Hijacking G5s for folding....

[Mr. Anderson]

Ok, just a thought - but if the machines are fast enough to get through a couple WUs a day, you could go to the Apple store in the morning and set one up, or a few...

Now, we'd need good scripts and easy access to them from the internet - and if we could *hide* the work files someway so they don't get erased, alter the ps aux terminal command to omit showing folding processes......

Any thoughts?

D

[NNO-Stephen]

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
Ok, just a thought - but if the machines are fast enough to get through a couple WUs a day, you could go to the Apple store in the morning and set one up, or a few...

Now, we'd need good scripts and easy access to them from the internet - and if we could *hide* the work files someway so they don't get erased, alter the ps aux terminal command to omit showing folding processes......

Any thoughts?

D

I have a thought!

good idea

[pEZ]

Dibs on the Woodfield Store.

Once people tell me how to do it

[mc68k]

i can give mac subversion tips if ppl want them

i could also modify my scripts with hidden folders (. prefix) and immutable flags

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by mc68k
i can give mac subversion tips if ppl want them

i could also modify my scripts with hidden folders (. prefix) and immutable flags

I think that might be appropriate - and we'd have to test it - set up a AppleStore member name (so we can keep track of production).

Do you have easy access to a Apple Store? If not, I could try it out at one near me. We could set it up on one of the G4s now and see if it gets any WUs done after a shut down and reboot at night.

Are there any special things Apple Stores do with their machines?

D

[mc68k]

i'm more experienced with the compUSA stores. yesterday i checked my DP 1.42 and it was still going after a week

the crontab entries are set in stone (barring a re-install/re-image or a rare unix-savvy employee), if i was to instead make a startup item, it would be easy to delete

i could swing by the apple store this week. i'm just more wary because the ppl there seem to know more. but the flip side is that ive been in there before actually wanting to talk to someone, and nobody paid attention to me

apple store events are perfect subversion times too

when i wake up some more tonight i can post about my experiences, ymmv of course

[mc68k]

i was reading mac os x unleashed and found that crontab filename will install a crontab entry for the current user without a admin password (sudo crontab -u username filename)

so that'll make taking over machines one step easier...i must go to the apple store tomorrow and test it out

[LimeLite]

I thought I heard that at the apple stores they reformat the computers often, maybe even every day, and I think there might be a network startup, not sure.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by mc68k
i was reading mac os x unleashed and found that crontab filename will install a crontab entry for the current user without a admin password (sudo crontab -u username filename)

so that'll make taking over machines one step easier...i must go to the apple store tomorrow and test it out

Is there anyway the current install scripts could be modified to do this automatically. Just being able to open a script and answer a couple questions will surely speed things up especially when you are pressed for time in between nosey/pushy salesmen.

[NNO-Stephen]

whatever you do, DONT GET CAUGHT!

think 007 style covert ops. get in, complete the mission, have sex with your lady of choice, and get out.

[whfsdude]

Scripts wouldn't work because they you would need to port forward I would think :-)

Now if the apple store is still running 10.1.5 you could brute force APF heh get on the server

I better shut-up now before I get xserved with a cease & desist

[NNO-Stephen]

Originally posted by whfsdude
Scripts wouldn't work because they you would need to port forward I would think :-)

Now if the apple store is still running 10.1.5 you could brute force APF heh get on the server

I better shut-up now before I get xserved with a cease & desist

I'd hope like hell no Apple store is still running 10.1.5......

[Tiauguinho]

Originally posted by NNO-Stephen
whatever you do, DONT GET CAUGHT!

think 007 style covert ops. get in, complete the mission, have sex with your lady of choice, and get out.

If you invert your logic to have sex first with the lady of choice of the store, you might put all the computers folding after! Hell, even the lady of choice home computer too!!

[NNO-Stephen]

Originally posted by Tiauguinho
If you invert your logic to have sex first with the lady of choice of the store, you might put all the computers folding after! Hell, even the lady of choice home computer too!!

ahhhh! good idea. (noted)

[MrMacMan]

You guys need to get your act together, need a better bond style.

Blow stuff up.

Get the Girl.

Grab the stuff.

Re-grab the girl.

[Frohickey]

Does 'folding' have a set number of benchmarks? I tried it on several Macs and I could not tell if its faster or slower on the different speed Macs.

I know that the RC5-64 had Kkeys/sec numbers that was related to the speed of the Macs.

Looked into the RC5-72(?) and it seems that the crunchers they use are not as fast as I've seen them on G4 machines.

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by Frohickey
Does 'folding' have a set number of benchmarks? I tried it on several Macs and I could not tell if its faster or slower on the different speed Macs.

I know that the RC5-64 had Kkeys/sec numbers that was related to the speed of the Macs.

Looked into the RC5-72(?) and it seems that the crunchers they use are not as fast as I've seen them on G4 machines.

Its almost impossible to do, besides for processor each unit or work unit varies in size so therefore there is no way to benchmark, and mac sucks at folding anyway...

[stoid]

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson

Are there any special things Apple Stores do with their machines?

I was at the Applle Store the other day buying an iTrip (very nice product!), and the guy said I could go ahead and install the driver stuff using one of the computers in the store because the get freshly imaged each night from a server in the back room. So unless you modify the image, the fah stuff will get lost every night.

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by stoid
I was at the Applle Store the other day buying an iTrip (very nice product!), and the guy said I could go ahead and install the driver stuff using one of the computers in the store because the get freshly imaged each night from a server in the back room. So unless you modify the image, the fah stuff will get lost every night.

Yeah, thats only for the Apple Stores not the certified resellers. I have used Apple stores in the past to access my .Mac account and upload photos off of my digital camera so that I would have more room on my camera during our vacation. They're really good about letting you use them for whatever you need.

The certified resellers on the other hand are still open to being hijacked because I know at least the one here locally doesn't ever reinstall the system.

[mc68k]

good to know about the re-imaging, i didn't get to try it yet

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by mc68k
good to know about the re-imaging, i didn't get to try it yet

Can someone explain the idea of re-imaging.

Whipes the hard drive or something?

Is every folder deleted and such?

Even hidden ones?

[Vlade]

Originally posted by MrMacman
Can someone explain the idea of re-imaging.

I'm pretty sure that they have a hard drive in the back room on a computer with a clean instal of 10.2, and when they re-image the macs at night, they are copying the disk image from the server to the macs HD, byte for byte.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by Vlade
I'm pretty sure that they have a hard drive in the back room on a computer with a clean instal of 10.2, and when they re-image the macs at night, they are copying the disk image from the server to the macs HD, byte for byte.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

Well obviously I don't know but there are apps that don't come with a normal system.

All of the apple based apps are on there...

I think photoshop was on the PowerMacs... I can't imagine they have to re-install every day.

[iJon]

i wouldnt do it, there is nothing more annoying to a salesman than people putting their stuff on their computers. plus the demos running on the computers kill every process when they start up. since its running at 100 cpu power fans are funning constantly so suddenly computers they are trying to sell are hotten and louder. but do whatever you guys want, i would find it annoying with anyone installing stuff on machines im trying to sell.

iJon

[Vlade]

Originally posted by MrMacman
Well obviously I don't know but there are apps that don't come with a normal system.

I can't imagine they have to re-install every day.

I forgot to say that they include PS 7, FCP, and other apps on that "image" too.