PrimeNet Parallel Test Challenge
Updated 1/3/98
Current Internet PrimeNet
Server Test Status (updated hourly)
Upgrading Prime95
14.4/PrimeNet 2.6 Parallel Test Challenge Clients to Prime95 15.4
Now with Prime95 15.4!
No fuss, 'start and forget' parallel research - try our
parallel test challenge! It is the client half of PrimeNet 3.0, packaged with Prime95.exe
15.4, ready to install and run.
Put your office or home PC to work! The Prime95 test
program runs only in your computer's idle CPU cycles. No jerky mouse cursor, no 'sticky'
typing, no slow applications. Period. Aside from a tiny pink icon in the task bar near the
clock, you will never notice it's even there. (But you can check on it any time!)
This is for anyone who wants to partiticipate in the
Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search project, but wouldn't miss the work of getting
monthly assignment ranges, e-mailing the test results, etc. You install the software and
start it up - thereafter it needs only to have you connect to the Internet a few minutes a
month!
Any Windows 95/98 or NT computer with Internet access,
dial-up or not, can participate! All test assignments originate from, and all test results
benefit, the Great Internet Mersenne Prime
Search project. All test work is credited to your account.
Free WinNT 4.0/Win95 software to download:
[unzip it into a directory folder you create, and open readme.txt,
inside]
PrimeNet Freeware License Agreement: Primenet
software is licensed for free use if you do not sell it, sell parts of it, or include it
as part of a sold product or use it for a sold service. No warranties or liabilities are
assumed, offered or implied. Use of Primenet software constitutes implicit agreement with
the terms of this freeware license.
- Parallel Test Challenge software, with Prime95
15.4 Mersenne test software, ftp://ftp.tipjar.com/pub/woltman/prime95.zip
Please refer to the readme.txt file regarding use of the (default) RPC version of
PrimeNet.dll or the HTTP version for firewalls and proxy access.
An Important Note for Prime95 15.x Users Upgrading to Prime95 15.4:
Before installing the new software, connect to the Internet and in Prime95's PrimeNet
dialog box, check 'Send new completion dates to PrimeNet server." and wait for
Prime95 to transmit any waiting information to PrimeNet. When the communication is done,
proceed with the upgrade.
- Parallel Test Challenge RPC Server Pinger, pinger.zip (21k)
Test your network RPC connection to the Internet PrimeNet Server with this stand-alone
diagnostic tool! Simply run it on the computer you plan to use for the Parallel Test
Challenge - if it correctly displays the current Internet PrimeNet Server version
information - the network will support the default RPC version of PrimeNet.dll! If
it fails, you can still use the HTTP version of PrimeNet.dll.
For details, please refer to the readme.txt file packaged
with Prime95 15.4, or see Woltman's GIMPS
project web site.
To get the most processing time out of your computer:
- don't turn off your computer, or turn it off as little as
possible
- turn off your VGA monitor when not in use and set your
screen saver to 'blank screen'.
Graphics-intensive screen savers eat up your CPU power ... at least use a less 'busy' one
if you must use one.
- connect to the Internet at least a few times each month
for a few minutes.
- check the Internet PrimeNet Server's status page at http://mersenne.org/primenet/status.shtml
from time to time. You may enter your account ID and password and receive a custom report
of assignments and recent work completed for your account.
Your test Mersenne numbers should be showing up on the completed list when your Prime95
test program finishes testing them. If they are not, please e-mail primenet@entropia.com!
Upgrading Prime95 14.4
/ PrimeNet 2.6 Parallel Test Challenge Clients
Note: These instructions only apply to PrimeNet 2.6
test clients using Prime95 14.4 with the Internet PrimeNet Server.
Prime95 15.4 is equipped to retain your existing account. All work performed by Prime95
15.4 is credited by both the Internet PrimeNet Server Parallel Test Challenge and George
Woltman.
To upgrade Prime95 to version 15.4 in place, please use
this procedure:
- Stop Prime95 14.4. Go to the IPS status page at http://mersenne.org/primenet/status.shtml
and get an online report of your account assignments. Have this on hand for step 6.
- Copy all files in your current Prime95 test folder into
another folder for safety.
- Unzip the downloaded prime95b.zip file in your test
folder, and overwrite Prime95.exe and primenet.dll with the new 15.4 versions.
- If you have a primenet.spl file and want the Internet
PrimeNet Server to credit this work, e-mail your results or results.txt file to primenet@entropia.com.
- Delete primenet.bin and primenet.spl, if you have these
files. You can optionally e-mail these files to me before you delete them so guarantee the
server is up to date. Keep any pXXXXXX or qXXXXXX files from your interrupted Lucas-Lehmer
test. Keep your results or results.txt file, too.
Unlike Prime95 14.4, Prime95 15.4 will first factor all your assigned exponents first, and
then resume work on the interrupted Lucas-Lehmer assignment.
- Use Notepad to create a file called worktodo.ini in your
test folder. For each Lucas-Lehmer exponent assigned to your account on the report from
step 1., enter a line (for example, exponent 9876543 factored through 58 bits):
Test=9876543,58
Similarly, for factoring exponents:
Fact=9876543,58
Save this file, and exit.
- Start Prime95, and when prompted for your information, set
your existing account user ID and password (only the first 8 characters) in the user
information dialog.
- Your results or results.txt file will be transmitted to
the server under your account ID. If you had a primenet.spl file, some results may not get
credited by IPS, but will be credited by Woltman.
- That's it! Periodically check your account status using
the Internet PrimeNet Server status page
web form.
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