boinc/TODO

HIGH-PRIORITY (must be done to support SETI@home)

- File retry policies (Eric?)
    can't download file: when to give up? how to retry?
        exponential backoff
    can't upload file: when to give up/retry?

- scheduler RPC retry
    can't connect to sched server
    error return from sched server
    Done - David

- make scheduling server use fast CGI
    Done - Michael

- proxy support
    HTTP, Socks
    Look at other open source code

- team system (Barry)
    in PHP
    In progress - Barry

- credit display (Barry)
    in PHP
    In progress - Barry

- CPU accounting in the presence of checkpoint/restart (Michael)
    core client periodically gets CPU time, accumulates in state file
    In progress - Michael

- test versioning mechanisms for core
    Idea: need to notify user if core becomes out of date.
    Send messages if either
    1) some WU couldn't be sent because core is too old
    2) no WUs could be sent because core is too old

- Think about issues in update core client
    What if state file is incompatible?
    What if app versions are incompatible?

- test reporting of app errors

- complete client side and test hi/lo water mark scheme (Michael)
    - initialize rsc_fpops and rsc_iops in client WORKUNIT 
    - check server sends correct number of work units
    - check client requests correct number of seconds of work
    In progress - Michael

- measure hardware parameters: CPU speed, #CPUs, memory, disk
    - define CPU benchmarks
    - do this for other platforms
    - Get info periodically rather than always at startup

- implement graphics system
    Basic idea: core client passes prefs to app,
        recommended size and frame rate, etc.
    - X11 version
    - Win32-based version
    - Mac OS X version

- GUI and screensaver around core client
    design default (core client) display
    screensaver options
        move around screen?
    system tray icon behavior

- get idle-only behavior without screensaver
    Windows
    UNIX

- sched server should return total credit info (user, team?)
    could display in default core client display

- edit user account

- more robust XML parsing functions
--------------------------
MEDIUM-PRIORITY (must be done for CM)

- review and complete documentation (see end of TODO list)

- test sticky files

- test multiple-file applications
    change add.C to support multi-file applications

- implement WU/result sequences

- decide on action when speed_tests detect a calculation inconsistency

- write functions to determine amount of disk space currently used by BOINC

- implement user specified disk space limits, including actions to perform
  when space limit is hit

- Implement functionality to write client_state file (and other files?) no more than every X seconds

--------------------------
LOW-PRIORITY

- implement checkpoint/restart for file transfers
    use features of HTTP 1.1
    Return an error to server if transfer fails
    (store in DB in server)

- implement and test the batch mechanism

- test environment-var mechanism

- test alpha/beta/prod for apps

- test on a multiprocessor

- define logging system on client

- server-side estimates of WU time requirements
    - DB entry for WU has int/FP/RAM/disk/net

- server sends only feasible WUs
    - limit by RAM, disk
    - test

- implement file upload/download requests
    This can be done in the current WU/result paradigm;
    WU has a special "null" application
    use sticky input files to download;
    use upload-when-done output files to upload

- preferences
    finish PHP web interface
    specific preferences:
        disk usage
            % of free space?
            all except X GB?
            X GB?
        minimum checkpoint interval
        max bytes upload/download per day
            implement in client
        hours/days to communicate/compute
            implement in client
        control over priorities?
    
- define a notion of "app preferences": arbitrary XML edited on server,
    passed to app client.
    This could be used to e.g. select a color scheme for graphics
    Could pass entire prefs?

- NET_XFER_SET:: do_select: prevent one stream from starving others

- add the ability to store input data directly in WU,
    and output directly in result (blob).
    For projects with small data.

- add a handler for SIGTERM that calls exit_tasks and makes sure state files
    are written. 

--------------------------
DONE (may need test)  Please document these!

- Code-signing
    To be tested - David

- Upload authentication (David)
    Each result contains a "certificate", signed with project key, giving
        - list of: file name, max size
        - min, max times to xfer
    modify put program to decrypt certificate, enforce name/size/time limits
    To be tested - David

- make scheduling server use fast CGI
    To be tested - Michael

- Test HTTP redirect mechanism for all types of operations (POST, GET, HEAD, etc)

- mechanism for returning app stderr output to server? store in blob?

- add size to FILE_INFO
    server, client sides

- measure bandwidth on each network xfer
    maintain exponential average, weighted by #bytes xferred

- make scheduling server work with fast cgi

- high and low water marks implemented

- Think about making the set of scheduling servers dynamic
    one approach: allow "redirect" reply from server
        (requires old address to still work)
    second approach: "master URL"
        returns a file with list of scheduler address
        and email address of "problems" contact

- core client / app trigger file interface
    core->app
        init:
            app preferences
            recommended graphics size
            recommended frame rate
            recommended checkpoint period
        dynamic:
            whether to do graphics
            exit
    app->core
        init:
            actual graphics size
        dynamic:
            % done
            I just checkpointed