The basic UD/WCG installation
The UD/WCG software installs very easily and quickly. Its requirements are a minimum of 1 Gb free hard disk space, a stable PC, and that the integrity of the work unit data files can be guaranteed. WCG stores its data files under its installation directory, which by default is C:\Program Files\WorldCommunityGrid. You can modify the install path to something else when installing.
UD/WCG installs at a task priority of 1, with a CPU throttle limit of 60% of the idle cycles. A task priority of 1 means it will be the last thing to get CPU time, taking it only from the System Idle Process, when Windows is idle. This means that nobody should ever notice that WCG is running, even when one of the work units morphs into a runaway process. No matter what, if another task requires CPU, it will get it before WCG. There is a tool available from the grid website to adjust the CPU throttle value anywhere from 25% to 100%.
When WCG is installed on a machine and registered in the grid for the first time (not a re-install), it will be assigned to the default machine profile, which is set to 1Gb of hard disk space. You can create a unique profile for each machine in your device list, or you can change the default profile setting. If you make changes to any machines profile on the grid site, the local machine won't see those changes until the next time it contacts the grid servers.
The first time WCG runs, it will request a work unit and will work offline until it is done. If no internet connection is available when the unit is complete, it will wait until one is established before uploading the results and then request a new unit. Work unit completion time varies greatly depending on what unit was being worked on and amount of CPU time that it gets. You need to guarantee the integrity of the work unit data and results until they are sent back to the grid.
- Download and execute the WCG Agent installer
- Select the appropriate installation folder. If you are using Deep Freeze, and a thawspace was created, point the installation path to that drive (i.e. G:\WorldCommunityGrid). Otherwise you can likely leave the default installation path of C:\Program Files\WorldCommunityGrid.
- Select your internet connection type.
- Once the software is installed, you will be asked to enter your Grid Agent Registration information. If this is your first time installing WCG, and you don’t have an existing login to the grid, you will need to create a login ID and password for yourself.
If you already have a login to the grid, check the existing member option at the top of the dialog box and enter your login name and password.
The Grid Agent Name field already contains the present machine name, so you likely should leave it alone.
Interesting details noted:
- When the installation is stopped at the Grid Agent Registration window (by clicking on the X), it will restart the next time the user logs in because the shortcut to UD.EXE is already in the installing users STARTUP folder.
- Installation using the same machine name as already active machine will cause problems with statistics on the grid website (among other things), so it is in your best interests to keep the names unique.
- Re-installation of the software on a machine that has already been logged into the grid, and using the same machine name as it had before, causes the grid statistics for that machine name to be restarted. A re-install of the WCG software will assign a new grid ID#, and new statistics will be kept for it. The old statistics will be kept visible for up to two weeks.
- The WCG install folder slowly gets populated with work unit bitmaps, DLL’s, executables other support files. A working folder will also be created for the active work unit. Once the work unit is done, the results will be uploaded, the work folder deleted and the process starts over again.
- WCG by default installs and runs only for the installing user. In order to make it available for all users, or make it a Windows service so it always runs, you need to make some interesting changes. Some configuration options affect the application and some only affect the current user.
The basic installation of WCG (without going through the Grid Agent Registration) does the following:
- Installs CS.UD, UD.EXE, UDAGENT.HLP & UDTAPI.DLL into the WCG folder
- Installs MSVBVM60.DLL into C:\Windows\system32
- Installs UD.SCR screen saver into C:\Windows
- Changes the installing users screen saver to World Community Grid
- Adds a registry key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop called UD_EXEC_FILENAME which is set to drive:\installpath\ud.exe
Once the registration is completed:
- Creates a registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\IBM\World Community Grid, with no entries
- CS.UD in the WCG install folder is re-written with user preferences
- Work units and support files are downloaded
Email the author: Peter Schepers | Last updated: Dec 6, 2006