A new PS3 Howto/FAQ

[alan2308]

After seeing the state of the original PS3 FAQ here:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1171613

and noticing today that the [H]orde|Central sticky points to that as the official thread on the topic, its apparent that a new Howto/FAQ is in order. I plan to get something together in the next day or two and will post it up when I have something close to readable.

In the meantime, if any PS3 folders have any suggestions for this FAQ, please post them here., especially things that you found especially difficult to figure out or still don't fully understand.

 

[aldamon]

There's not really much to setting up the PS3 client but I wish you luck.

 

[alan2308]

There's not really much to setting up the PS3 client but I wish you luck.

You'd think that, but a lot of questions still get asked over and over like how many PPD it gets or how do I find the brackets when I'm trying to switch over to [H]ardApe.

 

[Xilikon]

Yeah, no need to go big, just put a few Q/A since right now, it's so straightforward to setup a PS3 client

 

[Celerator]

My only suggestion is the routine that does a "blow out" of the 40G PS3.
You know, the procedure where you shut down the PS3 fully (back toggle
switch), then, while holding the DVD eject button, turn on the unit with the
toggle switch. It does a fan test that runs the fans at full speed for a short
period. The idea is that it helps blow the dust out of the system...

Folding on ...

 

[alan2308]

Here's what I've started with for the basic howto. FAQ to follow.

Thanks for reminding me of that Celerator, I had already forgotten.

System Updates

The latest Folding@Home client will probably require the a recent firmware update for the PS3. Now is a good time to update your machine to the latest version. You can update via the internet or by accessing the update from a CD, but since you will need a network connection to fold, we'll assume that you have one and update that way.

From the main menu, Select the Settings submenu. The first entry on that menu will be “System Update.” Select update via internet and you're off. A couple OK's and a reboot or two and you're done.

Installing the Folding@Home client

From the main menu, move over to the Network submenu. At the bottom of this menu will be the Folding@Home application. If you are running the application for the first time, it will have to download everything first. Hit X and your on your way and running.

Configuring the Folding@Home client

Once the application is running, you can bring up the main menu at any time by hitting the triangle. On this menu, scroll down to “Identity” and then “Change Donor's Name” once that menu pops up. On this screen, you will have a box to enter your username and an onscreen keyboard to “type” with. If your username contains any special characters such as brackets, there is a button directly under the z that contains these characters. Hit Enter in the bottom right and you have your name set. Then select “Join an Existing Team” and enter 33. The client is now configured and folding under your name.

While still at the main menu, you can hit the green triangle while the folding application is hilighted, and have folding start after the PS3 is idle for 10, 20 or 30 minutes. But you don't really care about that because you will not be turning your PS3 off, right?

At this time, the Folding@Home application CANNOT run in the background, so you will have to stop folding to do anything else with the PS3 and restart the application once you are done with everything else.

Folding modes

Under the same main menu that you used to configure the username and team number for the client, there will be a box to select which mode you fold in. The options are currently Normal and Advanced. Normal mode is designed for casual folders who do not leave their PS3 running 24/7 and will therefore normally receive smaller work units. Advanced mode is for [H]ard folders who do not shut down the PS3. This mode is intended to receive larger units that are worth more points, however, if none are available then you will still get the smaller standard units. Some users also claim to receive a higher PPD for these larger units, but YMMV.

Tracking folding progress on the PS3

Unfortunately for folders who monitor their production with applications such as Fahmon or Fahspy, Sony has not allowed any way for these type of applications to monitor progress on the PS3. The only way to check on it at this time is to turn on the TV that the unit is attached to and read the output there.

In the upper right hand corner of the TV display, you will see a line displaying the username, a line displaying the team number, and a line displaying the number or work units completed. The work unit count increases once the unit completes and successfully returns to Stanford. If your unit has completed but had not uploaded yet, it will not add to the count. But don't worry, the unit will eventually upload and your work unit count will increment.

Editing and better formatting to follow.

 

[aldamon]

Don't forget about Screen Saver mode.