Factoring programs...

[vjs]

I know I asked this in another thread but it would be useful to have a thread which lists of links to all of the factoring programs and setup information, configs files etc.

I know they are out there but some info is old and it's tough to understand which is the newest version etc..

I had a semi difficult time finding GMP-ECM6 optimized for a athlonXP, I'm still uncertain about using P+1.

If people could put together packages in zipped files, I can get them hosted.

_________________________

Example.

Probably one of the best?

sbfactor 1.2.2.5

All we need is to host this file zipped with a simple txt attachment.

Example the sbfactor1.2.2.5.zip could contain

sb1255.exe
sob.dat
info.txt
standard cfg file - example pm1.cfg
sb1225.bat

Example, The info.txt would contain information from /?


sb1255 low-n high-n cfg-file*

sb1255 - refers to the name of the program you'd like to run
low-n - refers to the start of your factoring range which you can reserve here http://www.free-dc.org/forum/
low-n - refers to the end of your factoring range
cfg - use this file for typical factoring, change your memory allocation to how much, you have free, ctrl-shift-del --> taskmanager --> System memory - used memory, etc, It would be setup with reasonable sob configs when they get it incase people are confused etc.


The bat would contain an example where people could edit the bat it would run without editing as supplied...

*- sb1255 9110000 9115000 pm1.cfg
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sb1255 and sbfactor1.2 were fairly straight forward, but ecm, prime95 ???

Regardless is anyone interested in helping... pm me.

[hhh]

I don't know if it is always legal to put shareware programs
together to new bundles, so I think it is better to assemble just all necessary links. It's easier to change, too.
I will make a kind of manual for factoring with prime95, as I promised a long time ago, btw. Maybe it becomes sticky? Of course, after comments and corrections by everyone.

[hhh]

This is gonna be a guide for beginners in factoring. I took the time to write it because when I started factoring, it was not easy. Perhaps it seems long and complicated, but it is only long because detailed, and so, in fact very easy.
Please read it and don't be afraid of it's length.



If you want to do factoring for SOB, you need several programs, files, and stuff. I will explain step by step.

1)
First, you need a factoring program. You have the choice between sbfactor, prime95, and others (?). The advantage of prime95 (By George Woltman) is that it does not run in a DOS-box but as a tray icon and that you can add new work in a worktodo.ini file while the program is running, without restarting it. You get it here:

ftp://mersenne.org/gimps/p95v246.zip
http://mersenne.org/gimps/p95v246.zip

Later versions don't work, AFAIK. (Unless there is a Big New Version).

You put the prime95.exe (from the zip-file) in the folder where you want to store the factoring software and start it.
A windows appears which you close by clicking on JUST STRESS TESTING.

On the screen, you can make changes in the Options..CPU and Options..Preferences part. You should assign a lot more memory (from 100MB up; 100MB is not much; the more the better; remember to let your machine at least 50MB)
(Maybe there is a bug that you can't assign more memory during the day than during the night; or nighttime must contain midnight; or cannot be longer then 12 hours; I forgot; I had to invert nighttime and daytime, but that should not be a problem)

If you look now in your folder, you find that the program created two files, "local.ini" and "prime.ini".

You open prime.ini and add the line

results.txt=fact.txt

If you do so, the program will write the results to fact.txt and not to results.txt (This is important because "results.txt" is a file used differently in the project.)

2)
Now, you have to tell the program, which numbers to factor. All numbers which are not yet tested twice by the PRP-main effort are in the daily updated sob.dat file:

http://www.aooq73.dsl.pipex.com/sobdat/SobDat_n1M-20M.zip

You extract it into your folder.

In order to coordinate the factoring-work, there is the Factoring coordination thread. You reserve a range by posting it (You need to login, so you need to register). Of course, you check all the posts to get a free range. In the beginning, a range of 1000 is OK for testing. Make sure to get a range sufficiently far ahead from the main effort so that you can finish it on time and save two PRP-tests. Right now, the main effort is progressing about 10000 per day.

Then, you have to get the information out of the sob.dat and into your worktodo.ini.
Fortunately, MikeH provided us a fine small program to help us to do that.

http://www.aooq73.dsl.pipex.com/utils/makewtd.zip

You unzip in your folder and edit the make_worktodo.bat file. Basically, you change the "set nmin=" and "set nmax=" lines, don't forget to save and run the batch file. It will create a worktodo.ini, if not existing, and write the right information at the end of the file (not overwriting).
Later, you will can change the other values, too, but this would be the optimisation guide, not the getting started guide.

Now, you go back to prime95 and click on Test..Continue.
And your machine is working.

As I said, the output is written in the file fact.txt.
But despite its name, most of the stuff in this file are not factors but only notes that the program didn't find find a factor. That's normal. But sometimes there appears something like that:

P-1 found a factor in stage #2, B1=30000, B2=255000.
4847*2^8995863+1 has a factor: 240667294106777359

THAT'S IT! Let's submit it! Where?

http://www.seventeenorbust.com/sieve

(It's called "Sieve", but applies for us, too.)

We just have to log in before (to get credit) and to put the output in the right format before, which is, for instance:

240667294106777359 | 4847*2^8995863+1

You can submit more than one factor at once, each in one line.

Finished. You just can watch your stats climb.

http://www.aooq73.dsl.pipex.com/2005/scores.htm

The rest is obvious: Post your range as finished, reserve a new one, get the new sob.dat, add the work to the worktodo.ini, submit, etc.

What else? Excellent background information by hcgrove:

http://www.sslug.dk/~grove/sbfactor/


So, have fun... H.

[hhh]

Now the discussion of my little piece of work. So to the professionals:

I thought have seen somewhere a very small sob dat file especially for factorers, but I can't find it.
And I didn't get why I should use the results.txt if I can use the daily updated sob.dat file. Btw, why is there no link in the Factoring coordination thread?

[IronBits]

Thanks for all that! I followed your steps, downloaded everything.
Ran prime.exe, edited the .ini file, pulled in the sob.dat file

I'm ready to reserve something I have no clue about...

935574185619061-968947423096291 I was looking at some page (factoring/sieving) showed it would get ~500 hits or something.

I have sse2 and cmov and prime.exe -
I have an FX55 that I should run sse2 on I believe (talking with Jason)
and 2 AMD64 3200+ that could/should run prime/cmov?

I'm loaded for bear, but I have no ammunition, nor do I know how to load it.
But I'm getting closer ;)
:help:

[Nuri]

Another way of looking at things that you might find helpful.

Those are p figures and suggests that there would be ~500 factors between 935.57T and 968.95T at sieving (which is a huge range). With it's current speed of ~40G per day, it would take more thn two years for my Athlon to finish such a range.

sse2 and cmov clients are for sieving. simply try both and see which is faster on your machine. reserve a little range of, let's say 100G (xxx100-xxx200) at http://www.free-dc.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3501 thread, and run the client. it will ask for your pmin and pmax. these are the same figures that you reserved. once the first one is found a file named fact.txt will be automatically creaed, and your factors will start to accumulate under it. then, from time to time, you'll have to log in to http://www.seventeenorbust.com/sieve/ and dump your factors.


For factoring, the story is a bit different. You reserve in n ranges at http://www.free-dc.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3239. and use prime.exe. you'll easily create your backlog with makewtd file. make sure you change it's bat file according to your needs before running it. sieve depth of 49 and sieveworth of 2.5 are just fine, but I personnally prefer to use other figures there. nmin and nmax are obviously the two ends of the range you reserved. there are roughly 26 tests per 1000 n range, and depending on the settings you choose and the machine, the time to finish a test varies (~ 2 hours at my machine, with my settings). anyways, makewtd will create a txt file filled with your backlog. you'll have to copy it's contents and paste into worktodo.ini, and start prime.exe. other stuff is almost the ame, except if p of your factor is larger than 2^64, then you'll have to submit it at http://www.seventeenorbust.com/largesieve/


I know, this is a rough guide, so might not be enough. but hopefully may add on to what hhh has written. please do not hesitate to ask if you have further questions.