Distributed Computing -- Overview and Links

What is Distributed Computing?
   Distributed computing is a process which solves a large problem by giving small parts of the problem to many computers to calculate, and then combining the solutions for the parts into a solution for the problem. Typically, these kinds of problems would take extensive supercomputer time to process. Instead of competing for that limited resource, distributed computing (DC) projects use the idle time of personal computers or servers at homes, schools and businesses volunteered by people all over the world.

How do DC projects work?
    You select a project, download some software (the client), and it runs in the background on your computer. When you are not using any resources, the project will use 100% of your processing power (cycles). If you are doing something on your computer, it will adjust to take any cycles not being used, and runs at a priority to get out of the way of other software. Some projects have very specific hardware requirements in order to effectively handle the computations. The projects communicate with their installed clients via the Internet. Most do not require an ?always on? connection to the Internet.
   The projects will assign your computer a work unit (wu) to process, varying in length from 5 minutes to 1 month or more. They will also set a deadline for getting the result back, usually about 2 weeks, but it can vary by project and whether the project uses returned results to focus the next set of calculations. Once your wu is nearing completion, the project will send you more work. You can store (cache) some work units in advance so that your computer is always using its idle processing power. Now you are ?crunching? for your favorite projects.

What about the results?
    Many projects are run by major universities and make their results publicly available. Some are commercially oriented, some projects are in support of graduate-level theses, and some are just for fun. The projects grant their volunteers points for the CPU time they donate. Points are a great way to track your progress, or compete with others. For a detailed list of all active (and planned) distributed computing (DC) projects, see http://distributedcomputing.info/projects.html

What is BOINC?
    BOINC is a platform which enables multiple projects to use this DC technique through one interface. BOINC provides the information on how to set up a DC project, while the project creators provide the software (client) to calculate their project and the raw data they need to have processed. BOINC was created by the University of California at Berkley, the folks who brought the original SETI@Home DC project to the world in 1999.

BOINC main page

-- download BOINC software, list of major BOINC projects, message boards, user stats, news, etc.

For additional information, see the BOINC Wiki

BOINC Account Managers

An account manager is a web-based interface that simplifies participating in BOINC, especially if you are new to BOINC, or if you have several computers, participate in several projects, or like to learn about new projects. The account manager will allow you to
-- See all BOINC projects, old and new, listed and described at the account manager.
-- Attach to a project with one mouse click. If you have multiple computers, all of them will be attached.
-- Change your account details (name, email address, password) in one web page, at the account manager.
-- Set resource shares for all projects in one web page, at the account manager.
-- Create/join/quit teams in one web page, at the account manager.

BAM!

   - BOINC Account Manager from BOINCStats

Grid Republic
   - NOTE: About half of all projects integrated as of APR 2007

BOINC Skins
   The newest versions of the BOINC software (aka BOINC Manager) include a graphic window (aka simple view) of the project(s) you are working as well as the standard table window (advanced view). The graphic view can also be personalized by using skins created by users throughout the BOINC community. Here is an example of a BOINC skin

You can download more skins here:

http://www.altes-beckhaus.com/cf/dlc/index.php

You can learn how to make you own skins here:

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/manager_skin.php#Skin

Where do Team-SciFi members apply their computer resources?
   We participate in both stand-alone and BOINC-based DC projects. If there is a challenge, or even a ?flavor of the month?, resource allocations between projects can fluctuate dramatically. Team-SciFi tries to be active in all BOINC projects, although science-heavy projects tend to draw the most team attention and resources.
   Choose the projects that appeal to you, but recognize the limits of your system(s). A Pentium 4 ? class (2.0 GHz or better) computer can usually run 4-5 projects effectively under BOINC, where you select the percentage of computer time assigned to each project. BOINC can also run effectively in combination with a stand-alone project if you have separate cores you can allocate to each (Pentium D-class, AMD X2-class or better).
   A list of our active DC projects is provided below. If you are interested in an established project not listed below, check to see if Team-SciFi has a presence and join us there. You might help rejuvenate interest in that project!

Tracking Your Progress
   Want to know how many points (or BOINC cobblestones) you?ve accumulated across all your projects? Check out these sites. You can also show your progress on Team-SciFi?s message boards and spread the word in other forums with a stats counter in your signature block.

DC Stats Sites

BOINCStats

BOINC Statistics for the World

SETIatWork

DC-Vault (teams stats only)

L'alliance Francophone UOTD and Stats

DC Stats Counters

Neil Munday?s Stats Counter
BOINC statistics

BOINCStats
Automatically generated from a search on your username

BOINC UK

**This counter by petrus is an example of what you can create, but it only has a limited selection of BOINC projects

Active Team-SciFi stand-alone DC projects

   * Seventeen or Bust (SoB)
Mathematical project to prove the Sierpinski Conjecture. At the time it started, there were seventeen candidates left. The project discovered its 9th prime in OCT 2005.
A positive number k is a Sierpinski number if there are no primes of the form k.2n+1 for any positive number n (for k < 2n).The lowest known Sierpinski number is 78557. The Sierpinski conjecture states that this is the lowest Sierpinski number, but this remains unproven.

   * Folding@ Home
      Understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases such as Alzheimer?s, cancer, Huntington?s, Parkinson?s, CJD, ALS, mad-cow (BSE), and others. Also has a stand-alone client to use your graphics processor (ATI X1900 class in open BETA testing, planned to expand to other ATI GPUs) or run on Playstation 3.

   * Stardust@Home
      Detect comet particles collected from Comet Wild 2. Analyze gel samples on-line to help direct their extraction and examination by NASA and other scientists.

   * Moneybee
Predict stock market activity and track your stocks and predictions.

* World Community Grid
      Find better treatments for AIDS patients (FightAids project), or run the Help Defeat Cancer Project, or the Human Proteome Folding project to predict the shape and folding characteristics of human proteins.

Active Team-SciFi BOINC Project Links Currently 37 projects
The listing below is sorted by the type of work the project does. A more detailed description of each project is provided in a separate sticky with an alphabetical listing.

Biology and Medicine

Docking@Home **ALPHA-release, began OCT 06
Malariacontrol.net **BETA-release, account creation may be disabled APR 07
Predictor@home **No wu?s since SEP 06
Proteins@home **BETA-release
Rosetta@home
SIMAP
Tanpaku
World Community Grid

Mathematics and strategy games

ABC@home
Chess960@home **ALPHA-release (as of NOV 06)
HashClash **ALPHA-release
PrimeGrid **ALPHA-release, began OCT 06
Rectilinear Crossing Number **BETA-release
Riesel Sieve **ALPHA-release
SZTAKI Desktop Grid
TMRL DTRG
WEP-M+2 **ALPHA release, DEC 06

Earth Sciences

BBC Climate Change Experiment Combining with CPDN FEB 07
Climateprediction.net
Seasonal Attribution Project Latest extension ends APR 07, no new work available

Astronomy/Physics/Chemistry

Einstein@home
Leiden Classical **BETA-release (NOV 06)
LHC@home ** No work since JUL 06
Quantum Monte Carlo at Home **BETA-release, expected full release Summer 07
SETI@home
Spinhenge@home **BETA-release
Zivis **BETA-release

Image rendering

BURP **ALPHA release (as of NOV 06)
Renderfarm@home **ALPHA release

Computing and Internet Resources

DepSpid **APLHA-release, began OCT 06
Project Neuron **ALPHA-release OCT 06, no wu DEC 06
VTU@Home
XtremLab

Miscellaneous

Nano-Hive@Home **BETA-release, began OCT 06
?Fluids@Home

Permanent Testing Projects

ABC@home beta
LHC Alpha (inactive NOV 06)
Pirates@Home ALPHA project
RALPH@Home ALPHA project
Seti@Home Beta

Projects where Team-SciFi is not currently active

TSC
   Finding a cure for children suffering from Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC).
UD (Grid.org)
   Cancer research and Human Proteome Folding

Closed Projects and Team-SciFi final standings

Genome@Home      30,060.82
SETI@Home (classic)   3,407,689 (Rank = 203)