BOINC Pentathlon 2021 - Quick Start Marathon

[Gorgon]

We can use all the help we can get with the BOINC Pentathlon over the next couple of weeks. Here is an overview of how to get setup on SiDock@Home crunching COVID tasks for the Marathon and how to configure your systems to store up completed tasks in advance so they can be released when the event starts.

First, if you haven't signed up for SiDock at home head over to their website and create an account. Don't forget to use the Invitation Code "Crunch_4Science".

 

Once you've created an account you need edit the account to link it to the LinusTechTips_Team. Click on the "Teams" item in the "Computing" drop-down list then select the LinusTechTips_Team and select the link to join this team.

 

Once you've installed the BOINC software open the BOINC manager and it should prompt you to add a Project selecting "SIDock@Home"

If your not prompted to Add a Project just select "Add project ..." from the Tools Menu.

Select "Yes, existing user" and enter the email address and Password you registered with:

and click Next.

 

If you are still Folding while running BOINC remember to tell BOINC to not use all your CPU threads and reserve 1 thread for each GPU you're still folding on and at least 1 or 2 threads for the Operating System so it does not become completely un-responsive.

 

Click "Computing Preferences" from the Options menu to set the restrictions:

Here I've set the client up to use only 75% of my threads so on a 16-thread CPU only 12 would be used for BOINC. I've also told BOINC to store at least 0.1 days of work. This is how often it contacts the Project Servers and Uploads completed work and requests new tasks. No point telling it to store mor than 1 day's work as you'll only get 2 tasks per working threads from the SiDock Server.

[Gorgon]

A short guide to Bunkering is here:

but be aware that SiDock does not yet do checkpoints so if you restart your boinc-client you will lose any work in progress and have to restart it.

 

Also note that there is a three two day limit on when work must be returned so do not bunker longer than a couple of days in advance of when you plan to release the bunker.