What is Distributed Folding (DF)?

PY 222 · 9th Dec 2002, 09:49 AM

Note: Edited for Phase II compliancy and added dfGUI as a helper application.

Welcome to ARP Distributed Folding Team. Here is a short summary of what this Project is all about and how you get started. Remember, if you have any questions that are not answered here, just post in this forum and someone will be more than happy to assist you. Have fun!

What is Distributed Folding?

Short Answer: Distributed Folding is a research project that uses your unused computer clock cycles to run a small program that will help find a cure for diseases.

Long Answer: Distributed Folding is a project that uses the Distributed Computing concept to reduce the time taken to solve a huge problem by employing a multitude of machines, all connected to the Internet to run a specific client that have been digitally certified by the Distributed Folding Team. This will allow scientist to reduce the time taken to check how a protein folds. You can read more about the wonders of protein folding here or just go to the Distributed Folding website at www.distributedfolding.org.

How do I run Distributed Folding?

Running DF is very simple. First you will require a computer with the minimum system requirements listed below:

100 MHz processor or faster
25 MB free hard drive space
128 MB RAM
An internet connection (broadband or high-speed modem)
A supported operating system
If you satisfy the above requirements, you are all set and ready to go.

You will require the DF client which can be attained at the Distributed Folding website. Choose the correct protein client that is being supported by your operating system.

You will also have to register yourself with the Distributed Folding server before you can start to fold proteins. The registration process is a simple one where you are required to fill in an email address, password and an organization. You can register yourself here. After the registration, you will be given an 8 character code, called the handle. Remember your handle as it is unique to you and it will ensure that the DF server knows who you are and authenticate you. If you forget, thats alright as the DF server will send you an email with your handle also.

For Windows operating systems, you will have two options to choose from. One is in the form of a screensaver and the other a text client. It is always recommended to get the text client as it process proteins faster because it does not need to create all the nice lovely pictures of protein. But if you would like to see the screensaver and see how a protein forms on your screen, then feel free to get the screensaver version of the client.

Assuming that you have downloaded the text client, you will have a zip file named "distribfold-current-win9x.zip". It is around 8MB big. Unzip the folder to a location that you can remember. It is recommended that you unzip to the desktop first if you are unsure. Once you are done with that, you will get a folder named "distribfold". Double click on the folder and you will see the files for the distributed folding client.

Find the "foldit.bat" file and double click on it to start up the client. The client will start in a DOS window with a black screen, and it will ask for you to enter your handle. This is the 8 character code provided by the Distributed Folding website after you have registered. Type it and press Enter.

Configuring the Distributed Folding client

After authenticating yourself, you will be asked a series of question regarding the configuration you wish to run with. Firstly, will be Quiet Mode. This is a mode where nothing will be displayed on the DOS box. If you are a first time user, it will be good to run without the quiet mode as you will be impressed with what you actually see. Press "N" and then Enter.

The next question will be to Connect to the Internet. Again, if you are a dialup user, you will want to say "N" because it will disable the client from trying to connect to the Distributed Folding servers. But always remember to connect yourself to the Internet if you want to upload the proteins that you have done. Press "N" and Enter. If you have DSL or a reliable connection, press "Y" and Enter.

Next will be the use 150MB of RAM. This option will allow the client to produce almost twice as many protein structures, provided if only you have ample memory in your computer. It is recommended that you press "N" for this option and then Enter. You may also press "Y" if you have more than 256MB of memory but we highly recommend that you only use this option if you have more than 512MB of memory.

The next question asked will be to automatically accept autoupdates. If press "Y", the client will autoupdate itself when a new protein client is detected. All the updates are digitally signed by the Distributed Folding Team and is extremely safe to accept autoupdates. Press "Y" and Enter.

Lastly will be to configure a HTTP Proxy server. If you don't understand what this means, chances are that you won't need this feature. Press "N" and Enter.

You will be given a prompt that the "Setup is Completed". Press Enter and then double-click on the "foldit.bat" file again to restart the client.

If all goes well, and you have not accepted the "Quiet Mode", you will see the "protein snake" in the DOS box. Congratulations, you have just taken the first step in helping mankind to better understand protein folding.

More Information

More information can be attained from the "readme1st.txt" file in the "distribfold" folder or just go to Distributed Folding website. FAQ for the client are here and if you are still lost, visit the official forum for the Distributed Folding project here.

We also highly recommend that you download dfGUI from here. It is a helper application for Windows and Linux to control the client. We find this extremely helpful in configuring and controlling the client. Thanks to Jeff Gilchrist for a wonderful application. If you have troubles with dfGUI, please visit the official Distributed Folding forum.

Disclaimer!

This Guide to Distributed Folding was written with personal experience and knowledge in Distributed Computing projects. Please see the Privacy Policy of ARP here.

9th Dec 2002, 09:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
PY 222 DF King Join Date: 10 Oct 2002 Location: Look behind you! Posts: 3,080 Reputation: 24 Rep Power: 11	What is Distributed Folding (DF)? Note: Edited for Phase II compliancy and added dfGUI as a helper application. Welcome to ARP Distributed Folding Team. Here is a short summary of what this Project is all about and how you get started. Remember, if you have any questions that are not answered here, just post in this forum and someone will be more than happy to assist you. Have fun! What is Distributed Folding? Short Answer: Distributed Folding is a research project that uses your unused computer clock cycles to run a small program that will help find a cure for diseases. Long Answer: Distributed Folding is a project that uses the Distributed Computing concept to reduce the time taken to solve a huge problem by employing a multitude of machines, all connected to the Internet to run a specific client that have been digitally certified by the Distributed Folding Team. This will allow scientist to reduce the time taken to check how a protein folds. You can read more about the wonders of protein folding here or just go to the Distributed Folding website at www.distributedfolding.org. How do I run Distributed Folding? Running DF is very simple. First you will require a computer with the minimum system requirements listed below: 100 MHz processor or faster 25 MB free hard drive space 128 MB RAM An internet connection (broadband or high-speed modem) A supported operating system If you satisfy the above requirements, you are all set and ready to go. You will require the DF client which can be attained at the Distributed Folding website. Choose the correct protein client that is being supported by your operating system. You will also have to register yourself with the Distributed Folding server before you can start to fold proteins. The registration process is a simple one where you are required to fill in an email address, password and an organization. You can register yourself here. After the registration, you will be given an 8 character code, called the handle. Remember your handle as it is unique to you and it will ensure that the DF server knows who you are and authenticate you. If you forget, thats alright as the DF server will send you an email with your handle also. For Windows operating systems, you will have two options to choose from. One is in the form of a screensaver and the other a text client. It is always recommended to get the text client as it process proteins faster because it does not need to create all the nice lovely pictures of protein. But if you would like to see the screensaver and see how a protein forms on your screen, then feel free to get the screensaver version of the client. Assuming that you have downloaded the text client, you will have a zip file named "distribfold-current-win9x.zip". It is around 8MB big. Unzip the folder to a location that you can remember. It is recommended that you unzip to the desktop first if you are unsure. Once you are done with that, you will get a folder named "distribfold". Double click on the folder and you will see the files for the distributed folding client. Find the "foldit.bat" file and double click on it to start up the client. The client will start in a DOS window with a black screen, and it will ask for you to enter your handle. This is the 8 character code provided by the Distributed Folding website after you have registered. Type it and press Enter. Configuring the Distributed Folding client After authenticating yourself, you will be asked a series of question regarding the configuration you wish to run with. Firstly, will be Quiet Mode. This is a mode where nothing will be displayed on the DOS box. If you are a first time user, it will be good to run without the quiet mode as you will be impressed with what you actually see. Press "N" and then Enter. The next question will be to Connect to the Internet. Again, if you are a dialup user, you will want to say "N" because it will disable the client from trying to connect to the Distributed Folding servers. But always remember to connect yourself to the Internet if you want to upload the proteins that you have done. Press "N" and Enter. If you have DSL or a reliable connection, press "Y" and Enter. Next will be the use 150MB of RAM. This option will allow the client to produce almost twice as many protein structures, provided if only you have ample memory in your computer. It is recommended that you press "N" for this option and then Enter. You may also press "Y" if you have more than 256MB of memory but we highly recommend that you only use this option if you have more than 512MB of memory. The next question asked will be to automatically accept autoupdates. If press "Y", the client will autoupdate itself when a new protein client is detected. All the updates are digitally signed by the Distributed Folding Team and is extremely safe to accept autoupdates. Press "Y" and Enter. Lastly will be to configure a HTTP Proxy server. If you don't understand what this means, chances are that you won't need this feature. Press "N" and Enter. You will be given a prompt that the "Setup is Completed". Press Enter and then double-click on the "foldit.bat" file again to restart the client. If all goes well, and you have not accepted the "Quiet Mode", you will see the "protein snake" in the DOS box. Congratulations, you have just taken the first step in helping mankind to better understand protein folding. More Information More information can be attained from the "readme1st.txt" file in the "distribfold" folder or just go to Distributed Folding website. FAQ for the client are here and if you are still lost, visit the official forum for the Distributed Folding project here. We also highly recommend that you download dfGUI from here. It is a helper application for Windows and Linux to control the client. We find this extremely helpful in configuring and controlling the client. Thanks to Jeff Gilchrist for a wonderful application. If you have troubles with dfGUI, please visit the official Distributed Folding forum. Disclaimer! This Guide to Distributed Folding was written with personal experience and knowledge in Distributed Computing projects. Please see the Privacy Policy of ARP here. __________________ Signature is currently disabled. Please contact the Administrator for more information.