My guess is that they have used the passkey last year and still have it on hand.
 
If they chose to use their own, it will have to be re-primed for EVGApes (10 WUs submitted with your  individual passkey under EVGApes).  The reason for doing this would be if they want to maintain points tracking of their individual points submitted by passkey.

I could still use some advice on figuring out the start time of a -bigadv work unit to finish early in the contest.  I have completed only 6 -bigadv WU's so I don't have a great idea of exactly how much time it'll take.
 
1st -bigadv
65 Hours, 16 Minutes, 16 Seconds

2nd -bigadv
64 Hours, 44 Minutes, 44 Seconds

3rd -bigadv
65 Hours, 50 Minutes, 50 Seconds
 
4th -bigadv
64 Hours, 19 Minutes, 19 Seconds

5th -bigadv
64 Hours, 4 Minutes, 4 Seconds
 
6th -bigadv
65 Hours, 20 Minutes, 20 Seconds
 
I guess to be safe I should start my -bigadv WU the shortest amount of time it's taken me so far so the chances I'd finish early are slim and any time longer than my shortest time will fall early in the CC.
 
BTW, now I'm thinking about that question I raised about letting your computer sit idle before starting up folding for EVGApes.  Is it discouraged or is it not discouraged?
 
How did you other -bigadv folders plan your drop time last year?
 
JD

JD22964

BTW, now I'm thinking about that question I raised about letting your computer sit idle before starting up folding for EVGApes.  Is it discouraged or is it not discouraged?

JD

JD, timing of bigadvs, just so that they drop in the first few hours is discouraged.
Doing it on a large scale may get the team disqualified.

Barbarossa

JD22964

BTW, now I'm thinking about that question I raised about letting your computer sit idle before starting up folding for EVGApes.  Is it discouraged or is it not discouraged?

JD

JD, timing of bigadvs, just so that they drop in the first few hours is discouraged.
Doing it on a large scale may get the team disqualified.

For further clarification, does this mean that running regular smp's and switching to bigadv WU 60 hours or so before contest can get a disqualification?????.
 
I sure hope not. Cause I'll just check up on all the other teams bigadv posting prior to the start and we pretty much can cancel the contest.
 
And what constitutes a "Large Scale"?
 
Sean

shdbcamping

Barbarossa

JD22964

BTW, now I'm thinking about that question I raised about letting your computer sit idle before starting up folding for EVGApes.  Is it discouraged or is it not discouraged?

JD

JD, timing of bigadvs, just so that they drop in the first few hours is discouraged.
Doing it on a large scale may get the team disqualified.

For further clarification, does this mean that running regular smp's and switching to bigadv WU 60 hours or so before contest can get a disqualification?????.

I sure hope not. Cause I'll just check up on all the other teams bigadv posting prior to the start and we pretty much can cancel the contest.

And what constitutes a "Large Scale"?

Sean

Last year, right at the start we had two or three big drops in bigadvs, and nearly got disqualified for it.
So if it looks like its a concentrated team effort to dump a lot of bigadvs right at the start, that team may have to face the consequences. This is up to a captains vote.
You can already start folding for EVGApes now. Start is may 5th (Cinco de Mayo),the Noon PST update. Only points coming in after that are counting for the Challenge

I guess this isn't a good time to look into kicking up my mild OC to something closer to 4GHz?  I don't even know if my memory is set to the best setting for -bigadv... I don't specify timings or even know anything about that.  I should probably ask my stepson for a little guidance in that area.  I just don't know anything about OC'ing.
 
It's probably not the best time to make changes though, right?
 
JD

Barbarossa

shdbcamping

Barbarossa

JD22964
BTW, now I'm thinking about that question I raised about letting your computer sit idle before starting up folding for EVGApes.  Is it discouraged or is it not discouraged?
JD

JD, timing of bigadvs, just so that they drop in the first few hours is discouraged.
Doing it on a large scale may get the team disqualified.

For further clarification, does this mean that running regular smp's and switching to bigadv WU 60 hours or so before contest can get a disqualification?????.

And what constitutes a "Large Scale"?

Sean

Last year, right at the start we had two or three big drops in bigadvs, and nearly got disqualified for it.
So if it looks like its a concentrated team effort to dump a lot of bigadvs right at the start, that team may have to face the consequences. This is up to a captains vote.
You can already start folding for EVGApes now. Start is may 5th (Cinco de Mayo),the Noon PST update. Only points coming in after that are counting for the Challenge

Barbarossa,
 
Boy it is good we are talking about this one.  Reading Rule #6 of the CC rules list, I had a different interpretation of starting a Bigadv before the contest begins.  Quote:  "Starting wus before the start of the CC is fine, but stopping clients just so that a wu drops after the start is considered bad folding conduct." 
 
Following the other posts, I need to get this subject just a bit clearer on the start of a Bigadv because I was all set to launch my first Bigadv ahead of the start time as the rules suggest is OK.  So, are we now saying to stay within the rules that I need to start my first Bigadv sometime after 12noon on May 5th?  Or, does it mean that some percentage of us can do Bigadvs ahead of 12noon, but we have to be mindful of how many or we may incur a problem for our Team?  I have no intention of cheating, so I just want to be crystal clear on this one.  It would be good to make sure all the teams involved are clear as well.  Thanks.
 
PS:  I may be the odd-ball here, but I don't have a set-pattern that I follow with my Folding.  Sometimes I'll go all out to the max with Bigadvs and other times I back off to standard SMP WUs with a few GPU jobs sprinkled in.  So, if the "problem" at the start of the contest is running a Bigadv ahead of the start without fitting into the perceived "normal pattern", then I could use some advice on how to establish myself ahead of the contest if needed.

As the rule is written, you cannot let your computers sit idle to align a Bigadv drop.  You can, however, switch to SMP or uniprocessor to get an approximate alignment. 
 
The problem with poorly thought out rules like this is that they are essentially unenforceable.  Without any definitive metric or measurement, the decision becomes "regardless of whether you followed the rules we don't like the result" and the mob mentality takes over.
 
I can think of 3 better solutions to resolve this issue off the top of my head...but once again the rules were set before we were invited to the discussion and we have to work within the framework of the contest.
 
I'll leave it to those wiser than myself to set the precedent we will follow.
 
(for the record, I am not a bigadv folder)

texinga,
you can start your bigadv before may 5th noon PST.
What is not allowed, is a concentrated team effort to drop as many bigadv wus as possible within the first few hours of the cc.

Barbarossa

texinga,
you can start your bigadv before may 5th noon PST.
What is not allowed, is a concentrated team effort to drop as many bigadv wus as possible within the first few hours of the cc.

Oh come on lets all drop a bigadv with in the 1st hour!

We WILL get accused of some wrongdoing if even ONE -bigadv wu drops before the first 24 hrs of the contest is up...count on it.
We are expected to simply hold still while everyone else is allowed to do whatever they want, completely unaccountable for their actions. Though they would beg to differ, history proves it to be true.
I am not complaining about the rules here. I fully expect us to overcome any handicap system and still retain the Jaded Monkey! I just wish for once, just once...that accusations of cheating or rule breaking or however it is phrased is absent from the CC this year. It gets more tiresome with every recitation.
That said, all of us must adhere to the rules. Please don't give other teams grounds to accuse our team of violations.
Maybe then we can enjoy COMPLETE, UNDISPUTED victory!
 
Fold on!!
 

This has been the question I've been trying to understand.  So, in my scenario (above), are you fellas saying that I need to wait until CC begins before launching my Bigadvs?

z3r0t0l0rence

texinga

This has been the question I've been trying to understand.  So, in my scenario (above), are you fellas saying that I need to wait until CC begins before launching my Bigadvs?

I'm going to switch my clients the night before.  That should give enough time to allow for a little buffer once the CC starts.

Good idea Z & did you find a house yet!

If we drop bigadvs the day after then so be it.  People are going to wine no matter what about EVGA seeing as were #1!

texinga

Ok that is what I was needing to understand.  This is my first CC and I don't understand the "ground rules" (written or un-written).  So from what I'm reading, it seems that the going thought is to err on the side of avoiding trouble by having the Bigadvs land/complete early on the 2nd day of the CC.  Correct?

I totally understand where you´re coming from Texinga.
I know pretty much exactly how long my 6 bigadvs take, so under normmal circumstances I can tell when they´re gonna drop.
Nowadays I´m folding them in Linux, and it is almost impossible to tell (too many 2684s and regular smp wus in between)
 
This whole thing is indeed a huge grey area, and has been summed up best  by mflanaga.  Part of it is related to last year, when we came out the gate with full force...