Preferences override file

By default, global preferences and host venue are maintained on a project server, edited via a web interface, and downloaded from the server.

Some people may want to edit preferences locally, modify preferences on a single host, or hardwire the host venue. To accommodate these requirements, BOINC lets you create a 'preferences override file'. This file is read by the core client after it reads the preferences from the server, and it overrides those preferences.

The preferences override file is named global_prefs_override.xml. Its structure as follows:

<global_preferences>
    [ <host_venue>X</host_venue> ]
    <run_on_batteries/>
    <run_if_user_active/>
    <suspend_if_no_recent_input>%f</suspend_if_no_recent_input>
    <start_hour>%f</start_hour>
    <end_hour>%f</end_hour>
    <net_start_hour>%f</net_start_hour>
    <net_end_hour>%f</net_end_hour>
    <leave_apps_in_memory/>
    <confirm_before_connecting/>
    <hangup_if_dialed/>
    <dont_verify_images/>
    <work_buf_min_days>%f</work_buf_min_days>
    <work_buf_additional_days>%f</work_buf_additional_days>
    <max_cpus>%d</max_cpus>
    <cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>%f</cpu_scheduling_period_minutes>
    <disk_interval>%f</disk_interval>
    <disk_max_used_gb>%f</disk_max_used_gb>
    <disk_max_used_pct>%f</disk_max_used_pct>
    <disk_min_free_gb>%f</disk_min_free_gb>
    <vm_max_used_pct>%f</vm_max_used_pct>
    <ram_max_used_busy_pct>%f</ram_max_used_busy_pct>
    <ram_max_used_idle_pct>%f</ram_max_used_idle_pct>
    <idle_time_to_run>%f</idle_time_to_run>
    <max_bytes_sec_up>%f</max_bytes_sec_up>
    <max_bytes_sec_down>%f</max_bytes_sec_down>
    <cpu_usage_limit>%f</cpu_usage_limit>
    <day_prefs>
        <day_of_week>%d</day_of_week>
        <start_hour>%.02f</start_hour>
        <end_hour>%.02f</end_hour>
        <net_start_hour>%.02f</net_start_hour>
        <net_end_hour>%.02f</net_end_hour>
    </day_prefs>
</global_preferences>

If you write a program for editing preferences locally, you'll want to be able to tell a running core client to reread the preferences override file. You can do this using the read_global_prefs_override() GUI RPC, or run boinc_cmd with the --read_global_prefs_override option.

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