Installing BOINC on Centos 7 64 bit

[Dingo]

I had to discontinue using one of the dedicated servers that I use to backup my web page and BOINC on because they had too many network issues.  I started a new dedicated server with NICIXX but could only get root login if I loaded Centos.  I stopped using Centos because Boinc is not loaded as a program that you can just download and run.  You need to create one for that server, so I documented all the steps I did and it works so I will put it here fo9r next time.

Installing BOINC on Centos:

yum install gcc-c++ autoconf openssl-devel automake libtool libcurl-devel git libGL-devel libGLU-devel freeglut-devel libXmu-devel libXi-devel libnotify-devel xcb-util-devel libjpeg-devel  // libraries and stuff needed to run BOINC
useradd boinc   // boinc runs under the user boinc
su - boinc     // change to user boinc
mkdir boinc_source
git clone https://github.com/BOINC/boinc boinc_source/     // get the sourse code from Berkely
cd boinc_source/        // change into the folder with the programs
./_autosetup >
./configure --disable-server --enable-optimize   // because we are not a boinc_server we disable it
make > make_boinc.txt     // This sends the output to the txt file I got three warnings but no errors no should be OK ?
cat make_boinc.txt to see if there are any erros or warnings
exit      // go back to root
cd /home/boinc/boinc_source
make install

cd /etc/init.d
rm boinc-client
vi boinc

Insert the following and save:

#!/bin/bash
# BOINC start/stop
#
if [ $1 == start ];then
cd  /usr/local/bin
./boinc --daemon --allow_remote_gui_rpc
fi
if [ $1 == stop ];then
  pkill boinc
fi

//  do not add this just to show where to stop============================================
chmod 755 /etc/init.d/boinc
/etc/init.d/boinc start   // start boinc
cd /home/boinc/boinc_source
// (All the boinc data files end up in the boinc user home directory. Now we log back in as boinc and go there to create/modify those files for remote access)
vi /home/boinc/gui_rpc_auth.cfg   // change / insert the password so you can login from another PC like windows from Boinc_Manager
vi /usr/local/bin/gui_rpc_auth.cfg   // I don't know why there are two but I had problems logging in from another PC and found this file
// Only create the remote_hosts.cfg file if you want to restrict access to this server
vi remote_hosts.cfg  // Put in the list of IP addresses that can access this Boinc client
/etc/init.d/boinc stop  // stop BOINC
/etc/init.d/boinc start   // start boinc
start  firewalld.service  // May need to start the firewalld service, when I tried the next command it gave an error
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=31416/tcp   // add port so BOINC can communicate with projects
firewall-cmd --reload

You can now add projects via the command line or go to another PC with GUI like Windows and use the "select Computer" option and insert the IP address and password you set start adding projects.

Hope it works for anyone that tries..


This is the computer with Boinc 7.7.0  https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/show_host_detail.php?hostid=8252115

[FindersKeepers]

Thanks Dingo. I got this working the same way on RHEL v7.3 using the script above. 

Same 3 compile warnings but no errors. Client runs OK.
Can this be expanded without too much trouble?

1. Can the root level be removed on boinc and things start/stop from the user level (not root) - windoze hates using admin, and using root to start/stop is not ideal I thought
2. We create a boinc user without a password, thinking some security to tidy this up somehow  ... wondering why create the user?
3. Adding project account XML file to the /usr/local/bin/ for e.g. pogs xml.

i.e. create a file named account_pogs.theskynet.org_pogs.xml in the BOINC data directory, and set its contents to:
<account>
    <master_url>http://pogs.theskynet.org/pogs/</master_url>
    <authenticator>123...blah...456...blah...789</authenticator>
</account>

#justsaying

[Dingo]

Been a long time since I used the script.  You can use any user  as long as you use sudo and the user is in the sudo list.   I am not sure why user boinc was not given a password, I never logged in as  boinc and never su - boinc to use it.

As I said it was a while ago and it was just a fast east way to get BOINC loaded.  You can always give user boinc a password, login as root and use "passwd boinc", but I am not sure what will happen with the auto loading at startup ??

[FindersKeepers]

Probably just my ignorance flowing over from windoze. I haven't got as far as networking the boinc GUI from a diff't computer, so all updates/transfers done from local terminal. Once the boinc service is up and running all the boinccmd maintenance can be done from user so not that big of an hassle. Putting the account script in the start directory saves some time - putting more than one project account will inteoduce the joys of unloaded balancing I am guessing.

[Dingo]

I use the BOINC Manager on my windoz machine to go to all the linux machines.  Most of my linux machines are command line only and no GUI at all.   That is why I create the gui_rpc_auth.cfg and put in the password and create the user BOINC.   Under the "Advanced" tab you can select other computers by putting in the IP address and the password you used in gui_rpc_auth.cfg.

You most probably already know this but just in case.

[FindersKeepers]

  will get there slowly Dingo ... this is a pantene project - it won't happen overnight but it will happen.

qn - I enabled H/T and after 6 hours of zero completed projects cancelled boinc. proc/cpuinfo info looks ok so Linux sees things - wondering if this is a config issue or a bouinc issue. get_state shows me things are happening just VERY slowly. Projects were already loaded from previous day without H/T.

[edit] slots went from 12 (0-11) yesterday to 24 (0-23) today. boinc failed to complete a single pogs task in 6 hours, system was 100% the whole time.