Boinc

Distributed Computing Projects BOINC - space@home
1

I’ve been hearing a lot of differing perspectives from various forum members about the prospects for BOINC. Those who aren’t part of the beta (me included) generally look forward to its introduction, even if only for its novelty value, or for the fact that we will all get reset to equals. Most members who have been involved with the beta however seem to speak of it with vitriol, heaping scorn upon its resource usage and bloatedness.
I’m sure that it can’t be as bad as people make out, but for those of us not privy to the beta, without our own accounts, could someone elaborate on exactly why it will/will not suck?

Thanx from sp00n --o

2

“######## EXCEPTION: 0xC0000005 at address: 0x77F17277: ACCESS VIOLATION write attempt to address 0x00000000
0: Stackwalker not initialized (or was not able to initialize)!”

Never was able to start testing 1 of the versions so far. Looking at the error message I can only wonder …

Often said, never listened to:
I find it questionable to run it on my (or a company) network while the preferences are on a server not under my control. Too many preference parameters out of my control.

3

Sure,
I have used BOINC on and off from version .07 to the present. The program is designed to crunch data in eight bits rather than the two which SETI crunchs. It is more flexible with the type and source of the raw data so it can be used on a number of projects. It uses several megabytes of raw data which is sent to you automatically, crunchs it and sends it back. The size of work units varies as well as the amount of crunching required. This is why the credit is in cobblestones which is a certain number of tera flops of calculations rather than by work unit as is done now.

The problem is one of money. Berkeley is an educational institution and doesn’t have a staff of code writers to create and debug. I stated long ago that the writers are graduate students working for pennies waiting for their next fellowship or a private sector job to come along. People flow in and out of the project. Recently the most senior member of the team left to go to Japan or somewhere.

This is not to say BOINC is bad or will never get there. Rather, it will take longer than many have thought.

I will continue to sample BOINC until it works for me. I don’t know when that will be. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to crunch SETI.

I also have an opinion about SETI I. I don’t think they will kill it even when BOINC takes over as the main vehicle for crunching data. Some members would be lost if SETI were discontinued. One class is those who just wouldn’t bother setting up and debugging the new software. Another class is computers which are out there crunching away that are either forgotten about or not worth the effort to change over. Another class is older crunchers which cannot handle BOINC. They will probably faithfully crunch until they day they are taken to the dump.

4

BOINC = Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing

it is a Framework, of many sorts of Distributing Computing

the first Project for BOINC called

black hole evaporation

http://www.planetary.org/html/UPDATES/seti/SETI@home/Update_110501.htm

and somethig about the timeplan

http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/setifuture.html

something else may be interesting

and to this

http://alfa.naic.edu/

an update of the telescope at Arecibo, which is looking for Seti

Processing the data from the 8 bit data recorder is no simple matter. Because SETI@home had never before used this instrument, there are no computer programs in place ready to perform the necessary analysis. The standard SETI@home program, which is installed on all users’ computers, was not designed to process this type of information. New processing programs for this data must be designed, and SETI@home Project Director David Anderson is working hard on the project. Along with other members of the SETI@home team he is devising a new distributed computing system designed specifically to deal with the data from the 8 bit recorder. The system, however, will not be ready for several more months, and in the meantime Anderson, Werthimer and their crew are concentrating on the data from the less sensitive 2 bit recorder

the analysis of the Data with the new 8 bit recorder will not be run under Seti 1, only with BOINC.

something to the BOINC Astropulse project, which is now in Beta testing

only for Info, i am a Beta tester

like Eric Heien from Berkeley said

“We have learned a lot in the last yerars”

The Setiathome project, is over 4 years old, and at the beginning, the people at Berkeley should not know, that over 4.5 Million people will join the project, and make tis to the greatest Distribung
Computing in the world.

The Programmer of Setiathome a people of Science, and thought in the Beginning at this project to the good at all people, but as we all know threre a some people are cheating…

So for the new programm the people at Berkely have brought many new ideas in.

something of the new Crditsystem from BOINC

But you forget something. Only the granted credit is real credit. Every WU will be given away more then one time and should be computed on multiple accounts/host. The results will be compared and the lowest claimed credit is granted to all of this results.

To fake the results a cooperation between all of the crunchers who get the WU’s is needet. This may be possible for some WU’s and crunchers but never for a greater number in real life.

take from the BOINC Forum

http://setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu/ap/forum/

and remember one thing, it is Beta, and Beta testing is to find all, ore the most Bucks.

and the people at Berkeley are working very well with the Beta testers,

also take from the Forum

BOINC Feature request

http://setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu/ap/forum/thread.php?id=16

so it is wonderfull, as a beta testa to work an this new Programm.

and,

BTW, BOINC 1.08 is working on my Computer very well.

CPU Times,

7 hours, at an Athlon XP at 11.5 x 200 on an Nforce Mobo,

10 Hours at an P4 wit HT at 2.8, so 2 WUS in 10 Hours.

WU Size

Download 1MB, Upload 3.5 MB

hope this help a little.

regards
Sir Ulli

5

or CBA to switch

J:D

6

C00000 base mem address…Lower level…
A basic programmer would find this error with just a standard compile. So if BOINC or SETI 2/3 or what ever is going to launch then someone needs to pay close attention and do it once not 200 times…

They have a base to start from with SETI@Home and building on that is what I thought BOINC was…or should be.

I read the release notes seems like they are trying to make it everything to everyone…well people that doesn’t work…never has never will!

I remember a client asking for moon once gave him quote on hours and he changed the project quick…got what he needed to run company and then some, but wishing for everything also gives your everything…bugs also!

Regards,

Greg

7

Originally posted by STEP2000
I read the release notes seems like they are trying to make it everything to everyone…well people that doesn’t work…never has never will!

The BOINC project is ambitious. It is a start from scratch. Just enjoy crunching SETI. BOINC will come along, just don’t hold your breath waiting for it.

8

BOINC is the future of Seti, and there is also a Beta of Seti that is running under BOINC.

Only for info

but it is said

Money,

Berkeley have not the time and the Money to make a

wonderfull Programm which is work on every Combination of Computer

regards
Sir Ulli

9

Thanks for all the info guys. I think I’ll stick with SETI 1 until BOINC is fully up and running. :slight_smile:

10

Originally posted by sp00n
Thanks for all the info guys. I think I’ll stick with SETI 1 until BOINC is fully up and running. :slight_smile:

you forget something

OFFICIALL

regards
Sir Ulli

11

update

question

Karl, any idea on a date for the SETI@home client to be ported over to BOINC?

answer

No promises; my personal guess is 1-2 months.

http://setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu/ap/forum/thread.php?id=52

regards
Sir Ulli