Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide - Club CD Freaks

**zevia** · 13-07-2007

Running Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP) Clients on Windows, Linux, MAC or VMWare/Linux will give more benefit to the FAH project as it will allow you to run more advanced projects, complete tasks more quickly, etc. It will also benefit the team due to higher points generated (1148-1760 points vs 100-500ish points.)

In addition to the FAQ-SMP, here are some guidelines and instructions to setup Windows SMP Client.

Requirements:

- Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista
- Windows account password (blank password will cause FAH cores to fail)
- Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed, download here (Vista has it built in)
- Dual core 64bit machine and higher
- At least 1GB RAM

Installation guide:

1. Download Windows SMP Client here or check the download page for updates.

2. Unpack the files. I simply unpack to the root (C:\FAH or D:\FAH) since I need to access the directory quite often to make backups.

3. First you need to run Install.bat. Grant access to the firewall pop up if exists.
- account (domain\user) [xxx\yyy]: simply press Enter
- password: enter your Windows password
- confirm password: re-enter your Windows password

You will see two lines below confirming that smpd/mpiexec were installed fine.
If you see this twice, MPI is working
If you see this twice, MPI is working

If you don't see the two lines above, then there is something wrong with your setup, please post the problem/screenshot in this thread so we could try to solve it.

4. Press any key to close the window

5. Now run FAH.EXE, and grant access to firewall pop up if exists. Don't forget to enter team 13505.

6. You can put a link to FAH.exe in your Startup so it will automatically starts whenever your machine restarts.

Backing up Windows SMP:

Since the client is still in Beta release, we need to backup the running FAH often to avoid the painfully project setback to 0%. It sometime happens especially after you restart your machine. Follow these simple procedures to backup your FAH folder.

1. Create a new directory for backup, e.q. C:\FAH_backup

2. Allocate the FAH directory (C:\FAH) and highlight it.

3. Press Ctrl-C to copy the FAH directory (this will include the Work folder)

4. Go to the backup directory C:\FAH_backup and press Ctrl-V to paste the files into the backup directory

Note: You can do the backup while FAH is running.

Restoring Windows SMP:

In case your project crashed and/or setback to 0%, you will be able to restore the project to the point you backup the FAH folder. There are many ways to restore it but basically I delete the crashed FAH and restore it back from the backup.

Note: You will need to close the running FAH window, if any, before restoring.

1. Allocate FAH directory (C:\FAH) and highlight everything EXCEPT smpd.exe (you will not be able to delete it since it's a running process). To do this, press Ctrl-A to highlight all, and while Ctrl key is still pressed, click on smpd.exe.

2. Delete all highlighted files and the work folder (press Del key)

3. Go to the backup directory (C:\FAH_backup), copy everything EXCEPT smpd.exe (to do this, see #1)

4. Go to original FAH directory (C:\FAH) and press Ctrl-V to restore the files.

5. Run FAH.EXE again and it will start folding from the last point you made the backup.

Good luck and have fun folding!

~~~

**Arachne** · 13-07-2007

Excellent guide, thanks Zevia

Even though you talked me through the initial installation and setup, this should do just perfectly for when I next need to reinstall the OS etc

Psssst. I would sticky this

(edit: my bad, looks like it's stickied already

)

beef barley · 13-07-2007

Is there a reason you can't just backup the work folder & replace that if something happens?

**zevia** · 13-07-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by beef barley

Is there a reason you can't just backup the work folder & replace that if something happens?

Good question. I like to backup everything including the FAHlog.txt so I can see how well my PC running various projects previously, or what's the error when it crashed etc etc.

Anyway, I haven't test it but I think you might be right that we can backup the Work folder only.

beef barley · 13-07-2007

Thanks for the answer, I haven't tested it either & I would hate to try it out & find out you can't. I guess you could backup the whole thing for a while & the work folder in another folder, then if something goes wrong, you try out the work folder & if that doesn't work, retry with the folder that contains everything. Thinking out loud, again thanks.

**jwill427** · 18-07-2007

great guide zevia

one small nit-picking though, win SMP doesn't require 64bit

al53A · 28-07-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by zevia

6. You can put a link to FAH.exe in your Startup so it will automatically starts whenever your machine restarts.

~~~

NEAT tip - especially with how bad my short term memory can be at times

Since i reported my SMP client ran as a service - which it does - its just in practice for me its turned out too unreliable to use

- reseting the WU back to 0% on restart

But this tip automates the manual process - which has yet to have me needing to use a backup :crosses fingers: - so not being unable to use service mode isn't such a loss imo

**Arachne** · 03-08-2007

Hi Zevia - just installed the SMP client onto my C2D, thanks to your guide it went swimmingly.

Now to see if it's any faster than my PD

Thanks again

Bob · 03-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arachne

Hi Zevia - just installed the SMP client onto my C2D, thanks to your guide it went swimmingly.

Now to see if it's any faster than my PD

Thanks again

i was hoping you would go for Ubuntu and VMware

**Arachne** · 03-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolling56

i was hoping you would go for Ubuntu and VMware

Jeez I haven't even started playing with this machine yet. Give me time

Runs a good 11 degrees cooler than my trusty Pentium D, though it's not a great deal faster (folding wise)

Bob · 03-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arachne

Jeez I haven't even started playing with this machine yet. Give me time

Runs a good 11 degrees cooler than my trusty Pentium D, though it's not a great deal faster (folding wise)

Whatcha been doin'

I guess helping set up your mums huh?

**Arachne** · 03-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolling56

Whatcha been doin'

I guess helping set up your mums huh?

Got it in one. Also I had to copy a load of stuff off the other machine to this one.

We'd better get this thread back on topic

**zevia** · 03-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arachne

Now to see if it's any faster than my PD

In my experience, a non-OC 2MB cache E4300 like the one you own will not be much faster than a Pentium D 3.4Ghz folding wise. Unless you overclock it, but I guess your dell mobo can't do?

The SMP client is really benefiting from the cache size, I can fold the same project on E6600 (4M cache) in 10 mins per frame while my E6400 (2MB cache) is doing 20-ish mins. Both machines are OCed at about the same clock.

Glad you find the guide helpful, Arachne and al53A.

**Arachne** · 03-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by zevia

In my experience, a non-OC 2MB cache E4300 like the one you own will not be much faster than a Pentium D 3.4Ghz folding wise. Unless you overclock it, but I guess your dell mobo can't do?

The SMP client is really benefiting from the cache size, I can fold the same project on E6600 (4M cache) in 10 mins per frame while my E6400 (2MB cache) is doing 20-ish mins. Both machines are OCed at about the same clock.

Glad you find the guide helpful, Arachne and al53A.

Nah, stupid Dell LOL. It's probably the only beef I have with it though, as I mentioned temps are really nice. Going to "burn it in" overnight and see how it is in the morning

20-ish mins, that's what I get

...about 5 minutes faster than the PD

Yep, with your guide, I had it set up in less than 2 minutes. Not like the first time I set up the SMP client if you remember LOL

jm1647 · 04-08-2007

Like zevia said the SMP client is still in beta and of who wants to lose a WU. I back my SMP folder up using Cobian backup (it's free) http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

It can be scheduled to run and also keep any number of backups to restore from. I back mine up hourly and keep 4-8 depending on what I am doing. Each backup is ~38MB

beef barley · 11-08-2007

In reference to posts #3, #4 & #5. I just had a power outage, & when the power returned, I initially tried starting up Folding@Home, wouldn't start properly. As I save the complete folder on another drive, I decided to try just copying the work folder itself in to my C drive SMP Client folder after moving just the work folder from the SMP Client folder to my desktop. So far so good, started back up & still going from where I saved it instead of starting all over. If this WU completes I will update this thread. Just thought you should know.

beef barley · 11-08-2007

Update as promised: Work unit completed without any further problems.

**jwill427** · 11-08-2007

awesome, glad it worked out

**jwill427** · 27-01-2008

I must say this is an awesome guide Zevia, I had win SMP up and running in under 5 minutes without a hitch

I also found out with a little googling that if you type "control userpasswords2" into the XP run dialog (not sure if it works with vista) you can setup auto login for your account if you're lazy like me and can't be bothered typing a password every time windows boots

debro · 27-01-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwill427

I also found out with a little googling that if you type "control userpasswords2" into the XP run dialog (not sure if it works with vista) you can setup auto login for your account if you're lazy like me and can't be bothered typing a password every time windows boots

Or use the microsoft powertoy - TWEAKUI , which also does other nifty little things besides automatic login

SnM77 · 03-02-2008

Is anyone overclocking a 4 core, and if so, how big of a difference does it make to your folding performance? Newegg has an OEM Q6600 for "only" $260, and I sure am tempted . . . Anyone want to but a Dell Optiplex GX280 to help fund my folding budget >

**zevia** · 05-02-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnM77

Is anyone overclocking a 4 core, and if so, how big of a difference does it make to your folding performance?

My Q6600 is overclocked from 2.4Ghz to 3.0 Ghz. According to Fahmon, it's producing around 3,800-3,900 points per day, running two SMP windows simultaneously.

13-07-2007	#1 (permalink)
zevia Admin & Review Coordinator N.America Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 9,189	Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide <a href='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a13febf7&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=30&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a13febf7' border='0' alt='' /></a> Running Symmetric Multi Processing (SMP) Clients on Windows, Linux, MAC or VMWare/Linux will give more benefit to the FAH project as it will allow you to run more advanced projects, complete tasks more quickly, etc. It will also benefit the team due to higher points generated (1148-1760 points vs 100-500ish points.) In addition to the FAQ-SMP, here are some guidelines and instructions to setup Windows SMP Client. Requirements: - Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista - Windows account password (blank password will cause FAH cores to fail) - Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed, download here (Vista has it built in) - Dual core 64bit machine and higher - At least 1GB RAM Installation guide: 1. Download Windows SMP Client here or check the download page for updates. 2. Unpack the files. I simply unpack to the root (C:\FAH or D:\FAH) since I need to access the directory quite often to make backups. 3. First you need to run Install.bat. Grant access to the firewall pop up if exists. - account (domain\user) [xxx\yyy]: simply press Enter - password: enter your Windows password - confirm password: re-enter your Windows password You will see two lines below confirming that smpd/mpiexec were installed fine. If you see this twice, MPI is working If you see this twice, MPI is working If you don't see the two lines above, then there is something wrong with your setup, please post the problem/screenshot in this thread so we could try to solve it. 4. Press any key to close the window 5. Now run FAH.EXE, and grant access to firewall pop up if exists. Don't forget to enter team 13505. 6. You can put a link to FAH.exe in your Startup so it will automatically starts whenever your machine restarts. Backing up Windows SMP: Since the client is still in Beta release, we need to backup the running FAH often to avoid the painfully project setback to 0%. It sometime happens especially after you restart your machine. Follow these simple procedures to backup your FAH folder. 1. Create a new directory for backup, e.q. C:\FAH_backup 2. Allocate the FAH directory (C:\FAH) and highlight it. 3. Press Ctrl-C to copy the FAH directory (this will include the Work folder) 4. Go to the backup directory C:\FAH_backup and press Ctrl-V to paste the files into the backup directory Note: You can do the backup while FAH is running. Restoring Windows SMP: In case your project crashed and/or setback to 0%, you will be able to restore the project to the point you backup the FAH folder. There are many ways to restore it but basically I delete the crashed FAH and restore it back from the backup. Note: You will need to close the running FAH window, if any, before restoring. 1. Allocate FAH directory (C:\FAH) and highlight everything EXCEPT smpd.exe (you will not be able to delete it since it's a running process). To do this, press Ctrl-A to highlight all, and while Ctrl key is still pressed, click on smpd.exe. 2. Delete all highlighted files and the work folder (press Del key) 3. Go to the backup directory (C:\FAH_backup), copy everything EXCEPT smpd.exe (to do this, see #1) 4. Go to original FAH directory (C:\FAH) and press Ctrl-V to restore the files. 5. Run FAH.EXE again and it will start folding from the last point you made the backup. Good luck and have fun folding! ~~~ __________________ Click here to join CDFreaks.com Join CDFreaks Distributed Computing Team, have fun while helping to save some lives! My review PC & Specs & Media Blu-ray to DVD guide Forum Rules \| BenQ/Philips FAQ \| Tools: BQFlasher, MCSE, WOPC Tool, WinDWFlash \| NeroRegedit: EnableSolidBurn, Overburn5000MB LG GGW-H10N Blu-ray/HD-DVD \| LG GBW-H10N Blu-ray \| Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray

13-07-2007	#2 (permalink)
Arachne Senior Moderator & Reviewer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Keeping my media stash safe. Posts: 22,603	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Excellent guide, thanks Zevia Even though you talked me through the initial installation and setup, this should do just perfectly for when I next need to reinstall the OS etc Psssst. I would sticky this (edit: my bad, looks like it's stickied already ) __________________ Current drives: Pioneer DVR-115D (1.06) + Optiarc AD-5170S (1.12) + Litey LH-20A1H (LL0D) + Samsung SH-S182D (SB06 RPC1) x2 + Litey SHM-165P6S (MS0R) + LG E10N (JE07) + BenQ DW1650 (BCDC) x2 + Litey SHW-1635S (YV6P) x2 + BenQ DW1640@164B (BEFB) + LG 4167B (DL13 TDB) + Samsung SH-S162L (TS08) + NEC ND-4551A (1.Z2) + LG GCE-8520B (1.00) + LiteOn SOHR-5239S (2S0B) Retired: LiteOn LDW-851@SOHW-832 + LiteOn SOHW-1693S + LG 4163B My Review PCs How to delete your upper and lower filters : How to check/enable DMA by Womble Click here to join cdfreaks.com and be part of our friendly community! The CDFreaks Distributed Computing Teams need YOU! Join the Team(s) and help save some lives! Read more here

13-07-2007	#3 (permalink)
beef barley CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Canada Region 1 Posts: 1,325	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Is there a reason you can't just backup the work folder & replace that if something happens? __________________ System #1: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3/Windows XP Pro X64 Edition 2003 SP2. AMD Athlon (tm) 64x2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 3.01 GHz. 4 x 2GB of RAM. Samsung TSSTcorp SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Pioneer DVR-215D (1.13), LG HL-DT-ST GSA H62N (CL01), Plextor PX-716A (1.11), & external LG GSA-H10N (JL12). System #2: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3. Intel (R) Pentium (R) D CPU 2.66 GHz 2.66 GHz 2 GBs RAM. Samsung SH-S182D (SB06), Plextor PX-810SA (1.01), Samsung SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Samsung SH-S202J (SB01). System specs as of 04052008

13-07-2007	#5 (permalink)
beef barley CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Canada Region 1 Posts: 1,325	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Thanks for the answer, I haven't tested it either & I would hate to try it out & find out you can't. I guess you could backup the whole thing for a while & the work folder in another folder, then if something goes wrong, you try out the work folder & if that doesn't work, retry with the folder that contains everything. Thinking out loud, again thanks. __________________ System #1: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3/Windows XP Pro X64 Edition 2003 SP2. AMD Athlon (tm) 64x2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 3.01 GHz. 4 x 2GB of RAM. Samsung TSSTcorp SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Pioneer DVR-215D (1.13), LG HL-DT-ST GSA H62N (CL01), Plextor PX-716A (1.11), & external LG GSA-H10N (JL12). System #2: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3. Intel (R) Pentium (R) D CPU 2.66 GHz 2.66 GHz 2 GBs RAM. Samsung SH-S182D (SB06), Plextor PX-810SA (1.01), Samsung SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Samsung SH-S202J (SB01). System specs as of 04052008

18-07-2007	#6 (permalink)
jwill427 Moderator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SoCal USA Posts: 1,077	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide great guide zevia one small nit-picking though, win SMP doesn't require 64bit __________________ Fold for team 13505 Help us save some lives by joining the Distributed Computing Teams Main rig(aka Arachne's new PC ): X2 4000+ @ 2.83ghz WCG 24/7 #2: P4 2.0GHz WCG when on #3: A64 3700+ @ 2.64ghz Folding 5.04 (Small WUs) 24/7 Laptop: Celeron 520 @ 1.6ghz WCG when plugged in Full specs here

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03-08-2007	#8 (permalink)
Arachne Senior Moderator & Reviewer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Keeping my media stash safe. Posts: 22,603	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Hi Zevia - just installed the SMP client onto my C2D, thanks to your guide it went swimmingly. Now to see if it's any faster than my PD Thanks again __________________ Current drives: Pioneer DVR-115D (1.06) + Optiarc AD-5170S (1.12) + Litey LH-20A1H (LL0D) + Samsung SH-S182D (SB06 RPC1) x2 + Litey SHM-165P6S (MS0R) + LG E10N (JE07) + BenQ DW1650 (BCDC) x2 + Litey SHW-1635S (YV6P) x2 + BenQ DW1640@164B (BEFB) + LG 4167B (DL13 TDB) + Samsung SH-S162L (TS08) + NEC ND-4551A (1.Z2) + LG GCE-8520B (1.00) + LiteOn SOHR-5239S (2S0B) Retired: LiteOn LDW-851@SOHW-832 + LiteOn SOHW-1693S + LG 4163B My Review PCs How to delete your upper and lower filters : How to check/enable DMA by Womble Click here to join cdfreaks.com and be part of our friendly community! The CDFreaks Distributed Computing Teams need YOU! Join the Team(s) and help save some lives! Read more here

04-08-2007	#15 (permalink)
jm1647 CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,620	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Like zevia said the SMP client is still in beta and of who wants to lose a WU. I back my SMP folder up using Cobian backup (it's free) http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm It can be scheduled to run and also keep any number of backups to restore from. I back mine up hourly and keep 4-8 depending on what I am doing. Each backup is ~38MB __________________ Not registered - Go register to use the forums to their fullest Click here Registered - ! Read the forum rules (& tips/guidelines) here & the FAQ here If you use a suggestion here and it works please post back and let us know. Please use the search function before starting a new topic. Thanks!

11-08-2007	#16 (permalink)
beef barley CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Canada Region 1 Posts: 1,325	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide In reference to posts #3, #4 & #5. I just had a power outage, & when the power returned, I initially tried starting up Folding@Home, wouldn't start properly. As I save the complete folder on another drive, I decided to try just copying the work folder itself in to my C drive SMP Client folder after moving just the work folder from the SMP Client folder to my desktop. So far so good, started back up & still going from where I saved it instead of starting all over. If this WU completes I will update this thread. Just thought you should know. __________________ System #1: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3/Windows XP Pro X64 Edition 2003 SP2. AMD Athlon (tm) 64x2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 3.01 GHz. 4 x 2GB of RAM. Samsung TSSTcorp SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Pioneer DVR-215D (1.13), LG HL-DT-ST GSA H62N (CL01), Plextor PX-716A (1.11), & external LG GSA-H10N (JL12). System #2: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3. Intel (R) Pentium (R) D CPU 2.66 GHz 2.66 GHz 2 GBs RAM. Samsung SH-S182D (SB06), Plextor PX-810SA (1.01), Samsung SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Samsung SH-S202J (SB01). System specs as of 04052008

11-08-2007	#17 (permalink)
beef barley CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Canada Region 1 Posts: 1,325	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Update as promised: Work unit completed without any further problems. __________________ System #1: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3/Windows XP Pro X64 Edition 2003 SP2. AMD Athlon (tm) 64x2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 3.01 GHz. 4 x 2GB of RAM. Samsung TSSTcorp SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Pioneer DVR-215D (1.13), LG HL-DT-ST GSA H62N (CL01), Plextor PX-716A (1.11), & external LG GSA-H10N (JL12). System #2: Microsoft Windows Xp Pro 2002 SP3. Intel (R) Pentium (R) D CPU 2.66 GHz 2.66 GHz 2 GBs RAM. Samsung SH-S182D (SB06), Plextor PX-810SA (1.01), Samsung SH-S203B (SB03 FB FR), Samsung SH-S202J (SB01). System specs as of 04052008

11-08-2007	#18 (permalink)
jwill427 Moderator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SoCal USA Posts: 1,077	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide awesome, glad it worked out __________________ Fold for team 13505 Help us save some lives by joining the Distributed Computing Teams Main rig(aka Arachne's new PC ): X2 4000+ @ 2.83ghz WCG 24/7 #2: P4 2.0GHz WCG when on #3: A64 3700+ @ 2.64ghz Folding 5.04 (Small WUs) 24/7 Laptop: Celeron 520 @ 1.6ghz WCG when plugged in Full specs here

27-01-2008	#19 (permalink)
jwill427 Moderator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: SoCal USA Posts: 1,077	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide I must say this is an awesome guide Zevia, I had win SMP up and running in under 5 minutes without a hitch I also found out with a little googling that if you type "control userpasswords2" into the XP run dialog (not sure if it works with vista) you can setup auto login for your account if you're lazy like me and can't be bothered typing a password every time windows boots __________________ Fold for team 13505 Help us save some lives by joining the Distributed Computing Teams Main rig(aka Arachne's new PC ): X2 4000+ @ 2.83ghz WCG 24/7 #2: P4 2.0GHz WCG when on #3: A64 3700+ @ 2.64ghz Folding 5.04 (Small WUs) 24/7 Laptop: Celeron 520 @ 1.6ghz WCG when plugged in Full specs here

03-02-2008	#21 (permalink)
SnM77 New on Forum Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 23	Re: Windows SMP Client setup and backup guide Is anyone overclocking a 4 core, and if so, how big of a difference does it make to your folding performance? Newegg has an OEM Q6600 for "only" $260, and I sure am tempted . . . Anyone want to but a Dell Optiplex GX280 to help fund my folding budget >

12-02-2008	#23 (permalink)
SnM77 New on Forum Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 23