First, download the console client from the Download page (There is 2 distinct packages, one for Windows XP and 2003 and one for Vista so make sure to pick the correct one for your OS). If you wanted to use a installer, the Console client doesn't come with one so it's suggested to use the Systray client instead. After you are done downloading the package, unzip the package in any place except the Program Files folder (due to potential permissions issues). A good suggestion is to create a new folder on C:Users[username]FAH! for Vista or C
ocuments and Settings[username]FAH for XP. You can also place it on the desktop or on a custom folder like C:FAH. After you are done unzipping, it's suggested you rename the executable file name to fah6.exe to make the following steps easier to do.
Note: If you are using the Vista GPU Console client, don't install as a service since it's currently not working properly. If you need a unobstructive client under Vista, it's suggested to use the Systray version.
The next step is to configure the client. Open a Command Prompt and change directory to the location where you unzipped the FAH client. Type this command to begin (assuming you renamed the FAH executable to "fah6"):
fah6 -configonly
The client will display some information and then prompt you for answers to configuration questions. Note that for most answers, the default setting is the recommended setting. Here is an example of what is displayed on screen, with an explanation of each option:
Launch directory: C:FAH
Executable: fah6
Arguments: -configonly
[16:25:22] Configuring Folding@Home...
User Name [Anonymous]?
Enter your FAH User Name (not the Windows user name). Or press enter to accept the default user name Anonymous. Almost everyone selects a personalized user name.
Team Number [0]?
Enter your FAH Team #. Or press enter to accept the default Team # 0. You can join a team at any time by configuring the client again and entering the new team number. This applies to all client settings.
Passkey []?
Enter your Passkey. Or press enter to leave it blank and go to the next option. You can find more information about Passkeys here. Optional, but may be required in the future.
Ask before fetching/sending work (no/yes) [no]?
If you have a dialup internet connection, you may want to set this to yes. Then the client will prompt for your permission to upload / download work units. if you have a full time internet connection, just press enter to accept the default setting of no.
Use proxy (yes/no) [no]?
If you are connected to a proxy, enter yes and configure the proxy options for proxy user name, password, address, etc. Or press enter to skip.
Acceptable size of work assignment and work result packets (bigger units
may have large memory demands) -- 'small' is <5MB, 'normal' is <10MB, and
'big' is >10MB (small/normal/big) [normal]?
This option states a preference for the size of work units downloaded and uploaded to the project servers. Bigger units will also have bigger memory requirements. If you run on a slower broadband or dialup internet connection, small is the recommended setting to ease your bandwidth usage.
Change advanced options (yes/no) [no]? yes
If you want to change the advanced options, enter yes but it's not mandatory.
Launch automatically, install as a service in this directory (yes/no) [no]?
If you want the client to run as a service, say yes and it will install a new entry in the services list. The next time you restart the computer, the service will start automatically and run in the background.
Core Priority (idle/low) [idle]?
This adjusts the FAH client priority level. This is not the same as the Windows priority setting. In most cases, the default setting is recommended. Note that when mixing CPU or SMP clients with GPU clients, you may need to set the GPU clients to the low priority setting for best performance.
CPU usage requested (5-100) [100]?
This will adjust the percentage of CPU usage. The FAH client only users spare CPU cycles not used by other programs, so reducing this setting is not typically necessary. However, if you want to lower system temperatures, or reserve CPU cycles for more intensive computer tasks, enter a number below 100.
Disable highly optimized assembly code (no/yes) [no]?
If you are having issues running the client, disable this. For 99.9% of the users, leave this at the default setting since this reduces the client performance a lot.
Pause if battery power is being used (useful for laptops) (no/yes) [no]?
If you run a laptop, set this to yes to pause if the laptop is not plugged on the wall. This will avoid the client draining the battery.(if name WinSMP*
In the SMP client, this setting may not behave as expected.
Interval, in minutes, between checkpoints (3-30) [15]?
Number of minutes between each checkpoint where the client is writing the client progress to disk in case of unexpected interruption. 15 is the recommended setting.
Memory, in MB, to indicate (1013 available) [1013]?
Sets the amount of memory seen by the work servers. By default, it shows the full system memory amount. Note that reducing this setting does not reserve more memory for other programs. However, reducing this setting will prevent the client from downloading memory intensive work units. A setting too low may prevent the client from getting any new work.
Set -advmethods flag always, requesting new advanced
scientific cores and/or work units if available (no/yes) [no]?
This is the same as using the -advmethods command line flag. This option states a preference to request newer late stage beta work units. Because newer work units tend to be larger, this setting my slightly increase your points per day. But because the mix of work units changes from week to week, using this setting might also reduce your PPD, or have no affect at all.
Ignore any deadline information (mainly useful if
system clock frequently has errors) (no/yes) [no]?
Only set this to yes if your local computer clock is having issues keeping the correct date and time.
Machine ID (1-16) [2]?
This is the Machine Number of the client. If you are running more than one client under the same operating system, you need to have a different Machine ID for each client on that machine. If you are installing a single client on multiple computers, you do not need to change this since this is only for installing multiple clients on the same computer.
The following options require you to restart the client before they take effect
Disable CPU affinity lock (no/yes) [no]?
If you disable the affinity lock, the client will pick any free CPU core. Leave set to no if you want the client to be locked to a CPU core. If you run a NVIDIA card, you can adjust the affinity by using the NV_FAH_CPU_AFFINITY environment variable (check the NVIDIA FAQ for more details). Leave set to no if using the NV variable.
Additional client parameters []?
You can enter the client flags here so you don't have to type the flag each time. -verbosity 9 flag here to make things easier to setup. Don't enter -config or -configonly'' or any single-use flag in this field to avoid problems.
IP address to bind core to (for viewer) []?
For future use when the Viewer is working better. Specifies the IP address of the machine of which the viewer should display the client output.
When you press enter after the last question, the configuration will end and you will be back to the command prompt. You have successfully configured the client so the next step is to start the client. Here are 3 ways:
* By clicking on the executable icon (this assumes you entered the proper flags during configuration).
* By typing fah6 on the same command prompt window. Enter the necessary flags if you didn't enter those during configuration.
* Create a new shortcut to the FAH executable, and double click that shortcut icon (assuming you added all needed flags to the client setup).
Normally, if everything is done correctly, the client will be folding along fine. To verify the client is progressing, open the task manager and make sure there is a process called FahCore_xx.exe in the list. Or you can open the fahlog.txt file to see the client progress.
