mirror of https://github.com/BOINC/boinc.git
137 lines
5.0 KiB
PHP
137 lines
5.0 KiB
PHP
<?php
|
|
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 Café</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();
|
|
?>
|