There are some ways to earn extra points for your efforts at Folding@Home, beyond the regular amount.
I just saw on the F@H blog, this post about a new project in which a quick turnaround is needed (and therefore points are awarded at x1.5 normal).
Thanks Live Forever, this is good news. The article mentions using the "-adv" flag, and then down in the article mentions the "-advmethods" flag. I am not familiar with a "-adv" flag, but the "-advmethods" flag has been around a long time. In the past is has been used for beta or slightly higher-risk work units, often but not always yielding bonus-points.
If anyone wants to start working these new bonus-point work units, the Stanford server must know that you wish your computer to work advanced methods work units. The client must have the advmethods flag set when the client is started.
The graphical client is probably most popular, today I examined it but did not see a menu for setting the flag. It looks like you could do it through a "Short-cut" from your desktop.
Here is how it looks like it could be done:
If you are using the Graphical client, create a shortcut to the executable (.exe) on your Windows desktop.
If you do not have a shortcut, probably the best way make one is to click:
Start > All Programs > then find the Folding@Home entry select it.
Then, copy the folding Icon to your desktop, there are two versions:
Alternately, to make a shortcut, go to the Folding@Home folder, probably in C:\Program files\Folding@Home
Right click the winFAH.exe and drag to desktop, it will offer a menu, select "Create Shortcuts here"
Once you have the shortcut on your desktop:
Right click the Icon, then in the dropdown menu select 'Properties'. It should look something like this:
Then in the Target window, after winFAH.exe"
Add a blank space followed by -advmethods, like this:
Make sure there is a blank space between the last double-quote and the -advmethods.
Click the "Apply" button at the lower right of the window.
Click "OK".
If the folding client is running, close the folding application, probably by right clicking the Icon in the system tray and selecting 'Quit'. You might lose a few minutes of folding time, unless you select just the right time to close the client.
After stopping the client, then restart it using the desktop Icon that you just prepared that has the -advmethods in it's properties. The folding client will resume work on the current work unit. The current work unit will finish and submit to Stanford normally. The next work unit you get have an opportunity to be an Advanced Methods work unit. The client will remain in tthis "request advmethods work units mode" until stopped. In the future if the client starts automatically, for example on boot-up, you may have to stop and restart it with the short-cut to ensure that is receives Advmethods work units.
If you wish to confirm that your client is set up for Advanced Methods work units, you may examine the FAHlog.txt, located in the same directory as the winFAH.exe mentioned previously. When the client starts it will list all special conditions applied. Showing in the example below is an excerpt from a FAHlog.txt. Notice after "Launch", then "Argument" shows"-advmethods"
--- Opening Log file [April 24 21:56:27]
# Windows Graphical Edition ###################################################
#####################################################################
Folding@Home Client Version 5.03
http://folding.stanford.edu
######################################################################
######################################################################
Launch directory: C:\Program Files\Folding@Home
Arguments: -advmethods
If you use the Console version, a short-cut setup like above works fine. I believe that the Advmethods flag can also be permanently set in the client.cfg file.
If your computer system has the capabilities, mainly a bit of extra RAM and broadband (non dial-up) Internet access, the -advmethods flag can be combined with the BigWU request mentioned in the previous post, and also
here. Combining the two client configurations can increase the probability of getting bonus-point work units. There are times when it may be better to have only one request set, and not both. Receiving bonus-point work units often depends on work unit availability.
Edited by dnamechanic, 25 April 2008 - 05:24 PM.