FR Folding@Home Project Update -- We're in the Top 100 of all teams with 7 Million points

Stanford University's Folding@Home Stats page ^ | 06-08-2006 | soccer_maniac

[soccer_maniac]

Time for a new FreeRepublic folding@home thread.

Our FreeRepublic team of 342 members comprised primarily of Free Republic members in good standing have banded together to donate their excess CPU cycles to a worthy cause. Via distributed computing, millions of computers around the world, contribute directly to scientific research, in the quest for a greater understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Cancer, and Mad Cow (BSE).

Currently, the team is in 99th place (with 985 active CPUs - 39,500 completed Work Units and nearly 7 million points).

This is an entirely voluntary program, and if you want to learn more, please see the links posted below (or read one of the previous 18 folding threads)

[soccer_maniac]

Folding@Home FAQ for new users:

What is Folding@Home? A Stanford University project to find out how proteins fold.

Why it's important: Proteins folding wrong causes all kinds of diseases, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and forms of cancer. Folding@Home uses novel computational methods and large scale distributed computing, to simulate timescales thousands to millions of times longer than previously achieved. Through Folding@home, scientists now have the horsepower to study the mechanics of protein folding. With its ability to share the workload among hundred of thousands of computers economically, Folding@home can help scientists understand how proteins snap, or don’t, into their predestined shapes — and may help to explain the origins of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and apparently unrelated diseases. We're fueling research that could end all that.

How does it work?: You download a safe, tested program (see link below) that is certified by Stanford University. It gets work from Stanford, runs calculations using your spare computer power, and sends the results back to the University.

Is it safe? Yes! Folding@Home rarely effects computer performance in any way and won't compromise your privacy in any way. It only uses the computing power you aren't using so it doesn't slow down other programs.

How do I get started folding for Team FreeRepublic?: 1.) Download the folding program from Stanford University's folding download page (Folding@home Client Download). Type in your desired username. 2.) Type in 36120 for the team number. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - if you get the number wrong, you won't be folding for team FreeRepublic! 3.) The third question asks, "Launch automatically at machine startup, installing this as a service?" - We recommend you answer YES. Otherwise you will have to manually start the program after every reboot.

How can my computer help? Even if he were given exclusive access to all of the world’s supercomputers, Standford still wouldn’t have as much processing power as they get from the supercluster of people’s desktop systems Folding@home relies on. Modern supercomputers are essentially a cluster of hundreds of processors linked by fast networking. But Stanford needed the power of hundreds of thousands of processors, not just hundreds.

There's no reason to not get involved! It's free, easy, and you can know you're helping every minute without lifting a finger.

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List of Relevant Folding Links
Why Fold - Watch This !!

Another Folding Clip

Folding@home Client Download

FreeRepublic.com Folder Stats

Extreme Overclockers Stats for FreeRepublic

Another Stats Page

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Competition (Not!!) Dummies ..Daily Kos

Dummie Folding Threads #7 #8 #9#10#11 #12

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Other Useful Stuff - Links

How much are those work units worth? And what are they?
All Projects Listed
Point Summary for Workunits

Stat Image Generator

Fahmon Third Party Monitoring Software

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Past FreeRepublic Folding threads

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #17 #18

[soccer_maniac]

Free Republic Folders - A Tribute to Ronald Reagan

Date of last work unit	2006-06-08 10:20:01
Active CPUs within 50 days	985
Team Id	36120
Grand Score	6958178 (certificate)
Work Unit Count	39482 (certificate)
Team Ranking (incl. aggregate)	101 of 44291
Home Page	http://www.freerepublic.com

[demlosers]

Bump for later read.

[soccer_maniac]

FR Folding ping

[fhlh]

thanks for the info.
I've joined the team and have my pc at home folding as I type this.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Thanks, I just joined 36120.

[Uriah_lost]

Great to have you on board!! We are gobbling up the competition and every new processor helps!

[fhlh]

I'm setting it up on my 2 'idle' server, too...
so I should have 2 running 24/7/365 at least

[FourtySeven]

Cool, this is a milestone I've been looking forward to: Being able to see our name in the top 100 list on the Donor Stats page (Team Statistics page).

[soccer_maniac]

Yes, we're in the Top 100 (currently at #99 and moving up)

http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teamstats

[Uriah_lost]

We are where we belong, ON TOP!!

[soccer_maniac]

I'm setting it up on my 2 'idle' server, too...

Terrific! Welcome to the team!!

[soccer_maniac]

Thanks, I just joined 36120.

Awesome! Every new computer helps!! Please invite your friends/famility to join as well. Our goal is to be in the Top 10 teams eventually!

[HKMk23]

You prolly have this all sussed out, yourself, but my install and operating experience (XP PRo) has demonstrated that the preferred methodology is to install the Console version and run it as a service.

The Graphical client is pretty to watch, but: a) you're NOT going to be watching it all the time, anyway; b) it monopolizes your OpenGL pipeline so no otehr app that needs OpenGL can execute.

Just my two-bits for anyone looking to get their Wintel box into this gig as painlessly as possible.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[fhlh]

running console version on a 2k3 server as a service... works well!

[ahayes]

Thanks for the ping. My main processor is down today due to thunder storms in the forecast, but I'll have it up and running again this evening!

I replaced the GUI with the console version because I had to shut it down to play my OpenGl games and I would forget to restart it. With the console version I never even know it's there unless I open the task manager to check on it.

[ahayes]

Yay! Welcome!

[DocRock]

Big Folding Bump!

[uglybiker]

Stuck in the middle of a 50K WU - BUMP

[HKMk23]

Are you running it as a service or with a link in your Start Up folder?
IOW, is it operating all the time or only when you're logged in?

[JosephW]

I'm folding on a laptop that has a hyper-threaded P4. I looked at processor utilization and noticed that only one (yes I know there's only one actual processor, but the O/S thinks there's two) processor was doing the work. Will multiple instances run with affinity set, or is there a way to allow what the O/S considers two instances to both run?

[ahayes]

It's running all the time.

[JCEccles]

I've got three machines on task and will add a fourth tomorrow.

One of my machines was assigned a large 50 million step project a few days ago. It seems to be taking forever to finish but should be done today. I expect a big boost in points.

[HKMk23]

What project number/name is that?

You can look it up on this page to see how many points it's going to be worth.
http://fah-web.stanford.edu/psummary.html

[JCEccles]

Project No. 2108, worth 449 points. I'm currently at step 49500000. Just 500000 to go.

Anyway, thanks. I wasn't aware of that table.

[Egon]

My shameless self-promotion for this thread:

If you're interested in tracking your folding machine(s) over the web, please Freepmail me.

Available features include:

• Timely snapshot of each machine's progress on it's current project
• Point values for project
• Estimated completion dates/times
• Warning indicators for machines that appear to have stopped communicating or folding
• Warnings for machines that won't make their deadline
• Team ranking status box (courtesy of EOC)
• It's free-- and always will be
• ...other features as time permits, and people request

Beware. It's addictive.

[Route66]

Join the Team Bump.

[Bush_Democrat]

You have FReepMail

[Paladin2]

Run a second console instance from its own directory and give it a different machine # during configuration. It looks like one can run up to eight instances simultaneously under one OS instance.

[Paladin2]

I'd just point out that some members are running folding machines that are 100% dedicated 24/7 to folding and hence aren't really contributing just "unused" cpu cycles.

[SC Swamp Fox]

I can't believe that one of those bozos over at DU is again stealing my bandwidth by hot-linking one of my graphics. DU thread #12.

Well, I just replaced that graphic with the one below. I wonder how long it will take the DUmmies to pull it down?

[Paladin2]

We still need to flip the colors on that map to make the "progressives" accept the commie color that they represent.

[SC Swamp Fox]

Here ya' go!

[Klutz Dohanger]

damn. Every time you do that, they fall for it, hook line and sinker.

gotta wonder, they went from May 21, to June 3rd, without a single post, started thread 12, and immediately got suckered again.

What's this, the 3rd or 4th time in a row now?

[SC Swamp Fox]

This is only the second time, but the DUer that did it was around for the first one.

I probably shouldn't have cluttered up our thread with all those graphics, but it's just too fun. Since their thread is virtually dead, I wonder how long it will stay that way?

[GRRRRR]

Yep, I just loaded and started the ole' Toshiba laptop...it has just been sitting there, blinking...

Now it's FOLDING!

[DocRock]

They're dumb as a box of rocks!

[Third Order]

heh, good choice. That'd probably disturb them more than Goatse (if you don't know what that is, do NOT google it. You don't want to know).

[smith288]

What is the point of the big Bush Country map? - some idiotic DUmmy

[Egon]

Hah! Life is good.

[JosephW]

I enjoy seeing the Dummies show themselves to be fools (not an uncommon occurance), however this is one of the few areas where we have something in common.

Usually they are too self-centered to use their own resources for the good of others, rather relying on everyone else's tax dollars. Here however they are doing good (although on a limited scale). While they are using the bandwidth of one of us, they are doing so to encourage other DUmmyRATS to do good on this rare shared goal.

The reaction of one of them is hilarious, but let's not use this noble folding project to harrass each other. Maybe by having them work on something for the good of others with their own resources they will come to an understanding of self-sacrifice and realize the value of doing things themselves.

We can be the role-model of what our President (Ronald Wilson Reagan) encouraged, the charitable giving from one's self. It is obvious how much more conservatives really do care with the graph that they stole and we should let them see how fall short their socialist policies are when put into reality.

[Egon]

It takes a big man to admit that you're right. ...and I am NOT a big man.

[Bush_Democrat]

Well, I just checked here at midnight on the Left Coast, and it's still up there. One lonely DUmmie noticed it at 9:00, and asked about it (as somone posted above), but 3 hours later, no response, and the map is still there. They really are DUmmies!!!!

[Bush_Democrat]

I wish I had a copy of the infamous "All Your Senate Are Belong To Us" DU hack of 2004 - that was a classic!!!

[Craigon]

Well, I made it to #9 and was on the verge of overtaking #8 in a few 100 more points! However, I'm about to take off on a 13day family vacation in a few min. So after about 6 months of non stop folding, I've decided to give the 'ol overclocked gal (and her diskless sisters being hosted by her) a break. So Andrewksu at #8 you're position is saved by the vacation! LOL :) I'm hoping I don't drop past 20th while offline from 6/9 - 6/21. Sarasota bound...Later

[SC Swamp Fox]

...let's not use this noble folding project to harass each other.

I considered this and several of your other points when I switched the graphic on them. In the end I decided that:
1) I want them to stop using my band-width.
2) Competition is good. The folks at Stanford realized this or they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of assigning points and encouraging "folding teams".
3) The DU team is slowly dying, their daily point totals have been slowly dropping since February. Maybe a little FReeper "smack talk" will wake them up. I know that our largest growth occurred back in December when the DU team was first created; they were growing and were closing the gap with our team. We used their growth to rally our troops and recruit more members, the rest is history.

The weak minded DUds don't realize it now, but I am doing this for their own good. This hurts me more then it hurts them. They will thank me for this when they grow up. </tough love></sarcasm>

If it's still up when I get home tonight I'll pull the graphic and leave them with a broken link.

[Egon]

I'm hoping I don't drop past 20th...

I'm hoping you drop past 14th.

;-)

[SC Swamp Fox]

Geez. The Bush Country graphic was up at DU for over 24 (8 business) hours. Only one of them noticed and he didn't understand what he was looking at. Sad.

[SC Swamp Fox]

The graphs will be updated periodically. You may have to refresh to see the updates.