How many clients do you start on a computer?

[the-mk]

I want to know how many clients everybody starts on one computer.

Maybe the voters could post the configuration of their machine (MHz, RAM) and the OS and how they started their clients (IB's script, srvany.exe-service, etc...)

[willy1]

I'm running 2 clients per processor - real or virtual. So a 2 CPU HT box gets 8 clients.

No particular reason - I start each one from a separate folder, although that doesn't seem necessary.

That means those 8 clients per box only counts as 1 machine in ChessBrain stats. I'd like to see an 'active client' stat instead of machine stat - it would give a better idea of power applied to the project.

[PY 222]

I have 10 clients running on a dual processor machine with 512MB of RAM, running Win XP Pro.

I also have another single XP 1800+ machine with 512MB of RAM, running Win XP Pro with another 10 clients.

Work machines get only 1 client each because they all lack enough memory for more clients.

[jonnyw]

p4 2.53 GHz machine with 512MB ram

running a single instance, installed with the tray icon thingy (the recomended download from the site I think)

:)

[rshepard]

(3) 1133 mHz duallies w/ 1 gig RAM-- 8 clients
(1) 1133 mHz dually w/ 1 gig RAM --6 clients ( its running a webserver type app that takes 0.5 gig)
(1) 800 mHz w/ 500 meg-- 6 clients
(1) 800 mHz w/ 198 meg--3 clients
(1) 3200 mHz w/ 1 gig-- 6 clients <==my baby :D

Total 45 clients on 7 boxes w/ 11 processors

all running W2K server except the last 2;
the 800/198 is a Mandrake box, the 3200 is Gentoo

I kick the Windows boxes off with a batch file, then up the priorities to "BelowNormal" by hand :bang: (gotta get priority back into the conf file)

The Linux clients I just launch by hand

All the boxes run 24/7

No 3rd party monitoring running

Can't think of anything else that might be relevant

[FoBoT]

i go by the RAM in the box (ever seen a ram in a box? :jester: )

128MB -> 1 client
256MB -> 1 client
512MB -> 5 or more clients
1024MB -> 20 or more clients

this is for boxen that are only running CB and DF , no users on them/not "production" boxen

i am running from a mapped drive, i wrote my own script to start it up using the config file and the tips from PCZ and others

[Anteraan]

I have 2 machines, both Barton's@~3200+ speed, both running XP. One has 1GB, but is also my main computer. The other has 256MB, and is a dedicated DC comp. Both have 3 clients going, as of yesterday. Prior to that it was 1 per. Yes, I could have more instances running (especially on the 1GB box), but both machines run DF, which is my primary concern in DC. My efforts on CB are going to vary based upon DF protein speed.

[matrix_fan]

i have 2 machines, on one i use 4 up to 10 MAX, and the other uses 8-15 MAX

[offamychain]

up to 400Megs=4-6 clients

400-512Megs=6-8 clients

over 512Megs=up to a dozen

I run 13 clients (lucky #) on ALL crunchers. The 1st 3 or 4 will actually make about 75% of your total production, but those others contribute some also. You WILL DEFINITELY notice a difference in your stats. I average about 20 bill. nodes/day on 11 machines set up like this.

Go to Task Manager & set all "cbpncli.exe's" to "above normal", & set your main project to "normal". If you're also running a secondary program as I do, like RC5/OGR, play with any priority settings it may have inside itself + the Task Manager to get it where it's BARELY sucking any of the CPU.

((I also have Linux machines & their settings, if anyone needs them.))

Most of these projects don't actually use run 100% constantly, especially Eon, but have brief "rest-breaks" a few times an hour. This allows the secondary project to jump in during these times, instead of the CPU cycles going to "System Idle".

Note that these settings are ONLY for dedicated crunchers, because quite often the computer will be so busy it won't let you do much else. But it'll run forever like this, if it's been built well, & will rack in LOADS of points on Chess. You will notice very little, if any, impact on the main project.

One of my typical systems looks like this:

2 gig CPU oc'd 10%/640 Meg DDR333/all un-necessary stuff turned off (sound/auto-updates/help & support/performance logs/etc., etc.) SEE NOTE BELOW**

Ubero/set for "Server" mode & "Hidden"/set at "normal" priority

RC5/set at "3" inside it's "config"/set at "below normal" priority

Chess/1 "Agent" & 13 "Clients"/set at "above normal" priority

This gives me 90-95% of possible production on Ubero/about 1-3 RC5 units per day/and about 1.75 bil. nodes of Chess per day.

Hope this might work for some of ya. I think you'll like the results. Just remember, with this many processes & these priorities, you need to just leave it alone & let it crunch, cause it'll take a WHILE!!! to get back inside it to change anything, but it won't completely lock you out. Not usually anyway.:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

I run CBMoc on my main rig to monitor all remote ones. If each is showing some Chess production in the last 3 or 4 thousand "time-steps", then I know it hasn't blowed up yet, so I don't have to go check it.

***NOTE: If anyone's interested, I have a pretty good list of which processes can be turned completely off using "services.msc". Believe me, there's a BUNCH that are running which are completely unnecessary on crunchers.