boinc/todo

DON'T ADD ANYTHING TO HERE.  USE THE TASKBASE INSTEAD.
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BUGS (arranged from high to low priority)
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- reset/quit
    - Resetting project should delete old project files

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HIGH-PRIORITY (should do for beta test)
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HTTP stuff
    test HTTP redirect mechanism for all types of ops
    finish SOCKS implementation, test
    use HTTP 1.1
    test w/ Apache 2.x


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THINGS TO TEST (preferably with test scripts)
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server stuff
    implement server watchdogs

Add project w/ bad URL or account ID should report error
    test this on Win, UNIX

backend stuff
    - result reissue
        (timeout_check should eventually create new results)
    - WU failure: too many errors
    - WU failure: too many good results
    - credit is granted even if result arrives very late

- shared memory and CPU time measurement, with and without the BOINC API
    - ensure cpu time doesn't reset if app is killed rather than quitting
    - CPU accounting in the presence of checkpoint/restart

Platform-specific stuff
    - timezone on all platforms
    - make get_local_ip_addr() work in all cases

per-WU limits
    abort result if any file exceeds max_nbytes
    max disk
    max CPU
    max VM size
        abort app if excess memory used

Windows screensaver functionality
    idle-only behavior without screensaver - test

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MEDIUM-PRIORITY (should do before public release)
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add an RPC to verify an account ID (returns DB ID for user)
    needed for multi-project stats sites

implement a "fetch prefs" command (regular RPC w/o work request)

all RPCs should return a "user-specific project URL"
    to be used in GUI (might refer to user page)

in GUI, project name should hyperlink to a project-specified URL
    (typically user page for that project)

let user choose language files in installation process

write general language file manipulation functions

use https to secure login pages, do we care about authenticator
    being transmitted without encryption from the client?

write docs for project management
    how to start/stop server complex
    what needs to be backed up and how

account creation: show privacy/usage policies

decide what to do with invalid result files in upload directory

think about sh_fopen related functionality in BOINC client

Implement FIFO mechanism in scheduler for results that can't be sent

user profiles on web (borrow logic from SETI@home)

Devise system for porting applications
    password-protected web-based interface for
    uploading app versions and adding them to DB
    XXX should do this manually since need to sign

Add 2-D waterfall display to Astropulse

Deadline mechanism for results
    - use in result dispatching
    - use in file uploading (decide what to upload next)
    - use in deciding when to make scheduler RPC (done already?)

Testing framework
    better mechanisms to model server/client/communication failure
    better mechanisms to simulate large load
    do client/server on separate hosts?

CPU benchmarking
    review CPU benchmarks - do they do what we want?
    what to do when tests show hardware problem?
    How should we weight factors for credit?
    run CPU tests unobtrusively, periodically
    check that on/conn/active fracs are maintainted correctly
    check that bandwidth is measured correctly
    measure disk/mem size on all platforms
    get timezone to work

Redundancy checking and validation
    test the validation mechanism
    make sure credit is granted correctly
    make sure average, total credit maintained correctly for user, host

Scheduler
    Should dispatch results based on deadline?
    test that scheduler estimates WU completion time correctly
    test that scheduler sends right amount of work
    test that client estimates remaining work correctly,
        requests correct # of seconds
    test that hi/low water mark system works
    test that scheduler sends only feasible WUs

Scheduler RPC
    formalize notion of "permanent failure" (e.g. can't download file)
    report perm failures to scheduler, record in DB
    make sure RPC backoff is done for any perm failure
        (in general, should never make back-to-back RPCs to a project)
    make sure that client eventually reloads master URL

Application graphics
    finish design, implementation, doc, testing
        size, frame rate, whether to generate
    
Work generation
    generation of upload signature is very slow

Add batch features to ops web

The Windows installer sometimes leave boinc.# files in the BOINC
directory.  This is likely due to the installer not being able to
delete the old boinc.dll file

If a client connects to the scheduling server using default prefs,
use the stored user prefs for determining how much work to send

get preferences works, but is slightly confusing - you have to go to
projects, right click on "get preferences", and then exit/restart boinc
before I get to see my new pretty underwater colors.

"suspend" seems to suspend, but after restart the CPU time jumped up
by a significant amount.  This is because Windows 9x uses GetTickCount
for CPU time.

"Retry transfers now" feature, especially for dialup users

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LONG-TERM IDEAS AND PROJECTS
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CPU benchmarking
    This should be done by a pseudo-application
    rather than by the core client.
    This would eliminate the GUI-starvation problem,
    and would make it possible to have architecture-specific
    benchmarking programs (e.g. for graphics coprocessor)
    or project-specific programs.

investigate binary diff mechanism for updating persistent files

verify support for > 4 GB files everywhere

Local scheduling
    more intelligent decision about when/what to work on
    - monitor VM situation, run small-footprint programs
        even if user active
    - monitor network usage, do net xfers if network idle
        even if user active

The following would require client to accept connections:
    - clients can act as proxy scheduling server
    - exiting client can pass work to another client
    - client can transfer files to other clients

User/host "reputation"
    keep track of % results bad, %results claimed > 2x granted credit
    both per-host and per-user.
    Make these visible to project, to that user (only)

Storage validation
    periodic rehash of persistent files;
    compare results between hosts

WU/result sequence mechanism
    design/implement/document

Multiple application files
    document, test

Versioning
    think through issues involved in:
    compatibility of core client and scheduling server
    compatibility of core client and data server
    compatibility of core client and app version
    compatibility of core client and client state file?
    Need version numbers for protocols/interfaces?
    What messages to show user?  Project?

Persistent files
    test
    design/implement test reporting, retrieval mechanisms
    (do this using WU/results with null application?)

NET_XFER_SET
    review logic; prevent one stream for starving others