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l008com · Nov 4, 2000, 03:58 AM

I jsut started doing seti, and I'm wondering how I can really speed up my time. I have a 500MHz G3 in a 7500, I have it set to screen save, go to blank and I have a minimal extension set when I use it. I'm going for a fast average time rather than a huge amount of units. LibMoto and RAM Disk, how do these things work? I have 24 units right now, and my average is 10hours 4 minutes and it's going dowwwwwwwn.

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I see dead people.

Danometer · Nov 4, 2000, 04:50 AM

I see brain-dead people at work, is that close enough?

Explaination on RAM Disk is available at http://members.maclaunch.com/seti-op/Classic.html . This is the beginning of my own SETI optimization site. So far, the only thing I have written on is the RAM Disk.

As far as I can tell, LibMotoSh is like SCSI voodoo, it works for some, it doesn't for others. It works great for me. To try it for yourself, go to http://www.mot.com/SPS/PowerPC/suppo...g_macuser.html . As best I can tell, it is an extension that modifies the way the processor calculates various higher math functions.

Hope this helps.

reader50 · Nov 4, 2000, 11:04 AM

I tested LibMotoSh here.

LibMotoSh seems to work well on a G3 or older Mac. It must not be used on a G4. The altivec-enabled math routines on a G4 beat LibMoto by at least 7%, installing LibMoto on a G4 will slow the G4 down.

l008com · Nov 4, 2000, 04:24 PM

To use a RAM disk, you need to find the Seti@Home Data folder. I had two of these folders, one in my preferences folder and one in my applications support folder. Which do I use, and How big should I make the Ram disk. That page you wrote if very unclear.

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I see dead people.

Danometer · Nov 4, 2000, 05:08 PM

Like a said, it's just a beginning.

Ram Disk size should be at least 600 K.

As to which folder to use, open both folders and see what day and time the file "key.sah" was last written. The more recently modified one is the right one.

I am curious as to how you get two different copies of the Data folder. Did you recently upgrade your operating system? Did you install two different versions of SETI?

l008com · Nov 4, 2000, 05:09 PM

I updated to seti 3? So I guess my 10MB RAM Disk is overkill?

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I see dead people.

l008com · Nov 4, 2000, 06:29 PM

OK down to a 1.5MB RAM Disk, but what happens if I shutdown and that folder is lost?

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I see dead people.

reader50 · Nov 4, 2000, 06:54 PM

If you shut down properly with the Shut Down command (or reboot properly with the Reboot command), your RAM disk is saved to the HD under OS 9. The next time you boot up the RAM disk is restored. Not sure about earlier OS versions.

As a safety measure, I usually option-drag a copy of the RAM disk Seti Data folder to my desktop each morning and before I start anything risky, like firing up a new piece of software for the first time.

If the system crashes, when you reboot you will get the last saved version: Wherever the RAM disk was at the last time you rebooted or shut down properly. If your copy on the desktop is more recent, then quit SETI. Drag the RAM disk SETI folder to the trash. Empty trash. Copy the Desktop SETI folder to the RAM disk. Launch SETI.

It may give you a message about not being able to find the data folder, or not able to initialize the folder. That would mean the alias got pointed into the Trash, and the original is gone now. Quit SETI, find the alias, click on it, fix it back to the SETI folder in the RAM disk. Launch SETI, it will resume from wherever it was the last time you made the desktop copy.

Try not to crash too often. This insurance is kind of a pain. There are applescript utilities to make automatic backups, but you still have to restore the backup manually. And if you forget to do so, the next backup will erase the previous one. I quit using the script utilities, and do it manually.

[This message has been edited by reader50 (edited 11-04-2000).]

l008com · Nov 4, 2000, 06:57 PM

I'm under 9.0.4 and it tells me, when i shutdown, that the contents of the ram disk will be lost. And What will happen if I lose this folder all together and don't have a backup, what happenes then?

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I see dead people.

reader50 · Nov 4, 2000, 07:02 PM

Go to your Memory Control Panel, there is a check box to Save RAM disk on shut down. Check it.

If you lose the folder completely (empty RAM disk and no copy on the desktop), SETI will start over. Get a new work unit and start crunching.

note: You might have to remove the alias for SETI to start over. Then quit SETI, move the folder, and recreate the alias.

[This message has been edited by reader50 (edited 11-04-2000).]

l008com · Nov 4, 2000, 07:06 PM

Sorry, there is on such check box in my memory control panel, is that part of the UMA-1 chip set? Which my 7500 is not based on!?

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I see dead people.

reader50 · Nov 4, 2000, 07:13 PM

You could be right. I have my G4, but none of the numbered Macs. If there is no save on shut down ... a RAM disk may be more trouble than it is worth. Perhaps there is some 3rd party utility on versiontracker that could make it save & restore.

For myself, I spend so much time crunching in OS X that I took out the RAM disk under 9. I had gotten out of the backup habit, and lost 10% of a WU. Now I let it run from the normal HD when I am in 9. When I have finished whatever I was doing in 9, it is back to OS X.

[This message has been edited by reader50 (edited 11-04-2000).]

Danometer · Nov 5, 2000, 04:02 AM

Which version is your Memory control panel? (The version number is in the lower left-hand corner of the Memory window.) MacOS 9 should have Memory control panel version 8.1.1 in the System Folder, it sounds like you have a version 7.5.8 (dating from OS 8.0) or earlier. Version 8 (from Mac OS 8.5) first contained the checkbox for "Save on Shut Down".

l008com · Nov 5, 2000, 04:05 AM

I have 8.1.1 of coarse becuse I have 9.0.4!

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I see dead people.

Psych · Nov 5, 2000, 04:32 AM

I have Mac OS 8.6 and Memory cntrl panel version is 8.0.1 but there is no "Save On Shutdown/Restart" like Danometer said.

Danometer · Nov 5, 2000, 06:46 AM

Your Memory control panel in 9.0.4 doesn't look like this?

And the one for 8.6 doesn't look like this?

If they don't look like this, then I don't know what to tell you, because this is the way they appear on my iMac.

(And before any "hacking the forum" allegations get started, 'img' tags are legal in UBB Code.)

[This message has been edited by Danometer (edited 11-05-2000).]

l008com · Nov 5, 2000, 03:17 PM

Mine looks just like the first one except for the check box that has been in question. It probably has to do with newer and older mohterboards, either way, it really doesn't matter, so can we get back to the topic now or do we need more pictures?

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I see dead people.

Danometer · Nov 5, 2000, 08:39 PM

If the pictures involve chesty, natural-redhead females, I vote wholeheartedly for more pictures.

zac4mac · Nov 6, 2000, 07:22 AM

Got my curiosity up on this one... my 8500/G3 is running 9.0.4 with Power PC enabler 9.0.4 and has memory CP v 8.1.1 with no save box, while the G4, also on 9.0.4 but showing MacOS ROM 5.5.1, has a save box and is v 8.1.2. I just got the G4 a couple of weeks ago and also notice it has the sound CP referred to in AI's last entry on 9.1. I don't use a RAM disk, and have switched back to SETI v 2.0.4 until I am forced to run 3.0. This new version of SETI is killing my output, almost doubles the time on the G4.. under 5 hours on 2.04, over 7 hours on 3.0. I have watched the times on the G4 as SUM uploads results and, out of over a dozen, all were between 7hr17min and 7hr22min except one, that was ONLY 6hr35min... 2.04 regularly runs at between 4hr45min and 4hr55min