- How do I use Boinc?
- How do I use Boinc part 2?
- How do I optimize projects?
- What program tools will I need?
- What is ... ?
- When is ... ?
How do I use Boinc
Getting started 101 Boinc and you By: Dan T. Morris (A.K.A.) Dr. Death
For some time now I have wished that someone would have written this for me. But after 5 years of a whole bunch of mistakes and some not mistakes, I think that the following should help you the new user on the Team get set up in many areas of optimizing your computers for projects. These optimizations’ will make your computer run better and get more computations done with the parts that you may put in or are thinking of putting in your computer..
So sit back and read this 1st. don’t get ahead of yourself and look this information over very carefully, as I will try and walk you through many different types of optimizations’.
Let’s start with getting your computer ready for this new adventure. In this exercise we will be using windows XP operating system 32 bit and 64 bit.
Go to the start menu of you computer and select it. Then open your settings then open the control panel area.
Now look at the top of the screen and you will see an icon called tools, select it then select the folder options. Now while there select the view folder, now look down this area and you will see a circle that will say show hidden files and folders. Select it then select ok.
Now close all of the windows that you have opened. What we have done now is to let you look at folders in the windows operating system that are normally not visible.
Now on to getting the right Boinc client for your operating system.
If your system is a 32 bit system then you need to download and get the 32 bit Boinc. Do the same for the 64 bit system.
Now one thing to know about going to the next step is that if you are using a 32 bit browser then when you go to the download site the site will see a 32 bit system and only give you that choice to download. So if you have a 64 bit system open the 64 bit browser and go to the site and the site will detect the 64 bit system and give you the right Boinc client.
Download the Boinc program into a download folder that you normally use from this location on your browser. http://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php
Getting started 101 Boinc and you Part II
Ok I will now assume that you have downloaded the correct Ver of Boinc for your computer operating system. Now let’s get started installing it and setting it up and running.
Go to the area on your computer that you have stored the down loaded Boinc file. Select the file and double click on the file to start it. Windows will now show that it is installing. You may get a prompt that asked if it is ok to run it, select ok then continue. You will now see a window the install shield that will ask you to go next or cancel then select next. Now it will ask you if you accept the license agreement. Select I except the terms and then select next. At this point the Boinc setup will bring you to the Boinc configuration menu. Please select the advanced button and select allow all users on this computer to control Boinc. Make sure that the rest of the boxes are not selected, and this is why I say this. If you choose the screen saver you will waste cpu and video cycles that could be used for processing your projects. If you choose the protected box it will cause you problems with windows Vista and Microsoft 7.
So the only box that should be selected is the allow all users on this computer to control boinc.
Now select the next button. The program will now ask you if you want to install, select install.
After a few moments it will ask you one or two things. One do you want to reboot or two do you want to run the program. If it asks you to reboot the computer please do so, but if it gives you the choice to have a select box to run Boinc at this time please check the box and select finish.
If you have never ran boinc before on a project or set up an account on one of the projects, you will need to select a project to have Boinc work on.
Upon the reboot and or the start on the new Boinc client you will see a box come up asking what project to select. Let’s use the Milkyway project (my favorite) for this exercise.
In the menu box for the projects you will see that you can scroll down and see the projects. Select Milkyway project. At this point the program will communicate with the project and then it will ask you to set up a new or existing account info. Fill in the info for the new account. Now the program will communicate with the project to give you an account.
At this point you will want to look at the Boinc manager and in the bottom right hand of the menu you need to select advanced. From this advance box you can do many more things.
At this time we will need to go to the project that you have set up and look at your new account that you have just made on Boinc Milkyway project.
Now look at your computer with the advanced menu, you will see that it has downloaded some work from the project. If every thing is ok you will see that it is counting down the % of work done and the estimated time for the file to complete.
Now let’s go to the project site and find your account. Select the location here and put it in your browser. http://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/
You are now I hope at the home page of the project.
Now look to the left side on the home page for the project and you will see a menu icon that says your account. Select the icon your account icon then it will ask you for your email and password fill in the correct information then continue.
At this point you are now in your account.
Now that you are there you need to join the seti.usa team.
Look to the right hand top of the screen and you will find a icon that says Member of team. Select that one and it will take you to the find team page.
At this point place the words SETI.USA in the search for team box. This will find the team and then you will need to select the team and select Join.
After that has been done, I would like to welcome you to the team and come back to the area were you have read this and continue to see what’s next in the journey to understanding Boinc as a new person to distributed Computing and to the Team SETI.USA.
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How do I use Boinc part 2
By: Rob (A.K.A) Teratoma
Unofficial BOINC Quick Start Guide
By this time you have installed BOINC and have successfully attached to one or more projects. You are probably asking yourself “Now what?”
Primarily, there are 3 ways to interact with and track your progress.
- The BOINC Manager
- The Project Web Site
- Stats Web Sites
The BOINC Manager is the best way to see what is happening on your computer right now. We suggest that you use the Advanced view when running the BOINC Manager. This will provide you with 6 tabs (or views) to select from.
- Projects – This will list all of the projects that your computer is currently attached to and what state it is in.
- Tasks – This will list all of the tasks your computer has downloaded and what their current state is.
- Transfers – This will list any files or tasks that are in the process of being uploaded or downloaded
- Messages – This shows a log of all the recent activity.
- Statistics – This will show some nice graphs for your account or this computer for one or all of the projects the computer is attached to.
- Disk – This will show how much of your Hard Drive each project is currently using.
We will only be discussing Projects, Tasks, & Statistics, but if you would like to learn more about the BOINC Manager we suggest you start with the online web resources on the BOINC web site at http://boinc.berkeley.edu/links.php#info.
Some projects also offer animated graphics that show the work as it is being done. You can even set this as your screensaver, but we do not recommend this as it will slow down your computer lengthening the time it takes to complete your work.
Projects View
This view will list each project that your computer is attached to. Among other things it will tell you how much credit you have been granted (Work Done, also referred to as Total Credit or TC) and the Average Work Done (more commonly referred to as Recent Average Credit or RAC). The amounts shown will update each time the BOINC Manager contacts the project, so it is possible that this information may be hours or days old depending on your preferences.
Work Done or Total Credit is what you have been awarded for successful, valid results returned to the project. Each unit of credit is often called a cobblestone (CS) or just stone for short.
Average Work Done or RAC is the average amount of credit awarded to you per day. The actual calculation is quite complicated. You can read more about it here.
There is also a set of buttons to the left called Commands. With these you can control the status of each project. Below the commands are buttons that link to the web site(s) for the selected project.
Tasks View
Here is where you can see the progress and status of each task (work unit or WU) that you have downloaded. The information listed is pretty much self explanatory. In addition to seeing what is happening, you have the ability to control each task individually using the command buttons just like the projects. The BOINC Manager does a good job of getting the work done so there is not much need for these buttons. It is a good idea to check the status occasionally to make sure any one particular task is not taking longer than anticipated. This could cause other work units to be completed late, which could mean that you would not get credit for it.
Statistics View
Basically this will draw a graph of the last 30 days. You can select from Total Credit or Average credit for your account or for the computer (host). You also have the option to show the projects individually, graph them all at once, or select just a few.
As you can see here, this computer is connected to 32 projects but only 14 are graphed. The projects in italics on the right are not being shown to make the graph more legible.
Graphics
A few project offer graphics to represent the work being done. In the Tasks View, one of the command buttons is Show Graphics. It will be grayed out if the selected task does not support graphics. Here are some examples of project graphics.
Einstein@Home Rosetta@Home
SETI@Home
As stated, these can be used as your screensaver. However, the graphics will require additional CPU and Memory resources and will cause you work units to take longer to complete. For this reason we do not recommend using BOINC as your screensaver.
Each Project maintains its own web site and will keep track of all of its work. You have probably already been to at least one site when you first setup your account. There is a standard template that most projects use to create their site, but due to different versions and customizations we cannot give exact references to specific links. In general, each site should have these areas and links.
- News
- About
- Returning Participants
- Community
- Project totals and leader boards (or Statistics)
The News section is just that, News. Any important information about the Science of the Project or the Status of the Project would normally be posted here. Often times these messages a brief and further details can be found in the Message Boards. Every Project is operated independently so the information provided will vary greatly.
In the About section there will be several links to information about the project or perhaps BOINC in general. Once again, the information here will vary…some projects (like Rosetta@Home) provide in depth details about the Science of the project, while others will have simple FAQs (Frequently Asked Question).
The Returning Participants section is where you will find a link to your Account, perhaps the most important link on the page. In addition, there may be links to Teams, Applications, and other areas. Primarily the link to your Account will be the one you use the most often. Here you will see how much credit you have been granted or how much is pending, and what your Recent Average Credit (RAC) is. You can also view all of the computers attached to the project and how much work each has done or is in process of completing. This is also where you can set your preferences for your computers, your account, or for the message board. There will also be links to some of the more popular Stats Web Sites which will be discussed later.
Community is for, well…the community. One, in case you have not realized, that you are now a part of. The primary link in this section will be for the Message Boards, a place for the Volunteers (you) to interact with the Project Administrators, the Project Scientists, and other Volunteers. There are sections to discuss the Science, report (or discover) issues, get help, or to discuss just about anything. Some Project Message Boards provide more information about the project than others and can be a great place to really learn about the Project or the Science.
The Project totals and leader boards section (sometimes called Statistics) is where you get to see how you, your team, or your computer(s) are performing in comparison to others. Since we are all volunteers and do not get compensated (outside of credit and the general good feeling of contributing), comparison and competition adds a great deal of incentive and can be very addicting. Many in the community have upgraded or purchased computers simply to run projects. Why? Bragging rights. So they can be the best. Some projects even hold special races for teams to compete in. And when there are no races, many teams challenge each other or hold races just for their own members. Some of the community may have no interest in this, but the fact is that the desire for competition generates more science in the end. Despite how some may feel about credit and competition, it has and always will play an important part of Distributed Computing.
There several Web Sites dedicated to tracking user and team statistics for Distributed Computing (both BOINC and non-BOINC). Once you start to participate in more than one project, these sites will calculate you combined Totals and RAC. You can see how you match up to others. Some sites will estimate how long it will take for you to pass the person (or team) in front of you or how long before you are passed. There are all great resources used to track your progress. A few of these sites offer you the opportunity to create an account and allow you to customize your experience or create stats boxes to be used in your message board signatures. Some also have message boards and FAQ sections to help you out.
Here are a few of our favorites….
BOINCstats by Willy de Zutter
Free-DC Includes non-BOINC projects and completed projects.
Team Starfire World BOINC Stats 'N Stones
Formula BOINC (Team ranking based on position within projects, as in Formula 1 racing, rather than total points)
BOINC Statistics for the WORLD! developed by Zain Upton (email: zain.upton at boincsynergy.com)
BOINC Combined Statistics developed by James Drews
DC-Vault Include non-BOINC projects
The Knights Who Say 'Ni' stats
Take some time to get familiar with these sites and all of the other information here and then visit our message boards and post any questions you may have in our Help & Links section. One of our team members will surely be able to assist you. While you are there please take some time to register so we can better help you.
Reference
Official BOINC User Manual - http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/User_manual
Unofficial BOINC Wiki, Application Owner’s Manual - http://www.boinc-wiki.info/BOINC_Application_Owner%27s_Manual
Unofficial BOINC Wiki, Web Site Owner’s Manual - http://www.boinc-wiki.info/BOINC_Web_Site_Owner%27s_Manual
Unofficial BOINC Wiki, Recent Average Credit - http://www.boinc-wiki.info/RAC
Web resources for BOINC participants - http://boinc.berkeley.edu/links.php
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How do I optimize projects?
GPU Optimized APP’s
Okay there are 2 types of CPU/GPU apps, the standard application and the optimized application. The standard app is what the project downloads to you when you attach to the project. For the most part these apps are generic in nature. That means they work on AMD and Intel processors from old to new. They typically don't take advantage of processor specific features like on your I7 the SSE4.1 capability or multi threading. There are exceptions like AQUA that runs on CPU only and does take advantage of advanced features and MT. Since the standard apps will work on most CPUs or if they are GPU apps they are the slowest programs.
Optimized apps either come from the project or they've been written by someone outside the project and are usually hardware specific (but not always). These programs have been "optimized" by using all CPU/GPU advanced features and the code of the program is written to be VERY efficient. They crunch workunits (wu) much faster than the standard apps that aren't optimized. Usually on the forum there is a sticky post right near the top that will talk about optimized apps if they have them and where to get them. Projects like AQUA (cpu) and GPUGrid provide optimized apps as the standard app.
For MW go to this site and download the appropriate GPU app You can now find MW Optimized Apps at http://www.arkayn.us/milkyway/index.html
So download the files to a folder on your machine. The files are either in ZIP or RAR compressed format so you will have to decompress them. There is a program on the web call WinRAR that has a free version that works very well. Once you decompress the file it will expand into several files.
Installing Optimized Apps:
1. On the project you are going to upgrade you want to ABORT all workunits you have. You are going to lose all of those wu and if it is a project like Collatz that requires 2 people to finish a wu in order for it to be validated your "wingman" will get screwed. If you abort then the wu immediately gets reassigned rather than waiting till the deadline passes and then reassigning it.
2. Stop BOINC completely. Go into the Vista/WIn7/XP TASK Manager (shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+ESC) and select processes. If you see anything that starts with BOINC then right click and choose end process. Once that is done BOINC is totally shutdown.
3. Open file explorer and go to the BOINC/Project folder (project your optimizing). If you used the default BOINC install:
START, COMPUTER then open the C: drive. For Vista and Win 7 go to the directoryc:\PROGRAM DATA\BOINC\PROJECT\THESONNTAGS this is the Collatz project directory.
For XP this directory will be
c:\documents and settings\allusers\application data\boinc\projects\boinc.thesonntags.com_collatz
4. Copy the files that were decompressed into this folder.
5. When you restart BOINC it will pick up the new optimized app. In the BOINC message tab you will find the project with the message "Found app_info.xml" which means it found and is running the optimized app.
When you decompress the optimized app there is a README FILE. Read this before you start BOINC so you know what your options are.
Now in a nutshell:
In the app_info file you copied to the project folder:
Under GPU there a command called COUNT. It is set at "1" by default. That will let the GPU run 1 task at a time. There is a little time saving if you change from 1 to ".5". Then it will run two wu simultaneously. Depending on the project there may on location you find COUNT but I think on Collatz there are 2 places.
<count>.5</count>
There is also a command called "COMMANDLINE". This is where you enter any of the options of the readme you want to use. On my machines I user "p3 b-1". That means I have raised the GPU priority to HIGH and b-1 doesn't allow the unused GPU time slice to be returned to CPU jobs. You can play around with those settings but on my machines it gives the highest GPU throughput. I've heard that P3 causes some quad processor machines to run real sluggishly.
<cmdline>p3 b-1</cmdline>It will look like this..
The items in this color are what we have changed in the app file.
<app_info>
<app>
<name>milkyway</name>
</app>
<file_info>
<name>astronomy_0.20b_ATI_x64_amd.exe</name>
<executable/>
</file_info>
<file_info>
<name>brook64.dll</name>
<executable/>
</file_info>
<app_version>
<app_name>milkyway</app_name>
<version_num>20</version_num>
<flops>1.0e11</flops>
<avg_ncpus>0.05</avg_ncpus>
<max_ncpus>1</max_ncpus>
<coproc>
<type>ATI</type>
<count>0.5</count>
</coproc>
<cmdline>p3 b-1</cmdline>
<file_ref>
<file_name>astronomy_0.20b_ATI_x64_amd.exe</file_name>
<main_program/>
</file_ref>
<file_ref>
<file_name>brook64.dll</file_name>
</file_ref>
</app_version>
</app_info>
0.3 will give you 3 wu per gpu, 0.05 will give you 2 wu per gpu and 1 will give you 1 wu per gpu.
That is all there is to it. Only takes about 30 seconds to do after you've done it once
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What program tools will I need?
I use the following program tools to help me edit app files and compress and decompress files.
1. To edit app files and html files I use this free program and it works great for me. It may be downloaded at this location. http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm
2. The following locations are programs that are free to uncompress or compress files.
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
3. This Free program will tell you most of any thing that you need to know about your computer.
4. This Free program will tell you how your GPU is doing.
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
5. This Free program only works with dual cores and up cpu's. It will tell you the temperature of your cpu.
http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
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What is ... ?
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When is ... ?
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