Points per day dropping

[djohnston]

I am trying to understand how the points system works. I have been folding 24/7 on the same 3 machines for almost a year now. My points per day have been steadily dropping over the last couple of weeks. It has dropped to a little over 1,000 points per day from about 1,700 points per day. I can understand dips and fluctuations in the server collections and reporting. I am just trying to understand exactly WHERE those missing points are going.

Is it because I am not providing a passkey? Do I need to provide one in order to be properly credited for work units completed? I have re-checked the settings on each client, and I'm still baffled.

user djohnston
team 50619

[Wrish]

If you're on Linux SMP and not using a passkey, PPD will steadily drop as regular A2 units run out. There's no reason not to obtain and use a passkey. GPU clients (Windows/WINE) will continue to produce as before, as will uniprocessor clients, but a passkey still gives you identity protection for your folding name.

[kazriko]

I've had the opposite problem. While my points did drop steadily from 2000 on one computer and 4500 on the other down to about 1000 and 2000 respectively over the past few weeks, when I switched to using Passkeys and 6.29, my points are now closer to 350 and 1000 per day respectively. I thought the A3 ones were supposed to be worth more? It seems like all of the effort I went through to build that custom linux image and install 6.29 instead of using 6.02 on the prebuilt image actually hurt me.

[toTOW]

Apparently, you're using a monitoring program that doesn't show bonus points ... try HFM or FahSpy (and enable the appropriate option in their configuration).

And of course, use your passkey on all your clients (and more specificly on 6.29 SMP). You also have to submit 10 SMP WUs (A2 or A3) withing the deadlines before the bonus start being awarded.

[shunter]

My PPD has dropped from over 28k ave as at end january to less than 22k at the moment and the trend appears downwards. According to this topic I should switch to using passkeys and get the bonus points eventually. I have a hotch potch of systems so will passkeys work on them all.
The systems are:-
1 GPU folding - cannot get a GTX295 so no more for the moment
4 Linux based SMP folders (one is a virtual machine)
4 Win XP systems using SMP folding (one is running the Linux virtual folder)
2 older Windows clients - 1 running Win32-x86 and the other FAH504 Console - should probably close these down but are email pcs for wife and me so constantly on.
1 PSP3

Will start investigating passkeys but any advice pon above would be welcome
Rgds
Shunter

[7up1n3]

My PPD has dropped from over 28k ave as at end january to less than 22k at the moment and the trend appears downwards. According to this topic I should switch to using passkeys and get the bonus points eventually. I have a hotch potch of systems so will passkeys work on them all.
The systems are:-
1 GPU folding - cannot get a GTX295 so no more for the moment
4 Linux based SMP folders (one is a virtual machine)
4 Win XP systems using SMP folding (one is running the Linux virtual folder)
2 older Windows clients - 1 running Win32-x86 and the other FAH504 Console - should probably close these down but are email pcs for wife and me so constantly on.
1 PSP3

Will start investigating passkeys but any advice pon above would be welcome
Rgds
Shunter

There are no hardware requirements for passkey usage - you should input the passkey on all boxes regardless of spec.

[shunter]

Thanks - managed on all bar the PSP3 (not started it yet) and one where I have a config file issue now - ah well; that's life

[Zagen30]

The PS3 client currently doesn't have an option to add a passkey.

[djohnston]

If you're on Linux SMP and not using a passkey, PPD will steadily drop as regular A2 units run out. There's no reason not to obtain and use a passkey. GPU clients (Windows/WINE) will continue to produce as before, as will uniprocessor clients, but a passkey still gives you identity protection for your folding name.

Can I use the same passkey for all 5 of my clients? And how do I get a passkey?

EDIT: I found everything here:
http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-passkey

[susato]

Well done djohnston.

Everyone should get and install a passkey on all of their hardware (except PS3 and Mac PPC which don't support it)
Everyone should upgrade to the latest client compatible with their hardware.

Point returns for Linux and OSX machines are going through a temporary dip now as the a2 and a1 units are being cleared out of the system in preparation for switching all SMP projects (for multi-core machines) to the new a3 core. Once the low-yielding a1 units are all folded they'll be gone for good.

Hang in there and keep Folding through this transitional period - your machine is still doing valuable scientific work. Every WU you turn in advances humanity's knowledge of protein folding, and each one is sincerely appreciated.

[djohnston]

Every WU you turn in advances humanity's knowledge of protein folding, and each one is sincerely appreciated.

I think we all know that. It is probably what motivated most of us to donate our computer time. It is just that the point system is the only visible measure of what it is we ARE contributing.

[djohnston]

Well, I got my passkey and enterd it for all clients immediately after obtaining it on March 4th.

PPD average has gone from 1700+ to 600+. I'm doing nothing different. Every client still runs 24/7.

Fantastic!

[k1wi]

Have you completed your 10 A3 work units yet?

[Wrish]

djohnston what hardware are you running? I checked stats and it's full of uniprocessor clients and a GPU. Moreover the pace of work unit submission has sputtered in the last week.

[djohnston]

Have you completed your 10 A3 work units yet?

Sorry, I don't even know what that means.

djohnston what hardware are you running? I checked stats and it's full of uniprocessor clients and a GPU. Moreover the pace of work unit submission has sputtered in the last week.

(2) AMD64x2 5000+ desktop computers at 3.2 ghz with 4 gb of RAM, and (1) AMD64 4800+ at 2.8 ghz with 2 gb of RAM. All run 32-bit Linux desktops.

The point I am trying to make is this: Essentially nothing has changed with my hardware, my computer usage, OR my folding habits. All 3 desktop machines run folding@home 24/7. The clients run from the time the machine is booted until it is shut down. The x2 CPUs each run 2 clients and the single-core CPU runs 1 client. The only real change that I can see is that whatever units I am working on are worth substantially less than the work units I had been getting. CPU usage has NOT decreased substantially. I monitor it like a hawk.