Support Cancer Research and the NCSU Wolfpack With Your Computer's Spare Time!

If you're like most people you've got a computer that spends a lot of time idling on a blank screen or running a cool screensaver. Did you know it's possible to directly support Cancer, Alzheimer's, and Cystic Fibrosis research using your computer's idle time? The Stanford University Folding@home project provides a small piece of software which uses your computer?s spare processing power to run simulations and help researchers understand these diseases.

The NCSU Wolfpack Folding@home team has been ranked as high as 81st in the world but we were recently knocked out of the Top 100. While our team has had
much success in the past, if we don't get some new computers and PS3s running soon we'll keep moving farther down the ladder

Got a PS3? PS3s currently provide over 60% of the processing power in the Folding@home network! Each PS3 that joins the NCSU Folding Team provides huge boost and brings us closer to getting back in the Top 100! If you have one watch the video below to see how easy it is to setup the client and help the NCSU Wolfpack Folding team.

Links:

NCSU Wolfpack Folding@home Website
http://www.ncsufolding.com

Wolfweb Thread
message_topic.aspx?topic=118820

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding_at_home

Official Stanford Folding@home Website
http://folding.stanford.edu/

NCSU Team Stats Page
http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=59
http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_list.php?s=

Folding Forums
http://forum.folding-community.org/forums.html

Download The Client Here:
http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Download We recommend using the "No-nonsense text-only" client for most computers. For multi-core systems, the SMP client will get you and the team far more points than the traditional client (but it doesn't start as a service, so you'll have to restart the client manually or automatically when your computer restarts). If you have a Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading, its best to turn off Hyperthreading in the BIOS if you know how.
If you have an ATI X1800 or X1900 series graphics card you can even run Folding@home on your graphics card (with great results).

Installation Instructions
Enter a Username
Enter Team [59] (thats the important part)
Launch automatically at machine startup, installing this as a service [yes]
Ask before fetching/sending [no]
Use internet explorer settings [no]
Use Proxy [no] (unless you want to use a proxy)
Allow receipt of work assignments and return of work results greater than 5MB [yes]
Change Advanced Options: [no]

The folding client will run in the background as a service at low priority and won't interfere with your work/fun or slow down your computer at all. And you can run as many PC and PS3 clients you want under your username to contribute to your points and to the team points. If you have any questions feel free to contact me or any other member of the team.

[Edited on October 20, 2007 at 2:38 PM. Reason : ,]

10/20/2007 2:34:50 PM

^^use TrayIt
http://www.teamcti.com/trayit/trayit.htm

10/20/2007 2:38:57 PM

Quote :

"is there a way to run the smp client without the window like you can with running the console as a service? "

Has anyone been able to run the SMP client as a service? I think the option is there...has anyone used it with success?

10/20/2007 2:49:44 PM

^Yeah, in vista at least you have to change the account of the service to the account you used with admin rights to configure it...but it works. I just had the same issues of it bombing out at random point and never giving me credit for any progress

10/21/2007 6:30:03 AM

^ did you ever get it running on vista or did you give up?

i'm gonna try to reinstall it as a service on my home xp machine.

10/21/2007 9:28:48 AM

^It ran, just the random WU stops that the SMP client gives me regardless of the OS...so I switched back to multiple standard clients until they fix it

10/21/2007 12:40:37 PM

^ ah ok, that makes sense. they should have the v6 SMP client ready soon

10/21/2007 4:39:16 PM

has anyone noticed that: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=59 brings up a blank page sometimes?

10/22/2007 5:41:48 PM

I've never noticed, but I guess I don't check it too often.

10/22/2007 8:01:34 PM

so i installed this about a week ago. my computer is about 3 years old (athlon64). it did the first WU just fine. but now every time i try to do a new work unit, it just stalls at 0 out of ______ steps.

i've tried uninstalling and reinstalling multiple times. and i've just now tried installing it on my other hard drive to see if that was the problem. any ideas?

10/23/2007 10:12:35 AM

what client did you install/setup?

you need to use the text-only console...and with that there is no "installing" and "uninstalling"

when its stalling, can you check your proecssor usage to see if its being used or not? some WUs can take 1hr+ to complete 1 percent

10/23/2007 10:25:15 AM

well. yes. i've tried both. (text-only and the GUI version)

yes it's being used. and it's doing more than just stalling, it will end the WU early and say that it is "unstable".

[Edited on October 23, 2007 at 10:27 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on October 23, 2007 at 10:27 AM. Reason : .]

i've just tried changing some 'advanced' options -- bumped the processor down to 80% and disabled the assembly optimizations. we'll see how it goes.

[Edited on October 23, 2007 at 10:38 AM. Reason : .]

10/23/2007 10:26:37 AM

Quote :

"disabled the assembly optimizations."

this will result in a very low output.

can you past in part of your loq, the part that shows the error would be great.

10/23/2007 10:50:45 AM

Quote :

"disabled the assembly optimizations."

this will result in a very low output.

can you past in part of your log? the part that shows the error would be very helpful.

10/23/2007 10:51:25 AM

Quote :

"[13:54:43] Assembly optimizations on if available. [13:54:43] Entering M.D. [13:54:49] Protein: p3624_Seq27_Amber03_Extended [13:54:49] [13:54:49] Writing local files [13:55:36] Extra SSE boost OK. [13:55:36] Writing local files [13:55:36] Completed 0 out of 1500000 steps (0) [13:55:36] Quit 101 - Fatal error: [13:55:36] Step 1, time 0.002 (ps) LINCS WARNING [13:55:36] relative constraint deviation after LINCS: [13:55:36] max 0.000000 (between atoms 1 and 2) rms 1.#QNAN0 [13:55:36] [13:55:36] Simulation instability has been encountered. The run has entered a [13:55:36] state from which no further progress can be made. [13:55:36] This may be the correct result of the simulation, however if you [13:55:36] often see other project units terminating early like this [13:55:36] too, you may wish to check the stability of your computer (issues [13:55:36] such as high temperature, overclocking, etc.). [13:55:36] Going to send back what have done. [13:55:36] logfile size: 7287 [13:55:36] - Writing 7958 bytes of core data to disk... [13:55:36] Done: 7446 -> 2825 (compressed to 37.9 percent) [13:55:36] ... Done. [13:55:36] [13:55:36] Folding@home Core Shutdown: EARLY_UNIT_END [13:55:39] CoreStatus = 72 (114) [13:55:39] Sending work to server"

10/23/2007 10:57:00 AM

Oh yeah, thats a bad one
http://fahwiki.net/index.php/Early_Unit_End
http://forum.folding-community.org/viewtopic.php?p=119215#119215
http://forum.folding-community.org/viewtopic.php?t=2990

Seems like faulty memory often causes these errors. run memtest. if thats good, and you have multiple sticks, try pulling one out at a time and see what stick(s) folding works under so you can find the bad stick...if thats the problem.

10/23/2007 11:05:39 AM

the memtest seemed to check out.

i ran a utility that was linked in one of the forums called "stresscpu" and it caught an error after about a minute.

what doesn't make sense about any of this is that it ran for over 24 hours straight before with no issues, but now it suddenly just doesn't work.

10/23/2007 1:16:23 PM

just an FWIW post - i dropped 1:30min./percent of WU going from single channel to dual channel mode

from 18min./percent of WU
to 16:30min./percent of WU

(E6600/2GB DDR2-1066)

10/24/2007 12:50:54 AM

^ gg getting the second SMP client up!

Another FWIW-type post...about the -advmethods setting

I have two dual-core laptops that I run F@H on. They're both branded "Centrino-Duo" which means they have Core Duo processors, the first mobile version of the Core 2 Duo. Since they seem like the weakest Intel dual core proc out there, they would each take about 5 days to complete an SMP WU which isn't fast enough for the 4 day deadline. So I run two standard text console clients on each laptop. When I installed them I selected the [yes] for "request advanced core work units" in the advanced options. I figured that these WUs would probable be worth more. But I was only getting like 60PPD/client so ~120PPD out of each laptop. Since thats way too low, I tried setting that option to [no] and now i'm averaging 500-600 PPD for each machine.

10/24/2007 8:49:40 AM

honestly i'm still having issues w/ my 2nd SMP client at home.

i get FILE_IO_ERROR's all the time and i'm having constant stability issues... I really think my motherboard is going bad. i get the FILE_IO_ERROR i close the client, re-open it, get FILE_IO_ERROR again, close the client, re-open it and it'll be fine. it'll run all day, then overnight it seems to BSOD and when I wake up in the morning my computer has been reset.

10/24/2007 11:03:38 AM

^ could that be memory related?

10/25/2007 11:55:58 AM

synapse, as to you saying the core duo laptops aren't fast enough, i run a t2600 2.16ghz core duo laptop with 2gb ram, and it finishes the 1760point WUs in about 40 hours every time, giving me 1022ppd consistently (according to FAHmon). and i had that running like that for a good month or two. I don't have it up and running anymore, just some older P4s, but the core duos have plenty of power to do SMP

10/25/2007 12:42:16 PM

^ mine is a T2300 at 1.6GHz, and it takes it takes 5 days to complete a SMP WU.

I could try it again at some point, but I've had that happen multiple on times on a number of laptops with similar specs.

Quote :

"I don't have it up and running anymore"

why not?

10/25/2007 12:52:35 PM

thats crazy that that small lil bit in ghz makes that much of a difference in time. You sure you have the performance set all the way up and not set to conserve battery life? and i dont run it cuase the new SMP thing froze up more, and i started gettin errors i didnt use to get, plus, its a laptop so i started takin it to class more now, and not just havin it sit at the house. lol i crank it up here and there when i know im not gonna take the laptop anywhere and run a WU or two, then i close it down and let the other computers do the work.

10/25/2007 1:22:08 PM

well i just restarted it on one of the T2300 laptops, and FahMon is reporting that it will complete a WU in 2.5 days for ~750PPD. Hopefully thats the case


http://www.ncsufolding.com
http://www.ncsufolding.com
http://www.ncsufolding.com

10/25/2007 6:17:12 PM

yeah, on those laptops (especially IBMs) make sure to go into the power settings and have it set to full power and performance when it is plugged in. Cuz for some reason from the factory they have them throttled down full time pretty much. Cuz i know a girl that got a newer version of my laptop (T61 core 2 duo vs T60p core duo) with the same amount of ram, and mine would run circles around hers and we thought it was just cuz of vista vs XP slowin hers down. But its the power settings, cuz they come set all the way down on battery and only like half way when its plugged in. I changed her settings and she said its a WHOLE lot faster now. But this is relevant to all laptops, not just IBMs, so anybody that is running FAH on a laptop, check your settings and you could boost your performance A LOT!

10/25/2007 7:04:23 PM

ok so its running like a charm on two T2300 laptops guess all it took was some time to build up their courage.

10/26/2007 7:48:47 PM

how are some of you getting those 1k point value work units?

10/28/2007 7:09:40 PM

we use the SMP client, not the regular one, and make sure to allow for work units larger then 5mb when u initially set it up

[Edited on October 28, 2007 at 9:02 PM. Reason : ]

10/28/2007 9:02:16 PM

^^ multi-core processors + SMP client = LOTS of points

10/28/2007 9:23:14 PM

Just realized this month that my F@H startup script had been deactivated for about a year. Hey but at least it's back up now.

10/28/2007 11:34:49 PM

ahhhh, yeah only my ps3 is multi-core.....

/me needs a new computer....

10/29/2007 8:40:12 AM

^^welcome back

^is your PS3 folding?

10/29/2007 9:14:43 AM

sí

10/29/2007 1:07:15 PM

Quote :

"me needs a new computer...."

get a Core2Duo (at least) processor with a 4MB cache.


how many points per day are people getting out of the quad core chips?

how many PPD from the different C2D chips?? I know the E6600 is pretty popular.

10/30/2007 8:42:43 AM

Support Cancer Research and the NCSU Wolfpack With Your Computer's Spare Time!


What Is It?
Essentially the Folding@Home project uses your unused CPU cycles to model how proteins fold in the human body. The misfolding of proteins is often involved in well known diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease. Because this endeavor requires massive amounts of computing power, their project uses spare CPU time on computers that would otherwise site idle in homes and businesses across the world. Here at North Carolina State University, we have formed this team in order to donate our spare CPU time to help this important endeavor.

The North Carolina State University [link]http://ncsufolding.com" target ="blank">Folding@Home Team (Team # 59) was one of the first teams to join the Folding@Home project, and was the very first University-based team to join. We are currently ranked in the
All it takes is the installation of a small piece of software and your computer will start completing Work Units for the project and the team. The Folding@Home process runs at the lowest possible priority so you can run it 24X7 without slowing down your computer or interfering with your everyday computing tasks. If you have a Sony PS3 Game Console you can also [link]http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-PS3 "target="_blank">run Folding@Home on it with great results.

How Can I Help?

Go to http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Download,download and install the software. Our Team Number is 59.
Click here for more detailed installation instructions.

Windows Computers:
We recommend using the "text-only console” client for most windows computers. If you have a dual/quad/etc core processor, be sure to install and run the SMP client to get you and the team far more points than the standard console client (but sometimes it has problems starting as a service, so you might have to restart the client manually or automatically via startup folder when your computer restarts). In general, its best to stay away from the graphical clients. If you have a Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading, its best to turn off Hyperthreading in the BIOS if you know how. Feel free to post in this thread with any questions.

Mac and Linux Computers:
There are both "text-only" consoles and SMP clients for Linux and Macintosh computers too! If you have a dual/quad/etc core processor be sure to run the SMP client as you'll get far more points than the text-only client. But the text-only clients also help out too if you only have single-core processors.

PS3:
PS3s currently provide over 60% of the processing power in the Folding@home network and are capable of producing many points for the team. If you have PS3 system version 1.6 or later, you will seea Folding@Home icon in the Network column of the XMB (PS3 Networking menu). Just click on the icon and that's it. If you don't have 1.6 or later, perform a system upgrade. Make sure to use Team #59!

The more computers and PS3s you run the clients on, the more points your username and the NCSU team earns! Install as many clients as you can and watch your username/team progress at the stats page


Links

Team Links:
NCSU F@H Team Website: http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=118820
NCSU F@H Team Facebook Group:http://ncst.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5012521644

F@H Links:
F@H Official Forums: http://forum.folding-community.org
F@H Project Homepage: http://folding.stanford.edu/
F@H Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding@home
F@H Wiki Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding@home

Stats:
Stats1: http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=59
Stats2: http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Stats
Monitor your production: http://fahmon.net
Compare your production with other users: http://fahinfo.org

10/30/2007 11:05:25 AM

free bump

10/31/2007 4:36:47 PM

this bump brought to you by the paid advertising of the carolina hurricanes

our team, our tradition

10/31/2007 5:14:31 PM

^ said in a Ric Flair tone.

10/31/2007 8:14:23 PM

short ArsTechnica article about PS3 contributions to the F@H project:http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/10/31/ps3-is-just-12-of-fh-clients-but-78-of-the-new-petaflop-record
more detail: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070326-why-the-playstation-3-owns-the-pc-in-fh.html
Guiness Record Set: http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9808500-52.html

11/1/2007 8:48:01 AM

We catch Miss St in about 16 hours!

11/1/2007 11:19:30 AM

w00t

Quote :

"ZipZoomFly.com has the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor for $194 with free shipping. This is a retail boxed CPU with heatsink and fan included, and it is covered by a 3-year warranty"

http://bensbargains.net/deal/46347/

11/1/2007 2:21:13 PM

^^ Four hours and counting. This has been a long time goal for the team.

11/1/2007 5:02:08 PM

^^it's been $195 now for some time:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029

[Edited on November 1, 2007 at 5:20 PM. Reason : m]

11/1/2007 5:19:55 PM

We are now ahead of Mississippi State University

11/1/2007 10:14:01 PM

Ya'll this is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!, in the next week we will break back into the TOP 89 again.

To be at this level after F@H has gotten so much press and grown over the years is phenominal!

Great job team! Keep it up and keep spreading the word!

You can now be proud to be a member of the #1 University Folding@Home Team

11/1/2007 11:20:38 PM

sweeet we need to somehow recruit/get in touch with that professor at state with the ps3 cluster (i think i read about that in the recent alumni engineering rag)

[Edited on November 2, 2007 at 12:02 AM. Reason : .]

11/2/2007 12:01:47 AM

Good work guys/gals!

11/2/2007 9:15:59 AM

great work everyone! let keep adding more clients/computers/ps3s and shoot up even higher.

i think the top 50 is an attainable goal if we can keep this growth going!

11/2/2007 9:31:15 AM

almost #92!

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=59

And just to get an idea of how the next couple months will go, here's the team overtake list.
http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_overtake.php?s=&t=59

11/4/2007 3:24:38 PM