Changes between Version 3 and Version 4 of BoincOverview


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Timestamp:
Sep 16, 2018, 1:17:03 PM (6 years ago)
Author:
davea
Comment:

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  • BoincOverview

    v3 v4  
    1717(heterogeneity, host churn and unreliability, scale, security, and so on).
    1818
    19 In this arena, there are many servers, operated by various '''BOINC projects'''
     19There are a number of volunteer-computing '''BOINC projects'''
    2020such as SETI@home, LHC@home, IBM World Community Grid, and so on.
    2121The BOINC client can be "attached" to one or many of these;
    2222it processes jobs for the projects to which it is attached.
    2323
    24 BOINC can also be used for in-house computing within an organization (e.g. a company).
    25 In this case case the worker nodes would be
     24BOINC can also be used for '''in-house computing''' within an organization (e.g. a company).
     25In this case case the worker nodes are
    2626cluster nodes or other organizational computers,
    27 and they would be attached to the organization's server.
     27and they are attached to the organization's server.
    2828
    2929BOINC is distributed under the LGPL v3 open-source license.
    … …  
    3333== Getting started ==
    3434
    35 To compute using BOINC, you will need to set up a BOINC server
     35To compute using BOINC, you'll need to set up a BOINC server
    3636and configure your applications to run under BOINC.
    3737Instructions for doing this are [ProjectMain here].
    … …  
    3939If you're doing in-house computing,
    4040install the BOINC client on your computers, and you're done.
    41 This is discussed [DesktopGrid here]; we won't discuss it further.
     41This is detailed [DesktopGrid here]; we won't discuss it further.
    4242
    43 Next, you'll need to get clients to attach to your server.
     43In the volunteer computing case, you'll need to get clients to attach to your server.
    4444There are several ways to do this:
    4545
    46 1. Create a public-facing web site for your project.
    47  Announce it and publicize it in whatever channels are available to you:
     46 * Create a public-facing web site for your project.
     47 Announce it and publicize it using whatever channels are available to you:
    4848 mass media, social media, newletters, paid advertising, etc.
    4949
    50 1. Contact [ProjectPeople David Anderson] and ask to have your project listed by BOINC.
    51  You'll need to convince me that a) your project is doing
     50 * [ProjectPeople Contact us] and ask to have your project listed by BOINC.
     51 You'll be asked to demonstrate that a) your project is doing
    5252 what you claim it is, and b) you're following a set of security practices.
    5353 Your project will then a) be announced on the BOINC web site news column,
    54  b) listed on the BOINC web site, and
     54 b) be listed on the BOINC web site, and
    5555 c) appear in the list of projects shown in the BOINC client GUI.
    5656
    57 1. Contact [ProjectPeople David Anderson] and ask to have your project
    58  listed in [https://scienceunited.org Science United].
    59  You'll need to tell me what type of research your project is doing,
     57 * [ProjectPeople Contact us] and ask to have your project
     58 included in [https://scienceunited.org Science United],
     59 a framework in which volunteers sign up for science areas instead of projects.
     60 You'll need to tell us what types of research your project is doing,
    6061 and then you'll automatically get computing power from volunteers
    61  who have registered an interest in that area.
     62 who have registered an interest in those areas.
    6263 This has the advantage that you don't have to create a public-facing web site or do any publicity.
    63  In addition, you can ask to be listed in Science United even before you've created your project.
    64  At that point I can tell roughly how much computer power you'll get,
    65  and you can decide whether this justified the investment in creating a project.
     64 In addition, you can ask to be included in Science United even before you've created your project.
     65 At that point we can tell you roughly how much computer power you'll get,
     66 and you can decide whether this justifies the investment in creating a project.
    6667
    6768These approaches are not mutually exclusive; you can do any or all of them.
    6869
    69 == Organizational structures ==
     70== Organizational options ==
    7071
    71 * Individual research group.
     72The volunteer computing projects using BOINC vary in terms of their
     73organizational structure and the set of scientists they serve.
     74Examples include:
    7275
    73 * Campus umbrella project.  [VirtualCampusSupercomputerCenter here].
     76* Research group.
     77 The project is operated by a single research group,
     78 and serves the members of that group.
     79 Examples include SETI@home, Rosetta@home, and Einstein@home.
    7480
    75 * Science Gateway
     81* Research community.
     82 The project is operated by a single research group,
     83 but serves a broader community in that science area.
     84 An example is Climateprediction.net,
     85 which is based at Oxford but collaborates with
     86 projects around the world.
    7687
    77 * HPC provider
     88* Science Gateway.
     89 The project is operated by a '''science gateway''',
     90 i.e. a web site that serves a particular scientific community,
     91 and that provides HTC as well as other functions.
     92 An example (in progress) is nanoHUB.
    7893
     94* University-wide umbrella project.
     95 The project is operated by a university,
     96 and serves the researchers at that university.
     97 An example (no longer operating) is the University of Westminster in London.
     98 This idea is elaborated on [VirtualCampusSupercomputerCenter here].
    7999
     100* HPC provider.
     101 The project is operated by an HPC provider such as a supercomputing center.
     102 It processes the provider's HTC jobs
     103 (i.e. the jobs that don't actually need a supercomputer),
     104 and serves the provider's clients that have HTC workloads.
     105 An example (in progress) is Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC).
     106
     107There are several advantages in having BOINC projects that are high
     108in the organizational hierarchy, and that serve many scientists:
     109
     110 * The cost of maintaining a BOINC project is roughly constant,
     111  regardless of its size.
     112  For large projects, the cost per scientist is lower.
     113
     114 * Publicity options: high-level organizational entities typically have
     115  existing publicity mechanisms (e.g. alumni magazines, newsletters, etc.)
     116  that can be leveraged to recruit volunteers.
     117
     118 * Longevity: the duration of one scientist's need for HTC is generally shorter
     119  than that of a group of scientists.
     120  There are benefits in having a project last a long time
     121  (e.g. amortizing the startup cost).
     122
     123 * Continuity: similarly, one scientist's computing workload may
     124  be sporadic, while that of a group of scientists is more continuous.
     125  Some volunteers prefer projects with continuous workloads.
     126
     127So if you're thinking about using BOINC,
     128consider the possible scope of your project.