Macintosh GridRepublic Desktop Version <VER_NUM> Release Notes

http://gridrepublic.org

Installing GridRepublic Desktop may take several minutes; please be patient.

Dual GPU Macbook Pros: Some newer Macbook Pros have dual graphics processors, one that is more powerful and another that is more energy-efficient, and they switch between them automatically.  This can cause your screensaver to flash on and off frequently, and can prevent GridRepublic Desktop from detecting the more powerful GPU which is needed to process some applications.  You can force selection either permanently or temporarily using a third-party utility. But be aware that forcing the use of the NVIDIA GPU may cause faster battery drain; this of course is not an issue when running on AC power.

If you are upgrading from a version earlier than 6.8.0, you may see a message "Failed to convert file GridRepublic Desktop Preferences to Unicode."  This is due to our addition of full Unicode support to the GridRepublic Desktop.  If you get this message, you may need to readjust your column widths and other GridRepublic Desktop view options, but no other problems will result.  When  you quit GridRepublic Desktop, these settings will be saved in the new Unicode format.

Due to new restrictions imposed by OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, there has been a change in GridRepublic Desktop's security implementation.  Non-administrative users can no longer run GridRepublic Desktop unless they are added to group boinc_master.  As of GridRepublic Desktop 6.8.29, the GridRepublic Desktop installer asks whether or not you wish to allow this.

For more options, please see the BOINC Macintosh administrator tools at:
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Tools_for_Mac_OS_X

GridRepublic Desktop on the Mac now supports processing with your graphics card, or GPU.  Please see http://boinc.berkeley.edu/gpu.php for more information.   If you have a CUDA-capable NVIDIA GPU, you will need to download and install the CUDA driver and libraries for your system from http://www.nvidia.com/object/mac-driver-archive.html.

Starting with version 5.5.4, this software 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.  GridRepublic Desktop requires Macintosh OS X version 10.3.9 or greater.  

Upgrade warning: You may lose unreported results if you are running on an Intel Mac and upgrading from a version of GridRepublic or BOINC earlier than 5.3.21 on an Intel Mac, or if you are transferring GridRepublic or BOINC Data from a PowerPC Mac to an Intel Mac, or from an Intel Mac to a PowerPC Mac.  To prevent this, open GridRepublic Desktop'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 GridRepublic as your screen saver: This installer adds the GridRepublic screen saver to your system, and optionally changes your screen saver settings to use the GridRepublic screen saver.  You can also select GridRepublic as your screen saver later, using 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 GridRepublic 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 GridRepublic Desktop 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 GridRepublic projects' access to your  system and data.  

If you experience problems with this software, you can re-install a version of GridRepublic or 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 GridRepublic Desktop and Client, which allows them to write to the shared BOINC Data regardless of which user is logged in.  If you copy GridRepublic Desktop or the GridRepublic core client without using the installer, it will not run properly.  

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

GridRepublic verifies that ownership and permissions are set properly each time it is launched.  It will tell you to re-install GridRepublic 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 GridRepublic Desktop for the Macintosh, the GridRepublic 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 GridRepublic or 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 GridRepublic files.  Non-admin users are denied direct access to these files (except through GridRepublic Desktop), protecting GridRepublic and its projects files.  This is particularly useful where many people have access to the computer, as in a school computer lab.

GridRepublic 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 GridRepublic Desktop also blocks non-admin users' access to certain functions, such as Attach, Detach, Reset Project.  GridRepublic 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/trac/wiki/SandboxUser and http://boinc.berkeley.edu/sandbox.php

As of Version 5.5.4, the installer now sets GridRepublic Desktop 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:

Troubleshooting tip: If you are upgrading from a version of GridRepublic or BOINC prior to 5.5.4 and the installer refuses to let you install, trash the file /Library/Receipts/GridRepublic.pkg or /Library/Receipts/BOINC.pkg and try again.

The installer places two items onto your hard drive: GridRepublic Desktop.app in your /Applications folder and GridRepublic.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 GridRepublic or 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 (not copy) GridRepublic Desktop 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 GridRepublic screen saver should still work properly.  If it does not, move GridRepublic Desktop back to the /Applications folder.

To completely remove (uninstall) GridRepublic Desktop from your Macintosh, run the Uninstall GridRepublic application which is included with the installer.