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How to set up HFM.NET and FahMon to monitor Folding@home progress. Now with videos.

chrisk

Folding Captain
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
7,702
Location
GTA, Ontario
There is a newer, better utility called HFM.NET. Click Here to see how to set that one up! (its the next post in this thread)


Here is a quick guide to show you how to set up FahMon in Windows.

Most of the guide will be done in Windows Vista 64-Bit, but the instructions will be the same for Vista 32-bit. I will provide screenshots for XP users that will show how to select the proper directory for that OS.

Step 1: Enable viewing of hidden files and folders

Folding@home saves files in a directory that Windows likes to hide from users. You need to be able to see these directories in order to set up FahMon properly. I will offer more information on these directories later, but for now, lets make it possible to actually see the directories first.

This works slightly different for Vista and XP. First, I will cover Vista.

Windows Vista:
Go to Start->Control Panel
CaptureA.JPG


Then, select "Classic View":
CaptureB.JPG


Then select "Folder Options":

CaptureC.JPG


Select the "View" tab:

CaptureD.JPG


Select the "Show hidden files and folders" option:

CaptureE.JPG


Press OK and exit the Control Panel.

Windows XP:
Double-click on "My Computer", select "Tools" and "Folder Options":

CaptureF.JPG


Select the "View" tab, and then select "Show hidden files and folders" and press OK

CaptureG.JPG



Step 2: Download the Fahmon application here:
Download | FahMon

Note: If you are using a virtual machine to fold (ie. Notfred's vmware diskless linux setup), then you need to make sure you use FaHMon 2.3.99.1 or higher).


Step 3: Install the program, using all defaults.

Capture1.JPG


Capture2.JPG


Capture3.JPG


Capture4.JPG



Step 4: Start FahMon by going to your Start Menu->FahMon->FahMon

Capture5.JPG


Step 5: Add Folding@home directory to FahMon

FaHMon does not search your computer to see if you have installed Folding@home or not. You need to add the folder of the client you have installed manually. When FahMon first starts, it will look like this below, with no clients added:

Capture6.JPG


Right-click in the FahMon "Main Window" as shown below, and click "Add a new client":

Capture7.JPG


You will see the following window:

Capture8.JPG


First, type in the Name you want to give your client (yellow highlight in the picture above). This name is for your own personal reference only, so you can type what you want. However, if at some point you want to fold with multiple clients (ie. using your GPU/Video card, and CPU folding as well later on), you might want to name the client you are about to select something meaningful.

In this case, I will name my client "GTX260", as that is the video card this particular client runs on in my computer:

Capture9.JPG


Next, we need to select a location of our client. This is the directory that Folding@home downloads and saves all data. This directory changes depending on whether or not you use Vista, XP, the CPU client (also called the X86 client), or the GPU client.

These directories are listed below (and remember, you should have "Show Hidden Files and Folders" enabled in "Folder Options" as outlined in Step 1 before doing this, or you won't see the folder):

Windows Vista/Windows 7 GPU client:
C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Roaming\Folding@home-gpu

Windows Vista/Windows 7 CPU client:
C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Roaming\Folding@home-x86

Windows XP GPU client:
C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\Application Data\Folding@home-gpu

Windows XP CPU client:
C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\Application Data\Folding@home-x86

The above directories are for the "System Tray" client. If you installed the Console client (when you run it you see a small black "Dos" like window), you need to point FahMon to the folder in which you downloaded and ran the Folding@home console client. This could be anywhere on your computer. For example, if you are like me, you may have put this download on your "Desktop". In that case, you would have to point FahMon to C:\Users\(yourusername)\Desktop\Folding@home-Win32-x86-623

If you use the SMP beta client, and used Xilikon's excellent guides on the FaH site or [H]ordeguides, you should point FahMon to C:\FAH . This is a suggested folder, especially in Vista, to avoid permissions issues.

--------------

In the following example, I will add the GPU client I am using on Vista.
Click the directory list box, select your client folder, and press OK:

Capture10.JPG


Capture11.JPG


Capture12.JPG


Then, press OK again. You should see your Folding@home work progress as in below:

Capture13.JPG


Above, I highlighted the "PPD" section. This means "Points Per Day," and the higher it is, the better your totals will be. In this case, my GPU is getting 5588.66 points per day. This changes depending on the type of work your computer has received from the Folding@home servers.


Notfred Virtual Machines (not GPU or SMP folding)

Some people use vmware machines (virtual machines that run Linux inside of Windows. See this sticky for more info). If you do, make sure you have the latest version of FahMon. Then, as the virtual machine boots, pay attention to the IP address your router or gateway assigns your virtual machine as below:

34444aa0996966d22.bmp


You can see in the above example, my virtual machine was assigned the address 192.168.1.115 automatically. You do not login to your virtual machine. Simply look for the IP address (arrow above). In the "Location" field of the FahMon window below, you would type in exactly as shown:

\\192.168.1.115\c\etc\folding\1\

34444aa097cdcbed9.bmp



Also, please ensure that you have "Client is on a Virtual Machine" only if you are running the virtual machine client.

Linuxrouter's Bigadv Virtual Machine

If you are running the Linuxrouter '-bigadv' virtual machine, the default location to type in would be \\FAH\fah .

Step 6 (Optional): Show the Fahlog

There is still one more thing that is helpful to do. Folding@home creates a log file for each client you have running. This log file contains useful information, including your progress, and any errors you may be getting. These error messages are useful if you need help, as you can copy and paste the error into any forum threads you are asking for help on.

FahMon can display this log file for you. In FahMon's menu, just go to "View" and select "Show/Hide Fahlog" as below:

Capture14.JPG


You should now see the log file as in below:

Capture15.JPG


I highlighted the progress being shown in the log file above. Prior to this, in the log file you can see where I suspended the folding task, started it again, etc. If I scrolled up, I can see where I downloaded the task, and other instructions Folding@home carried out.

I hope this will help you get started folding with the HWC team!

Go team 54196 ! :canadianwave:
 
Last edited:

chrisk

Folding Captain
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
7,702
Location
GTA, Ontario
How to use HFM.NET to monitor Folding@Home Progress

With the new bonus point system for bigadv and SMP work units, and FahMon's slow adoption integrating this important development into their PPD calculations, it is wise to use a program called HFM.NET to monitor your Folding@Home clients.

Here is a quick guide to show you how to set up HFM.NET in Windows 7. If you use XP, please refer to the post above to see how to view hidden files and folders first.

Most of the guide will be done in Windows 7 64-Bit, but the instructions will be the same for Win7 32-bit.

There are also some Youtube clips showing you how to do some of the steps.

Step 1: Enable viewing of hidden files and folders

Folding@home saves files in a directory that Windows likes to hide from users. You need to be able to see these directories in order to set up HFM.NET properly. I will offer more information on these directories later, but for now, lets make it possible to actually see the directories first.

Here is a quick Youtube clip showing you how to do this, followed by more specific instructions.

YouTube - How to enable the showing of hidden files and folders in Windows 7

First, go to Start->Control Panel:

hfm1.JPG


I like to have my Control Panel listed by large icons, as it can make finding things you use often quicker to access. Select "Large Icons":

hfm2.jpg


Your screen will look similar to below. Select "Folder Options":

hfm3.jpg



Now, select the "View" tab at the top, and select "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" and press OK.

hfm4.jpg


Step 3: Download and Install HFM.NET software

Here is a quick video demonstrating what this next step will accomplish:

YouTube - Downloading and Installing HFM.NET

HFM.NET is hosted on the following link:
hfm-net - Project Hosting on Google Code

If you look to the right side of the page, there is a link to the msi installer. Select that installer and downlod the file to your Desktop or another location of your choosing:

hfm5.jpg


Double-click the install icon, accept the terms of the agreement, and install HFM.NET using all defaults. Click "Finish" when done.

hfm6.jpg


hfm7.jpg


hfm8.jpg


hfm9.jpg


hfm10.jpg


hfm11.jpg


hfm12.jpg



Step 4: Start HFM.NET

Here is a short clip that demonstrates some of what this next step will show you:

YouTube - How to add clients and set preferences in HFM.NET


Go to Start->All Programs->HFM.NET->HFM.NET

hfm13.jpg


Step 5: Add Folding@home directory to HFM.NET

HFM.NET does not search your computer to see if you have installed Folding@home or not. You need to add the folder of the client you have installed manually. When HFM.NET first starts, it will look like this below, with no clients added:

hfm14.jpg


***Note: If you don't see the "Log Viewer" as pictured above, please select View->Show/Hide Log/Queue Viewer as pictured below:

hfm15.jpg


Next, we will add a GPU folding client. Select Clients->Add Client:

hfm16.jpg



First, type in the Name you want to give your client (red arrow in the picture above). This name is for your own personal reference only, so you can type what you want. However, if at some point you want to fold with multiple clients (ie. using your GPU/Video card, and CPU folding as well later on), you might want to name the client you are about to select something meaningful.

In this case, I will name my client "GTX 285", as that is the video card this particular client runs on in my computer:

hfm17.jpg



Next, we need to select a location of our client. This is the directory that Folding@home downloads and saves all data. This directory changes depending on whether or not you use Win7/Vista, XP, the CPU client (also called the X86 client), SMP, or the GPU client.

These directories are listed below (and remember, you should have "Show Hidden Files and Folders" enabled in "Folder Options" as outlined in Step 1 before doing this, or you won't see the folder):

Windows Vista/Windows 7 GPU client:
C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Roaming\Folding@home-gpu

Windows Vista/Windows 7 CPU client:
C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Roaming\Folding@home-x86

Windows XP GPU client:
C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\Application Data\Folding@home-gpu

Windows XP CPU client:
C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\Application Data\Folding@home-x86

Windows 7/Vista 'SMP2' CPU Client:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding@Home Windows SMP Client V1.01

Windows XP 'SMP2' CPU Client:
C:\Program Files\Folding@Home Windows SMP Client V1.01


The above directories are for the "System Tray" client. If you installed the Console client (when you run it you see a small black "Dos" like window), you need to point FahMon to the folder in which you downloaded and ran the Folding@home console client. This could be anywhere on your computer. For example, if you are like me, you may have put this download on your "Desktop". In that case, you would have to point FahMon to C:\Users\(yourusername)\Desktop\Folding@home-Win32-x86-623

If you use the SMP client, and used Xilikon's excellent guides on the FaH site or [H]ordeguides, you should point FahMon to C:\FAH . This is a suggested folder, especially in Vista, to avoid permissions issues.

--------------

In the following example, I will add the GPU client I am using on Windows 7.
Click the directory list box, select your client folder, and press OK:

hfm18.jpg


hfm19.jpg



Ensure that you have selected the proper directory (see my example below) and press OK:

hfm20.jpg


You should see your Folding@home work progress as in below:

hfm21.jpg



Above, I highlighted the following:


  • Status/Progress: This shows you if you are folding fine, and how far along you are with that current Work Unit, or "WU".In the above example, I have done 60% of the WU, and the status bar is green, which means all is OK.
  • Name: This is the name I gave the client earlier. remember, I used "GTX 285" since that was the video card I wish to monitor.
  • PPD: This means "Points Per Day," and the higher it is, the better your totals will be. In this case, my GPU is getting 9753.2 points per day. This changes depending on the type of work your computer has received from the Folding@home servers.
Below the progress window, I pointed out three other things that may be of use:

  • Project: On the left, I pointed to "P10501". This is the project number. This can be useful when asking for help, as it indicates the type of work being done. This changes often as you download new projects from the F@H servers.
  • Credit: Just below the project number, I pointed to "587". This is the points you will receive when you send you finish the work. If you hear someone say "I have a 587 point WU" this is what they are talking about.
  • Progress log: I also pointed to "Completed 45%". This is the progress of the WU you have. Any error messages you encounter will also be shown here, and this would also be useful when asking for help. Just copy and paste the error messages (or messages...there can often be a dozen lines that are helpful) into a forum thread.
Notfred Virtual Machines (not GPU or SMP folding)

Some people use vmware machines (virtual machines that run Linux inside of Windows. See this sticky for more info). As the virtual machine boots, pay attention to the IP address your router or gateway assigns your virtual machine as below:

34444aa0996966d22.bmp


You can see in the above example, my virtual machine was assigned the address 192.168.1.115 automatically. You do not login to your virtual machine. Simply look for the IP address (arrow above). In the "Log Folder" field of the HFM.NET window below, you would type in exactly as shown:

\\192.168.1.115\c\etc\folding\1\

hfm22.jpg



Also, please ensure that you have "Client is on Virtual Machine" only if you are running the virtual machine client.

Linuxrouter's Bigadv Virtual Machine

If you are running the Linuxrouter '-bigadv' virtual machine, the default location to type in would be \\FAH\fah . Also check "Client is on Virtual Machine":

hfm23.jpg



Step 5: Additional settings

You have your basic setup done. Now its time to save our configuration file, and to do some basic tweaks to the program that may be helpful. You can choose not to do all of these options, but I like to use them myself so I will share them.


First, lets save our configuration file. You can backup this file so that all your settings are easy to reinstate if you reformat etc.

File->Save Configuration As

hfm24.jpg


In the above example, I saved mine as "chrisdefaultHFM". This will allow me to easily recognize my HFM.NET file if I was browsing my "Documents" folder later on.

hfm25.jpg


Next, we will tweak a few settings. Go to Edit->Preferences:

hfm26.jpg



Then, select the "Startup" tab, and check off "Auto Run on Windows Startup", "Run Minimized", and "Load Configuration File." Make sure you select the configuration file we saved a few minutes ago.

hfm27.jpg



Next, select the "Options" tab. I like to select "Auto Save Configuration when Changed" so that any changes I make, are automatically saved to "chrisdefaultHFM" file. Some people don't do this, and would rather have a separate file for different uses. Its up to you.

Also, make sure the "Calculate Bonus Credits and PPD" is selected, and that "LastThreeFrames" is chosen:

hfm28.jpg



Then, you can select the "Web Settings" tab, and enter your ID settings. The "Extreme Overclocking User ID" can be found by accessing your stats page from Extreme Overclocking (EOC), which I will show you how to find next. You can also enter your Stanford ID, and Team ID.

hfm29.jpg


By default, you will see harlam357's info in there. This is OK as it does not mean your points are going to another team.

**This would also be a great opportunity to thanks harlam for creating such a great utility!**

How do I find my Extreme Overclocking (EOC) User ID?

Head to the EOC site: News and Updates - EXTREME Overclocking Folding @ Home Stats

You will need to find your team listed, and then your folding ID you entered in your F@H client when you installed it.

Below, you can see that harlam357 is on team 32, and his "EOC User ID", as circled at the top, is 136552 .

hfm30.jpg



If you fold for Hardware Canucks, the team number is 54196.

Press OK when all changes are completed.


Showing Your Folding ID (Important for entry in the Chimp Challenge contest for HWC)

Right click in one of the columns, and select the "User Name" check box:

username.png


Your User Name may show up at the far-right; you can simply drag it over to a position similar to what I have shown above.

See below a video that will demonstrate how to find your client files using HFM.NET:

YouTube - How to find your client files using HFM.NET

I hope this will help you get started folding with the HWC team!

Go team 54196 ! :canadianwave:
 
Last edited:

CasheKicker

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
497
Location
Halifax, N.S.
I think my problem is I installed the Windows Vista GPU Console client 6.23. It did not actually install but is running in the DOS style black window. Perhaps I have done something wrong once again but it is not in my program folder but is at 45% complete it's 1st job so far. I left the window open so I cold see it. I am guessing I should have installed Windows XP/2003/Vista GPU System tray client (installer msi) or Windows: V6 GPU2 (ATI 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx; nVidia) clients
 

chrisk

Folding Captain
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
7,702
Location
GTA, Ontario
I think my problem is I installed the Windows Vista GPU Console client 6.23. It did not actually install but is running in the DOS style black window. Perhaps I have done something wrong once again but it is not in my program folder but is at 45% complete it's 1st job so far. I left the window open so I cold see it. I am guessing I should have installed Windows XP/2003/Vista GPU System tray client (installer msi) or Windows: V6 GPU2 (ATI 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx; nVidia) clients

If you use the console then you need to point FahMon to the directory in which you have run the console client.

Ie. I downloaded the console to my Desktop (where I tend to dump my downloads), which created a folder on my desktop (ie. C:\Users\(your user name)\Desktop\Folding@home-Win32-x86-623\

This is the folder that I would need to point FahMon to. So, when you ran the console for the first time, what location on your computer did you download and run it?
 

LCB001

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
1,731
Location
Aylmer QC.
Windows Vista CPU client:
C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Roaming\Folding@home-x86

Great job on the Guide, should make it a lot easier to help the new Team members.

One change, the vista SMP client now installs in C:\FAH
It used to install in C:\Program Files (x86) but they changed it because of Vista UAC permissions conflicts. As far as I know the AppData\Roaming only applies to the GPU default location...
 

chrisk

Folding Captain
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
7,702
Location
GTA, Ontario
Great job on the Guide, should make it a lot easier to help the new Team members.

One change, the vista SMP client now installs in C:\FAH
It used to install in C:\Program Files (x86) but they changed it because of Vista UAC permissions conflicts. As far as I know the AppData\Roaming only applies to the GPU default location...

Thanks for the help guys! I just confirmed that the regular cpu client installs in the appdata\roaming folder like the gpu does.

LCB001 I'll add C:\FAH directory for the SMP client. Thanks!
 

LCB001

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
1,731
Location
Aylmer QC.
Thanks for the help guys! I just confirmed that the regular cpu client installs in the appdata\roaming folder like the gpu does.

LCB001 I'll add C:\FAH directory for the SMP client. Thanks!
Glad you checked that, I don't use the regular CPU client. This is why I don't try and write guides, I usually miss something...
 

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