Participate in SETI
Distributed Computing (DC) is a popular way to contribute your spare computer time to worthwhile causes. While your screensaver is idling away, your computer does work for an outside project like SETI@Home. Your computer will scan telescope and satellite data sent by SETI for signs of alien civilizations.
This guide will help you excel at distributed-computing projects like SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). If excelling doesn't bother you, it will introduce you to the BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) software, and the range of good causes that your spare processing time can contribute to.
You'll need a computer. If you've got one already, just install the BOINC software. There's plenty of projects to choose from if Seti@Home isn't your thing.
Steps
- Let's start building a monster computer that will excel at distributed computing tasks.
- Get a good motherboard. Get one with support for plenty of RAM, but crucially, seek multi-processor support. The more processors you jam into the computer, the more simultaneous tasks you can undertake. Also, for the fastest upgrade path, get one with 64 bit support.
- Put in enough RAM to do this stuff. Nowadays, you can get up to 128GB of RAM on consumer platforms (LGA 2011-V3). Better make it the fastest RAM (that your chipset/CPU clock speed will allow).
- Fit as many processors as your motherboard allows, and make them expensive, powerful ones. The more expensive and powerful the better. Server processors are better in some categories than normal processors.
- For extreme Seti performance you will need a powerful GPU, get the latest high end graphics card, or ideally more than one (nvidia is better at this)! Its trickier configuring the Bionic Manager to get all the cards/cores to work at the same time but if you do, this will blow away any CPU on the market. Period.
- Install an operating system with the least amount of overhead. If you want to avoid learning a new operating system, use one in which you are comfortable installing and using. Operating systems in order of least overhead:
- LimeTech unRaid (If you want to run multiple Operating Systems)
- Windows Server 2016/2013 r2
- MacOS X (Snow Leopard)
- Windows 10
- Download and Install the BOINC software that Seti@Home and the other Good Causes runs on.
- Get the URL of the project you want to join (eg. http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/). Type the URL into BOINC, and it will download work-units (WUs) to start processing.
- Start crunching those SETI (or other Good Cause) packets.
- Graphs and statistics are provided in the software, so you can track your progress.
- Good Luck!
Tips
- Follow your data-crunching progress on the graphs and league tables the BOINC software provides, and track your individual or team progress. It's surprisingly addictive charitable hobby.
- A processor that does well at data processing (like video editing), will also do well at DC number crunching.
- If you don't want to spend money on a super computer, don't worry. Your old computer is just as good, every bit of help counts.
- Intel's multi-processors have a better number-crunching speed than AMD, so once they are launched, better change to them.
- Installing a 64-bit OS will impact on your existing programs. Do they all support 64-bit operation? And make sure your motherboard has 64 bit drivers for Windows too, or else it won't run properly.
- BOINC has a list of projects running:
- BBC Climate Change Experiment - Study of transient climate change model predictions.
- Climateprediction.net (CPDN) - Study of climate change models.
- Einstein@Home - Search for gravitational waves.
- LHC@Home - Model and improve the design of the CERN LHC particle accelerator.
- Predictor@Home - Investigate protein behavior.
- Rosetta@Home - Predict and design protein structures, and protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions using the Rosetta program.
- SETI@Home - Look for radio evidence of extraterrestrial life.
- SIMAP@Home - Apple Macintosh OS-X: in preparation
- SZTAKI Desktop Grid - This project is exploring a mathematical domain looking for solutions to a particular problem space.
- World Community Grid - This project explores solutions to AIDS, the food supply decrease, and other things.
Warnings
- If you get caught up in DC fever, beware of leaving your computer on day-and-night to try to get those league table credits. A computer left on 24 hours may increase your electricity bill by up to 30%,(make sure to Turn-Off your Monitor and any unnecessary electronics around your house)
- DC Good Causes are seriously addictive!
- Some 64-bit motherboards seem to have been sold without drivers for the 64-bit version of Windows XP. This will ruin your experience, so roll back to regular XP until your motherboard manufacturer releases proper drivers.
Things You'll Need
- Enough money to buy the parts, or your existing computer will do. A top of the line CPU is around $1700 to even $4500!
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