Joining the Predictor@Home Project.
"The human
body makes at least 50,000 different proteins, and possibly twice that many.".
Most or all of those proteins are created in our cells by our DNA. The ability
of our body to create the right proteins at the right time is fundamental to
our normal development as a person. When we don't produce the right protein
at the right time, the result may be a protein-related disease. Studies show
that sickle-cell
anemia, for instance, involves genes that create a slightly different protein
that most of us produce. The principle goal of Predictor@homeis to address critical
biomedical questions of protein-related diseases by attempting to predict protein
structure from protein sequence. Participants in this project test and evaluate
new algorithms and methods of protein structure prediction. While the project
is not specific about the protein-related diseases it is addressing, diseases
that are currently thought to be protein related are Alzheimer’s, prion-based
diseases (Mad-Cow disease), and some cancers.
Step by Step Instructions for Joining and Running Predictor@Home
- If the computer you want to run Predictor@Home on belongs to you, you can
skip to step 3.
- Not everyone wants to run BOINC or Predictor@Home on their machines. This
is particularly true for companies and other organizations who feel obligated
to enforce "business use only" rules for computer use. Make sure
its OK to run BOINC on the machine you want to install it on before you actually
install and run it. Its OK if BOINC doesn't run everywhere.
- Read the rules and policies
of Predictor@Home. You may also find the project's introduction
to how distributed computing works interesting.
- If you already run a BOINC client on your machine for another project, skip
to step 8.
- Download BOINC for your
computer from the BOINC site. There are versions that run under Windows,
on MacIntosh, on Linux, and on other platforms. Download behavior will probably
vary somewhat depending on your browser, so you're more or less on your own
to know what to do here.
- There shouldn't be a problem if you've downloaded from one of the sites
pointed to in step 5 and most virus software will check the download as it
happens anyway, but if you are concerned about downloading a virus or other
malicious program, now is a good time to check. It is generally presumed that
you have anti-virus software installed already, but if you don't, SUNY Oswego
students, staff, and faculty can download
McAfee antivirus from the Oswego web site.
- Install BOINC. The details of how you do this will depend on your system
and your browser, so your kind of on your own here, but the usual process
involves finding the downloaded program (which will often be on your computers
desktop), double clicking on the program to run it, and answering any questions
it asks. The last step of the installation will probably start BOINC.
- Run BOINC. If BOINC is already running on your system, proceed to Step 9.
You can usually tell if its running on Windows systems because a small "B"
icon (for Boinc) will show up on the application bar at the bottom right side
of the screen. On MacIntosh, the same icon will usually appear near the top
right corner of the screen.
- Join Predictor@Home by going to the the SUNY
Oswego team page on Predictor@Home and selecting the team entry that at
"Create team account URL." Here's a shortcut
to that page. You'll need to fill in an online form with your name, e-mail
address, a password, country affiliation, and zip code. Pick a user id and
password that is easy to remember or save the information somewhere. You may
to print out the next page or save it somewhere. You will receive a confirmation
e-mail at the e-mail address you provide. Print and/or save this e-mail. You
may, in particular, have a need for the key it provides.
- Add Predictor@Home to your running BOINC client. To do this, select "Projects"
from on the menu bar, then select "Attach to Project" from the drop
down. You'll first be asked for a project URL. Enter "http://setiathome.berkeley.edu".
You'll then be prompted for either your Predictor@Home userid and password or
your account key. Once you enter this informatoin your BOINC client should
immediately contact Predictor@Home, download a work unit, and start working
on it. It may be that, for one reason or another, Predictor@Home can't give
you a work unit immediately. If it can't, BOINC will keep trying automatically
until it gets a work unit. So long as it is trying, you've joined "Predictor@Home".
If you get to here, you should be running Predictor@Home under BOINC.
Note that you can run more than one project on your computer. This can be a
good idea. BOINC projects occasionally stop sending out work units for short
periods of time (sometimes as long as a day or two). If you are running another
project your machine probably won't be idle while it waits for its next unit
of work.