Project and help required

[drezha]

Hi guys.

I'm looking for a project that will run on a 533Mhz CPU (with little to no CPU enhancements like SSE) with 376Mb RAM installed. And it cant be to heavy RAM wise as the PC will be running my file and webserver.

It'll be running Ubuntu 7.10 (I'm tempted by the server version but I'll a GUI on it at times to run some apps I cant on Windows). Most of the time it'll be left at run level 2 (so just a command line)

Now I've never run anything like this, I've all done it on GUI before. If I'm in run level 2, as I understand it, its single user? Well that make it root? If I start a GUI crunching app, will it die if I move to r2?

[NeoGen]

I have no knowledge about Linux, but I believe there might be a Dnet binary that suits your needs. They got lots of platforms/OSes covered. As far as I've tried the Dnet app (on Windows), it's very light on resources, and if you don't have net connection it can generate it's own random RC5 keys to test, and later upload.

[AMDave]

Actually it is important to note that 'all run levels are not the same'.
That has caught me out a beauty more than once before.
It depends on whose version (which *nix OS) you are running as to which run levels you are looking at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runlevel

Any of the following have linux command line versions AND will run for long periods of time without attention:
BOINC (depending on project choice),
eOn,
Dimes,
Riesel LLR,
PSP Proth,
Dnet OGR,
Dnet RC5-72,
FaH

There are others I'd 'like' to add to that list, but the truth is they can require babysitting unless you can wrap some scripts around them to do the babysitting for you.

The lowest impact of those would be eOn and Dimes.
The rest are more CPU intensive.

Dimes needs Java 1.4.2 and above and can grab about 32MB+ RAM depending on the wu packet at the time.

eOn is small and runs intermittently and defers to system demands really well.

If you like to up the ante and use more CPU on your fileserver, go for NeoGen's suggestion. Dnet has a small memory footprint, will use up the available CPU time but will also defer to the OS without any argument.

FaH can be a bit slow to hand back the CPU and for a fileserver that's not the best scenario.

Have a look at their web pages, have a look at some of the old forum threads here and let us know if you have any hassles. There's plenty of experienced help hanging around here for the CLI clients.

Just as a note, I have migrated upwards in CPU demand to having BOINC running on my linux webserver and I really have no complaints. But I don't know what will happen when you start to move files in and out. Depending on your brand of NIC it could get CPU intensive and that might cause a sluggish response.

Try it out and see for yourself.
It's a fun way to learn.

[drezha]

Dnet is out as there's no point in continuing the research IMHO as they're not going to give the answers out.

Rather than change run level, I guess I could just shutdown the X server?

I had noticed the newer Folding at home units seem to be quite memory intensive and cache dependant as WU times have doubled on my laptop.

With BOINC, what projects would you recommend? I can drop the CPU usage with BOINC as well cant I if I find that CPU struggles to gain it back.

When I was running Xubuntu earlier, I noticed that CPU usage at idle was about 25% when running the desktop and moving the mouse around. Turning off X and setting run level 2 dropped CPU to 0 ish using Top to view.

I'll possibly try LLR and Sieve projects...but dont they require babysitting? They used to. BOINC might possibly be a no no as the things might not reach the deadlines. I'll see when I get home

[Brucifer]

I'll possibly try LLR and Sieve projects...but dont they require babysitting? They used to. BOINC might possibly be a no no as the things might not reach the deadlines. I'll see when I get home

There are boinc efforts for sieving both for rieselsieve, and the combined psp/sob projects. They are about as babysitting free as you are going to get, and they always have work available. There will be an LLR boinc effort for psp/sob shortly too.

[Bender10]

How is 7.10 working out?

I am getting ready to build a linux box with an spare X2 cpu I have laying around. I just have to line up a MB and some ram...

[Frederic Brillouet]

well at work they gave me a n old pc as my mum used to have. p3 1ghz that is with 256 ram. i cant run an internet connection (at least not momentarily) and am in desperate need of a good project that can run offline on it (it has xubuntu 7.10 as os)

[Lagu]

Why not D20L where you can upload 2000 WU´s using a 256 mb USB-memory

[Frederic Brillouet]

Why not D20L where you can upload 2000 WU´s using a 256 mb USB-memory

hmm might try that indeed, thanks Lagu!

[drezha]

hmm might try that indeed, thanks Lagu!

Surely it would only work if the saved work was the same format as windows installs?