/r/BOINC
A subreddit dedicated to all things BOINC, a platform enabling the public to volunteer their computer's processing capability towards research projects distributed across the globe. Users can decide which projects they participate in, using the free and open-source BOINC client software.
A subreddit dedicated to all things BOINC, a platform enabling the public to volunteer their computer's processing capability towards research projects distributed across the globe. Users can decide which projects they participate in, using the free and open-source BOINC client software.
✻ Smokey says: How many wildfires can the average bear bear? [see more tips]
Be smart with your electronics, never operate them with inadequate ventilation. You run the risk of seriously damaging the components, or even starting a fire. If your devices are running hot, and you can't add cooling, you can reduce heat by limiting the amount of CPU BOINC is permitted to use.
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Other subreddits you may like:
- /r/CitizenScience
- /r/cloudcomputing
- /r/distributedcomputing
- /r/folding
- /r/gridcoin
- /r/homelab
- /r/HPC
- /r/SETI
- /r/threads
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/r/BOINC
4,569 Subscribers
BOINC only running on e-cores
I have an Intel 14700k and an Arc A770 16GB. BOINC only runs on my e-cores and doesn't recognize my GPU via cc_config or client_state. Any suggestions?
06:35 UTC
Will Current AI Advancements Make Distributed Computing Like BOINC Obsolete?
With the rapid development of AI and the increasing use of dedicated hardware like GPUs and TPUs, I’m curious if distributed computing projects like BOINC will still be necessary in the future. It seems that large tech companies are investing heavily in centralized AI infrastructure to handle massive computations for training and deploying models. Could this trend eventually replace the need for distributed computing, or is there still a unique role for BOINC in this new AI-driven landscape?
21:45 UTC
https://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/ SSL cert has expired as of yesterday.
Hey All,
I noticed my BOINC client not reporting up to milkyway@home, and when I attempted to go the project website, I noticed the cert expired yesterday afternoon. I don't know if I have a way of getting out to these folks, so I'm hoping they can see it here. My appologies if this isn't a permitted post.
Thanks!
Scarwolf
20:15 UTC
Does the NVMe HAT make crunching BOINC on the Raspberry Pi 5 faster? Yes, and no.
Hello!
I ran another batch of tests of the Raspberry Pi 5 to see if using an NVMe drive makes it crunch BOINC faster.
And the result is that for Einstein@Home there's a 30% boost, for Asteroids@home there's no difference, and Universe@Home is sadly still in hiatus.
Here's the blog post with the detailed benchmarks:
15:49 UTC
Running a server on C# .NET?
Hello everyone. I'd have a question regarding running a BOINC project myself.
I have an application with algorithms I want to run on a distributed system and the software is entirely written in C#. While I figured out that I can run apps in a VM with BOINC, I'd also like to write a validator in C#, because then I could just reuse all the data models to deserialize the results.
Is that possible? Thanks in advance.
16:17 UTC
GPUGrid on AMD with ZLUDA?
Hey all, was wondering if anyone knew a way to get GPUGrid to run by using ZLUDA on my AMD GPU? I'm willing to tinker to get it to work, and am curious if anyone else has tried getting it to work. Thanks!
00:30 UTC
All Free-DC Themes
This Python program generates an HTML file that shows all themes of Free-DC:
print('<html><head><title>free-dc</title></head><body>')
for i in range(0, 6):
for j in range(7*i, 7*(i+1)): # Change cpid to your own.
print('<img src="https://stats.free-dc.org/cpidtagb.php?cpid=\
40c8b1f60a21f24ba8a10eced8737a04\
&cols=1&theme=%d">' % j)
# print('<br>')
print('</body></html>')For an example, see https://mobluse.github.io/boinc-tools/free-dc.html
The program is also on https://github.com/mobluse/boinc-tools
14:07 UTC
BOINC recommendation to generate heat for the winter
Hi peeps, I'm new to BOINC and discovered it after looking for ways to make my idling computer useful. For me specifically, I want to use it to heat my office during the winter. I used to mine crypto, but now I don't like crypto. Any chance y'all could recommend me a BOINC project that's active and will hopefully use my GPU so my office stays warm during the winter? I have a Ryzen 7 7800X3D and RTX 3090 if that matters. Thanks for any advice y'all can give me!
12:02 UTC
Auto Configuration -Reset
Sometime, during the last reinstall, BOINC successfully reconfigured itself for my current CPU, RAM and GPU. This is not the issue. However that it can and did update the XML data is the topic: SOLVED
- The data listed within the various copies of the XML showed correct.
- But change anything, and BOINC has no idea changes have happened.
- Obviously from many other posts this can cause issues.
- So one solution as written by BOINC support is to manually edit the XML files.
- Assuming that a user knows exactly what to enter here,
- there are an infinite number of wrong values that can be input and will only cause grief.
Surely there must a way to instruct BOINC to reset itself?
- Without loosing core user data.
- Without literally trashing the whole folder and reinstalling the program from scratch.
- There must be a way to trigger a self check and PC evaluation.
- I mean, none of us configured our own XML files!
- EDIT: BOINC very aggressively reconfigure itself. So there is no need of the user to request or force a reconfiguration. Though we are enabled to make customization's.
No, Please do not edit and post an XML doc here. I am not asking for some one to specifically solve for "my issue." Though I have posted specifics as reference, for those who will ask. I am more inclined to know what files to delete, or what command to use in prompt etc. With luck this topic leads to a reference able solution for any one to use.
- BOINC 8.0.2 (x64)
- Operating system:
- Edition - Windows 10 Pro N
- Version - 22H2
- 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
- Main Board:
- CPU - Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9400F @ 2.90GHz 6 Cores 6 Threads
- RAM - 32.0 GB
- Upgrade from:
- RADEON R7 - 260.
- New Graphics card:
- AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
- VRAM - 8176 MB - GDDR6 2190 MHz
- Core Clock - 2410 MHz Memory
- Bit Rate - 17.52 Gbps Total Memory
- Bandwidth - 280 GByte/s
- Driver:
- Version - 24.20.11.01-240925a-407465C-AMD-Software-Adrenalin-Edition
- AMD Windows Driver Version - 32.0.12011.1036
- Direct3D API Version - 12.1
- Direct3D® Driver Version - 9.17.11.0272
- Vulkan™ API Version - 1.3.292
- Vulkan™ Driver Version - 2.0.317
- OpenCL™ API Version - Not Available
- OpenGL® API Version - 4.6
- OpenCL® Driver Version - 32.0.12011.1036
- OpenGL® Driver Version - 24.09.240702_2e2ba6f
- 2D Driver Version - 8.1.1.1634
- UI Version - 2024.0926.0129.2043
- AMD Audio Driver Version - '10.0.1.38
Also I did try update / reinstall.
- Since no update has happened since last install.
- BOINC installer offered only to remove or repair.
- Repair made no changes at all.
- BOINC installer offered only to remove or repair.
I am also going to test backing up, wipe folder / reset, then use Win Merge to sync / restore account and projects.
- This still only as manual alternative to a command to instruct BOINC to update hardware configuration.
EDIT: First attempt at reinstall then merge:
- The result was that although the R7 chipset was no longer included in the XML config
- it now says no GPU is installed.
- it now says that although Open GL is installed is not recognized.
- The new hardware is too new for BOINC?
- Suppose that means for now I will have no choice but to manually edit?
- Still looking for a more effective way to command a hardware refresh and automatic update of the XML.
- The new hardware is too new for BOINC?
After confirmation that one issue isn't just detection, it's actually an installer issue with AMD...
Found this batch file and ran it. This located and linked every file it could find. https://github.com/ptrumpis/OpenCL-AMD-GPU/tree/main
After a long delay as it found everything it could. It will state that the script has completed. Restart the computer. After the computer has restarted wait for AMD to come up on its own. I have no idea why it takes so long for the Adrenaline file to load, but don't rush it. Now open up CPU-Z and it shows OpenCL installed! But the shows not over yet.
- clGetDeviceInfo failed to get CL_DEVICE_SIMD_PER_COMPUTE_UNIT_AMD for device 0
- 151.157s - > Found 3 OpenCL Platforms(s)
- 151.157s - Platform: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing [OpenCL 2.0 AMD-APP (2348.3)]
- 151.157s - ERROR: clGetDeviceIDs failed [-1] (1).
- 151.157s - OnRunNbodyTest - Enter loop: CurAdapter 0 [AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
- flushed out some rather old drivers from 2017, removed the entries in registry and the folders in windows.
- found a driver folder created 10/10/2024, looks promising.
- Contains 14x DLL, 1x INF, 1x CAT, 2x HIPFB and 2x EXE.
- Cannot tell what REG AMD COMP does, but it seems obvious.
- CLINFO spits out a nice report which would indicate at least at this level that the AMD software thinks openCL is alive well and fully functional.
EDIT: Solution
Only install AMD PRO drivers if you want to run BOINC. More recent Adrenaline drivers will contain the needed files but wont register them correctly. Sadly you will loose out on any beneficial patches, but BOINC will be happy. Pester AMD for an update to their so called Pro driver.
22:33 UTC
WCG: Mapping Cancer Markers - Enable GPU Computing?
Hello,
I am running an RTX 3070 and I would like to use it to compute for WCG Mapping Cancer Markers. Is there a way to enable computing for GPU? CUDA would make crunching work units much faster.
18:35 UTC
David Baker, developer of the BOINC project Rosetta@home, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Rosetta@home that runs on BOINC was developed by David Baker, I believe.
"In 2003, this year’s chemistry laureate David Baker succeeded in designing a new protein that was unlike any other protein. This was the first step in something that can only be described as an extraordinary development. A few of the many spectacular proteins created in Baker’s laboratory using his computer software Rosetta can be seen in the picture.
He also released the code for Rosetta, so a global research community has continued to develop the software, finding new areas of application.
Baker’s research group has produced one imaginative protein creation after another, including proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors." (The Nobel Prize on X/Twitter)
12:42 UTC
Are "Android BOINC" and "HTC power to give" dead?
I can't download android BOINC, but I did download HTC power to give on my tablet. It's a little buggy but I think I did get it to work. I couldn't find any information or signs saying that the project is still active. Anyone have any idea?
It seems like it has lost support/popularity, if so why?
19:47 UTC
World Community Grid | Server error: feeder not running
Since yesterday for all World Community Grid I am getting "Server error: feeder not running". Likle 20 of them is actually 100% "ready to report" but none is reported and no new one downloaded.
Is it some error on my side or some general issue
14:17 UTC
Is running it on virtualbox a pure security concern or is there more reason you should do it so?
05:20 UTC
How to stop BOINC from unpausing itself?
I am running BOINC on Linux(Debian). When I pause all the tasks using the BOING Manager after an hour or so they unpause without me doing anything, which sometimes causes my PC to freeze because I'm running heavy programs or games at this time. In the options there is only something like "Pause when PC is in use", but I don't need that option because most of the time I'm using my PC without any heavy load, so running BOINC in background is fine. Any way to change this behaviour?
17:06 UTC
BOINC running on M3 Max Macbook questions/concerns
Hey there...are any of you BOINCker's out there running BOINC on a M3 Macbook? If so, I could use a little guidance. I run multiple projects using the BOINCManager on my 2023 M3 Max MBP but it seems to me with all the CPU's & GPU's on this machine that it should be doing a lot more work than it does. With 12 performance cores 4 GPU clusters I currently show only 5 tasks running with nothing else active besides Safari & the usual login items. Would this be due to a configuration setting for the projects or is this constraint an Apple item? Maybe there is something else that I don't understand about Apple Silicon or macOS.
Any ideas/insight would be appreciated
Thanks in advance...billgr0248
23:35 UTC
What examples of distributed computing network software could benefit everyone?
I'm seeking ideas for BOINC projects that have a broad positive impact, such as a distributed chatbot (even though I understand that a fully distributed AI may not be practical with current CPUs/GPUs). Specifically looking for ideas that directly benefit anyone, not just researchers. Thank you!
18:46 UTC
TThrottle ignores my GPU max temp
Edit: looks like Riot Vanguard blocked it
Hello, I had it working for a few days just fine, but now my GPU will go to 60C with the fans at full speed when I let it run, completely ignoring any limits.
CPU throttle only works when Task Manager is on, but I just accepted it and had it minimized
GPU bar is gray at all times. I tried reinstalling but it didn't help.
Any ideas what else can I do?
20:06 UTC
Cross-project ID Unification
Hi,
Is there any way to unify the Cross-project ID through different BOINC projects?
The first projects i participated share the same crossID but every new account in others (BOINC central, LHC@Home ect) are created with different cross-ID although i always use the same email adress and username.
Has someone else face the same issue?
09:59 UTC
Boinc Projects with (some) volunteers acknowledgment?
Which BOINC projects which you are participating in are known that offer some volunteers acknowledgment?
I mean just a reference to the user and the hardware that made the processing of the scientific interesting WU.
The last years I am participating in Einstein@home, which many years ago, in its’ discoveries page -along with the discoveries- the users also were noted.
Unfortunately, the last years there are no such announcements and acknowledgment are made.
08:06 UTC
Suggestion for project to find elliptic curves over Q with high algebraic ranks
With the recent discovery of an elliptic curve over Q with rank at least 29: https://web.math.pmf.unizg.hr/~duje/tors/rankhist.html
It seems that we are seriously in need of significantly more compute to discover elliptic curves with higher ranks. The previous best had a rank of at least 28 (exactly 28 assuming GRH) and was found in 2006...
Discovery times used to scale almost linearly with max rank found but suddenly stalled after 2006: https://mathoverflow.net/a/50868/30186
Taking inspiration from things like GIMPS, ZetaGrid, etc. To those interested in number theory, it seems that more compute should be spent trying to find more elliptic curves over Q of even higher ranks. It is still a highly debated question of whether the rank of an elliptic curve over Q is bounded: it has been a "folklore" conjecture for some time that the rank is unbounded but more recently heuristics suggest that there are in fact only finitely many elliptic curves over Q with rank greater than 21.
Discovering several more with higher ranks would give more heuristic evidence to suggest this is perhaps not actually the case.
I write to request assistance in setting up a volunteer distributed computing project for this cause. If you have any experience in setting up distributed computing and/or computational number theory (particularly in the direction of people like Elkies) then I'd appreciate your support!
19:30 UTC
How do I manage the numbers of tasks?
Idon’t run boinc program for long time so I don’t want my computer to download and process a lot of tasks(10 or more)at the same time. Can anybody help me?
11:27 UTC
Tasks aren’t auto-refreshing.
Good evening,
I have BOINC running on my rasp pi 5 and it was all sunshine and lollipops, until now when I go to refresh the task list and it says that there are no tasks available. Has anyone else encountered this and what’s the fix? It’s happened before and I had to delete/reinstall BOINC on my rp5, but I’m sure there’s a simpler fix.
03:26 UTC
BAM vs ScienceUnited: Which account manager do you use?
Hey fellow BOINC enthusiasts!
I'm curious about which account manager you prefer for managing your BOINC projects. Are you using BAM (BOINC Account Manager) or ScienceUnited?
If you're using one of these, what do you like about it? If you've tried both, which one do you find more user-friendly or feature-rich?
For those not using either, what's your current setup for managing multiple BOINC projects?
Looking forward to hearing about your experiences and preferences!
13:20 UTC
GTX 1060 not being recognized
I just upgraded a PC I have from an old quadro K4200 to a GTX 1060 in an old PC I have dedicated to running BOINC. The PC is running Linux mint 21.3. No matter what I’ve tried, I can’t get BOINC to recognize the GPU.
List of things I’ve tried:
- Clean installing NVIDIA drivers and all related software (CUDA toolkit, OpenCL drivers, etc)
- Removing and reinstalling everything BOINC related
- Using a different PCIe slot in the motherboard
- Doing a combination of the above things, making sure to reboot after changes.
- Putting <use_all_gpus> into cc_config.xml
Things I know:
- nvidia-smi shows the GPU, correct driver version, etc
- I’m using Nvidia 555 drivers and BOINC 8.0.2
- coproc_info.xml says that an NVIDIA driver is present, but that it can’t find a GPU
I’d rather not have to completely reinstall the OS, so any help/advice would be appreciated
01:50 UTC
Comparison: Thin Clients vs. Ryzen 9 (credits, runtime, energy consumption)
Six thin clients running BOINC
Today I'm sharing a comparison I made regarding my BOINC CPU clients. The contestants are:
- A desktop PC with an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (16c/32t @ ~3,05 GHz) using around 160 watts.
- Six thin clients by Terra, Model Ti5450 / TI5490, each with an Intel Celeron N3160 (4c/4t @ 1,6 GHz) using around 42 watts in total.
All are running the World Community Grid "Mapping Cancer Markers" CPU app on Ubuntu Linux. The power supplies are connected via Shelly Plugs to measure energy consumption. I took credit statistics per host from boincstats, using a minimum of 12 days of 24/7 runtime to get the average daily credit. So these are BOINC credits, not WCG points.
Configuration notes:
- The 5950X is supposed to run at 3,4 GHz by default, but I set it to "Eco mode (95W)" which keeps it at around 3 - 3,1 GHz. However, when the BOINC benchmark runs, the CPU boosts up to 4,1 GHz, so the BOINC client likely overestimates credits when reporting results. Not sure how to avoid this without setting a fixed CPU frequency.
- On the 5950X I run 32 threads for BOINC, taking advantage of SMT while being aware that there are only 16 cores to actually do the work. This doubles the compute time reported to WCG compared to a "one task per core" (no SMT) setup.
- The desktop PC has a mid-sized GPU (idle) and a lot of RAM that wouldn't be needed if I was just running BOINC, so in theory I could get the energy consumption even lower while keeping the performance the same.
- The six thin clients need an extra switch for networking, but the switch isn't included in the energy consumption stats.
| Results | Daily ȼredits | Daily energy consumption | ȼredits/kWh | CPU days/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop Ryzen 9 | 33,647 ȼ/d | 3.85 kWh/d | 8,739 ȼ/kWh | 8.3 d/kWh |
| 6 Thin Clients | 7,743 ȼ/d | 1.01 kWh/d | 7,666 ȼ/kWh | 23.8 d/kWh |
As you can see, I would need to get 20 more thin clients to match the overall performance of one Ryzen 9 running in Eco Mode. However, the energy efficiency (credits per kWh) is quite similar in this configuration. And when looking at the CPU runtime - which is an important target KPI in WCG since this is what you earn badges for - the thin clients obviously have a huge advantage over the Ryzen 9 because they keep each core working at a fraction of the energy, albeit a lot slower.
Let me know if you have questions or comments.
Future research: How does efficiency change with the default CPU setting (3,4 GHz), Eco Mode 65 W, Eco Mode 45 W, or overclocking/PBO enabled? This, however, is a question for the winter, when the CPU can get better cooling and I don't bother the extra heat in my apartment.
19:57 UTC
FEELING LOST HELP
I installed VB installed BOINC Manager and did everything but still its showing this Please guide
02:35 UTC
Not using all cores?
I have a i7-14700K and Amicable Numbers is only using my efficiency cores, and none of my performance cores. Is this done purposefully? I have it set to use 100% of cores.
07:08 UTC