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The Folding@home SMP client takes advantage of multi-core CPUs to perform folding much faster than the standard client does. Running the SMP client, especially with a passkey to take advantage of the bonus program, means that anyone folding on a multi-core CPU will get significantly more PPD out of their CPU compared to the classic client. Although the setup process is a bit more involved, using the SMP client is strongly recommended for those who can do so.
I recommend that you read the extra info section after the main guide, because if you have any other questions or concerns that weren't covered in the main guide, chances are that they are addressed there.
Once you have finished setting up the client, I recommend using HFM.NET to monitor it: http://code.google.com/p/hfm-net/
To run the Windows SMP client, your computer must have at least two cores or threads.
If you wish to run -bigadv units under Windows, your computer must meet all the normal SMP requirements and must also have at least eight cores or threads. If you are using a quad-core Core i7 CPU, it must be overclocked to 3.4GHz or higher and it must have HyperThreading enabled. At least 4GB of RAM is recommended for a system folding -bigadv units.
If you are interested in folding -bigadv units and have not yet qualified for bonus points based on the criteria listed below, it is strongly recommended that you begin with folding standard SMP units to qualify for the bonus more quickly, and then switch to -bigadv afterward.
I recommend that you read the extra info section after the main guide, because if you have any other questions or concerns that weren't covered in the main guide, chances are that they are addressed there.
Once you have finished setting up the client, I recommend using HFM.NET to monitor it: http://code.google.com/p/hfm-net/
To run the Windows SMP client, your computer must have at least two cores or threads.
If you wish to run -bigadv units under Windows, your computer must meet all the normal SMP requirements and must also have at least eight cores or threads. If you are using a quad-core Core i7 CPU, it must be overclocked to 3.4GHz or higher and it must have HyperThreading enabled. At least 4GB of RAM is recommended for a system folding -bigadv units.
If you are interested in folding -bigadv units and have not yet qualified for bonus points based on the criteria listed below, it is strongly recommended that you begin with folding standard SMP units to qualify for the bonus more quickly, and then switch to -bigadv afterward.
1. Make a folder in the root directory of your hard drive to contain the client. I recommend naming it "Folding@home SMP" or something along those lines:
2. Get a passkey from this page: http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/getpasskey.py
You need to provide a valid e-mail address (the passkey will be sent via e-mail), as well as the name that you plan on folding under. The passkey you receive is unique to your donor name, and you must use the same passkey for all of your clients that you wish to receive bonus points from.
3. Download the Windows SMP client v6.34 beta from here: http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/release/FAH6.34-win32-SMP.exe
Navigate to the directory where the downloaded file is located. Right-click on FAH6.34-win32-SMP.exe and select Rename. Either manually type in or copy and paste the following: [email protected]
The reason for this is so if you update your client in the future, your shortcuts will not reference an outdated version number.
Move the executable file into the directory you made earlier:
4. Right-click on [email protected] and select Send to>Desktop (create shortcut):
4a) Find the shortcut on your desktop, right-click on it, and go into Properties. At the end of the Target box, add a space and then type "-smp" (without the quotation marks). It should look like this:
4b) If you have a system with 8 or more threads and you want to run -bigadv units, enter the following flags instead:
4b) If you have a system with 8 or more threads and you want to run -bigadv units, enter the following flags instead:
It should look like this:
5. Launch the client using the shortcut. Enter in your username (case sensitive), team number (33 for [H]), passkey (VERY important if you want to receive the full amount of PPD with SMP units), and choose big for the acceptable work size. For the other options, just press enter until the configuration is complete. If you do this correctly, the window should look similar to this, but with your user name:
The client will then contact the assignment servers for work and start folding.
6. If you want to set the client to run as a service, go into the advanced options during configuration. You can do this the first time you run the client, or later on by following the instructions in the tips section below. Press enter until the program asks "Launch automatically, install as a service in this directory," press "y," and press enter.
Once you've done this, go into the Start Menu and Run regedit. Navigate to the path shown in this image and add the text that is indicated (omit -bigadv if you want to run standard SMP units):
Once you've done this, you can start the service manually or reboot your computer to make it start automatically.
Extra tips and information:
-If the download link listed above does not work, here is a link to the page containing downloads for all the high-performance clients, with the SMP client at the bottom: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/DownloadWinOther
-SMP work units make use of an early completion bonus system which awards extra points depending on how quickly the unit is submitted to Stanford relative to the download time and the preferred deadline. This means that the faster you complete a unit, the more points you receive for it. It also means that the base points value for these units does not reflect the amount you will actually get credited. If you would like to see a detailed explanation of how the bonus system works, see SazanEyes' excellent thread here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1542103
-Currently, the two monitoring programs that can calculate bonus points and will include them in PPD calculations are HFM.NET and FahSpy. If you are running A3 work units and you want to see the real PPD you will be getting from them including bonus points, you must use one of these programs. I personally recommend HFM.NET.
-To access the configuration menu again, make another shortcut to the F@H .exe file and add the -configonly flag to the end of the target box this time. This flag means that the shortcut will launch the configuration menu and the client will shut down once the configuration process is complete.
-If you are running multiple F@H clients on the same PC, each one will need its own Machine ID. To access this setting, launch the configuration menu and proceed to the advanced options menu by entering y when prompted. Press enter until you get to the Machine ID option, and assign a unique number to the client.
-I suggest reducing the time between checkpoints to a smaller number such as 5 minutes. You can find this setting in the advanced options menu as well.
-I recommend placing a copy of the shortcut in the Startup folder within the Start menu, so that the client will automatically launch when you log into your user account.
-TrayIt! is a program that can remove programs from the taskbar and turn them into system tray icons instead. If you're running multiple clients, it can be very handy for getting them out of your taskbar and reducing clutter.
-To receive bonus points for early unit completion with SMP work units, you must be using your passkey, and you need to first successfully complete 10 SMP units and submit them before the preferred deadline with at least an 80% success rate. If you are new to the SMP client, it will take some time before you start getting the bonus, but be patient and once you meet the criteria it will start showing up.
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