HOWTO: Autostart Folding at Home at startup

[ions]

I run mine from a dir I created called .FAH in the home directory:



mkdir ~/.FAH


Change into that directory:



cd ~/.FAH/


I know the ~ isn't necessary but in case you're not in home when you start doing this you're still gonna be ok.

Then dowload the FAH console found here: http://folding.stanford.edu/download.html

For the lazy:



wget http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/release/FAH502-Linux.exe


Don't get mad at me if the version changes and that link breaks.

Run and configure it to your username, team and machine ID as they tell you here:

http://folding.stanford.edu/linux.html

Feel free to join the #justlinux irc regulars and choose team #36480. We're doing well.

Now let's make it start at startup!
First create the script that will run FAH:



sudo nano -w /etc/init.d/foldingathome


It will look like this:


#!/bin/bash

pushd /home/user/.FAH/
su user -c "screen -d -m ./FAH502-Linux.exe"
popd


C-o to save it in nano.

Now let's make it executable:


sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/foldingathome

Now let's link it to the runlevel:



sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/foldingathome /etc/rc2.d/S99foldingathome


*Thanks to Retsaw & maccorin for the help.

[Rancoras]

This needs a HOWTO: tag on the title.

[ions]

This needs a HOWTO: tag on the title.
You'll have to do that, I can edit the topic line that appears in the thread but not the title that appears in the HOWTO area.

[ions]

You'll have to do that, I can edit the topic line that appears in the thread but not the title that appears in the HOWTO area.
A problem has occured. When FAH is started via this method it freezes once reaching 100% on a WU. Started normally it does not freeze at 100%.

[Saibei]

For those that have trouble, this is how I did it:

Make a directory to install F@H in. Location doesn't particularly matter... I chose /home/fah so I'll be using that throughout the post. Download the F@H client to the newly created folder and run it as root:
sudo mkdir /home/fah
cd /home/fah
sudo wget http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/release/FAH502-Linux.exe
sudo chmod +x FAH502-Linux.exe
sudo ./FAH502-Linux.exe


Enter the required info, and when F@H starts working on a work unit, close the client. Now to set up the startup scripts.

Make a file called fah in the /etc/init.d directory:
sudo gedit /etc/init.d/fah
Paste this into /etc/init.d/fah:
#!/bin/sh
# /etc/init.d/fah for Ubuntu
# Start/stop/restart the F@H service.

fah_start() {
if [ -x /home/fah/startfah.sh ]; then
echo "Starting F@H: /home/fah/startfah.sh"
/home/fah/startfah.sh
fi
}

fah_stop() {
sudo killall FAH502-Linux.exe
}

fah_restart() {
fah_stop
sleep 2
fah_start
}

case "$1" in
'start')
fah_start
;;
'stop')
fah_stop
;;
'restart')
fah_restart
;;
*)
fah_start
esac
Save the file and close gedit, and finally make the file executable:
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/fah


Now the startfah.sh script:
sudo gedit /home/fah/startfah.shand paste this into it:
#!/bin/sh
cd /home/fah
/home/fah/FAH502-Linux.exe -forceasm -advmethods >/dev/null 2>&1 &
exit 0
And don't forget to make it executable!
sudo chmod +x /home/fah/startfah.shFeel free to remove the -forceasm and -advmethods flags, or add others of your own. I find those flags increase my weekly output a bit. For more info on what they do, see here (http://www.liquidninjas.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=3270).

last and final step! Make a symlink into the /etc/rc2.d directory!
ln -s /etc/init.d/fah /etc/rc2.d/S99fah

You can either test the script by rebooting or by typing the command:
sudo /etc/init.d/fah start
Open the System Monitor and watch your CPU usage skyrocket :)

Many thanks to XtremeSystems (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44888) for the startfah.sh script and a good friend of mine for the /etc/init.d/fah script :wink:

[ions]

I've tried both my method and Saibei's since moving to Hoary and can't get F@H to autostart. Any idea why that would be or am I likely doing something wrong?

[beatyou]

For those that have trouble, this is how I did it:

Make a directory to install F@H in. Location doesn't particularly matter... I chose /home/fah so I'll be using that throughout the post. Download the F@H client to the newly created folder and run it as root:
sudo mkdir /home/fah
cd /home/fah
sudo wget http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/release/FAH502-Linux.exe
sudo chmod +x FAH502-Linux.exe
sudo ./FAH502-Linux.exe


Enter the required info, and when F@H starts working on a work unit, close the client. Now to set up the startup scripts.

Make a file called fah in the /etc/init.d directory:
sudo gedit /etc/init.d/fah
Paste this into /etc/init.d/fah:
#!/bin/sh
# /etc/init.d/fah for Ubuntu
# Start/stop/restart the F@H service.

fah_start() {
if [ -x /home/fah/startfah.sh ]; then
echo "Starting F@H: /home/fah/startfah.sh"
/home/fah/startfah.sh
fi
}

fah_stop() {
sudo killall FAH502-Linux.exe
}

fah_restart() {
fah_stop
sleep 2
fah_start
}

case "$1" in
'start')
fah_start
;;
'stop')
fah_stop
;;
'restart')
fah_restart
;;
*)
fah_start
esac
Save the file and close gedit, and finally make the file executable:
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/fah


Now the startfah.sh script:
sudo gedit /home/fah/startfah.shand paste this into it:
#!/bin/sh
cd /home/fah
/home/fah/FAH502-Linux.exe -forceasm -advmethods >/dev/null 2>&1 &
exit 0
And don't forget to make it executable!
sudo chmod +x /home/fah/startfah.shFeel free to remove the -forceasm and -advmethods flags, or add others of your own. I find those flags increase my weekly output a bit. For more info on what they do, see here (http://www.liquidninjas.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=3270).

last and final step! Make a symlink into the /etc/rc2.d directory!
ln -s /etc/init.d/fah /etc/rc2.d/S99fah

You can either test the script by rebooting or by typing the command:
sudo /etc/init.d/fah start
Open the System Monitor and watch your CPU usage skyrocket :)

Many thanks to XtremeSystems (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=44888) for the startfah.sh script and a good friend of mine for the /etc/init.d/fah script :wink:
Thanks saibei ;]

[XDevHald]

Worked like a charm!

Also note that I have created an UbuntuForums Team. If one of the Admins would like to take over this team please PM me and I will give you the password.

The Team ID Number Is: 45399
The Team WebPage Is: http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=45399

EDIT: Yes the start up script works perfectly :D

[mongolito404]

You can also use finstall (http://www.vendomar.ee/~ivo/finstall) to your Folding@Home client and then use the provided folding script.
Simply execute finstall, follow the instructions and then
sudo cp <install path>/foldingathome/folding /etc/init.d/folding
sudo update-rc.d folding defaults

[simonp]

ive just got ubutnu installed im a toal noob to Linux by the way. I followed the above text and thought i was going well got the FAh running and dowloaded a wu
and carried on with the rest of the tutorial I think i may have gone wrong at the startFAh bit in the folder startfah.sh i can see the text that I copied and pasted
and then it goes on to say make it execuatable so i saved the startfah and opened the terminal window and pasted the next bit I think i cocked up here
How do i go about starting again ? Ive gone into the process monitor and disabled the FAH process it wasnt running anyway my cpu was only showing 2%
thanks for looking

[jpkotta]

I have written an install script for Folding@Home. Please get it in the Wiki (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FoldingAtHome). It is based off of the Gentoo FAH install. It installs the executable to /opt/foldingathome, and creates a client for every CPU. It installs a startup script to /etc/init.d, and adds it to runlevel 2.

[SLOSue]

I must have gotten lost. After creating this "I sudo gedit /home/fah/startfah.sh" and pasting the first bit of code into it, I tried to save and it wouldn't. was I supposed to save then? where do you put the rest of the code that comes after? In that window, or the terminal window? I think I need more detailed directions.

I've had Ubuntu on my puter for less than 24 hours, and have FAH loaded and running, but cant get it to run if I close the terminal window, and want it to run as a service. Ive been reading till my eyes are falling out, but can't find a simple step by step for a total Linux newbie. The one above looks simple enough, but I guess I need more help? heh

[jpkotta]

Step by step:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=101817

Up to date:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FoldingAtHome

In a terminal, you can see what files are in the current directory with
ls

[htor]

ions, I like this way of autostarting F@H.=D>

How can I see the text that F@H outputs ?
I think becase of the screen command usage it's possbile.

[jpkotta]

No need to muck with screen to get the output. The client always copies stdout to the FahLog.txt file.

[rogerhc]

/etc/rc.local auto start method

I auto start Folding, after initial installation and first startup (that is only time FAH needs user input) by adding a line to /etc/rc.local so it looks like this




#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.

# Roger starts Folding
# See http://fahwiki.net/index.php/Running_the_FAH_client_on_Linux
su - roger -c "cd ~/Folding; ./FAH504-Linux.exe >/dev/null &"
# /Roger

exit 0



I keep my Folding stuff in ~/Folding and my Linux username is roger. Adjust both in the "su - username ..." line above per your own setup.

I learned this rc.local auto start method at
http://fahwiki.net/index.php/Running_the_FAH_client_on_Linux

:popcorn:

[pfwd.tech]

Thanks for writing this post. It works great. I've been try to do this for ages.

[sites]

I'm using the newer client, fah6, & none of these autostart attempts are working. I'm assuming that the only change would be executing ./fah6 instead of ./FAH504-Linux.exe.

Could someone help confirm or correct this?

[jpkotta]

I'm using the newer client, fah6, & none of these autostart attempts are working. I'm assuming that the only change would be executing ./fah6 instead of ./FAH504-Linux.exe.

Could someone help confirm or correct this?

Did you try the methods in the wiki (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FoldingAtHome)? Those are mostly kept up to date.

[sites]

Strangely enough, I managed to get it working. But thank you for the link. :D