## New To Version 2.04(+) Precompiled Clients for MAC and Win-95/NT

    Precompiled GVANT clients are now available for the MAC and Win-95/NT
    operating systems.  These OS specific clients can be downloaded from
    the web page.  Installation is machine specific, and does not require
    that you spend hours trying to find out how to set priorities to allow
    good multitasking.  Still, you might find the installation notes for
    the DOS (DJGPP) client given below to be informative.

## New To Version 2.02 and higher

    GVANT can now be set to exit after searching a predetermined stub
    For example, the following "save.dat" file searches beginning
    after stub 21-1-0-0 and stops after searching thru 21-1-5

        21 333 0  21 1 0 0  0 0 0
        -21 -1 -5

    To continue after this point on a different CPU, the following
    send.dat can be used:

        21 333 0  21 1 6 0  0 0 0
        -21 -1

    The combined output of the above two runs would complete stub 21-1

    Limitations: The stopping stub (e.g., -21 -1 -5) can have at most
    n/4-2 elements (n=marks on the ruler).  Thus, for OGR-21 searches
    the stopping stub can have at most 3 elements.

## New To Version 2.00

    The saving options have been upgraded
      - You can now tell GVANT to use different save file names by using
        GVANT   -save new_save_name   -send new_send_name    -nosave

        -save allows you to redirect to new_save_name (versus save.dat)
        -send allows you to redirect to new_send_name (versus send.dat)
        -nosave refreshs send.dat ONLY when send.dat also needs updating

    Tho output now contains two node counts (1st is *10^6, 2nd is remainder)

    The send.dat output also documents info when a run is (re)started

## Background

The web site ("http://members.aol.com/golomb20") contains all you need to install the software, with the exception of a starting point for your segment of the search.

Files you may need ...
| README.HTM | Installation / Runtime instructions (this file)
| GVANTDOC.TXT | The GVANT program documentation
| GVANT_C.TXT | The source code
| GVANTDOS.ZIP | DOS Executable (32 bit DJGPP)
| GOLOMB.SEA | Power MAC Client
| GVANT_NT.ZIP | Win-95/NT Executable for PCs (VC5 @ idle priority)
| GVANT_A.ZIP | Win-95/NT Executable for Alphas

If you use OS/2, Windows or DOS you can still use the GVANT.EXE executable. If you are a UNIX user (or someone who likes to "compile your own") you need to compile the "C" source code for your own system. The DOS executable was compiled using DJGPP (GCC) (version 2.0). It is "32 bit" code --designed to run in DOS or a DOS window-- and is optimized for speed using the "-O3" compiler switch. The following installation guide was originally written for the DOS client. As such, it is a bit "wordy" for the MAC and NT/95 client users ... but it still has some good info you may want to read about.

## Installation (MAC users can skip this section)

### I - Create a directory (e.g., c:\GOLOMB21)

To keep things simple we recommend that you create a directory for this project. For the purposes of this documentation, we will assume that you named this directory "GOLOMB21" (if not, just substitute the correct name).

### II - Get the needed program files

Download the executable (or Source code for those who intend to "roll their own") into the GOLOMB21 directory.

### III - Install an icon (DOS version)

#### Win 3.x ...

Open your "main" group and double click the icon called "pif editor". Click on "File" / "New"

         Program Name     GVANT.EXE
         Window Title     Golomb Ruler
         Startup Dir      C:\GOLOMB21 (or whatever you called it)
         Display Usage    "Windowed"
         Execution        "Background"
               Note...    clicking on Exclusive lets GVANT run faster but
                          stops other app's when GVANT is in full screen mode
         Click on ADVANCED, Under "Other" click on "Allow Close When Active"

We also suggest clicking on "Lock Application Memory" since the program is small anyway. However, if you get messages about not enough memory left to start other programs, click this option OFF again.

Click on "OK" / "File" / "Save" and save it as GOLOMB21.PIF before exiting from the PIF Editor. The final step is to create an icon and link it to the PIF file. To do this, decide where you want the icon. Let us suppose you decide the "Main" group.

      Click once on the "Main" group.
      Click on "File", "New", "Program File"
         Description      Golomb Ruler
         Command Line     GOLOMB21.PIF
         Working Dir.     C:\GOLOMB21 (or whatever you called it)
      Click on OK

#### Win 95 ...

    Click on "My Computer"
    Click to the directory "C:\GOLOMB21" (or whatever you called it)
    Right-click on the file called "GVANT.EXE" and select COPY
    Right-click on your desktop in an empty area, and select PASTE SHORTCUT

    (If using the Win95/NT version, skip the following)
    Right-click the new shortcut icon on your desktop
    Click on "Properties" and select the "Misc" tab on the far right
    Click off (turn off) "Warn if still active"
    When done, select OK.

#### OS/2 ...

Tear off a "Program" template from your Templates Folder. On the "program" page of the settings notebook, enter:

      Path and file name:    C:\GOLOMB21\GVANT.EXE  (adjust path as needed)
      Parameters:            (--none--)
      Working directory:     C:\GOLOMB21  (adjust path as needed)

On the "general" page, give the program object a title (e.g., "GOLOMB21") and associate any icon you like. The defaults on the other pages are probably appropriate, but you may change them if you like.

#### Win 3.x, Win 95, and OS/2 ...

After you test the program, please move this icon to your startup group so that it starts automatically! In Win 95, the startup file folder is usually "c:\windows\start menu\programs\startup".

### IV - Test the program

#### - DOS & OS/2

Change into the GOLOMB21 directory and type the command GVANT (in a DOS window, for OS/2). The output should begin almost immediately scrolling down the screen. To stop the test, press the "CNTL-BREAK" keys simultaneously.

#### - Windows & OS/2

Double click on the GOLOMB21 icon. You should see the output appearing in a DOS window. To stop the test, just close the window (yes, even if you are warned about saving data).

#### - DOS, OS/2 & Windows

When you are done testing, delete the two files in the GOLOMB21 directory called "save.dat" and "send.dat" (more about these later).

## Running GVANT

### Step 1 (Clearing "Send.Dat")

The _first_ time you run the GOLOMB21 program for real, you need to delete the file "send.dat" in your GOLOMB21 directory. It will have been created if you ran the test cited above.

### Step 2 (Starting Point: "Save.Dat")

Next you need to copy the START.DAT file we sent you to SAVE.DAT (overwriting the existing SAVE.DAT if it exists). Now just start the program (like in the test cited above).

As noted above, you can stop a particular run at any time you want by using the "Cntl-Break" keys, or by closing the GOLOMB21 window. When you restart later, it will pick up where it left off. We hope that you will put the program into Windows or OS/2 Start-Up group so that it automatically starts whenever you start Windows.

### Step 3 (Results)

Periodically (every week or so ... but not any more frequently) we would appreciate an email with the SEND.DAT file attached or embedded to the email. When you get close to needing a new ruler stub to work on we will send a new one with instructions. As stubs are completed, we will update the WEB page.

## Appendices

### Special Note: Multitasking In Windows

This program has been setup to allow you to multitask. Multitask means that while the program is running, you can still use your computer to do other things.

If you do not have a Pentium or better, you may want to set the priority of the program to a low value so that you can multitask without any slowdown in speed. To do this in Windows 3.x, use the PIF Editor (in "Main" group) to edit the "C:\GOLOMB21.PIF" file, select "Advanced" and change the "Background Priority" to a lower value such as 25 (seems OK on average for a 486-33). In Windows 95, right-click on the shortcut icon, select the "Misc" tab and move the "Idle Sensitivity" slider to the right (higher sensitivity). If you are using the Win 95/NT client, it is already set to run at "idle" priority, meaning that it is already designed to allow you multitask without any significant drop in speed for your other tasks ... it only runs when your machine would otherwise be idle!

To multitask, all you need to do is to start the program. After it starts, just do whatever you would to start your other program, and GOLOMB21 will continue running in the background.

For those of you not familiar with multitasking, here are a few good tips. To cycle through all open applications hold down the "ALT" button and press the "TAB" key repeatedly until you see the application you want to work in. You can also do this by using the "CNTL" "ESC" key combo, but it puts you directly into the Task Manager. For DOS programs like GOLOMB21, remember you can switch from Full Screen to Windowed by using the "ALT" "ENTER" key combo. (The GOLOMB21 program runs faster in Full Screen mode, but if you want to shut it down, you have to switch back to Windowed mode and then close the window).

### About The GVANT Program

The GVANT program was designed to allow users to interrupt it without losing too much work, and then to pick up again later where they left off. The program does this by storing its progress in a file called "SAVE.DAT". This file is started at a known ruler stub, and the program then proceeds to search from this point forward. The term "ruler stub" is defined in detail in the program documentation, but briefly: it refers to a particular combination for the first 5 or so marks on the ruler.

The program outputs results to both the screen and to the SAVE.DAT file. What you'll see on the screen is a summary of each ruler stub being tested, with the following items:

      1. The number of tick marks (in our case, 21)
      2. The shortest known GOLOMB Ruler for that # of tick marks (333 so far)
      3. The ruler stub's first 5 tick mark locations (e.g., 0 1 3 5 7)
      4. The number of seconds it took to solve the ruler stub (usually 0-10,000)
      5. The number of nodes it took to test this ruler stub (multiply this by 10^6).
      6. The number of nodes it took to test this ruler stub (add this to above).

As you see the stubs being output to the screen, glance at the second item (332 as of 11/97 for a 21 mark ruler). If you see this drop below its starting value EMAIL US IMMEDIATELY. Your program has found a shorter 21-mark ruler than any such ruler previously found! We want to know about such discoveries as soon as possible as the information can be used to speed up the search for other starting ruler stubs which have yet to be tested. BTW, we "started with" 332 because we are interested in finding rulers under 333 in length (the best known 21 mark ruler was still 333 as of 11/97). By limiting our search to less than 333 we save about 15% of the search time.

Also, note that it is up to you as to when to send results back to us. We would prefer that you run an entire ruler stub (e.g., if you started with 0 1 3 0 0, the stub is completed as soon as the "3" changes to a "4"). This can take a week or more depending on

      *  Your machine speed
      *  How long you keep your PC running (all night?)
      *  If you are multitasking in Windows
      *  What ruler stub you are working on.

We can send you simpler stubs at first to let you determine how difficult a stub you really want to work on.

When a stub is completed, please EMAIL us a copy of the "SEND.DAT" file with the phrase "SEND.DAT" in the comment field. If possible, we prefer that the file be an attachment to the mail in plain or zipped format, but this is not required.

For those who are inquisitive about the send.dat file, please refer to the program to see how progress is stored along with any found rulers. The rulers are always stored on a single line beginning with a zero. If you don't see any ... don't worry, chances are only one or maybe two of us will find one for the OGR-21 ruler!