New BOINC installer includes VirtualBox

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Profile David Anderson
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Message 51358 - Posted: 19 Nov 2013, 6:09:53 UTC

Starting with version 7.2.28, the recommended BOINC installer for Windows also installs VirtualBox, open-source virtualization software. This allows volunteered computer to run VM applications, benefitting both scientists and volunteers.
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StephenCWLL

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Message 51375 - Posted: 20 Nov 2013, 10:04:10 UTC - in response to Message 51358.  

Is there anywhere that explains more about how this combo of Boinc and VirtualBox works, it's setup and performance on the computer it runs on? What level of control do we have over what uses virtualbox or do we have to decide to use virtualbox for some projects?

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Decompiled

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Message 51417 - Posted: 21 Nov 2013, 19:58:25 UTC

You should have pointed out that this was an additional optional download.
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contalis

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Message 51463 - Posted: 22 Nov 2013, 22:56:47 UTC - in response to Message 51375.  

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/VirtualBox
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James

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Message 51479 - Posted: 23 Nov 2013, 12:46:58 UTC

cant install, error 1719
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Rick A. Sponholz
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Message 51482 - Posted: 23 Nov 2013, 17:59:21 UTC - in response to Message 51358.  

David,
Not sure if you have any contacts with the folks who manage LinuxMint, but they still have version 7.2.27 of BOINC in their App Store. If you can, (I've already requested via email) could you request they update their version, so I (we) can start using VirtualBox with BOINC? Thanks In Advance, Rick
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 51487 - Posted: 23 Nov 2013, 21:16:45 UTC - in response to Message 51482.  

The bundling of BOINC and VirtualBox installers applies to Windows only.

They are two different applications, and (if the Windows experience can be followed - I have no Linux experience) an installation of VirtualBox by itself will be detected and utilised by BOINC v7.2.27

VirtualBox availability for Linux is described at https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads. You should check that the version of VirtualBox you install is compatible with the BOINC project you wish to run - some, like Test4Theory, are having problems with the latest releases.
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Rick A. Sponholz
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Message 51488 - Posted: 23 Nov 2013, 21:42:14 UTC - in response to Message 51487.  

The bundling of BOINC and VirtualBox installers applies to Windows only.

They are two different applications, and (if the Windows experience can be followed - I have no Linux experience) an installation of VirtualBox by itself will be detected and utilised by BOINC v7.2.27

VirtualBox availability for Linux is described at https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads. You should check that the version of VirtualBox you install is compatible with the BOINC project you wish to run - some, like Test4Theory, are having problems with the latest releases.


Thanks for your reply Richard. I've already installed Vitualbox on my Linux machines, but I'm running climate@home, which requires BOINC 7.0.28 or above, hense my request. Thanks for the feedback though. Regards, Rick
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 51489 - Posted: 23 Nov 2013, 22:15:48 UTC - in response to Message 51488.  

... which requires BOINC 7.0.28 or above ...

That is indeed what I read at http://climateathome.com/climateathome/.

But you said

LinuxMint ... still have version 7.2.27 of BOINC in their App Store.

Surely 7.2.27 is 'above' 7.0.28?
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Rick A. Sponholz
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Message 51493 - Posted: 24 Nov 2013, 0:03:46 UTC - in response to Message 51489.  

... which requires BOINC 7.0.28 or above ...

That is indeed what I read at http://climateathome.com/climateathome/.

But you said

LinuxMint ... still have version 7.2.27 of BOINC in their App Store.

Surely 7.2.27 is 'above' 7.0.28?


Oops, sorry. I meant 7.0.27 is currently in their App Store. Rick
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Heki

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Message 51498 - Posted: 24 Nov 2013, 10:43:27 UTC - in response to Message 51358.  

Starting with version 7.2.28, the recommended BOINC installer for Windows also installs VirtualBox, open-source virtualization software. This allows volunteered computer to run VM applications, benefitting both scientists and volunteers.

I'm sorry David but how it's possible to have benefit from this?

Any VM require a certain ammount of CPU time and RAM to work and this will influence the overall CPU usage of BOINC client, becaus he can take only the maximum CPU percentage that we assing to the VM.
So it is possible that the host system have more CPU to use for BOINC operation, but it's limited by the VM.
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Profile Ray_GTI-R
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Message 51667 - Posted: 6 Dec 2013, 13:34:42 UTC - in response to Message 51498.  


Any VM require a certain ammount of CPU time and RAM to work and this will influence the overall CPU usage of BOINC client, becaus he can take only the maximum CPU percentage that we assing to the VM.
So it is possible that the host system have more CPU to use for BOINC operation, but it's limited by the VM.


I agree with Heki.

Not long ago clustering (many devices act as one big brain or supercomputer) was a hot topic elsewhere. I did the math and it turned out that on an 8-device quad-core ARM setup, with the clustering software being offered, the crunching power of 2 devices/8 cores were "lost" just administering the cluster/ additional software layer. Maybe these ideas scale better when there are ,000s of multi-core devices.
The difference between 0 and 1 is greater than the difference between 1 and 1,000,000,000
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Profile EveningStarNM
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Message 51713 - Posted: 12 Dec 2013, 20:30:15 UTC - in response to Message 51498.  
Last modified: 12 Dec 2013, 20:34:15 UTC

I'm sorry David but how it's possible to have benefit from this?


Well, if an application has problems, it it's less likely to destroy the rest of the machine if it's running in a virtual machine. Don't forget that we're dealing with a lot of alpha- and beta-level software with these projects. I consider myself to be rather brave -- and probably somewhat foolish -- to be offering the use of my primary personal workstation to BOINC projects. Any protection I can get is welcome. In fact, I wish that I could install anti-malware and other defensive software in those virtual machines, even though that would slow down processing even more. I won't actually care how slow the number crunching is if some programmer inadvertently or intentionally does something that I end up wishing she or he hadn't done.
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whynot

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Message 51727 - Posted: 14 Dec 2013, 17:56:32 UTC - in response to Message 51713.  


I won't actually care how slow the number crunching is if some programmer inadvertently or intentionally does something that I end up wishing she or he hadn't done.


There's that other solution for this problem. However, that solution is totally unwelcome, thus it's not going to happen.
I'm counting for science,
points just make me sick.
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Michael Blahay

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Message 51953 - Posted: 9 Jan 2014, 12:34:38 UTC

I'm confused here. Does Boinc on Windows now REQUIRE VirtualBox? VirtualBox is easy enough to download and install on its own, so I am struggling to understand why it is being included with Boinc.
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Profile Jord
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Message 51954 - Posted: 9 Jan 2014, 13:51:46 UTC - in response to Message 51953.  

Well, I had written a whole explanation about that in the Release Notes in the official Wiki, but then David went and removed all that, as it was apparently not of need that you need to know. You being general you, not you personally. Shrug.
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 51955 - Posted: 9 Jan 2014, 14:28:37 UTC - in response to Message 51954.  
Last modified: 9 Jan 2014, 14:39:12 UTC

The advantage of a Wiki is that you can still see what was written, and what it was replaced by.

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/w/?title=VirtualBox&diff=5465&oldid=5463

Or Jord's version, as he wrote it.

Edit: See also http://boinc.berkeley.edu/w/?title=Release_Notes_for_BOINC_7.2&diff=5479&oldid=5477 and Jord's version.
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sigma1950

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Message 52319 - Posted: 4 Feb 2014, 6:47:48 UTC

I'm puzzled. Nothing is happening. I have followed the instructions but after 24 hours since adding climateathome project to BOINC there is nothing in Virtual Box. What is supposed to happen?
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Profile Jord
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Message 52327 - Posted: 4 Feb 2014, 11:39:57 UTC - in response to Message 52319.  

Perhaps the project is out of work. Always best ask these questions on their forums, or check if there are actually 'tasks ready to send' at their server status page. Currently there are none.
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seybernetx
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Message 52340 - Posted: 4 Feb 2014, 20:32:17 UTC

On a possibly related note, when I tried to install the BOINC/VBox combination, Windows fussed. "The software you are installing has not passed Windows Logo testing . . . ".

eh??

PS: How, exactly do you manage to install an image in here, anyway? All the IMG button seems to do is give you a [IMG] to mark off the image, but nothing seems to actually add the image itself.[/img]
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Message boards : News : New BOINC installer includes VirtualBox

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