***BOINC??***

Hi folks!!

Does anybody have any additional information on the "new" BOINC program please? I've looked at the SETI home page and followed links from search engines for BOINC (and AstroPulse) but only find references to the Beta version at the moment. The SETI home page to future developments still seems to show timelines that "promise" some sort of release around March 2003 but it seems to have gone stragely quiet.

Thanx in advance for any info received!!

PS - Will ATS team be disbanded when the move from SETI@home ceases to be or will the team re-form to incorporate the results from the "new" program(s)?? I very much hope we can still "crunch" together!!

Hi all!

You might like to know that I emailed David Anderson at SETI to see if there were any updates on timelines etc. To my surprise, he replied (I was very worried not to "spam" him!) For interest his reply (dated 27th Feb)was:

Genya:
Thanks for the email, and for the CPU time contribution.
We're working extremely hard on BOINC and the Southern SETI project;
hopefully it will get off the ground in a couple of months.
-- David

Although this doesn't add much as to *when* the "new" program goes "live", at least it shows that plans are in hand!!

Hi all!!

I've been absent from the discussion boards for too long and have been "catching up" quite a lot this morning. Apologies for missing soime really interesting discussions and hope to join in again soon. Please forgive

I'm just curious as to two things about BOINC, which you might be able to help me with?

1 Have any of *you* rec'd an email from SETI to advise you to change over from Seti@Home to BOINC, as it says on their website? I haven't, so continue to run the client - trying to do my bit!!

2 Are there any contingency plans for us *all* to "move over" to BOINC and continue with "our" SETI team. I certainly hope so

Keep number crunching folks!!

I'm currently one of the beta testers for BOINC. I'd say early next year, BOINC will release.

I am confused, is this the same as BIONIC the program addon for windows?

BOINC will be released for Windows, *nix, and Mac. This is basically the framework for the next projects. Anyone using Seti@home right now, their account will be automatically transferred over to the new Seti@home (on Boinc). The program that will move the database over is planned for later this month, but possibly early next year if it gets delayed. Once you install Boinc, you login to the project via a project url and key (which you'll receive). Then Boinc downloads the actual project program (like the current Seti@home). It then downloads workunits. There will be other projects as well, like Astropulse, which will look for black holes. Other distributed computing projects like folding@home will be moved to Boinc sometime next year. You'll be able to run multiple projects now. All teams will be moved over.

Originally posted by xn
BOINC will be released for Windows, *nix, and Mac. This is basically the framework for the next projects..... All teams will be moved over.

Hi xn!!

Many thanx for the BOINC update info: I was too late for beta testing... Mind you, it's made me concentrate on SETI so it's not all bad news!!

I wondered if some people were gradually "moving over" to BOINC, judging by some "absentees" on the ATS team board was all, and coupled with the info on the BOINC update (6th October on SETI@home site):

"We will soon release a new version of SETI@home, based on BOINC, a general-purpose platform for distributed computing projects like SETI@home. Switching to SETI@home/BOINC will be easy:

Create an account using the SETI@home web site. This will give you an account ID, sent by email. Note: accounts will be created automatically for all current SETI@home users (see below)."

thought this process was in motion?

What's your first impressions of BOINC xn??

hi Genya

What do you mean you were too late for beta testing? You could create a Boinc account and start beta testing it now.setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu... However, since this is a beta test, the results aren't being recorded which means that the credit people have earned running Boinc may get reset back to 0. After I found out about that I decided to stick with the current Seti@home and try to process as many workunits as possible before the final number of workunits is shown. I do beta test Boinc still, but not as much. I just joined the AboveTopSecret.com group for Seti@home,which added over 2800 more results, so the total results for the group is over 50,000. I think Boinc is pretty neat, since multiple projects will be possible then. The current Seti@home is basically done except that all results are being checked, so I'm just running Seti@home to increase my total number of workunits completed. Seti@home for Boinc is currently in beta testing along with Boinc and Astropulse(which will look for Black Holes). Seti@home II will look at the southern hemisphere, which will be all new results. So far they haven't found anything in the northern hemisphere, but maybe some cool results will come from the southern hemisphere. This project will happen sometime next year. Other cool projects include folding@home www.stanford.edu... There's lots of great distributed computing projects out there and with Boinc, multiple projects will be able to run on the same client (Boinc). Right now, Boinc is kinda buggy. Here are the list of bugs: setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu...
Boinc url: boinc.berkeley.edu...
Boinc beta test url: setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu...

Originally posted by xn
hi Genya

What do you mean you were too late for beta testing? You could create a Boinc account and start beta testing it now.setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu...

AH!! Thanx for the info xn - when I was looking (early Nov 2003??) there was a message to the effect that "additional beta testers weren't required or some such" so haven't taken in the latest update. Memo to self: *check* more frequently!!

Seti@home II will look at the southern hemisphere, which will be all new results. So far they haven't found anything in the northern hemisphere, but maybe some cool results will come from the southern hemisphere.:

It certainly should be as the galactic centre is only visible from the Southern Hemisphere - and that will contain lots more stars (and possibly planets) which may have ET signals?

Thanx for the update xn - much obliged!! Like you, I think I'll stay with SETI@home rather than BOINC, so we can continue to crack WU's for the team!! (Although their server is dropping connections at present....)

Well done on the 2853 WU's, incidentally!!

I'm glad that I download extra workunits just in case their server goes down or drops connections.

Here is a news article about the new BOINC program.
www.theregister.co.uk...

I hadn't heard about it until reading this thread. Thanks for keeping me (and everyone else) updated.

Originally posted by darklanser
Here is a news article about the new BOINC program.

Hi Dark!!

Thanx for the URL - a very interesting read!! I noticed this at the end of the article:

"You can join the El Reg SETI@home team here or do some cancer fighting over here.

We'll be sure to get BOINCing as soon as the code had a public release. You can also BOINC yourself here. �"

Note the bit that *they* will be BOINCing - ATS SETI - prepare to give chase!!


[Edited on 18-12-2003 by Genya]

The SETI@home 'assimilator' is now running! Results are being recorded in SETI@home's science database, and will be used to find candidate signals.

Latest versions of Boinc is v2.19 and v2.18.

Several bugs have been fixed for the next release:
enable core client to run as Windows service
Win screensaver: suggest automatic startup if not enabled
fix screensaver mem leak on Win9x
new screensaver
Added strlcat check

I read in an article that they plan to release Boinc this month.

Originally posted by xn

I read in an article that they plan to release Boinc this month.

Cheers for that xn!!

Hmmm - *this* will make those points issues awkward... just get a "plan" together and BOINC arrives... typical, reminds me of our buses - none there, then three turn up!!

What's the thinking?? I'm for staying with SETI@home client, resolve the points issue, then *all* move over at an allocated time - a kind of seamless transition? I know SETI@home say they will archive results, etc, for teams/ individuals and belive ther will be teams for BOINC too...

I'll investigate further, unless you'd like to xn?? You seem the "kitty" with the info on BOINC?!

There's no way that BOINC will release this month. The current status of BOINC: buggy. A new version of Seti@home on BOINC has been released, but the progress bar and the time is broken. A new version of Seti@home will probably release soon. There's now a way to submit crash data. I'd estimate a March to May release of BOINC.

Originally posted by xn
..I'd estimate a March to May release of BOINC.

Thanx again for keeping an eye on this xn - well, March/ May gives *us* all time to consolidate our position. Certainly, it would be a pity to try to move to BOINC if it's still got "teething" troubles, IMHO.

Thanx again xn - good job!

Heres the URL for the BOINC Beta app...BOINC Beta Test

Originally posted by Todeskopf
Heres the URL for the BOINC Beta app...BOINC Beta Test

Thanx for the update Todeskopf!!

Well, *when* do we move is the question, I suppose? I must admit, I'd *like* to get my 5000 WU certificate if at all possible (*only* 626WU's to go now....!!)

Here's an update on BOINC: version 2.23 of the core client has released (for win32), which fixes a lot of screensaver bugs and some other things. A new version of seti@home app for BOINC has also released (version 2.23 for win32). Maybe I should create a separate topic for updates on BOINC.

Another update: BOINC core client v2.24 for Win32 has been released. Fixes include- first result after project reset fails, only ask for work when client has none(temp.fix),crash in garbage collect on project reset fixed, screensaver crash (due to missing function on older windows) fixed.