maxFAH - windows multi client installer/manager

[toTOW]

I was too lazy to install CPU/SMP clients on my GPU box, but testing your software might be a good reason to install a SMP client

I'm wondering if you could add a checkbox to select SMP client or X classic clients ... I wonder if someone would use such a function.

[MtM]

If it would be needed I can leave out the smp flag and you essentially got the single core client already?

I don't think it's that needed though, but if people say it is I can add it. The whole idea is to have a simple setup for the hpc clients/multiple hpc clients.

[codysluder]

I'd like to commend you for a genuine effort to fill a real need that has been requested many times but the Pande Group has not gotten and may never get around to filling. If you're successful, that's good. If someday you decide it's too big a job to maintain, you might turn over your code to them to see if they want to incorporate it into a future generation installer.

I'm wondering if you could add a checkbox to select SMP client or X classic clients ... I wonder if someone would use such a function.

I'm not a Mac owner, but from what I read on their forum, the option would be used rarely on a Mac. Hardware detection should be sufficient for most cases.

The PPC hardware can only use the classic client. The x86 hardware uses the SMP client.

There is one possible conflict: There were (very) few Macs that have a single core-x86. My guess is that they don't fold, but the SMP client won't run so they're forced to run the classic client.

There is one possible choice: The x86 Mac can run the classic client, but it is terribly inefficient due to emulation issues. There probably are a few x86 Macs that run so few hours per week that they won't be able to meet the SMP deadlines. Those people have to choose between not running FAH and running it inefficiently.

It's an important option for Windows and Linux, though. I suggest a question mentioning deadlines and ask if their computer is running nearly 24x7 or just occasionally. If that's a difficult question for them to answer or if they're a real newbie, they should be given an opportunity to learn about deadlines before making a choice between installations that discard WUs and ones that meet deadlines.

[MtM]

I'm not convinced about the number of people running multiple unicore clients?!

Are there that many?

If so, yes I could add them, but for the clients I now can install and configure ( HPC.. ) I don't think it's that needed to ask people about deadlines and system up time, as the hpc clients are mostly making it mandetory that you run it at much as possible.

Then, I could ask for gpu folders, but the wu sizes/complexity/core changes all influence the time it takes to fold a wu.

Maybe I should only check for the real lower class gpu's ( nvidia 9400 or something, and the equivalent ati card ) ??

Changed some things on the installer, using windows api is a nasty workaround, and I whish I could avoid it. I was using send loops with setforgroundwindow only at the start of the loop and setting blockinput flag to true, seems that still could cause some issues ( though mostly in the debugging environment as I not seen it outside of that ). Now it checks and refocuses the proper window before each input event, and I added a timer to check if the loop runs for to long.

I got an answer from the Deino developers, but what they send me does not work somehow, not at all even. I repleid and showcased it's not working, will wait on a reply. They have a perfect method, as create_credential_store.exe -default should make a non password protected registry located and windows protected credential store! The other cl tools work with their parameters, eg manage_credentials so that's already coverd. I must admit I been playing abit with an x64 deino version, and treid to run the smp client on vista x64 with the deino libs. I couldn't get it running, it complained about a missing deino_mpich2.dll which isn't included in any deino package from PG and I don't have the compilers to create it myself

maxTray now control clients without issues, start/stop/show console/hide console. Fixed a bug in the project browser, and added icons for each local client, and a traymenu with the controls I mentioned before. Also lost all timers, as updates are done by event handlers for each client ( and filesystemwatchers for the log's ect. ).

It is allot of work, but I think I'm close to having something worthwhile and so far it's going alright. I won't get everything included today ( it's 1:38 so I'm counting this as sunday already ) but I think I can upload a function maxTray atleast ( which entails > control and tracking, but no eue parsing and no 'auto find clients' which will make maxTray able to be installed independant of maxFah and offer the same tray controls for multiple clients.

I'm not a graphics artist btw, the icons are rough copies of the fah icon, overlayed with a triangle for play and a square for stop..

[John Naylor]

FWIW a lot of people who want to contribute but don't have the uptime to complete SMP units run multiple uniprocessor clients... I'm one of them and it's just an easier way to contribute (install as service = set and forget)

[MtM]

That's true

I'll add uniprocessor clients, but I'm working on the tray control first atm. I'll probably wait for the reply from deino support about the command line options for create_credential_store so I can do both things in one time.

[MtM]

Updated maxTray. Client control is working, though gui isn't finished so can't set preferences yet like starting clients and auto hiding the console's. The main icon has start all/stop all functions, and for each client there is a seperate icon offering, start/stop, show/hide. configure and 'show files' options.

I had a few limited occasions when stopping all hidden clients resulted in one client not being closed, and the gui being stuck waiting on the close message. If this happens, closing the console with ctrl-c will solve the issue, I will add a small delay between closing each client as that's the probably reason but I been working on this a few hours in a row and I need a small break Maybe I'll add this in later tonight, but I was thinking about adding a 'scan for folding clients' option first. Hoping deino support will answer my questions about the command line options asap so I can change the installer method to not require winapi en sendinput

Tracking isn't working yet, statistics either ( since it depends on tracking ), web update isn't implemented, client and gui options also not available yet. Icon's are 3 min work in irfanview so their not that 'pretty', so if someone feels they want to contribute with supplying me with a nice icon set ( and more then currently in use, I would like {start,stop,attention} style icons so I can give a visual signal when a client has a problem ( recent eue, stuck downloading work, failed uploads ect, failed core downloads? ).

maxTray can be downloaded seperate from running maxFah the installer module but since I haven't added the 'scan for existing clients' functionality yet there isn't much point in giving a link to it.

When having the gui extended ( which shows the logfile and the panel with tracking info ) it auto updates on filechanges, since there can be allot of changes in a row there is a delay of one second where subsequent calls will be disregarded, but if anyone thinks that's still to low I could increase the delay ( a to short delay will increase cpu usage on moments the log files are being written to allot and will increase flikker on the gui as the listview and rtfbox are updated each time, but a to long delay also means client events notifications are delayed so starting/stopping/showing/hiding a client and having the correct status in the gui will get delayed as well. Exiting clients overrides this delay due to the gui needing to know run status of clients. )

Atm the trayicons per client have dynamic menu's ( eg a stopped client will have a start option when a running client will have a stop option ) but I haven't implemented that on the clients list menu or the main form menu.

[bruce]

FWIW a lot of people who want to contribute but don't have the uptime to complete SMP units run multiple uniprocessor clients... I'm one of them and it's just an easier way to contribute (install as service = set and forget)

In addition to the deadline issue, there's a performance isssue. The high-performance clients (SMP / GPU) are much more likely to cause small to medium impacts on foreground performance. The "FAH (or all DC projects) only uses unused resources" applies specifically to the CPU client. Moreover if necessary, you can run less than N clients on a N-way box. In some installations, it may also be necessary to reduce the CPU utilization to less than 100% (Windows). That setting is not really useful for SMP/GPU clients.

[MtM]

Ok I see I have overlooked the reasons and therefore the amount of people who might run multiple uniprocessor clients. I didn't do much today as I didn't have any real time for it, and tomorrow I got a bussy day as well but I'll make adding uniprocessor support asap, and afther that I really need to put up some new screenshots.

[MtM]

No uniprocessor, but updated gui, updated screen shots, new publish link, new maxTray built on server. Will be weekend before I'll put up uniprocessor support I think, as I want to do it in one sweep with the proper deino arguments.

Next step is maxTray tracking.

Sorry Bruce

[WangFeiHong]

How do you reconcile the creation of an installer that automatically installs with little user intervention (and can be modified for unscrupulous uses), and attempts to alter and configure the client and it's configuration files, with the Folding@home EULA?

You may use this software on a computer system only if you own the system or have the written permission of the owner.

You may not alter the software or associated data files.

You may only use unmodified versions of Folding@home obtained through authorized distributors to connect to the Folding@Home servers. Use of other software to connect to the Folding@home servers is strictly prohibited.

Distribution of this software is prohibited. It may only be obtained by downloading from Stanford's web site (http://folding.stanford.edu and pages linked therein) or the web site of one of our commercial partners (Sony, NVIDIA, and ATI).

[MtM]

Just to make it clear wangfei

• The clients are downloaded from Stanford, not my site. I host a xml file with location and preffered settings, that's all.
• The clients are therefore not modified.
• and I don't try to alter the client, nor it's data files.
• I simulate a -configonly console to configure the client, just as one would to configure the client through the command prompt normaly.