Thread 'Macs just for calculating'

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zoran

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Joined: 22 Apr 10
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Greece
Message 51338 - Posted: 16 Nov 2013, 7:28:48 UTC

What i am trying to do is to put in use, another 2 macs in calculating data. These 2 macs are at my ownership but they are not connected to the internet and i want to use them only for calculating and then somehow put the calculated data on a mac with internet to send it!

Here is what i have
A. Intel mac (running SnowLeopard, no internet connection)
B. PowerPC mac (G5, running Leopard, no internet connection)
C. Intel mac (running SnowLeopard, with internet connection)

So like i said, my thought is to have the two working/calculating and then transfer all the calculated data to my third mac (C) to make the transfer!
Can anyone help in making the most out of the configuration i have?
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JeromeC

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Message 51350 - Posted: 17 Nov 2013, 21:41:20 UTC

You can try to setup a boinc a USB key ?

What I do with my office PC / win7 where boinc cannot access internet (proxy setup limitations) + impossible to run setup program + no rights on program directories is

- use a boinc portable version (old) I found on portableapps
- I installed this on the office PC + on a win7 virtual machine on my i7 iMac (with 2 core setup to "look like" the office PC)
- I download WUs in the VM (with calculation suspended and network allowed)
- I sync the data directory both ways (VM / key and key / office PC) cause I don't want to run from the key on the office PC, but I could
- I allow calculation and suspend network at the office
- at the end of the week I do the reverse process before going home, sync back, refresh WUS, etc

This is for a windows, why not try to do the same for a Mac OS BUT
- you need to have "similar" computers (config, OS) at both end, so the G5 will be a problem
- not all project will work fine because boinc finds some differences between the machines, it caused me many project WUs to crash, I decided to have long and stable running project, CPDN only (and also it's a pain to do this all the time, so better not do it often)
- when you move the WUs at home obviously the calculating must not calculate anything with boinc (halt). If one of my 2 CPDN WUs is finished and I want to get another one, I have to stop at the office until I come back with a sync data directory
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zoran

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Message 51351 - Posted: 17 Nov 2013, 23:40:56 UTC - in response to Message 51350.  

thanx but what are
- WUs
- CPDN
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ProfileGundolf Jahn

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Message 51352 - Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 8:47:23 UTC - in response to Message 51351.  

- WUs
Work Units := tasks downloaded from BOINC projects

- CPDN
Climate Prediction Dot Net := a BOINC project

Gruß
Gundolf
Computer sind nicht alles im Leben. (Kleiner Scherz)
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JeromeC

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Message 51353 - Posted: 18 Nov 2013, 9:22:21 UTC

Sorry I was assuming you were more "boinc knowledgeable" :)

What I'm suggesting is not a "very simple thing" to do and boinc is not setup to allow this kind of manipulation in any standard way (there is no tool to select / copy / move work units and project data from one machine to another), so it all depends if you feel at ease with computing concepts, file and directory management, etc, or not, because it's not necessary to be a "boinc tech expert" neither to give it a try.

On the other hand you are not risking much to try, the worse that can happen is loosing a number of work units, and they are never lost : the project server will send them to someone else later on, so... :)
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zoran

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Message 51674 - Posted: 8 Dec 2013, 14:21:37 UTC - in response to Message 51353.  

thanx for the info, my problem seems to be that i cannot understand on the mac which files to transfer at home! any clue on that?
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Profileidahofisherman
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Message 51678 - Posted: 8 Dec 2013, 22:14:11 UTC
Last modified: 8 Dec 2013, 22:14:37 UTC

Why not just get a router and hook all three computer to it and set the intel mac to allow other computer to use the internet via it?

This way you do not need to worry about file transfers etc.

Run straiaght boinc on the non intel macs. Thus you can set what projects run on which computer.
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zoran

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Message 51679 - Posted: 9 Dec 2013, 5:29:56 UTC - in response to Message 51678.  

Thanx for this option, but it seems too complicated for me! I prefer to do it the old fashined way, by transferring files as JeromeC suggested, the only thing is to find which are the project files (calculated files) that need transferring!
Perhaps if there are any mac users it might be easier to sort this!
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Claggy

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Message 51681 - Posted: 9 Dec 2013, 13:35:19 UTC - in response to Message 51679.  

by transferring files as JeromeC suggested, the only thing is to find which are the project files (calculated files) that need transferring!

You need to move the whole Data directory to the 2nd Mac, uninstalling Boinc first, moving the Data directory, then installing Boinc on the 2nd Mac, then you can be sure the directory permissions are set correctly.

Claggy
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zoran

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Message 51728 - Posted: 14 Dec 2013, 18:26:09 UTC - in response to Message 51681.  

Thanx Claggy, but when you say uninstalling what exactly do you mean? Is there some native app that uninstalls BOINC? If not, how do i do it?
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ProfileGundolf Jahn

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Message 51730 - Posted: 14 Dec 2013, 19:53:45 UTC - in response to Message 51728.  

I think that's a windows thing.

Gruß
Gundolf
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zoran

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Message 51731 - Posted: 14 Dec 2013, 20:05:56 UTC - in response to Message 51681.  

Yes so let me rephrase, so how do i uninstall on a mac?
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Message boards : Questions and problems : Macs just for calculating

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