First, create a short shell script (using gedit or nano) to start your client.For this example the script is in the user's home folder and the folding@home client directory is named fah.
Code:
#!/bin/bash
cd fah
./fah6 -smp 12 -verbosity 9 -bigadv
You can use whichever flags you want, or set them up when configuring the Folding client.
Once you have created your script, give it the name of your choosing and use chmod to make it executable, or you can do so by right clicking and changing the properties/permissions.
The second step is to start the client automatically when logging into a Gnome session. In Ubuntu, this is quite easy. Under the System menu select Preferences, then Startup Applications. Click the +Add button. For name put something that accurately identifies the process, such as "Start F@H Client." For command put
Code:
/usr/bin/gnome-terminal --command ./[I]scriptname[/I]
where scriptname is the actual name of your script. This way the client will start when you you log into a Gnome session. You will still get a terminal window for your client, but you can logout, shut down or restart without needing to think about your Folding@Home client becuase it is now running as a service. It will shut down its processes properly without intervention. But you also have the flexibility to stop the client just by closing the terminal window or striking "ctrl-c" with the terminal window in the foreground focus.