| BOINC | |
|---|---|
 | |
 BOINC Manager Simple View | |
| Developer | University of California, Berkeley |
| Initial release | 10 April 2002; 23 years ago (2002-04-10) |
| Stable release | |
| Preview release | |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++ (client/server) PHP (project CMS) Java/Kotlin (Android client) |
| Operating system | Windows macOS Linux Android FreeBSD Raspberry Pi OS |
| Type | Grid computing andvolunteer computing |
| License | LGPL-3.0-or-later[1] Project licensing varies |
| Website | boinc |
TheBerkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing[2] (BOINC, pronounced/bɔɪŋk/ –rhymes with "oink"[3]) is anopen-sourcemiddleware system forvolunteer computing (a type ofdistributed computing).[4] Developed originally to supportSETI@home,[5] it became the platform for many other applications in areas as diverse asmedicine,molecular biology,mathematics,linguistics,climatology,environmental science, andastrophysics, among others.[6] The purpose of BOINC is to enable researchers to utilizeprocessing resources ofpersonal computers and other devices around the world.
BOINC development began with a group based at theSpace Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, and led byDavid P. Anderson, who also led SETI@home. As a high-performance volunteer computing platform, BOINC brings together 34,236 active participants employing 136,341 active computers (hosts) worldwide, processing daily on average 20.164PetaFLOPS as of 16 November 2021[update][7] (it would be the 21st largest processing capability in the world compared with an individualsupercomputer).[8] TheNational Science Foundation (NSF) funds BOINC through awards SCI/0221529,[9] SCI/0438443[10] and SCI/0721124.[11]Guinness World Records ranks BOINC as the largestcomputing grid in the world.[12]
BOINCcode runs on variousoperating systems, includingMicrosoft Windows,macOS,Android,[13]Linux, andFreeBSD.[14] BOINC isfree software released under the terms of theGNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL).
BOINC was originally developed to manage theSETI@home project.David P. Anderson has said that he chose its name because he wanted something that was not "imposing", but rather "light, catchy, and maybe - like 'Unix' - a littlerisqué", so he "played around with various acronyms and settled on 'BOINC'".[15]
The original SETI client was a non-BOINC software exclusively for SETI@home. It was one of the firstvolunteer computing projects, and not designed with a high level of security. As a result, some participants in the project attempted to cheat the project to gain "credits", while others submitted entirely falsified work. BOINC was designed, in part, to combat these security breaches.[16]
The BOINC project started in February 2002, and its first version was released on April 10, 2002. The first BOINC-based project wasPredictor@home, launched on June 9, 2004. In 2009,AQUA@home deployed multi-threaded CPU applications for the first time,[17] followed by the firstOpenCL application in 2010.
As of 15 August 2022, there are 33 projects on the official list.[18] There are also, however, BOINC projects not included on the official list. Each year, an international BOINC Workshop is hosted to increase collaboration among project administrators. In 2021, the workshop was hosted virtually.[19]
While not affiliated with BOINC officially, there have been several independent projects that reward BOINC users for their participation, includingCharity Engine (sweepstakes based on processing power with prizes funded by private entities who purchase computational time of CE users), Bitcoin Utopia (now defunct), andGridcoin (a blockchain which mints coins based on processing power).
BOINC issoftware that can exploit the unusedCPU andGPU cycles oncomputer hardware to perform scientific computing. In 2008, BOINC's website announced thatNvidia had developed a language calledCUDA that uses GPUs for scientific computing. With NVIDIA's assistance, several BOINC-based projects (e.g.,MilkyWay@home.SETI@home) developed applications that run on NVIDIA GPUs using CUDA. BOINC added support for theATI/AMD family of GPUs in October 2009. The GPU applications run from 2 to 10 times faster than the former CPU-only versions. GPU support (viaOpenCL) was added for computers usingmacOS with AMD Radeon graphic cards, with the current BOINC client supporting OpenCL on Windows, Linux, and macOS. GPU support is also provided forIntel GPUs.[20]
BOINC consists of aserver system andclient software that communicate to process and distribute work units and return results.
A BOINC app also exists for Android, allowing every person owning an Android device – smartphone, tablet and/or Kindle – to share their unused computing power. The user is allowed to select the research projects they want to support, if it is in the app's available project list.
By default, the application will allow computing only when the device is connected to a WiFi network, is being charged, and the battery has a charge of at least 90%.[21] Some of these settings can be changed to users needs. Not all BOINC projects are available[22] and some of the projects are not compatible with all versions of Android operating system or availability of work is intermittent. Currently available projects[22] are Asteroids@home,Einstein@Home,LHC@home,Moo! Wrapper,Rosetta@home,World Community Grid andYoyo@home [ru]. As of September 2021, the most recent version of the mobile application can only be downloaded from the BOINC website or the F-Droid repository as the official Google Play store does not allow downloading and running executables not signed by the app developer and each BOINC project has their own executable files.
BOINC can be controlled remotely byremote procedure calls (RPC), from thecommand line, and from a BOINC Manager. BOINC Manager currently has two "views": theAdvanced View and theSimplifiedGUI. TheGrid View was removed in the 6.6.x clients as it was redundant. The appearance (skin) of the Simplified GUI is user-customizable, in that users can create their own designs.
A BOINC Account Manager is an application that manages multiple BOINC project accounts across multiple computers (CPUs) and operating systems. Account managers were designed for people who are new to BOINC or have several computers participating in several projects. The account manager concept was conceived and developed jointly byGridRepublic and BOINC. Current and past account managers include:
BOINC is used by many groups and individuals. Some BOINC projects are based at universities and research labs while others are independent areas of research or interest.[24]
| Project Name | Publications | Launched | Status | Operating System | GPU App | Sponsor | Category | Research Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| climateprediction.net | 152 papers[25] | 2003-12-09 | 307,359 volunteers[26] | Windows, Linux, ARM, macOS[27] | No | Oxford University | Climate change | Improveclimate prediction models. Sub-project:Seasonal Attribution Project. |
| Einstein@Home | 42 papers[28] | 2005-02-19 | 1,041,796 volunteers[29] | Windows, Linux, ARM, macOS, Android[30] | GPU CPU | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,Max Planck Institute | Astrophysics | Search forpulsars usingradio signals andgravitational wave data |
| Gerasim@Home [ru] | 9 papers[31] | 2007-02-10 | 6,811 volunteers[32] | Windows, Linux[33] | No | Southwest State University (Russia) [ru] | Multiple applications | Research indiscrete mathematics andlogic control systems |
| GoofyxGrid@Home | 2016 | No | Independent | Mathematics | Mathematically implement the Infinite monkey theorem | |||
| GPUGRID.net | 53 papers[34] | 2007-12-05 | 46,874 volunteers[35] | Windows, Linux, macOS[36] | NVIDIA GPU only | Barcelona Biomedical Research Park | Molecular biology | Perform full-atom molecular simulations of proteins onNvidiaGPUs for biomedical research |
| iThena [pl] | 2 papers[37][38] | 2019 | 507,079[39] + 180,789[40] volunteers | Windows, Linux, ARM[41] | No | Cyber-Complex Foundation (Poland) [pl;uk;et] | Internet | Measurements and analyses of globalInternet architecture structures |
| LHC@home | 71 papers[42] | 2004-01-09 | 178,623 volunteers[43] | Windows, Linux, ARM, macOS, Android, FreeBSD[44] | No | CERN | Physics | Help construct and test theLarge Hadron Collider and search forfundamental particles |
| MilkyWay@home | 27 papers[45] | 2007-07-07 | 250,447 volunteers[46] | Windows, Linux, macOS[47] | No | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Astronomy | Create a simulation of theMilky Way galaxy using data from theSloan Digital Sky Survey |
| PrimeGrid | 3 papers[48] | 2005-06-12 | 353,261 volunteers[49] | Windows, Linux, macOS[50] | GPU CPU | Independent | Mathematics | Search for primes such as Generalized Fermat primes, 321 primes,Sierpiński numbers, Cullen-Woodall primes, Proth prime, and Sophie Germain primes. Subprojects includeSeventeen or Bust,Riesel Sieve, andAP27 Search. |
| RALPH@Home [fr] | Rosetta@home | 2006-02-15 | 5548 volunteers[51] | Windows, Linux, ARM, macOS, Android[52] | GPU CPU | University of Washington | Molecular biology | Test project for Rosetta@home |
| Rosetta@home | 234 papers[53] | 2005-10-06 | 1,373,480 volunteers[54] | Windows, Linux, ARM, macOS, Android[55] | No | University of Washington | Molecular biology | Protein structure prediction for disease research |
| Tn-grid [it] | 8 papers[56] | 2013-12-19 | 3,201 volunteers[57] | Windows, Linux, macOS[58] | No | University of Trento | Genetics | Currently deploying gene@home work to expand gene networks |
| World Community Grid | 77 papers[59] | 2004-11-16 | 85,119 volunteers[60] | Windows, Linux, ARM, macOS, Android[61] | GPU CPU | Krembil Research Institute | Multiple applications | Subprojects: Open Pandemics - COVID-19.Clean Energy Project, GO Drug Search for Leishmaniasis, Fight Against Malaria, Computing for Clean Water,Discovering Dengue Drugs - Together, OpenZika,Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy,Help Defeat Cancer,Help Conquer Cancer,Help Fight Childhood Cancer,Smash Childhood Cancer,Human Proteome Folding Project, Uncovering Genome Mysteries,FightAIDS@Home, Let's outsmart Ebola together, Mapping Cancer Markers, Help Stop TB. |
| Yoyo@home [ru] | 9 papers[62] | 2007-07-19 | 94,236 volunteers[63] | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, ARM, Solaris, Sony Playstation 3[64] | No | Independent | Multiple applications | Using the BOINC Wrapper with existing volunteer projects |
| Project Name | Publications | Launched | Status | Operating System | GPU app | Sponsor | Category | Research Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC@Home | paper[65] | 2006-11-21 | No | Mathematical Institute ofLeiden University | Mathematics | Find triples of theABC conjecture | ||
| AQUA@home | 4 papers[66] | 2008-12-10 | GPU CPU | D-Wave Systems | Computer science | Predict the performance ofQuantum computers | ||
| Artificial Intelligence System | No | Intelligence Realm Inc | Artificial intelligence | Simulate the brain usingHodgkin–Huxley models via anartificial neural network | ||||
| Big and Ugly Rendering Project (BURP) | 2 papers[67] | 2004-06-17 | No | Independent | Rendering (computer graphics) | Use BOINC infrastructure withBlender (software) to render animated videos | ||
| Collatz Conjecture project [de] | paper[68] | 2009-01-06[69] | 67,719 volunteers[70] | Windows, Linux, macOS[71] | GPU CPU | Independent | Mathematics | Study the unsolvedCollatz conjecture[72] |
| Correlizer [ru] | 5 papers[73] | 2011[74] | No | Biology | Examining genome organization | |||
| Cosmology@Home | 5 papers[75] | 2007-06-26 | 87,465 volunteers[76] | Windows, Linux, macOS[77] | No | Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris | Astronomy | Develop simulations that best describe The Universe |
| Docking@Home | 20 papers[78] | 2006-09-11[79] | No | University of Delaware | Molecular biology | Use theCHARMM program to model protein-liganddocking. The goal was the development ofpharmaceutical drugs. | ||
| EDGeS@Home [ru] | 12 papers[80] | 2009-10 | No | MTA SZTAKI Laboratory of Parallel and Distributed Systems | Multiple applications | Support of scientific applications developed by the EGEE and EDGeS community | ||
| eOn | 6 papers[81] | No | University of Texas at Austin | Chemistry | Theoretical chemistry techniques to solve problems incondensed matter physics andmaterials science | |||
| Evolution@Home | 6 papers[82] | No | Evolutionary Biology | Improve understanding of evolutionary processes | ||||
| FreeHAL | 2006 | No | Independent | Artificial intelligence | Compute information for software to imitate human conversation | |||
| HashClash | 11 papers[83] | 2005-11-24 | No | Eindhoven University of Technology | Cryptography | Findcollisions in the MD5 hash algorithm | ||
| Ibercivis | 18 papers[84] | 2008-06-22 | No | Zaragoza, CETA-CIEMAT, CSIC, Coimbra | Multiple applications | Research in physics, material science and biomedicines | ||
| Leiden Classical | 2 papers[85] | 2005-05-12 | No | Leiden University | Chemistry | Classical mechanics for students and scientists | ||
| Malaria Control Project | 26 papers[86] | 2006-12-19 | No | Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute | Model Diseases | Stochastic modelling of clinical epidemiology and the natural history ofPlasmodium falciparum malaria | ||
| MindModeling@Home | 6 papers[87] | 2007-07-07 | 24,574 volunteers[88] | Windows, Linux, macOS[89] | No | University of Dayton Research Institute andWright State University | Cognitive science | Makingcognitive models of the human mind |
| uFluids@Home | 3 papers[90] | 2005-09-19 | No | Purdue University | Physics,Aeronautics | A computer simulation of two-phase flow behavior in microgravity and micro fluidics | ||
| OProject@Home | paper[91] | 2012-08-13 | No | Olin Library,Rollins College | Mathematics | Algorithm analysis. The library is open and available in the Code.google.com SVN repository. | ||
| orbit@home | paper[92] | 2008-04-03 | No | Planetary Science Institute | Astronomy | Monitor near-earth asteroids | ||
| Pirates@home [es] | 2004-06-02 | No | 1Vassar College 2 Spy Hill Research | Software testing | Mission 1: Test BOINC software and help to develop Einstein@Homescreensaver[93] Mission 2: Develop forum software forInteractions in Understanding the Universe[94] | |||
| POEM@Home | 5 papers[95] | 2007-13-11 | No | University of Karlsruhe | Molecular biology | ModelProtein folding usingAnfinsen's dogma | ||
| Predictor@home | 5 papers[96] | 2004-05-04 | No | The Scripps Research Institute | Molecular biology | Test new methods of protein structure prediction and algorithms in the context of the Sixth Biannual CASP[97] experiment | ||
| proteins@home | 4 papers[98] | 2006-09-15 | No | École polytechnique | Protein structure prediction | Contribute to a better understanding of many diseases and pathologies and to progress inMedicine andTechnology | ||
| QMC@Home | 7 papers[99] | 2006-03-03 | No | University of Münster | Chemistry | Study the structure and reactivity of molecules using quantum chemistry and Monte Carlo techniques | ||
| Quake-Catcher Network | 13 papers[100] | 2008-02-03 | No | Stanford University, then | Seismology | Use accelerometers connected to personal computers and devices to detect earthquakes and to educate about seismology | ||
| Riesel Sieve | No | Mathematics | Prove that 509,203 is the smallest Riesel number by finding a prime of the formk × 2n − 1 for all oddk smaller than 509,203 | |||||
| SAT@home [ru] | 8 papers[101] | 2011-09 | No | Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences | Mathematics | Solve discrete problems by reducing them to the problem of satisfiability of Boolean formulas | ||
| SETI@home | 12 papers[102] | 1999-05-17 | 1,808,938 volunteers[103] | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android[104] | GPU CPU | University of California, Berkeley | Astronomy | Analyzing radio frequencies from space to search forextraterrestrial life. Sub project:Astropulse |
| SETI@home beta | see above | 2006-01-12 | GPU CPU | University of California, Berkeley | Software testing | Test project forSETI@home | ||
| SIMAP | 5 papers[105] | 2006-04-26 | No | University of Vienna | Molecular biology | Investigated protein similarities | ||
| SLinCA@Home | 2010-09-14 | No | National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine | Physics | Research in physics andmaterials science | |||
| Spinhenge@home | 3 papers[106] | No | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology | genetic linkage | Usedgenetic linkage analysis to find disease resistantgenes | |||
| TANPAKU [ja] | 2 papers[107] | 2005-08-02[108] | No | Tokyo University of Science | Molecular biology | Protein structure prediction using theBrownian dynamics method | ||
| The Lattice Project | 16 papers[109] | 2004-06-30[110] | No | University of Maryland, College Park | Life science | Multiple applications | ||
| theSkyNet | 3 papers[111] | 2011-09-13 | No | International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research | Astronomy | Analysis ofradio astronomy data from telescopes |
