Back in the saddle!! Usb key seti?

Malt_Vinegar · 10 Jun 2008 at 14:55

Ello Seti peeps!

I have just installed the Boinc client back onto my machine after an absence of many MANY years!!

I was a bit a 24/7 mad cruncher for a while with barebones and old dually machines running to try and up my weekly dumps!

Anyway, my main reason for opening this thread, is that i have access to a lab where i often have high spec machines running, and would like to be able to drop in USB keys and just run the client from them without having to install each time? Is this possible?

Biffa · 10 Jun 2008 at 15:22

Welcome back S'ah!

Not sure, something like this might do the trick.

Just remember that you are going to have to boot to an OS with the cruncher software installed on it as a single boot image.

Malt_Vinegar · 10 Jun 2008 at 15:39

Biffa said:
Welcome back S'ah!

Not sure, something like this might do the trick.

Just remember that you are going to have to boot to an OS with the cruncher software installed on it as a single boot image.

Thanking you s'ah.

Yer, im fine with that, the devices I use can be set to boot from USB easily enough

I shall create a disk as per instructions for tommorrow!!!

H'onward and H'upward!!

Pumpkinstew · 12 Jun 2008 at 13:30

I'd be interested to know how this went.

Any joy with this Malt vinegar?

Malt_Vinegar · 12 Jun 2008 at 17:22

I have not started on this yet! I have been otherwise enguaged, but i will have a go at this over the weekend and try it at work on monday.

Grimgoth · 13 Jun 2008 at 17:53

googled and found this thread that said you could install boinc onto the usb flash stick and run it from there, so not having to reboot and use another OS.

however, I am guessing the data writes would kill the stick a lot faster, so i guess you'd have to go with fiddling with the data write to once every 10 mins or so maybe. rather than the once every 90 seconds I seem to have set on mine currently

the thread:
http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=706

PhilthyPhil · 13 Jun 2008 at 18:00

I gave this BoincPE thing quick go this afternoon as I've had a X2 3800 with knackered hard drive sat in a spare room collecting dust for ages. I managed to get it installed to a USB flash drive no problems and it booted ok. It didn't support the onboard NIC though so I added the driver and rebooted but the system wouldn't boot off the flash drive any more. It seems the partition table is missing or the MBR fubar'd. Glad i used a crappy old flash drive, I think it might just be easier to buy a new hdd

Still, will be interesting to see how anyone else gets on with this.

oceaness · 14 Jun 2008 at 09:15

Grimgoth said:
googled and found this thread that said you could install boinc onto the usb flash stick and run it from there, so not having to reboot and use another OS.

however, I am guessing the data writes would kill the stick a lot faster, so i guess you'd have to go with fiddling with the data write to once every 10 mins or so maybe. rather than the once every 90 seconds I seem to have set on mine currently

the thread:
http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=706

It shouldn't be an issue apparantly.

Please note that BOINCpe will still use a RAM disk to store intermediate computational results for the BOINC work units. This way a flash drive will not be worn out soon because of its limited number of write cycles. Basically, you could even write-protect the USB drive.