mirror of https://github.com/BOINC/boinc.git
98 lines
3.2 KiB
PHP
98 lines
3.2 KiB
PHP
<?php
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require_once("docutil.php");
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page_head("Getting started");
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echo "
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It's easy to participate in a BOINC project.
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<ul>
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<li> <b>Create an account.</b>
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Go to the project's web site, click on <b>Create Account</b>,
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and fill out the form.
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You will receive an email containing
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your <b>account ID</b> (a long random string).
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Save this email.
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<li> <b>Download and install BOINC.</b>
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Download BOINC for your type of computer,
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install it, and run it.
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You will be asked to enter the project's URL and your account ID.
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</ul>
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That's it!
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<p>
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<h2>How it works</h2>
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When you run BOINC on your PC,
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it works as follows (see below):
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<br>
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<center>
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<img hspace=10 vspace=8 src=http://boinc.berkeley.edu/comm_simple.png>
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</center>
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<br>
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<ol>
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<li> Your PC gets a set of instructions from the project's
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<b>scheduling server</b>.
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The instructions depend on your PC: for example,
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the server won't give it work that requires more RAM than you have.
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The instructions may include many multiple pieces of work.
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Projects can support several <b>applications</b>,
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and the server may send you work from any of them.
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<li>
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Your PC downloads executable and input files
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from the project's <b>data server</b>.
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If the project releases new versions of its applications,
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the executable files are downloaded automatically to your PC.
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<li> Your PC runs the application programs, producing output files.
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<li> Your PC uploads the output files to the data server.
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<li>
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Later (up to several days later, depending on your
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<a href=prefs.php>work buffer preferences</a>)
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your PC reports the completed results to the scheduling server,
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and gets instructions for more work.
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</ol>
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This cycle is repeated indefinitely.
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BOINC does this all automatically; you don't have to do anything.
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<a name=credit></a>
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<h2>Credit</h2>
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The project's server keeps track of how much work
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your computer has done; this is called <b>credit</b>.
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To ensure that credit is granted fairly,
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most BOINC projects work as follows:
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<ul>
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<li> Each work unit may be sent to several computers.
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<li> When a computer reports a result,
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it claims a certain amount of credit,
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based on how much CPU time was used.
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<li> When at least two results have been returned,
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the server compares them.
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If the results agree, then users are granted
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the smaller of the claimed credits.
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</ul>
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<br>
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<center>
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<img src=http://boinc.berkeley.edu/credit.png>
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</center>
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<br>
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Please keep in mind:
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<ul>
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<li>
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There may be a delay of several days between
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when your computer reports a result
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and when it is granted credit for the result.
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Your User page shows you how much credit is 'pending'
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(claimed but not granted).
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<li>
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The credit-granting process starts when your computer reports
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a result to the server
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(not when it finishes computing the result
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or uploading the output files).
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<li>
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In rare cases (e.g. if errors occur on one or more computers)
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you may never receive credit for a computation.
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</ul>
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";
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page_tail();
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?>
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