Macintosh BOINCManager Version <VER_NUM> Release Notes

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/

Starting with version 5.5.4, BOINC features new, stricter security measures.  See the Security section below for important information.

This is a universal binary which will run natively on both Intel and PowerPC Macs.  BOINCManager requires Macintosh OS X version 10.3 or greater.  

Upgrade warning: You may lose unreported results if you are running on an Intel Mac and upgrading from a version of BOINC earlier than 5.3.21 on an Intel Mac, or if you are transferring BOINC Data from a PowerPC Mac to an Intel Mac, or from an Intel Mac to a PowerPC Mac.  To prevent this, open BOINC Manager's window, select the Projects tab, select each project and  press the Update button.  Then select the Tasks tab and make sure there are no tasks "Ready to report."

Setting BOINC as your screen saver: Although this installer adds the BOINC screen saver to your system, it does not change your screen saver settings.  To select BOINC as your screen saver, use the Screen Saver or Screen Effects panel in the System Preferences (accessible from the Apple menu).  

It may take a minute after the screen saver starts before the science application graphics appear.  

Note: on some versions of the Mac OS, you may not be able to exit the BOINC screen saver by moving the mouse; you may need to press the mouse button or press any key on the keyboard to exit.  

Security:

Version 5.5.4 of BOINC Manager for the Macintosh features new, stricter security measures.  This additional security helps protect your computer data from potential theft or accidental or malicious damage by limiting BOINC projects' access to your  system and data.  

If you experience problems with this software, you can re-install a version of BOINC prior to  5.5.4; this will automatically revert ownership and permissions to the earlier  implementation.

Once we have tested this security implementation on the Mac, we plan to extend it to other computer platforms, including Linux and Windows.

The installer sets special permission for the BOINCManager and Client, which allows them to write to the shared BOINC Data regardless of which user is logged in.  If you copy BOINCManager or the BOINC core client without using the installer, it will not run properly.  

However, you can safely move the BOINC Manager within the same disk drive or partition.  If you need multiple copies, run the installer again after moving BOINC Manager; this will create a fresh copy in the /Applications folder.

BOINC verifies that ownership and permissions are set properly each time it is launched.  It will tell you to re-install BOINC if there is a problem.

The new safeguards use the basic security protections built into UNIX (the base underlying Mac OS X): permissions and ownership.

The administrator (usually the owner) of each computer creates one or more users who can log in, can create private files, and can share other files.  Some of these users are given administrative privileges, some may not have these privileges.

There are also groups, which have one or more users as members.  For example, users with administrative privileges are usually members of the "admin" group.

In addition to these "visible" users and groups, the operating system contains a number of "hidden" users and groups which are used for various purposes.  A person cannot log in as one of these "hidden" users.  

This structure of users and groups is used to provide security by restricting what data and operations each person or application can use.  For example, many files belong to user "system" (also called "root") and group "wheel" so that non-privileged users can't modify them, thus protecting the computer system from accidental or malicious harm.

Starting with version 5.5.4 of the BOINC Manager for the Macintosh, the BOINC installer creates 2 new "hidden" users boinc_master and boinc_project, and two new "hidden" groups, also named boinc_master and boinc_project (unless they were created by a previous installation of BOINC.)

The installer automatically gives administrators (users who are members of the "admin" group) membership in the two new groups, so that they can easily manipulate BOINC files.  Non-admin users are denied direct access to these files (except through BOINC Manager), protecting BOINC and its projects files.  This is particularly useful where many people have access to the computer, as in a school computer lab.

BOINC projects are given permission to access only project files, protecting your computer in the event someone downloads bad software from a bogus project, or in the unlikely case that a legitimate project's server is infiltrated by a cracker.

The BOINC Manager also blocks non-admin users' access to certain functions, such as Attach, Detach, Reset Project.  BOINC permits a non-admin user to override this restriction by entering an administrator user name and password.

For technical details of the implementation, please see 
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/sandbox.php

As of Version 5.5.4, the installer now sets BOINCManager as a Login item for all users, not just the user who ran the installer.  You can add or remove Login Items by using the Accounts Pane in the System Preferences (accessible from the Apple menu).  (These items are called "Login Items" in OS 10.4 or "Startup Items" in OS 10.3.)

Other useful information:

The installer places two items onto your hard drive: BOINCManager.app in your /Applications folder and BOINCSaver.saver in your /Library/Screen Savers folder.  

The installer creates the BOINC Data folder in your /Library/Application Support folder.  If you have previously been running BOINC in a different folder, copy your data into this folder.  

All users who log in on the same Macintosh will share one set of BOINC data, ensuring that work units are processed in the most timely manner.  

You can move BOINCManager to any folder you wish.  If you do so, you will need to update the information in each user's Login Items.  In most cases, the BOINC screen saver should still work properly.  If it does not, move BOINCManager back to the /Applications folder.

You can move (not copy) BOINCManager to any folder you wish on the same disk drive or partition.  If you do so, you will need to update the information in each user's Login Items.  In most cases, the BOINC screen saver should still work properly.  If it does not, move BOINCManager back to the Applications folder.

To completely remove (uninstall) BOINC from your Macintosh:
	• Move the following files to the trash:
	• BOINCManager.app (from your /Applications/ folder)
	• BOINCSaver.saver (from your /Library/Screen Savers/ folder)
	• the BOINC Data/ folder (from your /Library/Applications Support/ folder)
	• [username]/Library/Preferences/BOINC Manager Preferences
	• Open the Accounts pane in the System Preferences (accessible from the Apple menu), and remove BOINCManager from your list of Login Items (or Startup Items under OS 10.3.)
	• Open System Preferences from the Apple menu. Select Desktop & Screen Saver and select a different screen saver.