extra points, and dont want\cant buy any new hardware.
4 - Because you hate heat and sound of fans. This is the most silent, and coolest fold you will ever do.

Why not do it?
1 - It is expensive
2 - does little to increase your e-peeney
3 - you like real hardware instead of virtual
4 - YOU ARE A COMPANY TRYING TO USE FOLDING FOR COMMERCIAL BENEFIT!

Also, I do not think that if you are doing this out of your pocket it is cheating. If you think it is cheating feel free to voice your opinion.

****************************************************** EDITORIAL
I tell you what I find very interesting about this? The idea of a Team 33 Folding Cloud.

What I mean by that is we have a community Folding cloud of highly efficient folders.

By this I mean very High PPD/Watt.

Say I buy an SR-2 with 2 Hex Cores, but I cannot afford the cost of electricity to fold 24\7, well I put the excess capacity for rent for Team 33 members.

Say 8 people want to spend a $500 on a Thuban system exlusively for folding.

Well they could [H]orde up and spend $4k on an SR-2 system and divide the operating costs and points.

There are many other scenarios but you get the idea.

How would this be implemented. I dont know. The simplest would be off course something like LogMeIn where someone would xhours or days.

Does not matter... I just like the idea.

****************************************************** /EDITORIAL

Do you have a SR-2 dual hex that is idle sometimes because of running costs? I will buy some folding time from you.

I win, folding@home wins, Team 33 wins. And if that matters to you, you win.

************* Guide ***************
Same as High-CPU Extra Large Instance Linux except for 3 steps:
- Select Micro Instance when creating EC2 instance
- download Linux 32-bit Standard client (Look it up on Stanford's Download Page)
- tar the Standard client.

Every thing else is the same

************ \Guide ***************

This is a single core instance of Linux

This means the old "Standard" client, or very few points.

Why do I bother with this one? This. It is free for a limited time and only $0.02/hr or $0.48/Day.

But just kind of donkey power you get for these 48 cents? 37.9 points

Oh the Amazon free trial gives you 750 hours, or aproximately 1200 points! w00t

Project ID: 11272
Core: GROMACS
Credit: 69
Frames: 100


Name: Amazon 1
Path: ./
Number of Frames Observed: 2

Min. Time / Frame : 00:24:48 - 40.1 PPD
Avg. Time / Frame : 00:26:11 - 37.9 PPD
Cur. Time / Frame : 00:27:35 - 36.0 PPD
R3F. Time / Frame : 00:00:00 - 0.0 PPD
All Time / Frame : 00:26:11 - 37.9 PPD
Eff. Time / Frame : 01:26:29 - 11.5 PPD

Click to expand...

Let's put it this way, it is not going to get you on the Top 20.

Actually DO NOT do this... It is a waste of your time!

MS Word: Instruction with Pictures
PDF : Instruction with Pictures

Install ftp server
- type “sudo yum install vsftpd”.
Configure ftp server (vsftpd)
- type “cd /etc/vsftpd”
- type “sudo vi vsftpd.conf”
- make sure line containing “local_enable=YES” does not have a “#” in front.
- If it does use arrow keys to move to said “#”, and once cursor in under it press the “x” key to delete it.
- Press “Esc” and move cursor to under any “#”
- Press “i” to insert letters
- Type “anon_root=/home/ec2/fah”
- Type Enter
- Press “Esc”, “:wq”
Start ftp server
- type “sudo service vsftpd restart”

Install folding client
- type “cd ~”
- type “mkdir –p ~/fah”
- type “cd ~/fah”
- type “curl -O http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/release/FAH6.29-Linux.tgz”
- type “tar xzf FAH6.29-Linux.tgz”

Configure folding client
- type “./fah6 –configonly –smp”
- type “sudo yum install nscd”
- type “sudo service nscd restart”

Start folding client
- type “./fah6 –smp –verbosity 9”

Add client to FAH.NET

Example project:

Project ID: 6702
Core: GRO-A3
Credit: 921
Frames: 100


Name: Amazon HighLinux
Path: ./
Number of Frames Observed: 10

Min. Time / Frame : 00:14:51 - 4,362.0 PPD
Avg. Time / Frame : 00:15:03 - 4,275.3 PPD
Cur. Time / Frame : 00:15:06 - 4,253.7 PPD
R3F. Time / Frame : 00:15:01 - 4,277.3 PPD
All Time / Frame : 00:15:03 - 4,267.8 PPD
Eff. Time / Frame : 00:15:52 - 4,048.2 PPD

Click to expand...

placeholder 3

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has anybody gotten a PPD figure from a high cpu instance?

edit, glad you posted before me. I thought you were done with placeholders. I can delete this post if needed

SpeedyVV said:

3 - You need those extra points, and dont want\cant buy any new hardware.

Click to expand...

sooo this is why your keeping pace with me then ?

W.Feather said:

sooo this is why your keeping pace with me then ?

Click to expand...

37.9 points per day dude?... lol

jebo_4jc said:

has anybody gotten a PPD figure from a high cpu instance?

edit, glad you posted before me. I thought you were done with placeholders. I can delete this post if needed

Click to expand...

I will be doing a high cpu instance later today. So wait a bit.

But the last time I did it, it "felt" like a Thuban with a small OC.

Thanks for the laugh.... ohh I feel happy now.

I wonder what kind of missery it is if you get a 6701 on the smp instance.

Kendrak said:

Thanks for the laugh.... ohh I feel happy now.

I wonder what kind of missery it is if you get a 6701 on the smp instance.

Click to expand...

How much power are you spending on a normal 6701?

Damn you, I was enjoying myself... and now you remind me of 6701s I have been getting all week.

SpeedyVV said:

37.9 points per day dude?... lol

Click to expand...

thats all ? Dam it really is cost ineffective.....

had to pull your string there man

This whole idea is just awesome. I am just loving the idea of some sysadmin scratching their head trying to work out WHY someone would do this. Very [H].

But as the owner of 2 SR2s that will not be folding 365 days a year on power that is $0.27 cents AUD per kwh, I think the idea of short term rental (at cost) is a strangely appealing one. Assuming it does not piss too many people off of course.

I would love to share with some [H] members a little thrill of what it is like to see a 2686 cranking at 160,000+ ppd.

And I guess that means they will share the frustration of seeing it cop 6701s - although at least they clear through in 4.5 hours.

maybe we could organize some sort of team-wide hardware leasing effort. Particularly if we swap northern/southern hemisphere to take advantage of cool weather

In the middle of the USA I pay about 6 cents per kwh (ducks for cover)

Wow jebo.. Is that power cost and delivery total? Mines about $0.15/kwh with everything added in, only about $.05 of it is the actual power cost ><

I pay a total of .08 per kwh. That's not factoring fees, its going to be about 21$ even if I don't use any power at all. I spent 8 months last year out of town, with the meter as the only thing running. 21$ a month.

nimbyfaygo said:

I pay a total of .8 per kwh. That's not factoring fees, its going to be about 21$ even if I don't use any power at all. I spent 8 months last year out of town, with the meter as the only thing running. 21$ a month.

Click to expand...

80 friggin cents?

Time to build your own Nuclear Power Plant.

Jon855 said:

80 friggin cents?

Time to build your own Nuclear Power Plant.

Click to expand...

I think I typo'ed that it should be 8 cents not 80

Here in french canuckistan, I pay 0.0545$/KWH for the first 30 KWH then 0.0751$/KWH for the excess.