for the
Elimination of Health Disparities
BOINC Frequently Asked Questions |
What are the usage rules and policies? Will BOINC slow my computer down? Will BOINC access data or files on my computer? What do I have to do participate? How do I know BOINC is working? How do I set up the BOINC screensaver? Can I modify how BOINC interacts with the server? What should I do if BOINC is causing a problem?
BOINC is a well-known parallel computing platform, which was developed at the University of California. After it is installed on your computer, the BOINC client talks to our BOINC server, retrieves a small amount of data, analyzes the data and the returns the results back to our server. This platform has been used by many computer intensive projects like SETI@home to find extra-terrestrial life and predictor@home to predict protein structure from protein sequence. (top)
What are the usage rules and policies? See the BOINC website for this information. (top)
Will BOINC slow my computer down? No. It works just like a screensaver. It only turns on when your computer is not being used after a certain amount of time (set by you) and then turns off immediately when you touch the keyboard or move the mouse. Once your computer is idle again, BOINC restarts where it left off. (top)
Any time you download a program through the Internet you are taking a chance: the program might have dangerous errors, or the download server might have been hacked. The MapTheGap Project has made efforts to minimize these risks. We have tested our applications carefully. Our servers are protected from hackers and is only accessible from within the Broxton network. (top)
Will BOINC access data or files on my computer? The only data that BOINC will access are data that is downloaded from our MapTheGap server and the results from analysis of this data. If you participate in The MapTheGap Project, information about your computer (such as its processor type, amount of memory, etc.) will be recorded by MapTheGap and used to decide what type of work to assign to your computer. Nothing that reveals your computer's location will be shown. When you sign up for an account, you must provide your name and email address. Our MapTheGap may show information on which users have contributed most to the project. If you want to remain anonymous, you should choose a username that does not reveal your identify. (top)
What do I have to do participate? 1) We will install a program on your computer. 2) You then need to sign up for a BOINC account. 3) After starting-up the BOINC Manager program, click on the Projects command and select attach to project . 4) Click NEXT. 5) At the prompt for Project URL type: http://simulation.mapthegap.com/ and click NEXT 6) Type in your BOINC username and password if prompted. 7) Click FINISH (top) How do I know BOINC is working? Run the BOINC Manager and click on the Messages tab. You can see a log of what BOINC has been up to on your computer. There may be times when the MapTheGap server has not assigned your computer any work. It will say No work from project. BOINC will still periodically asked the server for additional work. (top)
For more information on the BOINC manager, click here. (top)
How do I set up the BOINC screensaver? The BOINC client software on Windows and Mac OS X includes a screensaver program, which you can select as your screensaver. On Windows: Right-click on the desktop. Click Properties, select Screen Saver, select BOINC. On Mac OS X: Under the Apple menu, select System Preferences. Click on Desktop & Screen Saver. Select BOINCSaver from the list of Screen Savers.
NOTE: BOINC runs even if you don't use the screensaver. When active, the screensaver does the following: If a graphics-capable application is running, the screensaver causes that application to provide full-screen graphics. If more than one is running (e.g. on a multiprocessor) the screensaver cycles between them every few minutes. If applications are running but non are graphics-capable, the screensaver shows the names of the applications and their fraction done for the current work unit. If the core client is running but no applications are running, the screensaver shows that. If the core client is not running, the screensaver shows that.
Normally, if you press a key or move the mouse while the screensaver is active, the screensaver will exit. Some BOINC applications handle keyboard/mouse input. If you hold down the control key, any additional input will be passed to the application, and your computer will remain in screensaver mode. (top)
Can I modify how BOINC interacts with the server? You have certain control over how your computer talks to the BOINC server, such as how much time your computer sits idle before BOINC starts, how much memory BOINC uses, and whether BOINC works in the background only or all of the time. For more information, click here. (top)
What should I do if BOINC is causing a problem? Just email us at admin@mapthegap.com. (top) |