Creating installers for Linux

The recommended actions of a BOINC installer for Linux:

• Create a user 'boinc' and group 'boinc' if they don't already exist. All files and directories created by the installer should have this owner and group.
• Install the executables (boinc, boincmgr, boinccmd) in the appropriate directory.
• Create a directory /var/lib/boinc-client
• Create a directory /etc/boinc-client/. Within it, create a file config.properties containing

  data_dir=/etc/boinc-client/config.properties
  

You then have a choice:

• Public installation: create an empty file /var/lib/boinc-client/gui_rpc_auth.cfg. The installing user will immediately be able to run the Manager and attach to a project or account manager. But so will any other user. When they run the Manager they'll get a notice saying that other users can control BOINC, and directing them to ​a web page telling them how to changes this if they want.
• Private installation: don't create such a file. If the installing user runs boincmgr, they'll get an error message directing them to ​a web page telling them to add themselves to the 'boinc' group.