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svn path=/trunk/boinc/; revision=14432
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David Anderson 2007-12-21 18:02:14 +00:00
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68
doc/dg.php
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require_once("../html/inc/page_translate.inc");
find_translation("dg.html");
require_once("docutil.php");
Header("Location: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/wiki/VirtualCampusSupercomputerCenter");
page_head("Grid computing with BOINC");
echo "
<h2>Grid versus volunteer computing</h2>
<p>
<b>Grid computing</b>
is a form of distributed computing in which
an organization (such as a business)
uses its existing computers to handle its own
long-running computational tasks.
This differs from volunteer computing in several ways:
<ul>
<li> The computing resources can be trusted;
i.e. one can assume that the PCs don't return results that are
wrong either intentionally or due to hardware malfunction,
and that they don't falsify credit.
Hence there is typically no need for redundant computing.
<li> There is no need for screensaver graphics;
in fact it may be desirable to have the computation
be completely invisible and out of the control of the PC user.
<li> Client deployment is typically automated.
</ul>
<h2>BOINC as a grid computing platform</h2>
<p>
Although it was originally designed for volunteer computing,
BOINC works very well for grid computing.
The steps in creating a grid are:
<ul>
<li>
<a href=trac/wiki/CreateProjectOutline>Set up a BOINC server</a>,
develop or port applications, and test them.
Set <a href=trac/wiki/JobIn>workunit parameters</a> to disable redundancy.
<li>
Create an account with the <a href=trac/wiki/GlobalPrefs>general preferences</a>
that you want enforced on your desktop grid.
<li>
<a href=trac/wiki/ProjectOptions>Configure your project</a>
to disable account creation.
<li>
<a href=trac/wiki/WinDeploy>Create a custom installer</a>
that includes the desired
<a href=trac/wiki/UnixClient>configuration files</a>.
Typically, this would include an account file
that would attach each client to the account on your project.
You might also want to include files that allow
clients to be remotely monitored and controlled.
<li>
Deploy your installer; on Windows networks
this can be done using <a href=trac/wiki/WinDeploy>Active Directories</a>.
</ul>
<p>
To ensure that outside hosts can't participate in your project
or access its files,
configure your firewall to prevent HTTP access to your BOINC server.
<p>
For more information on grid computing using BOINC,
and some useful pre-compiled software, visit
<a href=http://desktopgrid.hu/>Desktopgrid.hu</a>.
";
page_tail(true);
?>

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doc/mac_advanced.php
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<?php
require_once("docutil.php");
page_head("Standard Mac GUI installation");
echo "
<ul>
<li> If your browser has not already done so,
expand the zip archive by double-clicking on it in the Finder.
<li> Double-click on the <b>BOINC Installer</b> application to run the installer,
then follow the prompts.
<li> Close the installer when it is finished.
This will automatically launch the BOINC Manager.
<li> If you want BOINC to be your screen saver,
open <b>System Preferences</b> from the Apple menu.
Select <b>Desktop & Screen Saver</b> and select <b>BOINCSaver</b>.
<p>
<li> The installer does the following:
<ul>
<li> places BOINCManager.app in your <b>/Applications/</b> folder, with the BOINC client embedded inside the BOINCManager application's bundle.
<li> puts BOINCSaver.saver in your <b>/Library/Screen Savers/</b> folder.
<li> creates a <b>BOINC Data/</b> folder inside your
<b>/Library/Applications Support/</b> folder if one does not already exist. If you have previously been running BOINC in a different folder, copy your data into this folder.
<li> puts BOINC's localization files in the <b>/Library/Applications Support/BOINC Data/locale/</b> folder. These files allow BOINC to support over two dozen languages.
<li> sets BOINCManager as one of the items to automatically start whenever the user is logged in. You can add or remove <b>Login Items</b> by using the <b>Accounts</b> pane in the <b>System Preferences</b> (accessible from the Apple menu). (These are called <b>Startup Items</b> if you are running OS 10.3.)
</ul>
<p>
<li> To completely remove (<b>uninstall</b>) BOINC from your Macintosh:
<ul>
<li> Move the following files to the trash:
<ul>
<li> <b>BOINCManager.app</b> (from your <b>/Applications/</b> folder)
<li> <b>BOINCSaver.saver</b> (from your <b>/Library/Screen Savers/</b> folder)
<li> the <b>BOINC Data/</b> folder (from your<b>/Library/Applications Support/</b> folder.)
<li> <b>[username]/Library/Preferences/BOINC Manager Preferences</b>)
</ul>
<li> Open the <b>Accounts</b> pane in the <b>System Preferences</b> (accessible from the Apple menu), and remove BOINCManager from your list of <b>Login Items</b> (or <b>Startup Items</b> under OS 10.3.)
<li> Open <b>System Preferences</b> from the Apple menu. Select <b>Desktop & Screen Saver</b> and select a different screen saver.
</ul>
</ul>
<p>
Several <a href=mac_admin_tools.php>tools</a> for Macintosh system administrators are available to:
<ul>
<li> automatically run BOINC as a daemon or system service at boot time
<li> implement improved security for stand-alone clients
<li> prevent BOINC Manager from launching automatically when selected users log in.
</ul>
";
page_tail();
?>

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doc/sea.php
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<?php
require_once("docutil.php");
page_head("Installing a self-extracting archive (Unix/Linux)");
echo "
BOINC for Unix/Linux is available as a self-extracting archive.
The download files have names like
<pre>
boinc_5.2.13_i686-pc-linux-gnu.sh
</pre>
This type of installation
requires that you be familiar with the
UNIX command-line interface.
<p>
After downloading the file (say, into
<code>boinc_5.2.13_i686-pc-linux-gnu.sh</code>), type
<pre>
sh boinc_5.2.13_i686-pc-linux-gnu.sh
</pre>
This will create a directory BOINC/
with the following files:
<dl>
<dt> boinc
<dd> The BOINC core client
<dt> boincmgr
<dd> The BOINC manager
<dt>
run_client
<dd> A script that cd's into the BOINC directory and runs the core client.
<dt>
run_manager
<dd> A script that cd's into the BOINC directory and runs the manager.
</dl>
<p>
The core client has a number of other
<a href=client_unix.php>command-line options</a>.
<p>
You may want to
<a href=auto_start.php>automatically start the core client</a>
at boot time.
<p>
To control a running BOINC client, use the
<a href=boinc_cmd.php>BOINC command tool</a>.
";
page_tail();
?>

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doc/volunteer.php
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require_once('../html/inc/page_translate.inc');
find_translation("volunteer.html");
require_once('docutil.php');
page_head('Volunteer computing');
echo "
<h2>What is volunteer computing?</h2>
<p>
<b>Volunteer computing</b> is an arrangement in which people (<b>volunteers</b>)
provide computing resources to <b>projects</b>,
which use the resources to do distributed computing and/or storage.
<ul>
<li>
Volunteers are typically members of the general public
who own Internet-connected PCs.
Organizations such as schools and businesses
may also volunteer the use of their computers.
<li>
Projects are typically academic (university-based)
and do scientific research.
But there are exceptions; for example, GIMPS and distributed.net
(two major projects) are not academic.
</ul>
<p>
Several aspects of the project/volunteer relationship are worth noting:
<ul>
<li>
Volunteers are effectively anonymous;
although they may be required to register
and supply email address or other information,
there is no way for a project to link them to a real-world identity.
<li>
Because of their anonymity, volunteers are not <b>accountable</b> to projects.
If a volunteer misbehaves in some way
(for example, by intentionally returning incorrect computational results)
the project cannot prosecute or discipline the volunteer.
<li>
Volunteers must <b>trust</b> projects in several ways:
1) the volunteer trusts the project to
provide applications that don't damage their computer
or invade their privacy;
2) the volunteer trusts that the project is truthful about
what work is being done by its applications,
and how the resulting intellectual property will be used;
3) the volunteer trusts the project to follow proper security practices,
so that hackers cannot use the project as a vehicle for malicious activities.
</ul>
<p>
The first volunteer computing project was GIMPS
(Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search), which started in 1995.
Other early projects include distributed.net, SETI@home, and Folding@home.
Today there are at least 50 active projects.
<h2>Why is volunteer computing important?</h2>
<p>
It's important for several reasons:
<ul>
<li>
Because of the huge number of PCs in the world,
volunteer computing can (and does) supply more computing power to science
than does any other type of computing.
This computing power enables scientific research that
could not be done otherwise.
<p>
This advantage will increase over time,
because the laws of economics dictate that consumer electronics
(PCs and game consoles)
will advance faster than more specialized products,
and that there will simply be more of them.
<li>
Volunteer computing power can't be bought; it must be earned.
A research project that has limited funding but large public appeal
(such as SETI@home) can get huge computing power.
In contrast, traditional supercomputers are extremely expensive,
and are available only for applications that can afford them
(for example, nuclear weapon design and espionage).
<li>
Volunteer computing encourages public interest in science,
and provides the public with voice in determining the
directions of scientific research.
</ul>
<h2>How does it compare to 'Grid computing'?</h2>
<p>
It depends on how you define 'Grid computing'.
The term generally refers to the sharing of computing resources
within and between organizations, with the following properties:
<ul>
<li> Each organization can act as either producer or consumer of resources
(hence the anology with the electrical power grid,
in which electric companies can buy and sell power to/from
other companies, according to fluctuating demand).
<li> The organizations are mutually accountable.
If one organization misbehaves, the others can respond
by suing them or refusing to share resources with them.
</ul>
<p>
This is different from volunteer computing.
'Desktop grid' computing - which uses desktop PCs within an organization -
is superficially similar to volunteer computing,
but because it has accountability and lacks anonymity,
it is significantly different.
<p>
If your definition of 'Grid computing' encompasses all distributed computing
(which is silly - there's already a perfectly good term for that)
then volunteer computing is a type of Grid computing.
<p>
For more information about Grid computing,
visit CERN's <a href=http://gridcafe.web.cern.ch/gridcafe/>Grid Caf&#233;</a>.
<h2>Is it the same as 'peer-to-peer computing'?</h2>
<p>
No.
'Peer-to-peer computing' describes systems such as
Napster, Gnutella, and Freenet,
in which files and other data are exchanged between 'peers' (i.e. PCs)
without the involvement of a central server.
This differs in several ways from volunteer computing:
<ul>
<li> Volunteer computing uses central servers.
There is typically no peer-to-peer communication.
<li> Peer-to-peer computing benefits the participants
(i.e. the people sharing files).
There's no notion of a 'project' to which resources are donated.
<li> Peer-to-peer computing actually involves storage and retrieval,
not computing<sup>1</sup>.
</ul>
<hr>
<sup>1</sup> An exception: <a href=http://gpu.sourceforge.net/>GPU</a>
(Global Processing Unit) is a Gnutella client that allows users
to share CPU resources.
";
page_tail(true);
Header("Location: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/wiki/VolunteerComputing");
?>

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doc/win_install.php
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<?php
require_once("docutil.php");
page_head("BOINC Windows installer");
echo "
BOINC can be installed in any of several modes:
<ul>
<li>
<h3>Single-user installation</h3>
<p>
This is the recommended mode.
BOINC will run while you (the installing user) are logged in.
<p>
BOINC is listed in the Start menu of the installing user,
but not other users.
<p>
The 'Show graphics' command in the BOINC manager
works only for the installing user.
The BOINC screensaver only shows application
graphics only for the installing user
(other users can run the screensaver but will see textual information only).
<li>
<h3>Shared installation</h3>
<p>
BOINC runs whenever any user is logged in.
<p>
BOINC is listed in the Start menu of all users.
<p>
While BOINC is running, it runs as a particular user
(either the first user to log in, or the first to run BOINC).
The 'Show graphics' command in the BOINC manager
works only for this user.
The BOINC screensaver shows application graphics only for this user
(other users can run the screensaver but will see textual information only).
<li>
<h3>Service installation</h3>
<p>
BOINC runs all the time (even when no one is logged in).
<p>
BOINC is listed in the Start menu of the installing user,
but not other users.
<p>
The 'Show graphics' command in the BOINC manager will not work for any user.
The BOINC screensaver will only show textual information.
</ul>
The Windows BOINC client can be
<a href=win_deploy.php>deployed across a Windows network
using Active Directory</a>.
<p>
if BOINC applications are repeatedly crashing on your computer,
it's possibly that you need to
<a href=directx.php>upgrade to the latest version of DirectX</a>.
<hr>
<h2>Technical details</h2>
<p>
BOINC's Windows installer installs several programs:
<ul>
<li> <b>core client</b>: the program that manages file transfers
and execution of applications.
<li> <b>manager</b>: the GUI to the core client.
<li> <b>screensaver</b>: a program that runs when the machine is idle.
Typically it sends a message to the core client,
telling it to do screensaver graphics.
</ul>
<h3>Single-user installation</h3>
<p>
Say the install is done by user X.
The manager runs automatically when X logs in.
The manager starts up the core client.
The core client it runs as a regular process, not a service.
If the manager crashes the core client continues to run.
The user can re-run the manager.
When the user logs out, the manager, the core client,
and any running applications exit.
<p>
Files (in the BOINC directory) are owned by user X.
<p>
Detection of mouse/keyboard is done by the manager.
<p>
The screensaver works as it currently does,
except that we'll pass window-station/desktop info
so that the password-protected screensaver mechanism will work.
<p>
Other users can't run the BOINC manager.
<h3>Shared installation</h3>
<p>
Processes run as whoever is logged in.
If someone logs in while BOINC is already running,
it will not start a new instance of BOINC.
<h3>Service installation</h3>
<p>
The core client runs as a service, started at boot time.
On Windows 2003 and greater is runs under the 'network service' account.
Otherwise it runs as the installing user.
<p>
The manager checks mouse/keyboard input
and conveys idle state to the core client.
Only the installing user can run the BOINC manager.
Files are accessible only to the installing user.
";
page_tail();
?>