DC tasks, where to start, and general info.

[indydude345]

I just need some help on what I should be doing to help out in DC. This will also be a good place for newcomers, like myself!

 

[crashtech]

Here's where you get BOINC:

https://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php

Here's a list of projects:

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/distributed-computing-project-list.2494315/

Many of us participate in Formula BOINC:

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/formulaboinc.2500571/

Right now we could use a hand in the Primegrid marathon.

 

[StefanR5R]

(ninja'd by @crashtech while typing the following essay...)

One angle to approach this could be the question, what kind of project would be worthy to support? Life scienes/ medicine; physics; astronomy/ astrophysics; mathematics... The sticky thread "Distributed Computing Project List" is an index into a large number of projects with a brief info about what each project's goals are.

The answer to that question is of course very subjective, and as varied as those DC projects are, as varied seem to be the interests of the TeAm mates too. There are weekly statistics posted each Sunday (last ones here) which give an impression who is doing what.

Another angle which a few of us pursue, is to take part in competitions --- mostly as a team, but also individually. I for one started with DC just last winter when I saw a call to the December Folding@Home battle between TeAm AnandTech, Tom's Hardware, and Hardware Canucks Forum announced on AnandTech's front page. Since then I have been following a few projects that looked interesting to me, and partaking in competitions as well.

Already next week, there will be a 3-day sprint in the Formula Boinc. Formula Boinc sprints are very frequent and constantly switch between projects, which is both quite demanding, and by far not everybody's cup of tea. But Formula Boinc is also holding year-long marathons in many projects. As an example, TeAm AnandTech looks to advance from rank 4 to 3 in the Citizen Science Grid marathon soon (look at the League 2 table), thanks to a few of us producing results at CSG faster than the team which holds rank 3 (not for long). A little more push to secure 3rd rank couldn't hurt.

Apart from those different individual motivations, there are of course the technical aspects. Is the hardware which I have available suitable for CPU projects mainly, or GPU projects, or a mix of them? Is a project easy enough to handle for somebody new to it all, or are its requirements and quirks and bugs too much of a hassle to be recommended?

One example for a CPU project which is quite easy to get into, and at the same time is pursuing some worthy and interesting goals, is World Community Grid. And an example for a comparably easy to handle GPU project with possibly worthy goals is Folding@Home. (Both IMO of course.)

The PrimeGrid marathon which @crashtech mentioned is most effectively supported if you have a GPU and configure the PrimeGrid preferences like so:

Spoiler: deselect CPU applications

Spoiler: deselect all subprojects except PPS Sieve

Reason: PPS Sieve is PrimeGrid's subproject which gives the most points per computing power, and PPS Sieve's GPU application is a lot more effective than the CPU application. Caveat: Many subprojects of PrimeGrid let you find large prime numbers if you are lucky, and you can be registered as the finder of that number --- but the PPS Sieve project does not find primes, since it is only a preliminary step to prepare the actual search in other subprojects.

 

[StefanR5R]

By the way, every time when you create an account for yourself at a BOINC based project, one of the first steps to do is to log into your account at the web page of the project, then search for a team (TeAm AnandTech naturally), then click "Join this team" on the team page. From this moment on, the credits which you earn are counted not only for you but also for the team.

 

[crashtech]

Great write up, Stefan, thanks!

 

[iwajabitw]

Here is a list from Free-DC that shows what the TeAm is working on today in total point. I lined the grid up under the Today setting so there would be no scrolling through projects not being worked.

http://stats.free-dc.org/stats.php?page=teambycpid&team=TeAm+AnandTech&sort=today

 

[indydude345]

I've been running PrimeGrid for a while now, I'll start my other system on either that or somethinf else.

 

[indydude345]

I've been running PrimeGrid for a while now, I'll start my other system on either that or somethinf else.

And maybe someday I will learn how to use my phone's tiny keyboard...

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm glad that PrimeGrid is our BOINC marathon project, because I've been crunching that and WCG on my three "big" rigs. Put one of them on Collatz too.

 

[Ken g6]

And maybe someday I will learn how to use my phone's tiny keyboard...

Try sweeping your dinner - I mean swiping your finger - between the letters to spell out a word. When it gets a word wrong it at least spells it right.

 

[indydude345]

I will soon have 3 machines running it, 2 980 Ti's and an R9 380. Should be able to contribute a decent amount. But for now it's just my personal 980 Ti and the 380 in a test bench, in which I have been kind of lazy at setting up DC on it. Procrastination at it's finest.

 

[indydude345]

Try sweeping your dinner - I mean swiping your finger - between the letters to spell out a word. When it gets a word wrong it at least spells it right.

You know, the swiping thing never really caught on with me. I don't have the patience for it!