mirror of https://github.com/BOINC/boinc.git
117 lines
3.7 KiB
PHP
117 lines
3.7 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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<h2>How it works</h2>
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It's easy to participate in a BOINC project:
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<a href=download.php>download</a> and install BOINC.</b>
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You will be asked to enter the project's URL, your email address,
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and a password.
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That's it!
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<p>
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When you run BOINC on your PC, it does the following:
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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>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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<a name=software></a>
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<h2>How the software works</h3>
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<p>
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The BOINC client software looks and acts like a single program,
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but it's actually made up of several separate programs :
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<br>
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<center>
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<img src=client.png>
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</center>
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<br>
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<ul>
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<li> The <b>core client</b> (named boinc.exe on Windows) communicates
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with external servers to get and report work.
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It runs and controls applications.
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<li> <b>Applications</b> are the programs that do scientific computing.
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Several of them may run at the same time on a computer
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with more than one CPU.
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<li> The BOINC Manager, or <b>GUI</b>, (named boincmgr.exe on Windows)
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provides a graphical interface that lets you control the core client -
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for example, by telling it to suspend and resume applications.
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The GUI communicates with the core client by a TCP connection.
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Normally this is a local connection;
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however, it's possible to control a core client remotely.
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<li> The <b>screensaver</b> runs when you're away from the computer.
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It communicates with the core client by local TCP,
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instructing it to tell one of the applications to generate
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screensaver graphics.
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</ul>
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";
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page_tail();
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?>
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