How to install VMWare Server under Windows for SMP folding

[frozndevl]

When you boot off of the CD, it will place an Install link on your desktop.

[schwachs]

so how do i get it to boot NOT off of the CD?

[DSwarP]

Take out the CD after you install it...

[schwachs]

Originally Posted by DSwarP

Take out the CD after you install it...

Ok, but now it's telling me it can't boot.

"No bootable CD, floppy, or hard drive was detected. To install an operating system, insert a bootable CD or floppy and restart the virtual machine by clicking the Reset button."

I am pretty sure I installed the OS last night...

Thoughts?

[DSwarP]

When you booted from the CD, did you, once at the desktop, double click the install shortcut and let it do its thing?

[schwachs]

ok, that makes a huge difference. :-)

[ustorfixx]

Originally Posted by THEnumber337

I am seeing about 20 MiB in the System Monitor used for Swap? I have 600MB allocated in VMware for the Virtual Machine. I have 2GB of RAM. Should I set this higher so there is no swap?

It shouldn't. But I guess so. Mine has never used over its allocated 550mb.

[KillerBeagle]

It seems to expand to fill all available memory (or it has a memory leak). I upped mine to 700MB and it's now using all 700 plus 20MB of swap. Ubuntu 6.06 - maybe this is specific to certain OS versions.

[ustorfixx]

On both they are still only using around 400. IDK..

But I did notice on one machine that it was using less than the max and still swapping 20mb...I think this has something to do with the os as it might be just putting something there bc it's not using it to save on ram as it notices that its % is high.

[KillerBeagle]

I checked with vmstat and the extra memory is all going to buffers and (filesystem) cache as you thought - much like Windows will use your extra memory for "system cache" but will give it up to applications when they need it.

But, I did see with top that FAH+X+haldaemon = 490MB, so that's pushing close to or over 512MB when you add the remaining idle services.

I think the best way to see if you need more memory for the VM is to run "vmstat 5" and make sure you have zeros in the "SI" and "SO" columns, meaning no paging is occurring.

[runlinux]

i do this on my vm's to save a bit of ram : sudo killall -9 gdm Xorg

that kills X and the session manager. if you even need X again, all you do is run : gdm

EDIT:
if you move /etc/init.d/gdm to some other location like your home dir, X wont start when you start up the vm. if you ever want it to again, just move it back.

[ustorfixx]

Originally Posted by KillerBeagle

I checked with vmstat and the extra memory is all going to buffers and (filesystem) cache as you thought - much like Windows will use your extra memory for "system cache" but will give it up to applications when they need it.

But, I did see with top that FAH+X+haldaemon = 490MB, so that's pushing close to or over 512MB when you add the remaining idle services.

I think the best way to see if you need more memory for the VM is to run "vmstat 5" and make sure you have zeros in the "SI" and "SO" columns, meaning no paging is occurring.

What is "X+haldaemon"?

[KillerBeagle]

X (Xorg in top) - the graphics layer - about 70MB
haldaemon - hardware abstraction layer daemon - about 10MB * 2

memory usage of FAH plus those two adds up to 490MB

[ustorfixx]

Originally Posted by KillerBeagle

X (Xorg in top) - the graphics layer - about 70MB
haldaemon - hardware abstraction layer daemon - about 10MB * 2

memory usage of FAH plus those two adds up to 490MB

Do they help fah (wouldn't think so) or just something you add to help yourself w/ controlling etc? IDK I just installed and ran finstall lol. Too noob for that stuff.

[NM_JJ]

Thanks KB. Great Post. I just installed VMware and it seems to be working. I need to let ubuntu finish downloading and burn it on a cd. I think I'll finish this project tomorrow.

[Somebodynew]

Ok, I now have two SMP rigs going. On my at-home rig I manually start-stop vmware, folding etc...

Here on my grandpa's 165 Opty I need Ubuntu to automatically login and then start fah5. I have Vmware set to automatically start the vm...so now what do I do to make ubuntu "auto-login" and start fah5?

Thanks

EDIT: Maybe I should have posted this in coug's thread...

[frozndevl]

Did you install using the finstall script? If you did, then you can use the installService script in the foldingathome directory. It installed mine as a service so now when my pc boots up VMware loads in the background, launches the guest OS and folding starts automatically.

I never actually load up the Ubuntu GUI, I just use putty to connect at a command line to monitor and/or restart things.

[Somebodynew]

Should SMP folding use 100% of the CPU? In task manager it shows vmware-vmx using 89-95% on this 165 opty and on my Conroe rig it shows 91-98%. Is this normal?

Just want to make sure I'm getting the most from my rigs.

I know two instances of regular folding on these rigs shows up as 100% usage. (50 each)

[KillerBeagle]

Yes, that's normal. The only way the SMP client can use 100% is if the WU is partitionable into 4 exactly symmetrical parts, and Stanford hasn't figured out how to do that yet. The 1760-pointers tend to use more than the 5-700 pointers (except p3023, which isn't around these days).

[frozndevl]

Originally Posted by Somebodynew

Should SMP folding use 100% of the CPU? In task manager it shows vmware-vmx using 89-95% on this 165 opty and on my Conroe rig it shows 91-98%. Is this normal?

Just want to make sure I'm getting the most from my rigs.

I know two instances of regular folding on these rigs shows up as 100% usage. (50 each)

That's why a lot of us keep 1 or 2 windows consoles; it uses up the excess cycles and if there is a problem with the SMP client the windows ones take over and you don't have an idle machine.