Custom Query (9 matches)

Is it possible that the Windows installer/uninstaller asks to remove all traces of BOINC? Now when uninstalling BOINC through Add/Remove? programs, the BOINC directory and entries in the registry stay in place.

What I would like is the option that some programs (games mostly) use, which ask you after you uninstalled the program if you want to delete the registry entries and 'saved files' as well. Of course this option should only be used when BOINC is uninstalled from the Add/Remove? Programs program, not when upgrading it.

It gives that extra bit of finesse and service to the program

As requested by Tank Master on the BOINC forums:

"With a service install in vista (perhaps in BOINC version 6), can it be installed as "Automatic (delayed start)" instead of "automatic"? This will hold off starting the service until all the regular services have loaded, thus reducing the impact on the system when rebooting or from turning it on. Also, you can further reduce system impact in Vista by having the BOINC apps run with "low I/O priority" and "low memory priority". This will give greater priority to tasks the system and the user are running. Lastly, is it possible to have the task auto restart if it unexpectedly stops? I see it as an option that you can manually set, but I do not know if programs can set this when they are installed."

Additional post:

"I do have an issue with the delayed start on some of the older systems that auto log in when the comp starts up. If I have the BOINC manager to start when I log in, the service is not always running yet because other services are still loading. In this case, the manager will manually launch the BOINC process like it was installed as a single user. This is why I suggested using it with BOINC v6 for a service install is the only option and the manager can be rewritten to take that into accordance by not launching BOINC on its own."

The files c_config.xml, global_prefs_override.xml, gui_rpc_auth.cfg, and remote_hosts.cfg are configuration files which the user can edit (even if most won't), so Debian requires that they be under /etc, while the "usual" place for them is the working directory. Right now the Debian package takes care of this with soft links. A more robust solution would be to have the core client look for the files in a list of places, using the first it finds. The files in the working directory would be checked first, and used if they exist. The files in /etc/boinc would be checked and used if nothing is found in the working directory.

See the discusion at http://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/wiki/UnixClientPackage

Can we please have a summary of the choices we made to install BOINC with on the screen where it says "Click Install to begin the installation."

• Where it shows whether we chose to use the screen saver;
  
• The installation paths;
  
• Whether it is a service install or not;
  

--> When it says Protected Application Execution mode, tell that this means BOINC will be installed as a Windows service, with the graphics only working when the project has updated its applications.

• Whether BOINC Manager can be controlled by all users or not.

BOINC version 6 has two separate folders in two different locations. Each contains different stuff. But both folders have the same name, BOINC.

On the forums everyone has to refer to the BOINC folder containing the data as the 'BOINC Data' folder in order to prevent confusion. Would it be possible for this folder to be actually called 'BOINC Data' in future? We would then be referring to it by its name (usually a good idea). Inexperienced users looking for the correct BOINC folder to back up would immediately see that they'd found the right one.

Mo

As per this thread in the BOINC Dev forums, people are requesting that there be an option to disable BOINC Manager from starting up automatically through its registry setting. Useful for multiple user systems and when installing BOINC (silently) on lots of (school) computers.

Can't the option to check that you want to start BOINC Manager on Windows Login come back to the installer?

Dear BOINC Developers!

We are highly appreciating your efforts and confirm significant improve in BOINC client within last few months. It's time to boost now!

Please focus a little on corporate networks - I'm truly 250% sure, you'd benefit a lot more from common people like me, who are a little more keen in IT, than typical users you are generally targeting BOINC client. Why? Because as System Engineer or System Administrator, or, in my case, as IT Manager, I can setup and arrange much more computing resources on 30-50 PCs, than 200-300 typical home Internet users irregularly running your nice and tiny application.

None would tell a word against if 10% of PC power would be spent to "hidden" in the system BOINC service during office hours and none would tell anything if 90% of all avaiable office PCs would be running for BOINC overnight 18:00 - 08:00. This would give you MUCH MORE results with shorter time.

TO HELP ME DO SO, AND PROMOTE YOUR VISION AND IDEAS TO OTHER BUSY IT GURUS, WHO REALLY COULD HELP AND WHO DON"T NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY AND HOW - BOINC SHOULD BE EASY AND FAST TO DEPLOY IN CORPORATE NETWORKS IN TYPICAL WAY!!!

HOW TO DO IT BETTER - PLEASE THINK AND PROGRAM:

1) Typical IT personnel is able to deploy software through manual installation at PC, through Windows Server remote deployment or through network share. For my corporate network I need client software (typical install package with no settings, ideally running as service) + initial settings, to let it install, start and run for 1st time, then I need exportable settings in the file to copy to certain machine to join her to the BOINC GRID.

2) To be able to copy typical settings from one PC to a bunch of other PCs, please add to BOINC "export settings to the file" in menu to a folder we can choose to (save as). This doesn't exist now! I have manualy to find setting file at file system - this is inconvinient at all!!

3) Also, please think over and implement smooth and easy post-install for multiple PCs with BOINC client - it should get a list of projects we would like to participate with access logins and passwords (over network) AS FILE + it should get typical (pre-configured) operation settings AS FILE. Manual copy is not good if there are 50-70 machines, so a setting in CLIENT preferences like "local path to network share" or "weblink to those 2 files from intranet server" could be a solution for this request.

Initialization, when BOINC client itself calculates the computing power of the particular machine should happen just after installation automatically. Until settings are copied - no activity should happen. For corporate network setup, BOINC instalation at PC and "activation" - to run should be split. Until settings are copied to the installed BOINC copy - no activity should happen except PC performance check. This would allow to deploy BOINC with cloning tools like ACRONIS or NORTON GHOST.

SUMMARY: We need easy and fast deployment of the BOINC client core to dozens of machines in corporate network + we need one settings file with project info (incl. logins and passwords) for the list of projects we want to run on all those machines + we need a pre-configured (second) file with BOINC settings to copy from server to all those machine, exported from one machine or configured through wizard (separate application) to let it all work fine.

Can you please do it for us?? This would be really great to use the power of huge corp networks for something good!

Please feel free to contact me at any time. +7 (985) 920-01-67

Yours, Maxim

Hi,

1) Please add to BOINC client menu the following entry "Export BOINC settings to file" or "Save BOINC settings as file". This would help to deploy BOINC in corporate networks faster, as now we have to seek for settings file at local HDD. This would be great to have for network share deployment for multiple PCs in the corporate network

2) BOINC Client for corporate network should be split in 2 parts - deployment and configuration. Upon deployment, it could only calculate certain PC performance upon 1strun, but should be no activity on the PC until 2 (two) files with settings are copied down to that PC from network to let BOINC operate.

3) Deployment should be as package, ideally with pre-configured through wizard initial setup file (e.g. questions and answers file = OEM installation), silent install or hidden install via remote software deployment services. Please be informed, that disk cloning with NORTON GHOST or ACRONIS is very popular thing , so HUNDRED of PCS are not covered, as current BOINC user per-PC basis and need a lot of attention - up to 15 minutes to let it finally tune and run. Disk cloning means impersonalised (unattended) software distribution and deployment. Major issue with that - to download valid settings to each PC to let it be up and running. BOINC NOW USES STAND-ALONE APPROACH, THAT IS THE MAJOR BLOCK WHY LOT OF IT PEOPLE DONT WANT TO DOWNLOAD AND SETUP THIS NICE AND TINY SOFTWARE IN THEIR NETWORKS!

4) Configuration files should be located on the network drive (shared folder) or at webpage at corporate intranet site. If we deploy 50-70 PCs, we can embed BOINC client into the PC image, so after 1st run and PC speed calculations, all other settings should be downloaded rom corporate network or corpoaret server.

5) All PCs are connected to Internet - that assumption is OKAY, but for settings there should be 2 (two) files - 1st conf file should contain the list of projects we would like to run (preconfigured is OK, with logins and passwords in cleartext - is also OKAY), + 2nd conf file should contain typical settings for BOINC overriding or substituting default ones.

6) I'd like to underline, that BOINC client, deployed in corporate network should not work at local PCs, until those 2 configuration files are copied to local PC or autovatically located by BOINC at given path or network share.

Minimum functionality required to support us - to let us copy settings manually to each PC we want to join to the grid, maximum functionality - have BOINC locate it automatically within corporate network, based on initial (OEM setup file) info.

SUMMARY: If you do so - many IT gurus would donate a lot of computing power for GRID projects, as now each PC cfg is required - this is inconvinient and time consuming. Finally this would utilize a lot of empty PC resources, mainly overnight and it would get better results to all projects faster.

Please review and program this or advise! Feel free to contact me at any time +7 (985) 920-01-76 Maxim

Would it be possible that a future version of BOINC gets a path to the Data directory added in the Programs->BOINC folder? That way we (the helpers) can easily point someone to this mythical directory that no-one can find.

At this moment when we ask someone to look at a certain file in their Data directory, the answer is usually that this directory doesn't exist, the file cannot be found etc. Usually due to the directory being hidden.

Even on asking to restart BOINC and for them to look at the second or third line from the top which shows the path to the directory, people are unable to find it.

If a path to the data directory was showing in the Start->Programs->BOINC folder, this would make it a lot easier for us to help people navigate to the directory.

I do foresee problems with permissions, but this option is probably only necessary on the administrator account(s).