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I've been reading good things about VM software improving point generation. Is there a way to use this while running a standard OS like XP, or it for dedicated folding rigs? If I understand things correctly you can't use XP and VM at the same time, but correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks!
With VMware, you can use any flavor of XP (x32, x64, Media Center) as the host.
You need to have a 64-bit guest system if you want to run a Linux SMP client, and to do that you must be running XP x64. So if you are running a 32-bit XP system, you won't be able to get any points gain from a virtual machine. I also seem to recall that vmware and virtualbox only have support for two cores, so you would be better off running a windows SMP client.
You don't have to have a 64 bit OS as host to run any flavor of vmware with a 64 bit guest. Trust me, I've got at least 15 XP x32 rigs running 64 bit Linux guests. THe guests on 64 bit hosts are a bit snappier than on the 32 bit hosts, but I've not noticed any significant production differences. TO a large degree, the snapiness is due to having more available ram on the x64 systems when I was running 2 x 2 core VMs. It's barely noticeable with 4 core VMs.
Right, but can you use 4 cores in vmware? You would probably get better ppd by running the windows SMP with 4 cores than Linux SMP with 2.
Right, but can you use 4 cores in vmware? You would probably get better ppd by running the windows SMP with 4 cores than Linux SMP with 2.
:confused: which is why you run two VMs.
Mr.Guvernment
10-10-09, 11:43 AM
when i had 32bit vista it wouldnt let me install a 64bit flavor OS in Vmware, but that was sometime last year, i had to put in vista 64 to run ubuntu 64 and do the vmware trick.
you can run vmware and xp at the same time as vmware runs with in your OS.
Nah, I've had 64-bin vms in xp32, xp64, vista32, vista64
Mr.Guvernment
10-10-09, 12:21 PM
i remeber what is was, my cpu was an e4400 and didnt have the VT? or something along those lines.
Right, but can you use 4 cores in vmware? You would probably get better ppd by running the windows SMP with 4 cores than Linux SMP with 2.
VMware Player 3.0 runs on 4 cores. If you have Workstation, Player 2.5.x will also run 4 cores. a2 core WUs running on 2 cores with v2.10 produce about 30% more than the a1 core WUs available to Windows. So you're much better off running 2 x 2 core VMs than one Win SMP WU on 4 cores. Now with Player 3.0, an a2 core WU on 4 cores will outproduce a1 core WUs by about 60%.
I posted production numbers in another thread ( http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=621114 ) from 2 XP x32 C2Qs running VMware player 2.5.3 using 4 cores. The nearly 30% reduction in 2 core production that came with v2.10 of the a2 core is eliminated by running on 4 cores.
:confused: which is why you run two VMs.
Do you have to manually set affinity in task manager or does it automatically assign the second VM to core 3 and 4?
Edit the priority argument and add the processor arguments to the .vmx file on VM1:
priority.ungrabbed = "idle"
processor0.use="TRUE"
processor1.use="TRUE"
processor2.use="FALSE"
processor3.use="FALSE"
VM1 will run at idle priority, when he window is minimized, on cpu 0 and 1
To VM2 edit priority and add the processor arguments:
priority.ungrabbed = "idle"
processor0.use="FALSE"
processor1.use="FALSE"
processor2.use="TRUE"
processor3.use="TRUE"
VM2 will run at idle on processor 2 and 3.
Bah, much simpler to run the SMP on a native Linux and use wine for GPU folding :D
Except for the lack of ATi support in that field, I haven't heard much about that Cal wrapper that's supposed to allow ATi GPU2 folding under wine.
If you go the native linux route, you have to OC the video card in bios to maximize GPU production, which isn't as simple as running a VM. With VM overhead at about 5%, the Windows rig with two OC'd vid cards will out produce the native Linux rig running the same vid cards at stock. Honestly, I find it's much more complex to set up GPU folding in wine than it is to set up a VM.
If you go the native linux route, you have to OC the video card in bios to maximize GPU production, which isn't as simple as running a VM. With VM overhead at about 5%, the Windows rig with two OC'd vid cards will out produce the native Linux rig running the same vid cards at stock. Honestly, I find it's much more complex to set up GPU folding in wine than it is to set up a VM.
You can OC the gpus in Linux from the control panel if you enable coolbits, although you can only up your shader clock via the core clock :/ I've got both my cards flashed with their clocks though.
I'm running a SMP and two overclocked GPUs in Linux, and I'm getting about 2000 more PPD than I would under Windows.
You're certainly right if you're comparing native Linux + GPU to Win SMP + GPU. In my experience, however, The VM overhead is more than made up for with maxed shaders on the GPUs. If you flash the cards to the same clock you can run in Windows, native Linux should be about 5% of the Linux SMP production better than the VM/Linux/GPU machine, assuming you're running a 4 core VM. Since v2.10, 2 core VMs and dual core machines have experienced about a 20-30% decline in SMP production.
I'm with you on doing it in Native Linux if you can (I do have several native Linux folders and one running GPU Folding under wine). No point paying Bill Gates big bucks for a second rate OS unless you have to have it to run a specific application.
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