The box above displays in real time my stats for the next generation in Distributed Computing (DC). Berkeley has started working on a program called BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing). This program is currently in it's BETA stages and should see finalization in the near future. The idea behind this client is having one program that controls all your different DC programs. SETI@Home2 and Astropulse are the programs currently being offered to the BETA testers.
-More to come later-
Useful Links:
SETI@Home - ex-Powwow / KnightIRC Team - KnightIRC
This page is dedicated to the SETI@Home project and the team I made for the users of KnightIRC. First off, for those unfamiliar with the SETI@Home project it is, in a nutshell, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. It is a distributed computing client that uses the spare CPU time of tens of thousands of computers to process information received at the Arecibo Radio Telescope. A wealth of knowledge about the project can be found at the SETI@Home site by clicking the link above.
The time it takes to process one work unit will vary greatly depending on your processor speed and how many applications you have running at any given time. Here is what I personally saw on the 2 different systems I have had it running on:
- AMD 500mhz/352mb SDRAM could process a work unit approx. every 28-35 hours.
- AMD XP 2600+/512mb DDRAM can process a work unit approx. every 2.5-3 hours.
These times are based on me running SETI@Home in the background and going about my business on the computer. The SETI program runs on the system with a very low priority and it only uses SPARE or otherwise unused CPU cycles. When another program needs the CPU, SETI simply steps aside and lets it have what it needs from the CPU. You should not see SETI affect your computers performance in any way.
I want to start looking for ET
Cool, just follow the steps below to get started:
- Download SETI@Home Click the link at left and choose the program that will work with your Operating System
- Run the installer package you just downloaded. Once the program is installed, start SETI@Home. Upon being started the first time the following should happen:
- You will be asked if you want the program to run continuously or only while the screensaver is active. This is completely up to you and your computer
- You will be asked for an E-mail address to identify you on the SETI servers when returning results. I have ran this for 2 years and have never received an un-solicited e-mail from SETI@Home
- The program will then download your first work unit (350k) and start processing it. The users that set theirs to run only with the screensaver will only see it processing then.
Now that you have SETI@Home up and running, the following are some personalization options you have at the SETI site.
- Get your password - Start here by getting your password sent to you, simply enter the e-mail address you used when you installed the program. This is also the address the password will be mailed to.
- Update your user settings - Go here to change the displayed name in the statistics screens, or add a URL that you want your name to be linked to.
- Create a user profile - Create a profile here to let others know a little information about yourself.
The following information is provided for those that like statistics, or would just like a little more info about what the SETI@Home client is doing on your system. I DO NOT RECOMMEND proceeding any further unless you are fairly computer literate. The following programs will require some computer/software know-how, they will require some initial setup, but in the end will give a better SETI@Home experience.
Ok, now that's out of the way, here we go. When I first started running SETI I used the graphical/screensaver program. After running it for a month or two I started wanting to know more about what the program was doing, and more about what my computer had done. I started perusing the internet for programs that would give me the statistical information I wanted to know about SETI on my computer, and came up with 2 that seemed to suit me fine. Please read ALL of the information provided below before down loading/installing/running these programs.
-PLEASE READ- Also be aware that switching to a different client while one is processing a work unit will result in the loss of that work unit, so I would advise waiting until your current client has finished processing the current work unit before making any changes. You can also do the following to keep SETI@home from downloading another work unit after the current one completes. Create an empty file using notepad and name it "stop_after_send.txt" and save it to the folder SETI@Home is installed in. On the Macintosh, the "SETI@home Data" directory is in the Preferences folder, inside your System folder; on UNIX and Windows it is in the same directory as the executable file SETI@home.exe. This will stop the GUI(screensaver) version from retreiving any more work units after the current one completes and will allow you to then switch clients.
- SETISpy - SETISpy is just that, it spies on the SETI program and keeps track of its progress for you. It also keeps a record of past completed work units and displays them on a skymap. It will also poll the SETI servers for you to keep track of your User stats and Team stats if you have joined one. Before you install this, please make sure you have read the instructions and the FAQ so you know exactly what you are getting and how to use it. SETISpy WILL work with the GUI(screensaver) version of SETI@Home
- SETI Driver - For dial-up users this is an extremely handy tool. This will allow you to build a cache of work units so even if you are offline and SETI finishes a work unit, it will always have a work unit ready to go. This also seamlessly integrates with SETISpy. A side note here, it is MUCH easier to set these 2 programs up at the same time than it is to install one, then go back later and install the other. Instruction on using SETISpy and SETI Driver together can be found here. NOTE: This WILL NOT work with the GUI(screensaver) version of SETI@home, you will have to use it with a command line client, which I will explain next.
- Command Line Client - This is where a *decent* knowledge of computers comes into play. The command line client is a NON-graphical version of SETI@Home that will use less resources on your computer, and in turn, run slightly faster. I can give a jump start to Windows 98/NT/2000 users by providing a direct link to the command line client either here or here. If you are using an OS other than Windows, you will have to go here and find a client that will work with your OS/System configuration.
The three items listed above are what I run on my system. Starting to use the three items listed above will be MUCH easier if they are all 3 installed and setup at the same time. I would also recommend putting all 3 in the same folder, makes for easier backups. I have learned this the hard way and am saving you the headaches in the long run. They will take a little time to setup, especially if you decide to use SETISpy in conjunction with SETIDriver, but it should be worth it in the end. Just make sure you read and follow the directions for setting these programs up, and you should be up and running in no time.
For those of you that have looked over what I have presented here and don't feel these programs will suit your needs, fear not, you can go here for links to several add-ons for the SETI@Home program.
You can e-mail me at:
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