boinc/doc/acct_mgt.php

<?php
require_once("docutil.php");

page_head("Account management systems");

echo "
<p>
To create an account with BOINC projects, a participant must:
<ul>
<li> locate BOINC project web sites,
read them, and decide which to join;
<li> Download and install the BOINC client software.
</ul>
and then for each selected project:
<ul>
<li> fill out a web registration form;
<li> handle an email;
<li> cut and paste a URL and account key into the BOINC client.
</ul>

<p>
If the participant chooses N projects,
there are N forms to fill out,
N emails to handle, and N dialog interactions with the BOINC client.
This is tedious if there are lots of projects.
Furthermore, it involves cutting and pasting long random strings,
which is intimidating to some participants.

<p>
This document describes BOINC's support for <b>account management systems</b>,
which streamline the process of finding and joining BOINC projects.
A typical account management system is implemented as a web site.
The participant experience is:
<ul>
<li> Visit the account manager site,
set up a 'meta-account' (name, email, password),
browse a list of projects, and click checkboxes to select projects.
<li> Receive email from each selected project,
and click on a link in the email.
<li> Download and install the BOINC client software from the account manager.
<li> Enter the meta-account name and password in a BOINC client dialog.
</ul>
This requires about 1/3 of the interactions of the manual approach,
and avoids dealing with long random strings.

<h2>Implementation</h2>
<p>
An account management system works as follows:
<br>
<img src=acct_mgt.png>
<br>

<ol>
<li> The participant sets up his meta-account and selects projects.
<li> The account manager issues a <b>create account</b> RPC
to each selected project.
<li> The project creates an account (marked as 'unconfirmed')
and sends an email to the participant.
<li> The participant opens the email and clicks on a link in it,
causing the account to be marked as 'confirmed'.
<li> The account manager periodically polls each selected project
with a <b>query account</b> RPC,
waiting for all accounts to become confirmed.
<li> When all accounts are confirmed,
the participant downloads and installs the BOINC client software
from the account manager.
The install package includes a file
(specific to the account manager)
containing the URL of the account manager.
<li> The BOINC client runs, and asks the participant to enter
the name and password of his meta-account.
<li> The BOINC client does a <b>query accounts</b> RPC
to the account manager, obtaining a list of accounts.
It then attaches to these accounts and proceeds.
</ol>

The <b>create account</b> and <b>query account</b> RPCs
are described <a href=web_rpc.php>here</a>.

<h2>Core client functionality</h2>
<p>
The BOINC core client uses the following files to
keep track of account manager information.
<dl>
<dt>
<b>acct_mgr_url.xml</b>
<dd>
This file identifies the account manager.
It is typically bundled with the BOINC client in
an installer package.
Its format is:
".html_text("
<acct_mgr>
    <name>Name of BOINC account management system</name>
    <url>http://acctmgr.com/</url>
</acct_mgr>
")."

<dt>
<b>acct_mgr_login.xml</b>
<dd>
This file contains meta-account information.
Its format is:
".html_text("
<acct_mgr_login>
   <login>name</login>
   <password>xxx</password>
</acct_mgr_login>
")."
</dl>
If the core client finds acct_mgr_url.xml but not acct_mgr_login.xml,
it prompts for a name and password,
stores them in acct_mgr_login.xml,
and makes an account manager RPC.
The core client offers menu items for making an account manager RPC,
and for changing the name/password.

<h2>Account manager RPCs</h2>

";

list_start();
list_item("URL", "Given in the file <b>acct_manager_url.xml</b>");
list_item("input", "name
    <br>password"
);
list_item("output",
    html_text("<accounts>
    [ <error>MSG</error> ]
    [ <account>
        <url>URL</url>
        <authenticator>KEY</authenticator>
      </account>
      ...
    ]
</accounts>")
);
list_item("action",
    "returns a list of the accounts associated with this meta-account"
);
list_end();

page_tail();
?>