Folding@home: PS3 How-to Install

Jas-n 30 Comments

We’ve asked you to get involved with Folding@home many times, but we’ve always left you to find out how to install it yourself, something which probably puts some of you off joining the team. So in a bid to help you out, and get you folding more, I’ve decided to put up the how-to’s to follow.

This how-to, and others that will follow will be available in a on the new Folding@home forum thread, which will take the place of the old one in the future. Thankfully these how-to’s do/will look better over on the wider forum, where everything fits in that little bit better.

Before we start there’s a couple of acronyms I’ve used:

  • LWP – Life with PlayStation
  • FAH – Folding@home

Anyway, I now expect to see more of you on Stanford’s member list.

Installation

  1. On the PlayStation 3’s XMB (Cross Media Bar) navigate to, and select ‘Life with PlayStation’ (LWP), at the bottom of the network column.
  2. Select the ‘OK’ button on the LWP about screen, then yes to download LWP.
  3. After it’s finished downloading and installing the initial 125MB of software it’ll check for the latest software in the same way games would.
  4. After installing the software updates (totalling 156MB), you’ll see the change log (you can ignore the Version 1.2 section as for some stupid reason it’s only supported in the US). Press [X].
  5. You’ll then be asked to read the License agreement, when you’re done press [X] again. Highlight ‘Accept’, then press [X] again to accept the License agreement and continue loading up the software.
  6. You’ll also see a couple of newly added channels, which you can ignore by pressing [X], and it’ll finally finish loading up the software, in the default ‘Live Channel, something we don’t want.

Configuration

  1. To start LWP Automatically when the PS3 has been left on the XMB for a period of time, press the [PS] button, navigate to the LWP logo and press [Triangle]. Then go to Auto-Start then select 10 minutes, so when the XMB has been left for 10 minutes LWP will start automatically.
  2. To select FAH press and hold [Square] to see the different channels. Whilst holding [Square] navigate to ‘Folding@home’ then release [Square] to select it.
  3. Press [Triangle] to bring up the options Menu.These are the important options that needs attention:


    4. Click to enlarge

  4. In the top-right corner of the screen you should see your newly entered user name and underneath, TSA’s team number (78731). If you don’t just press [Select].

Notes

  • It is advised that you run the PS3 FAH client for about 4 hours per day in order to successfully complete assigned work units.
  • Because the PS3 can’t run games whilst running FAH, the work units have been designed to take 6-8 hours to complete, so you can game all day, and fold while you get your 8 hours sleep.
  • When Automatic Shutdown is configured, the settings will always be applied when starting the software
  • Folding@home Settings > Mode – ‘Normal Mode’ should always give you 6-8 hour WU’s, whereas ‘Advanced Mode’ should give you WU’s that vary in length, and give you more points for bigger WU’s that take longer to complete, however there is an error with LWP that means that normal users can get the bigger WU’s. So the only real differencebetween these modes is in Advanced mode you can see a graph.
  • LWP’s browser is a restricted, light-weight version of the PS3’s browser that only enables you to navigate via page links. However, if you open the “My Team Statistics” from the [Triangle] menu, there’s a link to TSA so you can browse your favourite gaming site whilst saving the world.

I need your help.

As I don’t run a copy of each OS I need someone to help with a guide for MAC’s and Linux machines. If you can help send me an email to folding[at]thesixthaxis[dot]com with the subject “FAH Guide Help” and your OS. As for PC installations I can sort them out, and will post them soon.

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Folding@Home Stats: February 2012

30 Comments

  1. What exactly is ‘Folding @ home?’

    • its basically to speed up the cancer research using everyones ps3.without this it would take years and years and then some from what the ps3s combined speed the process up.thats what ive heard n e ways

      • As well as PC’s (Linux, MAC, Windows)

      • Brilliant, I don’t have a PS3 at the moment but my laptop is generaly on all the time so will look into this when I get home!

  2. Brilliant – hopefully more people will get involved.

    • I didn’t know I could browse TSA whilst folding. That said, the PS3’s browser is almost unbearable anyways. I’ll stick to folding each night.

  3. Already started folding on my laptop for TSA, but ill be setting up my PS3 to do the same tonight!

  4. So Advanced does nothing, eh? Oh well. Good to know. Why is it still in there?

    • Well it’s meant to give you more advanced (and sometimes longer) WU’s but as I said, standard gets the same, so it doesn’t quite work, maybe it’s not coded in at Stanford’s end.

  5. how long doe sit take to do a WU on ps3? i haven’t used my ps3 to fold for a while and tbh it wouldn’t normally be on folding for very long anyway.

    • Takes between 5h 30m and 6h. The idea is that it runs at night whilst you’re sleeping, or whilst you’re at uni/work.

      • ok cool thanks think ill stick to all the pcs/laptops im running it on then dont like to leave my ps3 on when im not using it

    • 6 to 8 hours, just enough time for your ps3 to do a work unit while you’re at work/school/college or asleep! :)

      • sorry i should have refreshed page before posting.

      • Don’t forget you can sleep at school or college too.

      • That what my P.E teacher used to say Bunimo, before he was arrested with all those pictures…

  6. I’m finding the whole Folding thing strangely addictive! I started earlier this month and managed to do four WU’s in a few days for the TSA/Stanford University cause!

  7. Recently I have started using Folding@home a lot on my PC. I just leave the program running in the background when the PC is on and it gets through work units quickly. Haven’t really tried the PS3 version much, but now I know about the auto-start feature I will be using it more.
    Thanks Jas-n :)

  8. I started folding on the 12th of this month and have done 22 WU at the moment and hope to get over 25 done by the end of this month. I also didn’t know about how to get the Auto-start feature to work, but do now – thanks Jas-n =]

  9. thanks you, ive always wondered how to get it running and what to do, ill see if i can get it working tonight ;)

    • oh 6-8 hours, thats a problem :/

      • If you’re signed out of PSN, run in expert mode (no nonsense mode), switch controller + T.V. off (not sure if that one helps with folding but it does with the electric bill!)
        and you can get it done in about 5 hours 15 mins( my best regular Work Unit so far, not counting the ‘specical’ 4 hour ones)

  10. For any current folder or any new folder, take a look at ‘thesixthaxis.com’ overclockers page, quite interesting stats:
    http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=78731

    • thats a hell of a lot of numbers, some intresting stuff dont really understand it all but i did find a graph with my name on and a big line going upwards, thats got to be good?

    • Wow. I’ve smashed into the top 20! That’ll be my ATi HD4800 screaming through the night. And my Dual core. And my PS3.
      GTOWN-Killing the polar bears with his electric usage one work unit at a time!!!!!!

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