How to Contribute to Team AnandTech's RC5 Challenge?

v3.2 July 15, 2000

Originally written by Jackal/Posted and maintained by ViRGE

 

This FAQ explains how to get started using the distributed.net (D.net) client software to aid Team AnandTech in the RC5/OGR challenge on computers to which you have EXPLICIT PERMISSION FROM THE OWNER AND/OR OPERATOR TO RUN THE CLIENT ON. Please do NOT install this software on ANY machines you do not have such expressed permission to access or use.

If you understand and agree with the above statement, you may proceed.

Step-by-step:

  1. Download the D.net client.

    Go to http://www.distributed.net/download/clients.html and download the appropriate client program for your CPU and Operating System. For Windows and most other OS's, a command line interface (CLI) client is what's available (the GUI is no longer officially supported). The Windows has both zipped and self-installing (reccomended) versions available.

    NOTE: If you use the zipped version and WinZip, make sure WinZip is in "classic" mode, otherwise it will fail to extract all the files.
  2. Install the client software.

    Under General Client Options, there is a field (#1) in which you must enter your email address. It must be a real, working email, because it is where D.net will email your password a little later on, and the password is required to join Team AnandTech. If you anticipate changes in your email address will be a common occurrence, a Hotmail or other free email service may be preferable, and you should set up an account with one of these providers before installing the D.net client.
  3. Now, configure the client to run RC5.

    To do this, again go into the configuration menu, then type 2 (Buffer and buffer update options) and then 9 (Load-work precedence). From there, clear the "settings" line, and replace it with the following:

    RC5,OGR,DES=0,CSC=0

    Then press "enter" to save this new setting. 

    Next, select 10 (Additional buffer-level checking) and set it to 4.  This causes the client to update its buffers (send and receive data from the Internet) after the RC5 buffer is depleted.  Otherwise, the client will automatically "cycle" through the entire RC5 buffer and then the entire OGR buffer before performing an update.

    Lastly, press "0" twice to exit the configuration screen and save any new settings.
  4. Run "update" to fetch/flush data from the Internet.

    Run the client to complete at least one "work packet". Then, if the client window is not visible, left double-click on the cow's head icon in your taskbar, and perform your first "update" (under the Network dropdown). You can minimize the client at this point, if you wish, and allow it to continue cracking keys until you join Team AnandTech (all keys will be credited correctly later on).

==You must wait at least 24 hours before proceeding to the next step==

  1. Getting your D.net password.

    You now need to get your password. To retrieve it, please go to http://stats.distributed.net/rc5-64/. In the "Participant Stats" search box, enter the first portion of your email address, and click search. It should return, possibly among others, your specific email address as you entered it in the client software during installation. Click on your email hyperlink on the page. On this new page (your personal stats page, for future reference - you may want to bookmark it), there is a button at the bottom labeled "I cannot remember my password. Please email me my password". Click this button and the D.net server should email you your password within 10 min. Note the password and retain the email for your archives.
  2. Joining Team AnandTech - The Greatest Team in the World!

    Click on this hyperlink: http://stats.distributed.net/rc5-64/tmsummary.php3?team=10635. This will take you to the Team AnandTech stats page at D.net (sometimes the page is down temporarily during stats updates, please wait an hour or two and try again). Near the bottom of this page is a hyperlink labeled "I want to join this team." Click it. Your browser will request a user name (your full email address), and a password (from the D.net email). Click OK.

    It should then take you to your personal stats page, and near the top of this page it should read:

    Team: 10635: AnandTech
  3. Congratulations!

    That's it! All packets previously cracked will be credited to Team AnandTech at the next stats update, and all future packets will be directly counted as team submissions.

Welcome aboard - we appreciate your contribution!

Please note that while you can switch teams at any time, only the team you first join will receive packets cracked when you were "teamless". Also, if you switch from "Team A" to "Team B", packets you cracked while on "Team A" will stay with that team, and you will be starting fresh with "Team B".

Of course, why would you want to switch teams? Team AnandTech has only been cracking since December 1998: as of this writing, we are at 1st place overall in a field of almost 10,000 teams, and we are currently "juggling" between first and second place in the dailies, with our arch-rivals, The Dutch Power Cows. You've picked the right team to join - Team AnandTech!

Kind Regards,

Darrin (AKA Jackal)

and Ryan (AKA ViRGE)

 

- If you have questions, please make new threads in the Distributed Computing Forum with the question as the subject line.  There are a whole bunch of people just waiting to answer your questions!  And one more time, welcome to Team AnandTech!

This FAQ is the result of Team AnandTech's hard work. So in that respect, it may only be copied if proper credit is at the top of the document, in which credit is given to the authors (Team AnandTech).