 bbarreraPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1
 ·SureWest Internet
2 edits | [FP] Cacti to graph and analyze folder performance
Cacti reveals interesting data about folders |
The graph above is for my MacBook Pro which has 2GB RAM and a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo processor. It is running the Mac OSX SMP client. The graph shows the last week of folding, and plots WU % completion on Y axis and time on the X axis. Therefore the time scale on the X axis is Feb 25-28 and March 1-4 (note day labels 26, 27, 28, 01, 02, 03, 04).
On the Y Axis we can see WU % completion. During the last week every WU was successfully completed, as the graph goes from 0% to 100%. I've used "qd" (queue dump) program to add the # of pts for each WU and the number of pts per hour (however Cacti could overlay that info).
For most of the week my folder was running FAH client at 90% CPU utilization, I manually changed that to 33% CPU utilization on March 2 as you can see from the graph. You can also see that the overall average points per hour for the 1210 pt WU dropped to 20, if I had left folder at 90% then I would expect average PPH for the 1210 pt WU to be between 32 and 45 based on the 587 pt WUs and 1760 pt WUs.
Yesterday on March 3 the laptop was taken offsite and I stopped the FAH client to conserve battery power. As you can see I've spotlighted the flat portion of the graph and added "computer off no folding" comment to highlight that event.
In summary, a program like Cacti allows any folder to be monitored and analyzed. You can spot problems and identify times when the folder is not 100% dedicated to folding. Therefore if one of my folders is used for a 4 hour video transcoding project you can see slope of the graph change from steep to shallow and then back to steep again (just like 90% to 33% in graph above). |
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bbarreraPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1 Reviews:
·SureWest Internet
| A couple of notes for all...
- Cacti is an open source program that I run to monitor routers and servers, more info at »cacti.net/
- I run Cacti on Linux and Mac OSX, it also runs on Windows if you install Apache and a few other open source programs
- I'm monitoring folders on the following OS: WinXP, Win2k3, Linux and OSX
Mostly talking to myself...
- I've extended Cacti by adding a Unix/Linux shell script "fahGetPercentComplete" which at this time requires an ssh server running on folder (uses public key auth for password-less logins). The shell script is a two liner with extra lines of code for error checking and error messages. One of these days I will implement a minor enhancement in the current script.
- My script works in Cacti but it I screwed up something and initial config is a bit counter-intuitive. I need to fix it so that initial config of a new folder works as expected by others familiar with Cacti |
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bbarreraPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1 Reviews:
·SureWest Internet
2 edits | Snapshot of my primary folders. These computers are in 3 different locations. They are a collection of Mac OSX, Linux and Windows Server 2003.
Note the missing chunks, this is an artifact of how the shell script is reporting data. "One of these days" I'll modify the shell script so that a missing report is replaced by the previous WU % and that will smooth the graphs. It is also very easy to add current pts/hour and overlay on the graph. |
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 usa2kBlessedPremium,MVM
join:2003-01-26
Canton, MI
kudos:3 | Re: [FP] Cacti to graph and analyze folder performance Excellent information. Thank you for educating myself and others about this tool! |
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bbarreraPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1 Reviews:
·SureWest Internet
| 
3 folders -- notice the long "flatline" at 100% |
I first noticed a problem today after seeing the 'flatline' on 3 graphs mid-afternoon. So I remotely logged in, attached to the screen, and quickly discovered the dreaded "assigned to (0.0.0.0)" on the screen terminal:
quote:
[02:35:22] + Attempting to get work packet
[02:35:22] - Will indicate memory of 1024 MB
[02:35:22] - Connecting to assignment server
[02:35:22] Connecting to »assign.stanford.edu:8080/
[02:36:37] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[02:36:37] + Could not connect to Assignment Server
[02:36:37] Connecting to »assign2.stanford.edu:80/
[02:36:37] Posted data.
[02:36:37] Initial: 0000; - Successful: assigned to (0.0.0.0).
[02:36:37] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[02:36:37] Work Unit has an invalid address.
[02:36:37] - Error: Attempt #9 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
In all seriousness Cacti is a real timesaver. After I discovered and attached to the remote screen I killed FAH and then restarted to see "assigned 0.0.0.0" message again which usually means the Assignment Servers are temporarily down. Just a few minutes ago I checked the Cacti graphs and was glad to see new WUs for the 3 servers (notice flatline at 100% followed by 0% which signifies the beginning of a new WU). |
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 StarfishPer Ardua Ad AstraExMod 2002-04
join:2000-12-28
Netherlands | reply to bbarrera
Re: [FP] Cacti to graph and analyze folder performanceIt looks very good. 
I'm pondering if somehow it would be possible to make a nice combination of Cacti graphs and the Foldy Monitor..
(The "Oh boy, too many things I'd love to do, so little time"-thought floats through my head again   ) |
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bbarreraPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
kudos:1 | The graphs are png images, so it would be possible to post a 1 day graph next to the Foldy monitor image -- I'm assuming the bar graph on Foldy Monitor is an image. |
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StarfishPer Ardua Ad AstraExMod 2002-04
join:2000-12-28
Netherlands | said by bbarrera:I'm assuming the bar graph on Foldy Monitor is an image. I admit that it is a bit deceiving, but the bar graphs on the monitor page are not images.
They are made by nesting nesting HTML tables. The inner table having a greenish background color and a width set to match the particular percentage of that specific row. This is inner tabel is placed and aligned in a 'container' table.
The one and only image on that whole page is the FP logo all the way on top of the page. |
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