Running on a USB flash drive

[vaughan]

Can someone write up the instructions for running D2OL / TSC from a USB flash drive please?

1. What files are required on the USB?
2. What size USB drive do you need?
3. On the host computer how do you get work for the D2OL cache on the USB?
4. How do you run it on the borged PC?
5. Do you need admin rights or do you just plug it in and how do you start/end the application?
6. Back on the host PC again, how do you send in completed work and get new tasks?

[Bender10]

Here is a quick run down, answered in the order asked.........Hope it helps.


1. Do the normal install using the downloaded package (complete with java).

2. The size of the USB drive depends on how many tasks (wu's) you want to 'cache'. 50, 100, 200...
2a. I run about 50 tasks (this is a little more than my work machine will do in 6 hours) per application. This number will be different for your machine. This clears my cache in ~6 hours (machine is always on line).
2b. I can run 1 app 'on-line', with 50 tasks, on a 64mb flash drive...

3. When you run the software, the tasks are downloaded to a folder on the 'drive' (usb) the application is installed on.

4. Plug in the USB. Navigate to the executable or the shortcut icon.

5. No admin rights needed as far as I can tell (YMMV). To terminate the application. Right-Click on the taskbar Icon. Click on Exit. The application will end and close. Eject the USB.

6.On the Main Screen of the application, There is a check box for 'Properties'. Click this.
6a. A 'Properties' box will open with a General and Network buttons at the top.
6b. IF necessary, you may have to enter your system proxy information here. Otherwise, the application will communicate normally with the internet, and upload/download your tasks every ~6 hours.

NOTES:

A. Run the install as normal. When prompted for the install directory. Make sure you tell it the drive letter of your USB drive.

B. Maintain the default directory structure to keep things simple (K:/Program Files/SengentD2OL or K:/Program Files/CommunityTSC).

C. You can run 2 applications on 1 USB. Just name the 2nd install "K:/Program Files/SengentD2OL2" or "CommunityTSC2"

D. I'll have to check again, But I think I was running 200 or 300 tasks on a single 256mb Flash drive (for a single app only). The tasks do not take up much room.

E. To run at work when you CANNOT get through a work proxy. Go to the Main application screen and De-Select the 'Online' button. The tasks will run, but the application will not try to connect to the internet. Bring the finished tasks home and up/down load there (to just run tasks with no internet, up/download tasks at home FIRST!!).

F. There is no 'check point' for the tasks. If you close the application with a task running. That task only, will have to run again.

G. Closing the application using the Windows 'RED X' (upper right corner) does NOT exit the application. It will minimize the application to the task bar.

[Lagu]

What is the advantage run D20L for example on a flach memory? To run it you must have a processor???

As I read Bender10`s exelent explain I can understand it is good take to the work but not home if one has a wery small disc as is near full.

I have a 1 GB flach memery as can hold the whole Boinc and all project I run and yet I have a lot of space over.

[Bender10]

Lagu, I don't run the application from a USB drive at home. But if your work computer is behind an impassable firewall, you can load the drive with tasks and run the tasks on your work computer. 200-300 tasks would run all day at work (or longer), without having to connect to the internet (or try to get through that pesky firewall). Then you take the USB drive home, and upload the completed tasks to the internet (and download some new tasks).

D2OL/TSC is very portable, easy to run, and a worthwhile project. Loading it on a USB Drive allows you to run the application on any CPU you can log in to. All without having to do a massive install which may require administrative rights (which most people do not have at work).

I usually load a USB with tasks, and take it with me on trips (just in case I get close to a CPU that is not busy..heh..heh).

And, it is user friendly. I explain the software to friends, and they say eh?? So I plug the USB drive into their system and run the application. Then, I ask them to run it until they get tried of it, and let them keep the drive as a gift (I lost a few nodes until I started backing them up before I gave them away...).

[AQUAJOE]

I didn't know you could do this. I have a bunch of machines I can do this with if I do not have to install anything on the PC. If I am understanding this right?
1gb flash drives are cheap or even 512mb.

[LeBo]

I didn't know you could do this. I have a bunch of machines I can do this with if I do not have to install anything on the PC. If I am understanding this right?
1gb flash drives are cheap or even 512mb.

Yes, I have run several different projects from a flash drive. In fact I have even booted up from a flash drive and run the project off the boot up flash drive.

[Brucifer]

How long will those flash drives hold up if you are using them as your primary operating/storage area, like say boot up a Linux system on a flash drive and run a project then?

[LeBo]

How long will those flash drives hold up if you are using them as your primary operating/storage area, like say boot up a Linux system on a flash drive and run a project then?

Don't really know how long they would hold up. I ran two for about a month with no issues.

[Bender10]

My observations:

1. USB drive life is judged by it's 'write' cycles. Some sources say 10,000 'write' cycles, some say more. Look it up. You will find some interesting info on USB drive longevity.

2. I am running TSC on a 256 mb drive that is 2 years old (or more). It has also been through a wash and dry cycle at home (Oooops).

3. I am also running 3 pc's (booting BOINCpe) from 1 gig USB drives, And running TSC/D2OL on these same drives from inside BOINCpe.

4. I'm sure anything you can run on a PC hardrive, you can install and run from a USB drive (well, most things I suppose).

5. Most of the work should occur in RAM, with data transfers (wu's) and results being the bulk of the read/writes to the USB...

[vaughan]

Better late than never, I can now report that I managed to get this to work. My son had a eeepc doing nothing so I did a quick Windows XP Home installation and got D2OL on a free 1GB flash drive that he got with a Braun razer promotional deal

I followed the instructions posted by Bender10 and it worked from the get go.

Thanks.