Folding@home v6 Client FAQ

Table of Contents

Where can I download the new v6.x clients?

You will see the various new v6.x Linux and Macintosh clients on our main Download page, and the v6.x Windows clients on the High Performance Windows Clients page.

As with the use of any beta software, please make sure to back up your hard drive before installing the software. And do not run this client if you or any of your machines cannot tolerate even the slightest instability or problems.

What has changed?

All the modifications from the previous version are listed in the change log. On the download page (coming soon), just click on the version number link that's immediately to the left of your download link. Changes of particular note:

• support in the client and the backend infrastructure for a passkey
• accept message from server (for example PRFC) and print to unitinfo and queueinfo (only on units assigned from servers supporting this)
• added code support for an "all-in-one" console client. For example, running the console client with no switch will run CPU work units. Using the -smp flag on eligible hardware will run SMP work units*. And in the future, using the -gpu switch will run GPU work units (-gpu not supported yet, use the GPU specific client until then).
• additional work unit size options in the client setup (small, normal, big)
• detailed detection of CPU type and features
• no benchmark on startup
• no Use IE Settings option, use a specific Proxy setup instead.

*Note: We regret that a v6 Windows/SMP client is not yet available, so -smp is not available for the Windows clients. The Linux client is the first available client with this option. And there is no single core CPU client for the Macintosh, so all v6 Mac clients will use -smp.

What is a passkey?

The passkey is a new unique identifier that allows you to prevent others from cheating in your name. You may obtain a passkey from our web site (see below), enter it when you configure the client, and the client and servers will do the rest. Previously we have not had such an identifier in Folding@home (usernames for example could be shared by many people). You should keep your passkey secret. Please see the Passkey FAQ for further discussion of passkeys.

Where can I get a passkey?

http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/getpasskey.py

Can I mix and match SMP and non-SMP work units?

The integrated client will run either SMP or non-SMP work units. The default (no switch) is to run non-SMP work units. When upgrading a SMP client from a previous version, please be sure to always add the -smp switch to the command line or shortcut that starts the client.

However, there is no change in the client architectures for which we have no SMP work units (e.g. OSX/PPC) and for which we have no uni-processor work units (e.g. OSX/Intel). And on Windows, the SMP specific client install procedure must be followed in order to run SMP work units, as noted in the SMP FAQ, until a v6 SMP Windows client is available.

Note: If you are running a SMP work unit or vice versa, you must finish that work unit with the appropriate client settings before adding or removing the -smp flag. Changing the flag in the middle of a WU may cause the WU data to become corrupted. A safety check to prevent this is already on the list to be added.

For More Information, Please See:

• FAH FAQ
• Passkey FAQ
• Folding Support Forum

Last Updated on June 02, 2008, at 03:51 PM