Customized LiveCD for E@H

Forums › Cruncher's Corner

Jordan Wilberding
Jordan Wilberding
Joined: 19 Feb 05
Posts: 162
Credit: 715,454
RAC: 0
6 Feb 2006 13:24:22 UTC
Topic 190721
(moderation:
    )

    I have some lab machines which I would like to run E@H during their "downtime". I would prefer using a LiveCD, just to keep things easily maintained. Is there anywhere or anyone who has created a script to make a LiveCD that will boot up and run boinc with your own account details.

    such things just should not be writ so please destroy this if you wish to live 'tis better in ignorance to dwell than to go screaming into the abyss worse than hell

    gravywavy
    gravywavy
    Joined: 22 Jan 05
    Posts: 392
    Credit: 68,962
    RAC: 0

    Customized LiveCD for E@H

    6 Feb 2006 14:54:07 UTC
    Message 24882
    (moderation:
      )

      Quote:
      I have some lab machines which I would like to run E@H during their "downtime". I would prefer using a LiveCD, just to keep things easily maintained. Is there anywhere or anyone who has created a script to make a LiveCD that will boot up and run boinc with your own account details.

      Seems to me the issue with this is that when you turn the machine off there will be lost work. I wonder what ratio of successfully crunched WU to abandoned WU is considered acceptable?

      To avoid this issue, in my opinion a better solution would be a live USB key, that uploads into memory at boot time, and downloads the /BOINC directory back onto the USB drive when you do a system halt.

      I don't know if either suggestion exists, and would also like to know of any approaches to this

      River

      ~~gravywavy

      Aurora Borealis
      Aurora Borealis
      Joined: 11 Feb 05
      Posts: 19
      Credit: 5,657,955
      RAC: 0

      RE: RE: I have some lab

      6 Feb 2006 16:02:29 UTC
      Message 24883 in response to message 24882
      (moderation:
        )

        Quote:
        Quote:
        I have some lab machines which I would like to run E@H during their "downtime". I would prefer using a LiveCD, just to keep things easily maintained. Is there anywhere or anyone who has created a script to make a LiveCD that will boot up and run boinc with your own account details.

        Seems to me the issue with this is that when you turn the machine off there will be lost work. I wonder what ratio of successfully crunched WU to abandoned WU is considered acceptable?

        To avoid this issue, in my opinion a better solution would be a live USB key, that uploads into memory at boot time, and downloads the /BOINC directory back onto the USB drive when you do a system halt.

        I don't know if either suggestion exists, and would also like to know of any approaches to this

        River


        Since USB keys look like a HD to the system. In theory Boinc could be installed on the computer using the USB as the installation drive. All that would be required is to shutdown Boinc before pulling the key to make sure the file in memory are written to the drive.
        I'm not sure exactly what is written to the registry, and I believe the WU would have to be UL/DL from the computer crunching it.

        Another problem may arise because of the intensive write to disk. A USB key does have a finite number of writes before it goes bad. Again, I am not sure in what range that number might be.

        Questions? Answers are in the BOINC Wiki.

        Boinc V6.10.6 Alpha Test
        WinXP C2D 2.1G 3GB

        Jordan Wilberding
        Jordan Wilberding
        Joined: 19 Feb 05
        Posts: 162
        Credit: 715,454
        RAC: 0

        RE: Seems to me the issue

        6 Feb 2006 16:23:50 UTC
        Message 24884 in response to message 24882
        (moderation:
          )

          Quote:

          Seems to me the issue with this is that when you turn the machine off there will be lost work. I wonder what ratio of successfully crunched WU to abandoned WU is considered acceptable?
          River

          The machines would be running long enough(weeks at a time) where it would be worth it, even if you lose a few WU's at the end.

          I am sure I could probably make my own LiveCD based off of gentoo's, but I was hoping it had been done before, so I don't have to go through it. :)

          such things just should not be writ so please destroy this if you wish to live 'tis better in ignorance to dwell than to go screaming into the abyss worse than hell

          Alan Deforge
          Alan Deforge
          Joined: 10 Mar 05
          Posts: 10
          Credit: 124,900
          RAC: 0

          If anyone makes this live

          6 Feb 2006 17:13:02 UTC
          Message 24885
          (moderation:
            )

            If anyone makes this live distro, put me on the mailing list.

            I would humbly suggest Debian, and there is a LOT of information on making distros on the Ubuntu website. Thx.

            DanNeely
            DanNeely
            Joined: 4 Sep 05
            Posts: 1,364
            Credit: 3,562,358,667
            RAC: 0

            IF the machines are fast

            6 Feb 2006 18:44:57 UTC
            Message 24886
            (moderation:
              )

              IF the machines are fast enough, and the changeover known a reasonable time in advance, simply keeping thier connect to server time very short and manually disabling get new work could avoid any data loss.

              Scott
              Scott
              Joined: 1 Mar 05
              Posts: 1
              Credit: 786,146
              RAC: 0

              RE: Since USB keys look

              6 Feb 2006 20:30:13 UTC
              Message 24887 in response to message 24883
              (moderation:
                )

                Quote:

                Since USB keys look like a HD to the system. In theory Boinc could be installed on the computer using the USB as the installation drive. All that would be required is to shutdown Boinc before pulling the key to make sure the file in memory are written to the drive.
                I'm not sure exactly what is written to the registry, and I believe the WU would have to be UL/DL from the computer crunching it.

                Another problem may arise because of the intensive write to disk. A USB key does have a finite number of writes before it goes bad. Again, I am not sure in what range that number might be.

                Here's what I've done with the Windows version: Install BOINC and get it set up, then exit BOINC and copy the BOINC folder to flash media (USB drive, CompactFlash, SD card, etc.). Uninstall BOINC and delete the folder from the hard drive. Then, just run boincmgr.exe from the folder on the flash media or move the BOINC folder to a hard drive, temporarily, and back to the flash media later. It always picks up where it left off, even if it's running on a new computer each time. It always seems to know where the data is.

                Scott

                enginerd
                enginerd
                Joined: 9 Feb 05
                Posts: 20
                Credit: 6,768,233
                RAC: 0

                try slax - they even have a

                8 Feb 2006 19:43:03 UTC
                Message 24888
                (moderation:
                  )

                  try slax - they even have a boinc module that can be easily slipstreamed into the cd .iso.

                  http://slax.linux-live.org/modules.php?category=education&id=80&name=BOINC

                  or a premade live cd...

                  http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,15274044~days=30~fmode=full

                  Comment viewing options

                  Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

                  Forums › Cruncher's Corner