Guide: Linux SMP in VMware - Overclock.net

purdueman · 01-28-08

Linux SMP Client on Windows, In Ubuntu in VMware I read our guide but this one seems to be faster to setup. This can be done by anyone even if they have no experience with Linux, VMware, or folding. I am a prime example.

How To: Setup Linux SMP Client on Windows, In Ubuntu in VMware

Quote:

Bracketed numbers [#] are footnotes

This works on any version of Windows and on most multi-core processors. [1]

1. Download VMware Player 2.0.4 for Windows. You must register first.

2. Install VMware Player. Reboot if it prompts you to and then come back to this page.

3. Download the Ubuntu 7.10 amd64 VMware image. (770MB) [2]
If you want/need a different VMware Image or would like a torrent select a VMware Image from here. http://www.thoughtpolice.co.uk/vmware/

4. Make a new folder in My Documents called VMware and unzip this file there. Open the Ubuntu-7.10-desktop-amd64 folder you just unzipped.

5. Open the .vmx file in Wordpad and add numvcpus = "2" to the end of it. [3] Save and close it. Now double-click the .vmx file. This will start VMware Player and Ubuntu will begin booting.

6. You should see a nice brown desktop. In the main menu, click Applications / Accessories / Terminal.

7. Type this (all on one line, let it wrap) into the terminal. It would be much easier to open Firefox in Ubuntu, navigate to this page, copy the text below, then paste it into the terminal. So do that.
CODE

Code:

sudo apt-get install ia32-libs && mkdir ~/Fah && cd ~/Fah && echo "cd ~/Fah && ./fah6 -smp -advmethods -forceasm -verbosity 9" >> startfah && chmod +x startfah && wget http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/release/FAH6.02-Linux.tgz && tar xvf F* && ./fah6 -smp -configonly

Press Enter. The password is ubuntu. Everything will be downloaded, extracted, and installed like magic. [4]

8. Now you will configure your client. Here are some good choices. For anything not listed here, just press Enter for the default choice.

User Name: Your Name
Team Number: 37726 (Overclock.net)
Passkey: None
Acceptable size of work assignment and work result packets: big
Change advanced options: yes
[5]
Leave all advanced options to default except the one below

Set -advmethods flag always, requesting new advanced
scientific cores and/or work units if available: yes

9. Now close the terminal. Right-click the desktop and choose Create Launcher. Type in the information below.

Type: Application in Terminal
Name: Folding
Command: /home/ubuntu/Fah/startfah

10. Now double-click 'Folding' [6] [7]

For quad-cores:
If you would like to utilize all four cores for Folding@Home instead of just two, you will need to exit VMware Player and rename the folder in My Documents/VMware to something else (like Ubuntu-7.10-desktop-amd64-2) and then repeat this guide starting at step 4. VMware Player only supports two virtual processors, so you will need to run two instances of VMware Player.

__________
Footnotes:

1. You must have a CPU that supports 64-bit guests in VMware. If you're not sure, download and run this tool to find out.
2. This 770MB zip file contains a virtual hard disk that decompresses to over 2GB. Make sure you have plenty of space.
3. You can also increase the available memory by changing memsize = "256" to a larger number like 512 or 1024 depending on your amount of system memory.
4. If files fail to download, you probably have a networking problem. In the main menu, go to System / Administrator / Network. Password is ubuntu. Choose the connection and click Properties. Uncheck Enable roaming mode and for Configuration choose DHCP. Press OK and then Close. Press Ctrl+Alt and click Ethernet at the top of VMware Player. Choose NAT. In Ubuntu, go to System / Quit / Restart. After Ubuntu has booted, start at step 6 in this guide.
5. If you are setting up two instances for a quad-core and this is your second time through the guide, type yes for Change advance options and then change Machine ID to 2.
6. If you need to close the client, just hit Ctrl+C in the terminal. Then when you want to start it again, just double-click the icon.
7. Exiting VMware Player without first shutting down Ubuntu will create a snapshot of the current state. The next time you run Ubuntu it will boot up instantly and everything will be as you left it. In other words, do this.

Source: http://www.x64bit.net/site/board/ind...showtopic=5232

If you want/need a different VMware Image try this site http://www.thoughtpolice.co.uk/vmware/

Using FahMon in Windows to monitor your Linux SMP

1. In your Ubuntu VMware install navigate to your Fah folder.

Click Places>Home and then right click your Fah folder. Click share.
Type ubuntu for the password when prompted.
You will only need to install Samba (the windows option).
To make sure your folder is being shared go to System>Administration>Shared Folders
If not click add and choose the folder.

2. Next set your samba password and username in the terminal. For example use ubuntu as user and then you will be prompted for a password. Use whatever you will remember.

Code:

sudo smbpasswd -a user

3. Now in Windows navigate to your network and you should see your VMWare install named Ubuntu. Open it and type your username and password you just set up.

4. Now install FahMon in Windows.

Once installed run FahMon
*Note for Vista users. If you have UAC enabled you will have to run as Admin.

5. Now time to add your client. Right click the white box and click add client.

Name your client VMware SMP.
Now for the location navigate to your Network and then Ubuntu and then Fah.
*Use the Fah folder not the Fah/work

My location looks like \\UBUNTU\Fah\Fah

I found I get the most PPD by running a Linux SMP + GPU2.
See http://www.overclock.net/overclock-n...ah-6-12-a.html for GPU2 guide.

Updated: 8/06/08

**Burn** · 01-30-08

Awesome! Any idea if they can make an image using Linux Mint? It would be MUCH smaller and more lightweight.

Bal3Wolf · 01-31-08

Probly could be done but how well does linux mint fold i tried debian business card with the libs needed and it would give alot of time issues and kernal problems. After i send my last unit for the day i might try and see how it works right now i got my linux ubuntu down to 700megs could go smaller for users not using ssh or samba.

**Burn** · 01-31-08

Honestly, I can't say...Either way, I think it would be a good improvement. I thought I remembered reading an article saying that the difference in PPD was very minimal between distros, and so go with the smallest or most convenient distro that works for you. Linux Mint would probably take up half the space and be just as efficient

I would make an image myself, but I don't have VMWare Workstation :\

Bal3Wolf · 01-31-08

Well im downloading all the distros of linux mint their smallest cd is 600 some megs about same size as a ubuntu cd.

purdueman · 01-31-08

Well Linux Mint is not 64 bit as of right now so I couldn't use all of my 4gbs. Isn't Linux Mint just Ubuntu with just added codecs and other stuff so I don't think it would be lighter or have they changed other stuff? Xubuntu might be a better idea.

Unknownm · 01-31-08

I'm pretty sure I read your guide right or did I put it in the wrong spot?

**Burn** · 01-31-08

I had that same issue too...Put it on the next line. I don't know why, but it at least loads up. I don't know if it implements two CPU's or not, but I get both cores fully loaded on FAH when I did it that way.

Unknownm · 01-31-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burn

I had that same issue too...Put it on the next line. I don't know why, but it at least loads up. I don't know if it implements two CPU's or not, but I get both cores fully loaded on FAH when I did it that way.

ah well just installing it now

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/7401/19383456uv4.jpg

purdueman · 02-01-08

Keyword guys WORDPAD I had the same problem with Notepad.

Also I would change the memsize = "256" to 1024 or 512.

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Guide: Linux SMP in VMware

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