= Compiling BOINC client software =
[[PageOutline(1-3)]]


The BOINC client software includes:
 * The core client
 * The [userw:The_BOINC_Manager BOINC Manager]
 * [userw:Boinccmd_tool boinc_cmd] (!Unix/Linux only)
 * The BOINC [userw:The_BOINC_screensaver screensaver] (Windows and Mac only)

== Unix and Linux ==

It is recommended to create a dedicated user for BOINC processing, e.g. {{{boinc}}} and perform the operations below in this user's home directory! Details depend on the system, on Linux one would do

{{{
useradd boinc
su - boinc
}}}

...to create a new user called ''boinc'' who cannot log in by default (because he has no password), then switch to that user.

First, download and install the [SoftwarePrereqsUnix prerequisites], then [SourceCodeGit download the current source].

You should then have a directory called maybe "{{{boinc-client_release-7.4-7.4.41}}}".

{{{cd}}} to that directory and issue the command 

{{{
./_autosetup
}}}

If this generates errors, check the [SoftwarePrereqsUnix prerequisites] again. On success, consider reading the output of 

{{{
./configure --help
}}}

=== Local use ===

If you want to build the client software for local use on your machine only, configure the build process using: 

{{{
WHERE_BOINC_WILL_GO=/where/boinc/will/go
./configure --prefix=$WHERE_BOINC_WILL_GO --disable-server --disable-manager --disable-fcgi --enable-optimize
}}}

  * {{{WHERE_BOINC_WILL_GO}}} is the name of the target directory. Often chosen as {{{/usr/local/boinc}}}, but consider using {{{~boinc/boinc}}} if you have a dedicated boinc user.
  * According to {{{./configure --help}}}, the command {{{./configure --enable-pkg-client}}} should mean 'build a client package' but doing it that way will result in the error "{{{cannot find the library `../lib/libboinc_crypt.la'}}}".
  * Special flags can be passed to the compiler: for example one might add {{{CXXFLAGS="-O3"}}} to the {{{./configure}}} options. Indications whether this is actually useful are hard to come by though. With {{{--enable-optimize}}}, the CXXFLAGS are set to {{{CXXFLAGS = -g -O2 -Wall -ffast-math -O3}}} in the {{{Makefile}}}.
  * If you have old versions of libraries (curl, openssl etc.) in {{{/usr/lib}}}, and newer versions somewhere else (for example, {{{/usr/local/lib}}}) you may need to tell the linker where to find the newer versions by adding the LDFLAGS options, as in {{{LDFLAGS=-L/usr/local/lib}}}

If {{{./configure}}} ended with success, you can now start the actual build process:

{{{
make
}}}

Once this has succeeded, you may either install the result to the directory given previously to {{{./configure}}} by issuing

{{{
make install
}}}

This will probably fail because.

{{{
/bin/install: cannot create regular file ‘/etc/init.d/boinc-client’: Permission denied
}}}

The installer tries to put an "init file" into {{{/etc/init.d/}}} to start boinc client at boot time. This is not a good idea because

   1 This works only if you are currently root, and shouldn't be root when building. On the other hand, if you install boinc to {{{/usr/local/boinc}}}, you will have to issue {{{make install}}} as root anyway.
   2 Your system may well be running {{{systemd}}} and no longer use System V-style init files. 

Solution: Remove the make target {{{install-exec-hook}}} from the make target {{{install-exec-am}}} by editing {{{client/scripts/Makefile}}}

{{{
install-exec-am:
        @$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
        $(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) install-exec-hook
}}}

to

{{{
install-exec-am:
        @$(NORMAL_INSTALL)
#        $(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) install-exec-hook
}}}

=== Distribution package ===

Alternatively, you may want to create a distribution package:

{{{
cd packages/generic/sea/
make
}}}

Note that making the distribution package fails if not everything has been built: 

{{{
cp: cannot stat ‘../../../stage/FOO/bin/boincmgr’: No such file or directory
cp: cannot stat ‘../../../stage/FOO/bin/boincscr’: No such file or directory
}}}

Fake the presence of those files:

{{{
touch ../../../stage/FOO/bin/boincmgr
touch ../../../stage/FOO/bin/boincscr
}}}

The results can now be found in the {{{sea}}} directory: located under the folder BOINC and there is also a {{{sea.tar}}} file as well as a self-extracting archive e.g. {{{boinc_7.4.41_x86_64-pc-linux-gnu.sh}}}

=== Portable binaries ===

If instead you intend to build hopefully portable statically linked binaries of the client software that should run on a wide variety of GNU/Linux platforms, it
is recommended to build the client software using a virtual machine (e.g. running under Microsoft Virtual PC, download the [VmCompatibility Compatibility virtual machine image]). 

In this case you should build using the option {{{--enable-client-release}}}

{{{
./_autosetup
./configure --disable-server --enable-client-release --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu \
    CXXFLAGS="-O3 -funroll-loops -fforce-addr -ffast-math"
make
}}}

See [BuildSystem details of the build system].

== Windows ==

=== Visual Studio 2013 Community Edition Build Environment ===

Software Prerequisites:
 * Download and install [http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=517284 Visual Studio 2013 Community Edition]. 
 * Download the [SourceCodeGit BOINC source code].
 * Download the [SourceCodeGit#Windowsbuilddependencies Visual Studio 2013 Dependency Store].
  * All dependency stores can be found [http://boinc.berkeley.edu/gitweb/ here].

All the Visual Studio project files assume that the dependency store is a sibling of the BOINC source repo.
An example directory layout would look like this:
{{{
C:\Src
|
+--+ boinc
|
+--+ boinc_depends_win_vs2013
}}}

==== Building via the Command Line ====

Most everything developers will need to do during release management is handled by batch files.  All 
these collections of batch files depend on the BOINC Build Environment for Windows.

Launching the BOINC Build Environment for Windows:
{{{
cd \src\boinc\win_build
buildenv type release platform x64
}}}

Buildenv accepts several different parameters to customize what you are going to be able to build.  Command
parameters are as follows:
{{{
Initializing BOINC Build Environment for Windows
Usage: buildenv.cmd TYPE <type> PLATFORM <platform> [Optional Commands]

  Commands:
    DEVENVDIR:  Which build environment executed this batch file.
    TYPE:  Which build environment are you building executables for.
      Current Values: Release/Debug
    PLATFORM: Which platform are you building for.
      Current Values: x86/amd64/ia64
}}}

You should get this output on success:
{{{
Initializing BOINC Build Environment for Windows
Software Platform Detected: Visual Studio 2013
}}}

To build everything, execute 'build all' from the build environment:
{{{
C:\Src\boinc>build all
Building the World...
  Building BOINC:
    Success
  Building BOINC Manager:
    Success
  Building BOINC Command:
    Success
  Building BOINC Screen Saver:
    Success
  Building BOINC Screen Saver Controller:
    Success
  Building BOINC Service Controller:
    Success
  Building BOINC System Tray:
    Success
}}}

==== Building via Visual Studio ====

Double-click on the boinc_vs2013.sln file in the win_build directory to launch Visual Studio 2013.  From here
you should be able to perform any build operation you want.

== Mac OS X ==

Instructions for [MacBuild building the BOINC client on Mac OS X] are on a separate page.