Dual processor Solaris config

[frankbaird]

I got a new machine at work, a SUN Blade 2000 workstation with dual processors. When I crank up DF, the processor loading is only 50%, indicating that the process is running on only one processor (which is to be expected).

Can anyone tell me how to get a separate process of DF going on each processor? I know that I will need two separate directories, one for each process, so they can crunch w/o interfering w/ each other. How do I tell Solaris to start a process but put it on the second processor?

Thanks.

[Welnic]

You are going to need another folder running dFold anyway, so just do that, fire it up and see what happens. Every dual proc machine that I have dealt with just works with two clients running.

[IronBits]

Create two folders
/distribfold1
/distribfold2
extract the client into each folder
make sure you put handle.txt in each one

edit foldit in each folder, the last line should look like this
./foldtrajlite -f protein -n native

change it to this (if there is nohup in Sun, remove it)
nohup ./foldtrajlite -f protein -n native -rt -qt > /dev/null &

cd /distribfold1
./foldit
cd /distribfold2
./foldit
The OS will send each process to a different processor.
There is no way that I know of to dedicate each client to a different processor.

You should also edit foldit in each folder to add DFPTEMP variable and point it someplace different from each other
for example...
set DFPTEMP=/distribfold1/TEMP (in the first case)
set DFPTEMP=/distribfold2/TEMP (in the second case)
then
mkdir /distribfold1/TEMP
mkdir /distribfold2/TEMP

This prevents each client from stepping on each others temp scratch files, which has happened before when using duals.

[rshepard]

This prevents each client from stepping on each others temp scratch files, which has happened before when using duals.

Hmmm- I never declared seperate temp files on my duals.... maybe that's why one crashed the other day with an error related to creating a temp file

[Paratima]

Originally posted by IronBits
You should also edit foldit in each folder to add DFTEMP variable and point it someplace different from each other
for example...
set DFTEMP=/distribfold1/TEMP (in the first case)
set DFTEMP=/distribfold2/TEMP (in the second case)
then
mkdir /distribfold1/TEMP
mkdir /distribfold2/TEMP
<snip>

Er, we believe that should be "set DFPTEMP=..."

Quoting from the DF site's FAQ... "Alternatively, if you set the DFPTEMP environment variable on your system to point to a directory, all temporary Distributed Folding files will be placed in the directory given by this environment variable, regardless of the value of TEMP or TMPDIR."

[rshepard]

I set all my work boxes the other way just before I left for the day.....

Hopefully they'll muddle through 'til tomorrow morning

[IronBits]

What?! I thought that's what I said

Yes, no worries, it defaults to the system TEMP dir, so it's like you hadn't done anything at all yet
Sorry!

[frankbaird]

Thanks for the pointers! Now if I could only stop having to take the machine up and down to install new hardware and configure it! Wouldn't you know work gets in the way of the fun stuff!

[devzero]

Shouldn't really need to do anything, but if you want to force process to cpu use pbind (man pbind).