BOINC client software testing

Because of the diversity of computer hardware and software, we rely on volunteers to test the BOINC client software. We call this the Alpha test project, though it's actually more like beta/release testing.

Becoming an Alpha tester

The BOINC testing program helps us find and fix bugs in the BOINC software before we release it to the public. Testing is vital to the success of BOINC. We ask that testers:

spend about 1 hour per month doing testing;
run experimental versions of BOINC that may crash or cause jobs to fail.
assist in troubleshooting via phone or email if needed.

If you are OK with this and want to help test BOINC, send email to David Anderson, and we'll give you an account in the BOINC Alpha test project (this is a BOINC project but it never has jobs; don't attach your client to it).

Testers must subscribe to the boinc_alpha email list. (You don't need to be a tester to subscribe to this list).

When to test

Periodically (every few months, sometimes more) we'll send an announcement on the email list, asking alpha testers to download and test a specific new release of BOINC. Please try to report test results within a few days of receiving the email.

Installing test software

Download test software from the BOINC download page.

How to test

See the set of test cases. For each release, please do all the General tests, and as many of the other tests as your time and computer environment permit.

If you experienced problems with BOINC that are not covered by any of these tests, please post to the boinc_alpha email list.

The client software under test may have bugs that wipe out tasks in progress, so consider using a different data directory when you install the test software.

How to report test results

Report results through the web-based interface. You must log in to the BOINC Alpha project to report test results.

How to report bugs

In addition to reporting negative test results, we strongly encourage you to submit detailed bug reports.

If you're not sure whether something is a problem, post to the boinc_alpha@ssl.berkeley.edu email list.

If a problem persists across multiple releases, you can submit bug reports to Github BOINC Issues.

Resources

Windows users: if you have install/uninstall problems, you may need to use the Microsoft fix problems website, that allows you to remove troublesome installations.

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