basic overclockix question

I'm a windows user and have never used linux only a little bit of basic unix 10-15 years ago. Is there an "Overclockix for windows user" FAQ? If so, ignore below questions

My understanding is that I can download a cd image, burn it (using NTI 6.5 gold, came with sony cdrw), and then use that cd in a no-hard drive Nforce2 XP system with onboard LAN. The computer will be attached to a LAN connected to a cable modem. The sig system is also connected to the same LAN. OK so far?

To run folding on overclockix, I start the computer and set bios if needed. Then edit the config file (with linux editer) for team#, name, etc. and start folding 24/7. This info is saved in RAM. What is minimum amount of memory? I'm planning on 256MB. Still OK?

Is there an easy way to monitor progress over the LAN to the sig (WIN2K) system? I'm also interested in using the memtest86 and possibly other utility programs, any help guides?

In your opinion, should I just buy a hard drive instead?

TIA, this should add 500-600 ppw.

Sounds like you've got a good understanding of how it is intended to work.

Burn- must burn an image of the iso, not all cd recording software does this

Boot up, and it folds automatically for me, so edit the file in /home/knoppix/fold called client.cfg with a text editor. Then run these commands in a terminal-

foldoff
foldon

So you restart it and it will use the new name.

This is specific to the newest overclockix 3.4 and Technomancer, which use the 4.0 folding client- There is a script called cfgfold. When you run it, its supposed to restart folding with a blank config so you can fill it all out yourself as if for the first time. However, it's broken and doesn't work quite right. I have fixed it, and will try uploading newer iso's tonight. The method above of manually editing the file is a sure fre way to make it work until then.

The reason the script is broken is that the 4.0 client does not behave quite the same way as the 3.25 client when using the -config flag.


128mb is the minimum required ram. There are alternate light-weight GUI's you can choose when booting the CD, or you can choose to boot in text mode. Doing a lighter GUI you might be able to get by on 96mb of ram, and in text mode perhaps as low as 64mb.

Easy way to monitor- yes and no. There are a few different ways to do it.

One is to connect to your box with an SSH client like putty. This gives you a command line interface on your windows box for running commands on the overclockix box. Useful commands to check folding progress are-

viewfold (shows end of the logfile)
viewallfold (shows entire logfile)
top (task manager)

Press q to quit top or viewallfold.


Another way is to launch a vncserver on the overclockix box. This is a particularly easy method. You'd just run a vncviewer on your windows box and connect to Knoppix:1. This would put your overclockix desktop into a window on your windows computer, and you could run the commands listed above.

A final method involves moving the folding directory out of the ramdisk and onto your windows ciomputer's hard drive. This is not so hard, but might take a few minutes to do the first time around. Essentially, you'd move the /home/knoppix/fold folder onto a shared folder or partition on windows, and use windows as a file-server for folding.

With the linux folding folder on your windows hard drive, you can easily add it into EM3.

This is problematic when you consider that rebooting windows will also klill folding on your overclockix box. But its is also beneficial in that you can shutdown your overclockix box without losing your work.


memtest -all

^ will use all available memory for memtest

man cpuburn

^ will provide some explanation on how to use cpuburn

primeon

^ will start prime95