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Getting Started
Getting Started  
How much hard drive space does the software take on my computer? The software itself will take less than 50 MB of hard drive space or your computer. The different projects that run on the World Community Grid, however, have different system requirements for running on your computer. To find out if your computer meets those requirements, go here.
I have been a member for a while but need to re-install the software because I have a new computer. How do I do that? For existing members, please sign in with your existing member name and password on to our website and then click the ‘download now’ button on our home page or, click here.
I'm having trouble downloading the software Perhaps your Internet Explorer is configured to block installing downloads. Within Internet Explorer, click on Tools-> Internet Options -> Security -> Custom Level -> Downloads. Check to see that File downloads are enabled. There might be other settings which need to be enabled such as the ability to execute Javascript. Please also check to see if your network requires a proxy, click here for Proxy FAQs.
If I re-install the software, will the work that I am doing be lost forever? No. When the BOINC version of our software is reinstalled it will stop the current workunit(s) that your computer is processing and install the new version of the BOINC software and continue to process the same workunit(s).
Is there an easy way to install the grid agent to multiple devices or across a network? We have created a presentation and mass install document that describes some of the things you need to consider and steps to follow if you wish to perform a mass installation of the World Community Grid - BOINC Agent onto many machines. The presentation is available here and the document is available here.
Does World Community Grid Software run on Windows 95? Windows 95 is no longer supported by Microsoft, therefore we do not offer an installer for that platform.
Does World Community Grid software run on Windows 98? Effective August 1, 2008, the World Community Grid technical staff will no longer provide support for Windows 98. We are taking this action because less than 0.03% of all computers on World Community Grid are running on Windows 98 and we feel that our resources need to be focused on supporting existing and new research projects. If you are running Windows 98 as your operating system, you will still be able to run World Community Grid and contribute to humanitarian research. However, if you have a problem, you should not expect to receive a response to your Windows 98 question from the "Contact Us" mailbox. Assistance in the forums may be available as long as other members continue to respond to Windows 98 questions. All of the current research projects were tested for Windows 98. Therefore Windows 98 users should be able to continue to run on that platform depending on their specific configuration of software. This means that Windows 98 users should be able to participate in World Community Grid research for at least one more year. Going forward, none of the new research projects will be certified for Windows 98.
How do I uninstall the World Community Grid Software? Right click on the World Community Grid icon in the lower right corner of your screen and select "Exit". This will stop the agent. Then use your Add/Remove programs feature to remove the World Community Grid software. If that does not work, use the task manager to stop the processes starting with WCGrid. Then you should be able to delete the C:\Program Files\WorldCommunityGrid directory and its contents. After that remove the corresponding start menu items.
What is the BOINC Client? The BOINC client is a command line application that runs on Linux. This application contains the functions necessary to connect your Linux computer to World Community Grid. These functions include the following:
What is the BOINC Manager? The BOINC manager is a graphic user interface that provides the ability to control a BOINC client and all of its functions. The manager can connect to BOINC clients running on the same or different computers. There is a version of the BOINC manager available for both Linux and Windows. This means that you can run the BOINC manager on your windows computer and connect to BOINC clients running on your Linux servers. Much more information about the BOINC manager is available at: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/manager.php
Why does World Community Grid require version 5.4 or higher of the BOINC client? World Community Grid requires version 5.4 of the BOINC client because we have configured the system to communicate with the BOINC client over SSL. Only version 5.4 and higher of the BOINC client are able to utilize SSL. SSL is a technology that encrypts all communication between the client and the server. This provides greater security for our members. If you attempt to use an older version of the BOINC client, then you will see an error in the BOINC client log file.
May I choose my member name? Yes. You may choose any member name that is not already in use. You can change your member name at any time (but, of course, only to another member name that is not in use). If you do change your member name, your previous member name will become available to other members.
I want to contribute to one of World Community Grid's research projects. How do I register for a particular research project and start contributing? Members only need to register and attach once to World Community Grid in order to contribute to any, or all, of our research projects. In order to contribute, please take the following steps:
Do you have a startup script for the BOINC client on Linux? There are two common ways to have BOINC automatically start on a Linux system. The first will start BOINC when you log in to your Linux system. This involves placing code into your shell resource file (such as .bashrc). The second will start BOINC when the system is started. You can read more about this at the following sites: http://www.spy-hill.net/~myers/help/boinc/unix.html#start and http://boinc.berkeley.edu/autostart_dennett.txt
Why does the Linux version not have a screensaver? A screensaver has not been developed by the BOINC development team at this time.
I have installed the recommend version of the BOINC client for Linux, but I cannot get it to run. What should I do? Which version of the Linux client you should use depends highly on the libraries that you have installed on your machine. The recommended version is what you should try first. However, if this does not work, then you should try one of the 'compatible' builds. You may find these here. The compatible builds are command line only.
What are the recommended minimum system specifications? In order to participate in World Community Grid, need to have at least the following:
1. World Community Grid supports the following Windows platforms: Windows ME, 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008 2. For these projects, only Mac computers using Intel processors are supported 3. Only Linux on x86 and x86-64 is supported
How much data will I download and upload while participating with World Community Grid? The amount of data that you transfer depends upon how your processing preferences are set to run, how powerful your computer is and how often your computer is on. It also varies based upon which research projects you run on your computer. An average computer contributing to World Community Grid returns about 2 results per day. Each of the research projects at World Community Grid uses a different application, input files and output files. As a result, the size used for each of these varies by project. This is outlined on the chart below. Please note that the data is compressed during transfer and is decompressed after it has been downloaded. As a result it will occupy more space on disk then the numbers shown below.
* The size of workunits for The Clean Energy Project vary based on the 'type' of workunits. As a result these are shown in separate rows.
How do I change my member name? To change your member name, take the following steps:
How do I change my password? To change your password, take the following steps:
If I change my member name, will I lose my points? No, changing your member name will not affect your points or any other contribution that you've made to World Community Grid.
Why is the entry of my email address mandatory? The member name recovery feature uses your email address to identify and send your member name.
How do I change my email address? To change your email address, take the following steps:
How can I limit when the software connects to the Internet? There are two ways to do this:
How do I select a country name? To enter your country name, take the following steps:
How do I change my country name? To change your country name, take the following steps:
What is the Verification Code and what is it used for? The Verification Code is a private, personal code that you can use to verify your team membership and team stats. There are teams that provide incentives and/or rewards to members for being a part of their team. World Community Grid is providing the Verification Code as a way for these teams to verify their members' statistics and team membership without requiring members to give the team their password. Note that your Verification Code will change if you change your member name and/or password. If your team is relying on your verification code to verify your membership and statistics, be sure they have your current Verification Code. To verify the team membership and statistics for a member, use the URL: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/verifyMember.do?name=MEMBERNAME&code=VERIFICATIONCODE You will get a response in XML containing the membership information for that member. If there is an error, it will be reported back in the XML response.
May I install as a service? Yes. To install as a service, simply select that option during the installation process. A graphic of the service install option is reflected here.
The World Community Grid software on my computer is currently registered under one member name, but I would like to have it registered under a different member name. How do I change it? If you have already created the member name you want to use then please continue to Step 1 below. Otherwise, go to http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/reg/viewRegister.do and register your desired member name. You do not need to download the software again. Once you have the new member name, please perform the following steps to change the registration: Steps:
Congratulations! You are now attached under the new member name. Enabling 'Attach to project…': If in step 4 the option ‘Attach to project…’ is grayed out and you are unable to select it, then you need to open the file C:\Program Files\BOINC\cc_config.xml using an application such as Notepad. Once you open this file you will see a line that looks like: <disallow_attach>1</disallow_attach> change this line so that it looks like: <disallow_attach>0</disallow_attach> Now save the file. Go ahead and close the World Community Grid – BOINC software by selecting File -> Exit. You can start it again by going to Start -> Programs -> World Community Grid – BOINC Agent -> World Community Grid – BOINC Manager. You should now be able to complete step 4 above. If you experience any problems please visit our forums or utilize the “contact us” feature at the bottom of most pages of our website.
I can't run the agent all the time. Is there a way to establish a set schedule? Yes, you may customize when the agent runs. This is done by updating the device profile associated with the device where the agent is running. You can update the device profile by visiting the Device Manager. Once there, click on the device profile for the device whose schedule you want to change. Once on the Device Profile page, you can set a customized schedule for each day that you need one. When finished, press save. After you press save, the schedule will go into effect the next time your grid agent communicates with the grid servers. When establishing the customized schedule, the drop-down for Hard drive space may be ignored. If needed, you can create additional device profiles by visiting the Device Profiles screen. This screen has an option that allows you to create new profiles. Changing your profile on the website will change your preferences for all of the computers you have under your member name. If you need to have different preferences for different computers you may set preferences for each computer by double clicking on the World Community Grid or BOINC icon in your system tray and selecting Advanced View. From the menu at the top of your screen, select: Advanced>Preferences and then set your preferences for that specific computer. Remember to select “OK” after you have set your preferences. Please note: Local preferences set at your computer will override preference settings on the website
I changed the schedule on the Device Profiles page but it does not seem to work? This schedule change affects the grid agent running on your computer. For security reasons, no information is pushed to the grid agent while it is running on your computer. Only when your grid agent communicates with the grid servers does anything change with the grid agent. When your grid agent finishes its current unit of work, it will initiate communications with the grid server, and then your new schedule will take effect. To update your preferences immediately, double click on the World Community Grid, or BOINC icon, in your system tray and select Advanced View. Then select the “projects” tab and click on World Community Grid. From the left hand menu, select “update”. This will retrieve your preferences. Please note: Local preferences set at your computer will override preference settings on the website.
I have the same computer listed more than once on my device list. How can I delete the duplicate device? The World Community Grid agent registers itself as a new device each time the software is installed. The agent does not know whether it is being installed on a computer where it was previously installed or whether it is a new computer altogether. If a member installs the software more than once on the same computer, then they are likely to see two devices with the same listed on the website. At this time it is not possible to delete the additional devices listed on the website. The Device Manager page and the Device Statistics page shows by default all of your devices that were registered within the past 7 days or that have returned a result within the past 14 days. Unused devices do not appear on this page when these time periods have passed.
Can I set the agent not to run while I am using the compter? Yes, you may customize the agent not to run when the computer is in use. This is done by updating the device profile associated with the device where the agent is running. You can update the device profile by visiting the Device Manager. Once there, click on the device profile for the device whose schedule you want to change. Once on the Device Profile page, select 'Custom Profile'. Under 'Advanced Options' 'Processor Usage' set 'Do work while computer is in use' to 'No' and 'Do work only after computer is idle for' to the number of minutes you want the agent to delay. When finished, press save. After you press save, the schedule will go into effect the next time your grid agent communicates with the grid servers.
Is there a way to manage network bandwidth usage? You can control the maximum rate at which BOINC will transfer data. You can set this on our website through your device profile. Your device profiles may be changed here. After logging in, select the profile that you wish to customize. (Usually the 'Default' profile) After selecting the profile you wish to change, select 'Custom Profile'. You will be presented with many option, which include a category called 'Network Usage'. You may change your bandwith use there. Remember to save your changes when you are finished customizing your profile.
Is the agent continuously connected to the internet? No. The agent connects to the internet when it finishes a work unit to upload the results as well as download a new work unit. This should take 2-3 minutes on a broadband connection and 10-15 minutes with a modem.
How do I set the software to close the internet connection after downloading a work unit? The software does not attempt to control your Internet connection. Establishing and closing the connection is done by the operating system (Windows). If your Internet connection is staying active for an excessive period of time, go to [Start][Settings][Control Panel] and double click on "Internet Options." Click on the [Connections] tab. Highlight the dialup connection being used when the software connects to the Internet and click on [Settings]. Click on [Advanced] and check the "Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed" box.
Why did my firewall just log an attempt to access my computer right after I visited the World Community Grid website? Some users have noticed, via their software firewall, that trace-route scans apparently coming from IBM domains occur after communicating with the World Community Grid server. These are in fact normal and not someone trying to break into your machine. These are used to measure which of several paths through the Internet give the best communication performance to your machine. The servers are located in a massive hosting center, which regularly optimizes traffic between users and the servers by shifting communications among several Internet providers, depending on the destination and trace-route measurements.
What ports do I have to open on my firewall to let the software connect to the server? Open ports 80, 443 and 31416 outbound.
What should I do if I receive a pop-up from an Anti-spy programs and/or pop-up blockers There are normally no pop-ups to block. Any anti-spy program which acts like an outgoing firewall would have to be configured in a manner similar to the fiewall settings
How will World Community Grid software affect people who use a VPN for telecommuting? The software will not have any effect. The software communicates without problems with, or without, VPN Client Software. Our server site is an external internet address. The bandwidth usage is minimal and equivalent to visiting a few web pages once a week or every few days on more powerful computers.
Why does my firewall keep asking me if I want to contact World Community Grid. Isn't it safe? Firewalls are not familiar with World Community Grid. Even though World Community Grid is safe, firewalls are designed to ask you to make the decision. Most firewalls will allow you to set your firewall to allow communications with World Community Grid BOINC client. Although firewalls differ, you should be able to click on your firewall icon in your system tray and set permissions to allow communications. Also please note, when firewall software is updated by the manufacturer, you may be required to update your permissions for World Community Grid BOINC client communications. The same is true if the World Community Grid software is updated. If you have a Zone Labs firewall, just click on "Yes" to continue. You may save yourself some time in the future by optionally check-marking the message "Always allow this program to access the internet" and/or check-marking the message "Remember this answer the next time I use this program." If you have Symantec Client Firewall, you can select "Permit Always" if/when an alert comes up so that you won't be prompted again when the World Community Grid BOINC client tries to communicate with the World Community Grid servers.
Does the World Community Grid software work with Zone Labs and how do I configure the Firewall? Yes. The software initiates only outgoing connections on ports 80, 443 and 31416 to www.worldcommunitygrid.org and secure.worldcommunitygrid.org. This could be preconfigured as a safe zone. Alternatively, the boinc.exe and boincmgr.exe executables in the BOINC install directory could be configured to be permitted to perform this communication. However, if and when we update the agent software, it could need to be configured again.
Does the World Community Grid software work with Symantec Client Firewall and how do I configure the Firewall? Yes. The software initiates only outgoing connections on ports 80, 443 and 31416 to www.worldcommunitygrid.org and secure.worldcommunitygrid.org. This could be preconfigured as a safe zone. Alternatively, the boinc.exe and boincmgr.exe executables in the BOINC install directory could be configured to be permitted to perform this communication. However, if and when we update the agent software, it could need to be configured again. Configuring the Symantec Client Firewall:
How do I determine why I cannot connect to the World Community Grid servers? To determine why you are not receiving or sending workunits to World Community Grid, make sure you are using the latest version of the BOINC software and check your client firewall to ensure that the 'BOINC client' software reflects "permit all" or similar verbiage that your firewall software uses to reflect an approved program. If you are on the latest version and your firewall is set to allow the BOINC client to communicate, then please double click on the World Community Grid or BOINC icon in your system tray. Select messages and see if you have any entries like the following: 09/10/2007 14.30.14|World Community Grid|[file_xfer] Started upload of file li349_00025_8_0 09/10/2007 14.30.15|World Community Grid|[file_xfer] Temporarily failed upload of li349_00025_8_0: http error or 05/03/2008 11.55.14|World Community Grid|Sending scheduler request: Project initialization. Requesting 1 seconds of work, reporting 0 completed tasks 05/03/2008 11.55.19|World Community Grid|Scheduler request failed: Failure when receiving data from the peer If you do, then you may need to set your proxy. Here is the FAQ that describes how to set your proxy. If you do not know your proxy information here is the FAQ that will help you obtain your proxy information.
How do I find out my proxy information? Your proxy settings are available in your Web browser. In Internet Explorer, these are under [Tools][Internet Options...][Connections] then choose either [LAN Settings] or [Settings] for your dial-up options. If "Use Proxy" is checked, click on the [Advanced...] button to see your proxy settings. You will need to take these settings and enter into the BOINC version of the World Community Grid software. Instructions for doing this are found in this FAQ
How do I configure the software to use a proxy? The software can be configured to use a proxy in the following way:
I entered in my proxy information but I still cannot get work. How do I get it to work? If after you enter your proxy information and you still see messages such as those displayed in the FAQ "How do I determine why I cannot connect to the World Community Grid servers?" above, then you will need to take the following additional steps: Make sure you are on the latest version of the World Community Grid agent by following the directions in this FAQ. If this doesn't resolve the issue, then you will need to determine what type of proxy authentication you are using. To determine your proxy authentication please refer to this FAQ. Once you have determined your proxy authentication, open windows explorer and go to C:\Program Files\BOINC . In this directory you will see a file called cc_config.xml . Assuming you are using windows, right mouse click on the this file and select 'Open With' and select 'Notepad'. This will open a new window that will be populated with the contents of your cc_config.xml file. It will look something like the following: <cc_config> <log_flags> <file_xfer_debug>1</file_xfer_debug> <http_debug>1</http_debug> <http_xfer_debug>1</http_xfer_debug> <proxy_debug>1</proxy_debug> </log_flags> </cc_config> You want to replace this with additional settings for your 'ntlm' or 'basic' proxy. <cc_config> <log_flags> <file_xfer_debug>1</file_xfer_debug> <http_debug>1</http_debug> <http_xfer_debug>1</http_xfer_debug> <proxy_debug>1</proxy_debug> </log_flags> <options> <force_auth>xxxxx</force_auth> </options> </cc_config> Replace the above 'xxxxx' with either ntlm, basic or gss-negotiate based on what type of authentication you are using and save the file. In order to make the software re-read the file do the following:
How do I figure out what type of proxy authentication I am using? First, make sure you are using the latest version of the software. Instructions on how to do this are available in this FAQ Second, there are some types of proxies that need additional settings to work with World Community Grid. The first thing you need to do is to enable some additional logging for the client. You can do this by downloading this file and placing it into your BOINC installation directory (on Windows this is usually C:\Program Files\BOINC). You now need to double click on the World Community Grid icon in your system tray (bottom right hand corner of your computer screen, by the date and time), select "Advanced View", then on the menu across the top of page select "Advanced", and then "Read config". Now more information will be logged. In the Advanced View of the agent, go to the 'Projects' tab, click on World Community Grid, and then select 'update'. Next go to the "Messages" tab. You will see messages going by. The critical one to look for is the line that includes "Proxy-Authenticate" like the ones shown below. There will be one or more of these in a row. You are interested in the first one. 07/04/2008 18:18:09||[http_debug] [ID#0] Received header from server: Proxy-Authenticate: Negotiate 03/25/2008 12:24:54||[http_debug] [ID#0] Received header from server: Proxy-Authenticate: NTLM 03/25/2008 12.24.54||[http_debug] [ID#0] Received header from server: Proxy-Authenticate: Basic realm="realmname" Take note of the following:
Do I have to do anything on a daily basis? No. Once you have downloaded and installed the agent, there's nothing that you have to do. The agent will run on your computer when it determines that there are unused cycles available. When it finishes with a calculation, it will send the completed work to the grid server and then ask the grid server for more work.
How do I check to see if I have the latest version of the World Community Grid application? You may check what version of the World Community Grid - BOINC agent you have by right clicking on the World Community Grid, or BOINC, logo in your system tray and selecting the item that says 'About World Community Grid - BOINC Agent' (in some cases it will say 'About BOINC'). This will display a window. The version you have installed is shown next to the text on the window that says 'Version: ' You can check which version of the World Community Grid - BOINC Agent that World Community Grid has currently released by visiting this page: https://secure.worldcommunitygrid.org/ms/viewDownloadAgain.do . The version number is displayed below the name of the agent for each operating system. If this number is the same as the version number that you have installed then you have the latest version.
Do I have to leave my computer on all the time for this to work? Or always be online? The software can run only when your computer is on. The software doesn't need to be connected to the Internet to work its task, but once finished, it needs to reconnect to return data and to get a new task to work on. We do not ask our members to change their normal computing schedule.
Will running the World Community Grid Software affect my regular computer use? No. Configured correctly, the software will never interfere with your ability to use your own computer. Most computers never use all of their resources and it is estimated that up to 90% of the processing power of an individual computer goes unused. The World Community Grid distributed computing model is based on the ability to utilize this "idle" capacity from individual computers.
How do I make the software recognize the free space on a separate drive/partition? The software will only recognize the free space on the partition on which it is installed. If you have a drive/partition with more free space that you want the software to use, you must install the software to that drive/partition.
Why does the software immediately download a large file as soon as it is started? The task downloaded by your software is comparing small pieces of data against a larger database. In order to make this task effective and to maximize the potential of your machine, it is necessary to keep some data locally. For the time being, this is a one-time download. Subsequent tasks may or may not have an up-front download depending upon the nature of the computational problem.
My computer seems to be running slow since I installed the World Community Grid agent? If your computer seems to run slower when running the agent, then you may have relatively little memory in your system. Using 100% CPU alone will not slow things down because the agent runs at lowest priority so that it yields to any other work. Otherwise, it consumes the unused CPU which makes the total go to 100%. However, if your system has relatively little real memory (usually about 512 meg or less) and you are running other memory hungry applications, then there might be disk paging delays. To solve the problem, you could set your agent to run in screen saver mode only. Then, while you are actively using the machine, the agent will stay out of the way.
How do I set up the software to automatically start on Windows? If you find that the software is no longer starting up automatically when you start your computer, then please follow the steps below to set it up to automatically start up again:
The next time you restart your computer, the software will be started automatically.
How do I set up my system so that the windows agent starts for several or all of the users that log in? You can place the World Community Grid icon into each of the user's startup folders (in Start Menu->Programs->Startup), which will make the agent start whenever those particular users log on. You can also place it in the startup folder for "All users" which should make it run for everyone. One way to get to these folders is via: My Computer -> Local disk C: -> Documents and Settings -> All Users -> Start Menu -> Programs -> Startup, for example.
How do I open the windows World Community Grid agent? On your windows desktop, typically in the bottom right of your screen, is the system tray. It looks similar to this in Windows XP:  In the system tray you should have an icon that looks like this:  Double left mouse click on it and you will see the agent.
Can I use Terminal Services with the software? Multiple users running the software via Terminal Services is not a supported configuration at this time. Allowing multiple users to run from the same install image can cause problems, whether this is via Terminal Services or running from a shared network directory. The supported configuration is one instance of the software per machine. The software will prevent multiple instances of itself from being launched.
How do I keep the software from running while my laptop is only using battery power? The software is configured so that it will not run while your laptop is on battery power.
I need to completely stop the agent for a while. How do I do it? If you need to stop your agent for a little while, use the snooze icon (moon shape) on the agent. You can change the default on the preferences page (check icon). If you are running a memory intensive application for a longer period of time and notice slight delays, you might want to set the agent to run only as a screen saver. Go to the preferences window (the one with the check icon) and select "Run only as Screen Saver" and then click on "Apply". This will make the agent only run when your pc is in screen saver mode. Finally, you can completely stop the agent by first minimizing its window, right clicking on its icon in the tray at the lower right, and selecting "Exit". This causes the agent to stop until the next reboot. You can also restart it at any time using the Start menu.
I have a result that the BOINC Manager reports as being "Ready to Report." What does that mean? The BOINC client returns a completed work unit to the server in a two-step process. The first step is the uploading of the calculated data (called the result file). The second step is for the BOINC client to contact the server and report that the work unit is complete and to provide additional information, including how long it took to process the work unit. The BOINC Manager will report a work units status as 'Uploading' as soon as the work unit has completed. Once the file has been uploaded, then the BOINC Manager will report the work unit as 'Ready to Report'. More information about work unit status messages may be found here.
The software keeps writing "Deferring communication with project for W days, X hours, Y minutes, and Z seconds". What does this mean and how do I get it to connect now? This message appears when the software has experienced a problem connecting to the server. This may be because of some problem on your local computer or because World Community Grid's servers are temporarily unavailable due to maintenance or updates. The software will delay the attempt to reconnect because during the time that the servers are unavailable, more and more local computers will try to connect to the servers. Once the servers became available the servers could become overwhelmed if all of the local computers attempted to contact them at once. This mechanism reduces the chances of the servers being overwhelmed.
How do I set the software to not run while I am using the computer? To change your preferences for all computers under your member name, sign on to our website and go to your “My Grid” page. Select “Device Manager”, then “Device Profiles" from the left hand Navigation. Click the Profile Name that you want to update and select custom profile. Under "Advanced Options" change your settings as follows:
Can you explain the screen savers? You may find an explanation of the various project screen savers under the specific research project name found in the “Overview” section of our Help facility
Will the software run faster if I do not run the screen saver? Yes. The screen savers divert your computer resources to motion and graphic processing. This is not just for the World Community Grid's screen savers, but for most screen savers.
How do I shut down or change my screen saver? Click on [Start] [Settings] [Control Panel], and then double click on "Display." Click on [Screen Saver]. Use the drop down menu to either change the screen saver or shut it off by selecting "None."
Do I need to use the World Community Grid screen saver in order to contribute to World Community Grid? No. You may utilize any screen saver of your choice and still be able to contribute to World Community Grid. World Community Grid runs at the lowest priority and will yield to any other application but will utilize any unused computer cycles available. (Note: World Community Grid screen savers are designed to work with the science applications at lowest priority with resource limitations. This minimizes the impact on your computer's resources. Other screen savers may not be designed to run at lowest priority with resource limitation.)
How can I change the screensaver resource limits on my computer? You will need to modify your Device Profile on the website. On your My Grid page, select Device Manager, and then Device Profiles. Under Profile Name, select which Profile you would like to change (Default, School, Home, etc.). Then select the Custom Profile radio button. Under Advanced Options, scroll down to the Graphics section. The defaults are set to 7 frames per second and 5% cpu usage. If you would like the screensavers to refresh quicker, change the frames per second to 30. If the screensavers are taking up too much CPU power, decrease the percentage from 5% down to 2% to keep the screen saver usage to a minimum. Click Save at the bottom of the page to save your changes. The next time your computer communicates with our website, the preferences will be updated.
I am running SETI@home on my computer? Will I be able to run both SETI@home and World Community Grid? Yes and no. Any non-grid.org agent, such as SETI@home, will be able to continue to run on your computer after you download and install the World Community Grid agent. However, while you can run both clients at the same time, SETI@home runs at a higher priority than the World Community Grid agent, so SETI@home will receive all the extra available CPU cycles and will starve the World Community Grid agent. Because of this, you should only run one or the other at any given time.
What was the United Devices (UD) Agent software? The UD Agent software was the software that was initially used by World Community Grid to distribute and run research on members' computers. It has been replaced by the BOINC software. The BOINC Migration Announcement may be found here.
What is BOINC? BOINC stands for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing. It is a software platform for distributed computing using volunteer computer resources. Much more information about BOINC can be found at the BOINC website: http://boinc.berkeley.edu
What operating systems are supported by World Community Grid on BOINC? World Community Grid currently supports the operating systems listed in our System Requirements FAQ, which you can find here. Although they are not supported by World Community Grid, some of our members have had success using other platforms found here.
Where may I get the BOINC client for Windows, Linux, or Mac? If you are a new member and do not currently have a World Community Grid member name, you may register and download the BOINC client here. If you are currently a World Community Grid member and want to download the BOINC client to a new, or additional computer(s), you may download the BOINC client client here.
I'm using the BOINC agent, how do I choose which project my computer processes work for? You may select which projects you participate in using the My Projects page. This will set the projects you participate in for all of your devices. To set projects to run on certain device profiles, go to the Device Profiles page. From there you can set each of your BOINC device profiles to run a different set of projects.
What is my BOINC account key and where do I find it? The BOINC Account key is a unique identifier that is used by the BOINC client and the BOINC server to uniquely identify you, and your computers, registered under your member name. You may find your BOINC account key on your My Profile page.
I know that my computer has returned several results. Where can I check the status of those results? You may check your World Community Grid results by logging into our website using your existing member name. On the left hand menu on your "My Grid" page, select "Results Status". You may access this page here. A detailed description of the various statistics may be found here.
What is the address or URL to type when attaching to World Community Grid via BOINC? Use http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org to attach to World Community Grid via BOINC.
How do I set up my computer so that it will download enough work to keep my computer working for several days while I am not connected to the internet? You can set up the BOINC agent so that it will keep a cache of workunits to keep your computer busy even if you are disconnected from the internet. You can do this on the website by going to My Grid -> Device Manager. This screen will show you a list of your active computers. Associated with each computer is a device profile. Click on the device profile associated with the computer you want to cache workunits on. On this next screen select 'Custom Profile' and then find the field labeled 'Connect to network about every X days' Change X so it is slightly longer then the time you think your computer will not be connected to the network. Please do not use values longer then 4 days, as the scheduling algorithm in the client may prevent you from getting as much work as you would like.
Why do I have a message that says my Account Key is missing? When you installed our application, the Account Key was not properly assigned. Please take the following action:
How do I make World Community Grid run while my computer is on batteries? You may change your preferences to allow World Community Grid to run while you are on battery power as follows:
Does World Community Grid offer a 64 bit version of the BOINC software? No. The science applications are only available in 32 bit so everything we do, including validation, is offered in 32 bit. Going forward, we will re-evaluate the feasibility, cost and timing of offering a 64 bit version of the BOINC software to the member community.
In Advanced View, on the BOINC Manager, under Statistics, what do the figures on the y-axis represent? The figures represent BOINC credits. A BOINC credit is equal to 7 Points on our website. Additional information on the BOINC Manager - Advanced view may be found here.
In Advanced View, on the BOINC Manager, under Transfers, why is this page blank for me? This tab shows pending or in progress transfers only. Once a transfer is complete it is removed from the view.
Is there any way we can find a history of how much data has been sent to and received from the World Community Grid server? No. At this time there is no way to see how much data has been actually transferred by a given client.
In Simple View, on the BOINC Manager, do the green buttons on the project tabs change color if the processor is busy on some other task? The presence of the green button indicates that the task is currently running. If it is not running, then the green button is not present. Additional information on the BOINC Manager - Simple view may be found here.
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