Step by Step: Setting up and running BOINC projects

No matter which project(s) you want to run (eg SETI, Climateprediction, Predictor, Einstein etc), most if not all of them can be joined by using the BOINC client itself, Making it easier to become a member of any project now than ever before. Simply follow these easy steps below to be on your way to becoming a valued member of the BOINC Community:

Step 1. Download and install the BOINC client itself.

If you have not done so already, You will need to goto the BOINC website and download the latest recommended client that you will need to be able to run any of the projects available. That website is listed on the left side column of this page under the BOINC Platform header. Just select BOINC Website, and it will take you to where you can download the software (for free) and show you how to set it all up.

Now that you have finished with the first step, Lets move on to the next one.

Step 2. Decide which project you'd like to join first.

Next thing you need to do is figure out WHICH BOINC project you want to run.  Originally there was just SETI@Home but over time more and more projects have joined BOINC offering you the user a chance to decide HOW you want your CPU to do work. You can run just one project, Or you can run as many projects as you like (and allocate different percentages of CPU time to each).

If you look onto the left side column of this webpage, You will see all the different projects there are that you MAY be able to do work for at any given time. I say MAY simply because not all projects are always available to have work to be processed for various reasons, Also there are the newer projects that may either be in the "ALPHA" or "BETA" stages of development and may not be taking on any new users at that time.

All the projects are grouped into 4 categories on the left side column here, to make things abit easier to see which projects are in what stage. You can choose from the following categories:

1) BOINC Projects Fully Operational - Which just means these are projects that have completed all the earlier stages of development, And are open to any new users who may wish to participate with them. (Although remember, There may be some projects that may not need any new members at that time, And so might not be taking on any new users).

2) BOINC Projects in Beta Testing - This is the stage before becoming "Fully Operational", These projects usually have the majority of bugs worked out of their projects, But do expect some errors to happen if you choose to run them, As many users who do are whats sometimes referred to as "Beta Testers", meaning they like to help these newer projects out, And report the errors that they may have to the Administrators of that project to help. You may also run into some projects that are not allowing new users in at that time.

3) BOINC Projects in Alpha Testing - This is usually the first stage of most projects just getting started, If you are going to run any of these projects be prepared for problems as they are really trying to get their projects up and running to be able to even reach the Beta phase. Although every project is different, And some that might show they are in Alpha, May run pretty smoothly while others might hardly run at all without errors. Also it is harder to join these projects due to the reasons just mentioned. For new users starting up, It is suggested that you start with the fully operational one(s), And go from there.

4) BOINC Projects Inactive or Dead - This is where projects have either completed their goals and are no longer in operation, Or projects that have for various reasons, Just closed down operations for awhile. There is no particular reason for even considering working for them at this point, But if and when they ever do become active again, You will see it here for sure.  :)

3) Using your BOINC Manager to attach to a project.

OK, If you have made it this far your doing GREAT ! The next step will be using the software you downloaded from the BOINC Website that is also referred to as your BOINC client, And also your BOINC manager, They are  really the same thing. Assuming that you have already downloaded the BOINC client/manager (Which as of right now is version 5.8.15 for the Windows users), And have started it up to where you can see the first screen that comes up with the Logo for BOINC and many 'B's towards the bottom of the screen, You will see an option for "Advanced View", If you will select that option it will bring you to the main BOINC managers area. This is where you can do most of the monitoring and regular operational duties needed for day to day activities. The BOINC site should give you more info on how to use it in detailed.

Next the best thing to do is to go to the projects website that you have decided you want to now join, As mentioned above. In this case for an example, I'm using the project PrimeGrid. By looking to the side of this page, You will see the project listed under the "Alpha" projects area as shown in the picture below:       

Once you click on the PrimeGrid link it will bring up the Primegrid's Website on another screen. Once that screen has loaded, It is now time to go back to your BOINC Manager again, so we can begin to "Attach to the Project".  

Once you are back into the Detailed View part of the manager, You will see at the top of the manager several different tabs of choice, The one we are focused on here is the 'Advanced' tab. If you select that tab, It will bring up a little screen with the option of "Attach to Project", Click it as shown as in the picture below : (It is possible that the Attach to Project option might be found in the  Tools Tab instead of the Advanced).         

Once you have now clicked on that selection, The following Pop Up screen should appear :        

Now simply click Next. The next screen that will pop up will be the following :         

Next the manager is wanting to know what the URL is to the project you now want to "Attach" to, To get this URL all you need to do is to goto the main website to the particular project you want to join. Remembering we are using PrimeGrid here as an example you can see where I had entered PrimeGrid's URL in the appropiate box and would hit next. BUT WAIT ! Where did you get that exact URL to use ? Simple, We can get it by the screen that popped up when we selected PrimeGrid from the left, Ahh now your getting it !

When you selected the PrimeGrid link as shown above to the left on this site, You should have seen a screen that popped up similar to this one:        

As you can see there are two places where the URL is listed for you to use in the BOINC Manager, The best way to do it is to see if the particular project has listed exactly what URL to use as is shown above. If you look at the lower arrow you can see the section where they give you what URL to use, Many of the projects will do this, Others don't. If they do not then you will use the the URL listed at the address box as is shown by the arrow above. So now just copy either URL, And then we can go back to the BOINC Manager to continue :

So now once you have pasted the URL that you just copied onto the box the manager is asking for as shown in the example above, You can then select Next. This will bring up the following screen :   

Now here there are two choices, Since the users who are already a existing users should already be fimilar with these steps, I will focus on the newer users. The above is the project (PrimeGrid) asking you for what email address you want to use, And then to create a password for that particular project. (Hint, It is best to use the same email address and password for all projects that you join, This will make things alot easier on down the road as far as your stats are concerned. But it is NOT mandatory just a personal choice).

Once you have entered your info and then selected "NEXT", The BOINC Manager will then connect to the PrimeGrid (In this case), Projects server to set up your account, If everything goes according to plans, You will hopefully now see the following screen :        

If so CONGRATULATIONS !! Your now attached and a new member of the project and only have to hit "FINISH" to end the process. At this point the project will start to download many files onto your computer so it will be able to store the info. it needs in order to run (Spyware free in case you are courious).

Also, Be sure to check your email address used when joining a project for the very important user information that will be sent each time you join any project. Be sure to keep these emails for future use.

(Note) If you find that your Manager is not connecting to any projects, Then it is possible that your firewall is blocking the BOINC Manager from accessing the internet.

Step 4: Join BOINC Synergy (optional)

There are thousands of teams across all the BOINC projects, some people chose to join teams, others dont.  You can also swap and change teams at any time you like.

For those interested we would love you to join BOINC Synergy.  For more information about who we are, and how to join follow this link

About BOINC Synergy and how to JOIN

If you have got stuck at ANY stage, or want to ask a question, our FORUM is the best place to do it!  Where happy to help.

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