Boinc Settings

Install BOINC on Mandriva

2006-01-27T01:25:00.000-08:00

The installation is quite the same as on Ubuntu. I will just explain the main differences:

mysqlDB

To create a project, you need mysqldb and it not available on mandriva. You have to download the source on sourceforge
You need mysql_devel and python_devel.
Untar mysql-python and go in the new directory.
Compile it:
```
python setup.py build
```

As root, install it:
```
python setup.py install
```

htpasswd

You can use htpasswd in Mandriva but the executable is not at the same location. It is in /usr/sbin/htpasswd

Install a real boinc server on ubuntu (breezy badger)

2005-10-31T04:57:00.000-08:00

This howto will try to explain step by step how to install a boinc server on ubuntu.

Install Ubuntu

Get the ubuntu distribution and tip a CD, you can get the CD on http://www.ubuntu.com/download/. When the installation runs, write server (it will install only the minimum for the installation).
When you start Ubuntu you have some editors: nano pico, ... If you want to use a new one:
```
sudo apt-get install emacs21
```
Now we set where the server will download packages, With your editor, edit the file /etc/apt/sources.list. You have to be logged as root to edit this file. In the file, comment the first line (with a #) and uncomment the lines where it defines the universe repository. Some hints are written on the file. It should be easy to modify.
Install ssh. We can the access from an other computer to the system.
```
sudo apt-get install ssh
```
Now you have a small server that can be accessed from another computer.

Installing necessary stuff

In this step, we will install everything that can be used by boinc.

First we have to install gcc,g++, automake, autoconf,... These files will be used to compile boinc:
```
sudo apt-get install gcc g++ automake1.9 autoconf make
```

Now, we install an apache server with mysql, with php and phpmyadmin, and openssl:

sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin apache2 mysql-server
libmysqlclient12-dev python-mysqldb php4-gd
libapache2-mod-auth-mysql libssl-dev

Modify the password of the mysql database. You can do it with phpmyadmin: go on $ip-adress/phpmyadmin and write as login root and without password. Then modify the password.

Go on /etc/apache2/apache2.conf and add the line:
```
DefaultType application/octet-stream
```
It will avoid getting all the time a signature verification error.

Modify /etc/group in sort that apache2 runs as boincadm (or like as you want...). Replace
```
www-data:x:33:
```
with
```
www-data:x:33:$admin
```
Add these two lines to the beginning of the apache start script (called apachectl, usually in /usr/sbin on linux):
```
umask 2
export umask
```

restart apache2:
```
/etc/init.d/apache2 restart
```
We remove the database and put it into an other file, edit the file /etc/mysql/my.cnf and replace the line:
```
datadir                = /var/lib/mysql
```
with
```
datadir                = mynewdir
```

sudo mv /var/lib/mysql/mydatabase mynewdir/

/etc/init.d/mysqld restart

Install CVS:
```
sudo apt-get install cvs
```

Install Boinc

Okay, now let's start.

checkout the boinc server:
```
cvs -d :pserver:anonymous:@alien.ssl.berkeley.edu:/home/cvs/cvsroot checkout -r stable boinc
```
The boinc files will be installed in the boinc directory, you can put this directory where you want, let us just call this directory $boinc.

Go into the $boinc directory, and start _autosetup:
./_autosetup

Check that everything is okay and that we are going to install the server only:
```
./configure --disable-client 
```
Everything should be okay, if you have some errors, you certainly forgot to install one element.

Compile it:
```
make 
```
Install boinc:
```
sudo make install
```

Create a project

First, we create keys... Go into a directory named keys and run:

crypt_prog -genkey 1024 code_sign_private code_sign_public
crypt_prog -genkey 1024 upload_private  upload_public

It creates two 1024 bits keys

Then we create the project:


tools/make_project
--project_root <path>
--db_user <database_user>
--db_passwd <database_password>
--key_dir <key_directory>
--url_base <url_base>
<short_name> <long_name>

From now on the <path> will be called $project. It is within that are all the important files and <short_name> is now $project_name.

We have to configure apache2 in sort that it displays the website: copy the file $project/$project_name.httpd.conf in /etc/apaches/sites-available. symlink (the ln command)it in sites-enabled and restart apache:
```
/etc/init.d/apache2 restart
```

Set the security

Theorically everything is fine, there remains one thing: remove access to ops for not authenticated users: We will do it with htaccess:

Create the directory $project usernames

Change the rights on it:
```
chmod 711 usernames
```

Go in the directory and create a new user that will have access to the ops web page:
```
htpasswd -c .htpasswd <your_name>
```

It will create a file .htpasswd. You can remove entry within, or add new ones with
```
htpasswd .htpasswd <your_name>
```
without the "-c"

In the same directory, create a file named ".htaccess". Deny access from the web: create a new file and write within:
```
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthName "DO NOT think to access this file"
AuthType Basic

deny from all
```

Go in $project/html/ops and create a file .htaccess, We will give access only to people who are in the .htpasswd:


AuthName "administration access"
AuthUserFile PATH_TO_.HTPASSWD
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthType Basic

<limit GET POST>
require valid-user
</Limit>

Now you are able to go to the main page without password. But if you want to go into the ops page, you have to give a password

You can now remove the protection in $project/html/ops/cancel_wu_action.php look of the string:


if (1) {
echo "
WARNING! Make sure the html/ops directory is password-protected,
then edit html/ops/cancel_wu_action.php by hand to remove this message.
";
exit();
}

Invert the condition. You are now able to cancel workunits

We will now deny access to most of the ports:


sudo iptables -A INPUT -m state --state ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport ssh -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -j DROP

In that case, only ssh,http and ssl are accessible from the outside and you can get some message from port 25.

Tuning your boinc server

This step will explain some hints to modify the look of the server and some other useless things:

Go into the file $project/html/project/project.inc. This file contains the constants used in the server: the url, the project name, ... Modify it.

you can see in the file that you can define the css file, the file is in $project/html/user/ . You should modify it to have the same colors as your site.
You have to change rights to different directories: $project/html/user_profile/images has to be apache read/write accesible.
The owner of $project/upload has to be apache

Setting the forum

Now, we will set the forum and the message boards.

Simply edit the file $project/html/ops/create_forums.php, and then run it into your server.
Install php-cli: It is the php command-line:
```
sudo apt-get install php-cli
```

Edit the file /etc/php/php-cli/php.ini and uncomment the lines:
```
;extension=mysql.so
;extensio=gd.so
```
You can add all the extensions you need...

Edit $project/html/ops/update_profile_pages.php and $project/html/ops/update_uotd.php. In the first line: replace with the path to the php executable:
```
#!/usr/local/bin/php
```
becomes
```
#!/usr/bin/php
```

Now, create a small script:


#!/bin/sh
cd $project/html/ops;
./update_profile_pages.php
./update_uotd.php

Create a cron job: Create a file and write within:


5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 * * * * $project/update.sh

You have to create some images in the directory $project/html/user/img/:head_20.png rate_negative.png unread_post.png and rate_positive.png

Create the project

Now, we will add a new application on the server. go into $project directory:

Copy the file $boinc/tools/project.xml into $project/project.xml

Modify the file, you add your application.

inform the server that some elements have been modified:
```
bin/xadd
```

From now on, we will consider that $app is the application name, $version is the version number of your application and $platform the target platform.

Create a directory $app in $project/apps. Then a directory called $project/apps/$app/$app_$version_$platform

Put your executable and all the files in the new directory

Sign every file:
```
crypt_prog -sign executable key > signature_file
```
the signature_file should have the same name as the executable with an extension .sig.

Do the same for every other files that have to be sent.

Update Boinc:
```
bin/update_versions
```

From now on, it depends on the generator, validator, assimilator you decide to use.

Compile MalariaModel

2005-10-21T04:10:00.000-07:00

A small howto if you want to compile malariaModel:

Download and install the fortran compiler, you can get the source code here To install it, you just have to read the instructions. If you put the compiler in the default directory, you will need to add the directory in the path.

You need: xerces, gsl and glut, to install it:

sudo apt-get install freeglut3-dev libxerces26-dev libgsl0-dev

Run the autogen.sh script, to create the configure script:
```
./autogen.sh
```
Run the configure script, it will check that everything is correctly installed, you should not have any error (if it is the case, you did not install everything correctly)

compile the program:
```
make
```

Some differences in the boinc installation

2005-10-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

I just migrated to ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy badger) and there are some small differences in the boinc installation.

Before installing Boinc, you have to install openssl it was not necessary in the "hoary hedgehog"
```
sudo apt-get install  libssl-dev
```
You have to install the make program, it is not installed by default:
```
sudo apt-get install  make
```
You can then compile boinc.
If you want, you do not have anymore to install php when downloading source code, you can now use apt-get

Creating a new workunit

2005-10-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

If you want to create a new workunit with the create_work command. You have to know that the workunit_template needs an absolute path and that the result_template needs a relative path

Create a multi executable file boinc project

2005-10-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Suppose that you want to create a Boinc project that contains some shared libraries. For example, that you use the program main that uses the library lib.dll. How to configure the server to send the library only to the windows client.

Create a directory: $project/apps/$APPNAME/$MAIN_VERSION_PLATFORM. We will say it is in $project/apps/main/main_5.0_windows_intelx86.
In this directory add the file: main and rename it, MAIN_VERSION_PLATFORM: main_5.0_windows_intelx86
Insert the dll into this directory, give the name you want.
sign all the files.
go into the $project directory, and update_versions:
```
bin/update_versions
```

Using multiple input files.

2005-09-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

If you want to use multiple input files for the project, write into the template:


<file_info>
  <number>0</number>
</file_info>
<file_info>
   <number>1</number>
</file_info>
<workunit>
   <file_ref>
       <file_number>0</file_number>
       <open_name>file_name0</open_name>
   </file_ref>
   <file_ref>
       <file_number>1</file_number>
       <open_name>file_name1</open_name>
   </file_ref>
</workunit>

If you use bin/create_work. Give the files in the same order.

Using Boinc with Visual Studio .NET

2005-09-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

To use boinc in the project:

1. Include the needed files called from the software into a new folder (let's say boincapi). In our case, files are:

app_ipc.C
app_ipc.h
boinc_api.C
boinc_api.h
filesys.C
filesys.h
graphics_api.C
graphics_api.h
graphics_impl.C
graphics_impl.h
hostinfo.C
hostinfo.h
md5.c
md5.h
mem_usage.C
mem_usage.h
mfile.C
mfile.h
miofile.c
miofile.h
parse.c
parse.h
prefs.c
prefs.h
proxy_info.c
proxy_info.h
util.C
util.h
shmem.C
shmem.h
md5_file.C
md5_file.h
windows_opengl.C

Be sure that the compilation language is C++ (neither default nor C).

2. Add into the C++ dependencies, $BOINC_HOME/lib, $BOINC_HOME/api, $BOINC_HOME/zip, $BOINC_HOME/client/win and $BOINC_HOME/.

3. In the linker dependencies, add: opengl32.lib glu32.lib glaux.lib

4. The _CONSOLE preprocessor macro should not be defined.