Entropia's
Internet PrimeNet Server
Parallel Technology for the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search

PrimeNet 4.0 Proxy Server
Parallel Technology for the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search

Now updated for v19 clients

The PrimeNet 4.0 Proxy Server concentrates an entire LAN's GIMPS traffic through a single computer Internet connection. The proxy server instantly passes client requests to PrimeNet, and does not cache assignments or test results. It optionally writes a log file to monitor machine network traffic.

The proxy server's connection to PrimeNet is configured virtually the same way an existing Prime95 client connection is configured to contact PrimeNet.  Each GIMPS client on the LAN receives uses RpcNet.dll from the v19 distribution zip and is configured to use the proxy server instead of contacting PrimeNet directly.

• Requirements

• Windows NT Service mode: NT 4.0 Server or Workstation
• Non-NT Windows console mode app: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0
• 200k RAM and disk space
• Network protocol: RPC over any of TCP/IP, Windows Network, UDP, named pipes
• Proxy Internet access to PrimeNet: HTTP or RPC over TCP/IP
• Clients supported: Prime95 and NTPrime v18 and later

• Installation

1. On the proxy computer: Download the PrimeNet 4.0 Proxy Server software from http://mersenne.org/primenet/pnProxy.zip (59k) onto the computer that will be the proxy server host with the shared Internet connection.
   
   If you are going to run it as a NT Service, unzip primenet.ini, pnProxy.exe and pnProxy.dll into the %system root%\system32 folder (for example, c:\winnt\system32). Otherwise, create a new file folder for the proxy server and unzip primenet.ini, pnProxy.exe and pnProxy.dll into it.
   
   
2. On the proxy computer: Edit primenet.ini to configure the proxy service network route to PrimeNet over the Internet.   The default protocol preset in primenet.ini goes directly to Entropia.com via HTTP without an intermediate corporate proxy host, but you can easily change that.
   
   Refer to the examples below. If you have Prime95 already running, you probably need to use the same network settings from Prime95. Enter and complete only one of the following configurations. Comment text lines starting with '#' can be omitted:
   
   # Example HTTP route to Internet PrimeNet Server,
   # with no intermediate web proxy or firewall:
   [PrimeNet Proxy]
   UseHTTP=1
   
   - or -
   
   # Example HTTP route to Internet PrimeNet Server,
   # with intermediate proxy/firewall server:
   [PrimeNet Proxy]
   UseHTTP=1
   ProxyHost=http://proxy.supermegacorp.com:8080
   
   - or -
   
   # Example HTTP route to Internet PrimeNet Server,
   # with intermediate proxy server that also requires
   # a userid and password to access the Internet:
   [PrimeNet Proxy]
   UseHTTP=1
   ProxyHost=http://proxy.supermegacorp.com:8080
   ProxyUser=proxy_userid
   ProxyPass=proxy_password
   ProxyMask=0
   
   - or -
   
   # Example RPC route over TCP/IP to Internet PrimeNet Server
   # (shown configuration goes directly to Entropia.com. If you
   # have a SOCKS proxy server, this should also work ok.):
   [PrimeNet Proxy]
   UseHTTP=0
   ProxyAddress=entropia.com
   Protocol=ncacn_ip_tcp
   
   Save the changes to the proxy service primenet.ini.
   
3. Next, specify a proxy log file in the same folder. This file will remain open by the service while it has transaction entries written to it. If the logfile parameter is omitted, no log file will be generated.
   
   To support logging (recommended), add the following to the primenet.ini file:
   
   # If LogFile entry is missing or not set, no log file is written:
   LogFile=c:\WinNt\system32\primenet.log
   
   Save the changes to the proxy service primenet.ini.
   
   
4. If you are using Windows NT 4.0, register the proxy service with the NT Service Control Manager.
     Type: pnProxy -install
   After this, PrimeNet Proxy Service is available in the Control Panel's Services applet. Do NOT start it here yet; later when the proxy's operation has been verified, you start it here and set the startup mode to automatic.
   
   
5. Start the proxy in console mode:
     Type: pnProxy -console
   If configured for a log file, you should see the log file appear in the folder. You can open this file to inspect the traffic, as needed. Type Ctrl-C anytime you want to stop the proxy service.
   
   
6. On the first client computer: Start with a single Prime95 client, and select the RPC protocol in the PrimeNet options. Stop the program.
   
   Create a primenet.ini file in Prime95's folder. Decide if you want to use TCP/IP or Named Pipes as the intranet LAN protocol, then enter and complete only one of the following configurations:
   
   # TCP/IP route to PrimeNet proxy:
   [PrimeNet Proxy]
   ProxyAddress=(IP address or DNS name of proxy machine)
   Protocol=ncacn_ip_tcp
   
   - or -
   
   # Windows Named Pipe route to PrimeNet proxy:
   [PrimeNet Proxy]
   ProxyAddress=\\MY_PROXY_NODE_WINDOWS_NAME
   Protocol=ncacn_np
   
   Save the changes to the client Prime95 program's primenet.ini.
   
   
7. Test the first client computer: Start Prime95 on the client and watch the proxy console window on the proxy machine. Prime95 may immediately send transactions. You should see the proxy's log file growing.  If not, click on Help, About PrimeNet Server..., and look for a ping packet in the proxy window. If Prime95 shows PrimeNet's version info, everything is working.
   
   
8. On the remaining client computers: When the proxy is operating consistently, convert other computers running Prime95 on your LAN by copying the Prime95, RpcNet.dll, HttpNet.dll and primenet.ini files from the first client computer. Test each one is working, as you go.
   
   
9. On the proxy computer: Only for Windows NT 4.0 - When you are satisfied things are working right and want to use the PrimeNet proxy as a NT service from the NT Control Panel's Services applet, verify you saved the primenet.ini file to the %system root%\system32 folder (for example, c:\winnt\system32) and the proxy service log file is being written in that folder. The NT service mode of the proxy will not work otherwise.   Stop the console mode proxy and start the NT service using the NT Control Panel's Services applet. Set its startup option to automatic if you wish.
   
   

• Troubleshooting

1. Make sure your client programs are using the RpcNet.dll provided with the Prime95 software, and that the RPC protocol is selected in the PrimeNet options and you restarted the program after making this change.
2. Do not use the 'communicate now' feature of Prime95. It does not use PrimeNet's protocol correctly, causing Prime95 to send only the result message, not the assignment closure/credit packet. To force immediate communication other than by using Help, About PrimeNet... from the menu is to exit Prime95 and restart it.
3. If Prime95 hangs or times out, something is not configured correctly - check for conflicts in the primenet.ini file, ensure you are using the new RpcNet.dll from the v19 distribution zip file, and so on.
4. If the proxy window shows transactions but Prime95 still reports an error, the proxy server's primenet.ini file is not configured correctly. Check that you are using a protocol and settings that formerly working using Prime95.
5. If the console mode works but the NT service does not, make sure you you copied the primenet.ini file to the %system root%\system32 folder (for example, c:\winnt\system32).
6. If you are still stuck, email us <primenet@entropia.com> the proxy's log file, the primenet.ini files of the proxy and the Prime95 client, and any other error messages or info you think we might ask for.

Web support, contact webmaster@entropia.com.
© 1997-2000 Entropia