pandacoin Pandacoin Folding @ Home Home->Getting Started->Install & Configure (Linux/OSX)

Pandacoinfah - Installing Folding@home on Linux / OSX

Folding is so much easier than mining. We are going to show you how to download the Folding@home client, install it, and configure it.

The Software

Folding@home comes in 3 separate parts:

FahClient is the main Folding@home client and the only part that is required. The client can be configured through a web interface or manually. If you'd prefer an informational graphical tool to configure and monitor your Folding@home client, you can install the FahControl tool. Additionally, the FahViewer will graphically visualize your current folding work in 3D.

Downloading

Folding@home is no longer in most Linux package managers. You'll need to download the appropriate package from Folding@home's download page. While built on open source technology, Folding@home is not open source and these are precompiled binary packages.

Image of Linux package download section

Installing

OSX and most Linux distributions come with a graphical package installer tool as well as command line package management tools, which can install these packages on your system.

Image of GUI Linux package installer tools

Use the appropriate tool, and if in doubt, you can probably double click on the file to get started installing the package. The package may prompt you for some initial configurations. While there are multiple ways to configure the Folding@home client, you might want to consider if you want folding to start automatically when your computer boots here, as it might be tricky to setup later later.

Image of Fahclient deb package configuration prompt during install

Configuring

To participate in PandacoinFah, you must fold with your username set to a valid Pandacoin wallet address and team set to Pandafolders #234317. You can configure these and other options with the web interface, by going to https://client.foldingathome.org. Your browser will connect to your running FahClient on your local machine with this web page and allow you to configure it. If you prefer, you can do this by running the FahControl instead or manually editing the configuration files.

Installing / Configuring - More Info

For detailed information on installing Folding@home, see their FAQ section:

Extra - Passkey

Registering for a passkey is not required, but gives you bonus points when folding. You are emailed a passkey to configure in your FahClient, when you sign up. Folding@home's Passkey page asks for your email address and folding user name. This user name is the Pandacoin wallet address you will be folding as.

passkey screenshot

Extra - Configure GPU

Folding@home supports folding with some graphics cards as well. Up to date proprietary drivers may be required. To enable GPU folding, you configure your FahClient by adding a folding slot for your GPU.

configure gpu screenshot

See the configuration guide for more details.

That's it!

After you've configured your username, team, and (optionally)passkey, Folding@home will continue working in the back ground. You can close the web interface or FahControl application and forget about it. That's all there is to it!