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{{Infobox software
| name = EDGeS@Home
| logo = EDGeS logo.png
| logo caption = EDGeS@Home project logo
| screenshot = EDGeS@Home screenshot.png
| caption = EDGeS@Home project homepage (archived)
| description = EDGeS@Home was a completed BOINC-based volunteer computing project that bridged desktop grids and service grids to support scientific applications, primarily the ISDEP plasma fusion simulation code, developed by MTA SZTAKI and sponsored by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.

| status = Completed
| category = Plasma physics, Grid computing
| compute = CPU
| dependencies = BOINC client

| developer = MTA SZTAKI Laboratory of Parallel and Distributed Systems
| author = Péter Kacsuk, Zoltán Farkas
| sponsor = European Union FP7 (grant 211727); DEGISCO (grant 261556)
| maintainer = EDGeS team
| released = {{Start date and age|2009|10|28}}
| completed = May 2011 (ISDEP phase)
| discontinued = ca. 2015
| repository =

| programming language = C
| operating system = Windows, Linux, macOS
| size = ~70 MB (ISDEP application)

| stats as of = {{Start date and age|2015|11|28}}
| average performance = 1.35 GFLOPS
| active users = 0
| total users = 11486
| active hosts = 0
| total hosts = 32308

| rac = 0
| credit per day = 0
| gpu performance =
| cpu performance = 1.35 GFLOPS

| website = {{URL|http://home.edges-grid.eu/home/}}
| license =
}}

'''EDGeS@Home''' ('''E'''nabling '''D'''esktop '''G'''rids for '''e'''-'''S'''cience) was a [[wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]]-based [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer computing]] project that aimed to bridge desktop grid (DG) and service grid (SG) infrastructures, enabling the execution of scientific applications developed by the [[wikipedia:EGEE|EGEE]] and EDGeS community on volunteer-contributed computing resources.<ref name="edgeshome">{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329124047/http://home.edges-grid.eu/home/ |title=EDGeS@Home |publisher=EDGeS |accessdate=2026-08-16 |via=Wayback Machine}}</ref> The project was coordinated by the [[wikipedia:SZTAKI|MTA SZTAKI]] Laboratory of Parallel and Distributed Systems in Hungary and was part of the broader EDGeS [[wikipedia:European Union|European Union]] [[wikipedia:Seventh Framework Programme|Seventh Framework Programme]] (FP7) project.<ref name="boincwiki">{{cite web |url=https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/EDGeS@Home |title=EDGeS@Home |publisher=BOINC |accessdate=2026-08-16}}</ref>

The project's primary production-level application was '''ISDEP''' (Integrator of Stochastic Differential Equations for Plasmas), a [[wikipedia:Monte Carlo method|Monte Carlo]] code that simulates [[wikipedia:Ion|ion]] transport in magnetized plasmas for [[wikipedia:Fusion power|fusion energy]] research.<ref name="velasco2012">{{cite journal |last1=Velasco |first1=J.L. |last2=Bustos |first2=A. |last3=Castejón |first3=F. |last4=Fernández |first4=L.A. |last5=Martin-Mayor |first5=V. |last6=Tarancón |first6=A. |title=ISDEP: Integrator of stochastic differential equations for plasmas |journal=Computer Physics Communications |volume=183 |issue=9 |pages=1877–1883 |year=2012 |doi=10.1016/j.cpc.2012.04.004}}</ref> EDGeS@Home also hosted several other applications at the beta (experimental) level.<ref name="edgeshome" />

== History ==

The EDGeS (Enabling Desktop Grids for e-Science) project was an [[wikipedia:European Union|European Union]] FP7 infrastructure project (grant agreement no. 211727) that ran from 2008 to 2010, with the goal of building technological bridges to facilitate [[wikipedia:Interoperability|interoperability]] between desktop grids and service grids.<ref name="urbah2009">{{cite journal |last1=Urbah |first1=E. |last2=Kacsuk |first2=P. |last3=Farkas |first3=Z. |display-authors=etal |title=EDGeS: Bridging EGEE to BOINC and XtremWeb |journal=Journal of Grid Computing |volume=7 |pages=335–354 |year=2009 |doi=10.1007/s10723-009-9137-0}}</ref> The EDGeS@Home BOINC project was launched on '''28 October 2009''' as the volunteer computing component of this infrastructure.<ref name="boincwiki" />

[[File:TJ-II model including plasma, coils and vacuum vessel.jpg|thumb|The [[wikipedia:TJ-II|TJ-II]] [[wikipedia:Stellarator|stellarator]] at [[wikipedia:CIEMAT|CIEMAT]], Madrid, the primary fusion device studied using ISDEP on EDGeS@Home.|alt=The TJ-II stellarator device]]

The EDGeS@Home desktop grid and its applications were partly supported by the follow-on '''DEGISCO''' project (Desktop Grid Initiatives for Scientific Collaboration), funded under EU FP7 grant agreement no. 261556.<ref name="edgeshome" /> The experts of the '''International Desktop Grid Federation''' (IDGF) provided further support for the EDGeS@Home infrastructure, its applications, and its integration into the DEGISCO infrastructure.<ref name="edgeshome" />

A server upgrade was performed in April 2011, after which the project continued operating.<ref name="edgeshome" /> The ISDEP computation phase was completed on '''21 May 2011'''.<ref name="boincruforum">{{cite web |url=https://boinc.ru/forum/topic/proekt-edgeshome-on-zhe-ibercivis/ |title=EDGeS@Home |publisher=BOINC.RU |accessdate=2026-08-16 |language=Russian}}</ref> After the ISDEP phase ended, the project briefly hosted an [[wikipedia:AutoDock|AutoDock]] application for [[wikipedia:Molecular docking|molecular docking]] computations at the beta level.<ref name="boincruforum" /> The project became inactive by approximately 2015, with the last statistics export occurring on 28 November 2015.<ref name="boincstats">{{cite web |url=https://www.boincstats.com/stats/89/project/detail |title=EDGeS@Home – Detailed stats |publisher=BOINCstats |accessdate=2026-08-16}}</ref>

== Scientific objectives ==

The aim of the EDGeS@Home project was to support the execution of selected and validated scientific applications developed by the EGEE and EDGeS community on [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer computing]] resources.<ref name="edgeshome" /> The project served as a practical demonstration of the EDGeS bridging technology, which connected [[wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]]-based and XtremWeb-based desktop grids with the EGEE service grid infrastructure, creating a seamless pool of over 250,000 processors from desktop grids combined with approximately 150,000 processors from service grids.<ref name="degisco">{{cite web |url=https://sztaki.hu/en/projects/degisco |title=DEGISCO |publisher=MTA SZTAKI |accessdate=2026-08-16}}</ref>

=== ISDEP ===

[[File:EDGeS Bridge diagram.jpg|thumb|The EDGeS 3G Bridge architecture connecting BOINC desktop grids with the EGEE service grid, enabling bidirectional job execution.|alt=EDGeS 3G Bridge architecture diagram]]

The principal application hosted on EDGeS@Home was '''ISDEP''' (Integrator of Stochastic Differential Equations for Plasmas), a Monte Carlo code developed under the collaboration between the '''National Fusion Laboratory''' at [[wikipedia:CIEMAT|CIEMAT]] (Madrid), the '''Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems''' (BIFI) at the [[wikipedia:University of Zaragoza|University of Zaragoza]], and the [[wikipedia:Complutense University of Madrid|Complutense University of Madrid]].<ref name="velasco2012" />

ISDEP solves the dynamics of a minority population of ions in a complex 3D fusion device, computing the [[wikipedia:Distribution function|distribution function]] by numerically integrating the [[wikipedia:Langevin equation|Langevin equation]]s equivalent to the [[wikipedia:Fokker–Planck equation|Fokker–Planck equation]].<ref name="velasco2012" /> The code takes into account:

* The full three-dimensional structure of fusion devices, avoiding common approximations such as Boozer coordinates and the neoclassical ordering
* The confining [[wikipedia:Electromagnetic field|electromagnetic field]]
* [[wikipedia:Collision|Collision]]s with other [[wikipedia:Plasma (physics)|plasma]] species (ions and electrons) using the Boozer–Kuo-Petravic collision operator
* The [[wikipedia:Electric potential|electrostatic potential]]

The Monte Carlo method used by ISDEP is based on the equivalence between the [[wikipedia:Fokker–Planck equation|Fokker–Planck]] and [[wikipedia:Langevin equation|Langevin equation]]s, which allows the code to run on [[wikipedia:Distributed computing|distributed computing]] platforms without [[wikipedia:Inter-process communication|communication between nodes]], achieving near-linear scaling.<ref name="velasco2012" /> Each computing node integrates one or more ion trajectories independently, with statistical independence guaranteed by reading the [[wikipedia:Random seed|random seed]] locally.<ref name="velasco2012" />

The primary fusion device studied with ISDEP on EDGeS@Home was the [[wikipedia:TJ-II|TJ-II]] [[wikipedia:Stellarator|stellarator]] at CIEMAT.<ref name="castejon2007">{{cite journal |last1=Castejón |first1=F. |last2=Fernández |first2=L.A. |last3=Guasp |first3=J. |last4=Martin-Mayor |first4=V. |last5=Tarancón |first5=A. |last6=Velasco |first6=J.L. |title=Ion kinetic transport in the presence of collisions and electric field in TJ-II ECRH plasmas |journal=Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion |volume=49 |issue=6 |pages=753 |year=2007 |doi=10.1088/0741-3335/49/6/006}}</ref> ISDEP was also applied to study ion transport in [[wikipedia:ITER|ITER]]<ref name="bustos2010">{{cite journal |last1=Bustos |first1=A. |last2=Castejón |first2=F. |last3=Fernández |first3=L.A. |display-authors=etal |title=Impact of 3D features on ion collisional transport in ITER |journal=Nuclear Fusion |volume=50 |issue=12 |pages=125007 |year=2010 |doi=10.1088/0029-5515/50/12/125007}}</ref> and the [[wikipedia:Large Helical Device|Large Helical Device]] (LHD) stellarator.<ref name="velasco2012" />

ISDEP was programmed in [[wikipedia:C (programming language)|C]] to maximize performance and portability, and was designed from the outset to run on [[wikipedia:Grid computing|grid computing]] and volunteer computing platforms.<ref name="velasco2012" /> The application download size was approximately 70 MB, with input data per workunit of 212 bytes and output data of 500–700 KB.<ref name="ruwiki">{{cite web |url=https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDGeS@Home |title=EDGeS@Home |publisher=Wikipedia |accessdate=2026-08-16 |language=Russian}}</ref>

=== Other applications ===

In addition to ISDEP at production level, EDGeS@Home hosted several other applications at the beta (experimental) level:<ref name="edgeshome" />

* '''AutoDock''' – a [[wikipedia:Molecular docking|molecular docking]] application used in [[wikipedia:Biomedicine|biomedical]] research, which became the sole active application after the ISDEP phase ended in May 2011<ref name="boincruforum" />
* Applications from the broader EDGeS infrastructure, including those bridged from EGEE service grids via the 3G Bridge technology

The ISDEP application was also available through the Spanish volunteer computing project [[wikipedia:Ibercivis|Ibercivis]] and its predecessor ZIVIS (Zaragoza Institutional Volunteer Computing for Investigative Science), a city-wide computing platform deployed in [[wikipedia:Zaragoza|Zaragoza]], Spain.<ref name="zivis">{{cite conference |last1=Antolí |first1=B. |last2=Castejón |first2=F. |last3=Giner |first3=A. |display-authors=etal |title=ZIVIS: A City Computing Platform Based on Volunteer Computing |year=2007 |booktitle=International Conference on e-Science and Grid Computing}}</ref>

== Bridging technology ==

The core technical contribution of the EDGeS project was the development of '''3G Bridge''' (Generic Grid-to-Grid Bridge), a middleware-independent framework that enabled [[wikipedia:Interoperability|interoperability]] between desktop grids and service grids.<ref name="urbah2009" /> The bridge operated in two directions:

* '''BOINC → EGEE bridge''': A modified [[wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]] client that represented itself as a powerful desktop PC with many CPU cores to the EGEE Workload Management System (WMS), pulling workunits from the BOINC server and executing them on EGEE resources. This was based on the super-worker approach.<ref name="fedak2008">{{cite conference |last1=Fedak |first1=Gilles |last2=He |first2=Haiwu |last3=Lodygensky |first3=Oleg |display-authors=etal |title=EDGeS: A Bridge between Desktop Grids and Service Grids |booktitle=2008 Third ChinaGrid Annual Conference (CHINAGRID) |year=2008 |doi=10.1109/ChinaGrid.2008.44}}</ref>
* '''EGEE → BOINC bridge''': Allowed EGEE users to submit jobs that were transparently forwarded to and executed on connected desktop grid systems, extending the capacity of EGEE [[wikipedia:Virtual organization|Virtual Organization]]s (VOs) with volunteer resources.<ref name="kacsuk2011">{{cite book |last1=Kacsuk |first1=P. |last2=Farkas |first2=Z. |last3=Balaton |first3=Z. |title=EDGeS Bridge Technologies to Interconnect Service and Desktop Grids |booktitle=Remote Instrumentation Services on the e-Infrastructure |year=2011 |publisher=Springer |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-5574-6_5}}</ref>

The production infrastructure included the SZTAKI Desktop Grid, the Extremadura Desktop Grid, and the AlmereGrid, connected to EGEE service grids through the 3G Bridge.<ref name="urbah2009" />

== Volunteer participation ==

Volunteers participated in EDGeS@Home by installing the [[wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]] client and attaching to the project URL <code>http://home.edges-grid.eu/home/</code>.<ref name="edgeshome" /> At its peak, the project reached approximately:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Metric !! Value
|-
| Total users || 11,486
|-
| Total hosts || 32,308
|-
| Total credit || 460,481,463
|-
| Peak estimated performance (48 h) || ~1.57 [[wikipedia:FLOPS|TFLOPS]]
|-
| Number of countries || 84
|-
| Number of teams || 684
|-
|}

As of March 2012, over 7,000 users from 84 countries had contributed more than 17,000 computers, providing an integrated performance of approximately 2.6 [[wikipedia:FLOPS|TFLOPS]].<ref name="boincruforum" /> The project had 11,032 users and 16,385 hosts as of March 2012, with an estimated 48-hour performance of 1,352.6 GFLOPS.<ref name="edgeshome" />

== Relationship to other projects ==

EDGeS@Home was closely related to several other grid and volunteer computing initiatives:

* '''[[wikipedia:Ibercivis|Ibercivis]]''' – A Spanish volunteer computing project that also hosted the ISDEP application. EDGeS@Home served as part of a unified European grid infrastructure that included Ibercivis as a sub-grid.<ref name="boincruforum" />
* '''SZTAKI Desktop Grid''' – A BOINC-based desktop grid developed at MTA SZTAKI using the DC-API (Distributed Computing Application Programming Interface), which was a foundational component of the EDGeS infrastructure.<ref name="urbah2009" />
* '''ZIVIS''' – A city-wide volunteer computing platform in Zaragoza, Spain, that served as a precursor to Ibercivis and hosted ISDEP as its pilot application.<ref name="zivis" />
* '''AlmereGrid''' – A Dutch desktop grid that was part of the EDGeS production infrastructure.<ref name="urbah2009" />
* '''DEGISCO''' – The follow-on project (FP7 grant 261556) that supported the EDGeS@Home infrastructure and promoted interoperation between desktop grid and service grid infrastructures on a global scale.<ref name="degisco" />

== Mathematical formulation ==

ISDEP solves the [[wikipedia:Fokker–Planck equation|Fokker–Planck equation]] for a minority ion population in a magnetized plasma:

:<math>\frac{\partial f}{\partial t} + \dot{\mathbf{x}} \cdot \nabla f + \dot{\mathbf{v}} \cdot \nabla_v f = C(f)</math>

where <math>f(\mathbf{x}, \mathbf{v}, t)</math> is the [[wikipedia:Distribution function|ion distribution function]], <math>\mathbf{x}</math> and <math>\mathbf{v}</math> are position and velocity in [[wikipedia:Cartesian coordinate system|Cartesian coordinates]], and <math>C(f)</math> is the collision operator (Boozer–Kuo-Petravic).<ref name="velasco2012" />

By exploiting the equivalence between the Fokker–Planck equation and the [[wikipedia:Langevin equation|Langevin equation]]s, ISDEP integrates the [[wikipedia:Stochastic differential equation|stochastic differential equation]]s:

:<math>d\mathbf{X} = \mathbf{a}(\mathbf{X}, t)\,dt + \mathbf{b}(\mathbf{X}, t)\,d\mathbf{W}</math>

where <math>\mathbf{a}</math> is the drift term (deterministic motion in the electromagnetic field), <math>\mathbf{b}</math> is the diffusion coefficient (collisional effects), and <math>\mathbf{W}</math> is a [[wikipedia:Wiener process|Wiener process]].<ref name="velasco2012" /> The numerical integration uses a [[wikipedia:Runge–Kutta method|Runge–Kutta method]] upgraded to handle [[wikipedia:Gaussian noise|Gaussian noise]] from collisional effects.<ref name="zivis" />

Since individual particle trajectories are statistically independent, no inter-node communication is required during computation, making the problem [[wikipedia:Embarrassingly parallel|embarrassingly parallel]] and well-suited for [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|volunteer computing]] platforms.<ref name="velasco2012" />

== Publications ==

=== BOINC-listed publications ===

The following 12 publications are listed on the [[wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]] publications page for EDGeS@Home:<ref name="boincpubs">{{cite web |url=https://boinc.berkeley.edu/pubs.php#EDGeS@Home |title=Publications by BOINC Projects – EDGeS@Home |publisher=BOINC |accessdate=2026-08-16}}</ref>

# Kacsuk, P., Z. Farkas, J. Kovács ''et al''. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296885066_Desktop_grid_in_the_era_of_cloud_computing Desktop grid in the era of cloud computing]. (2015).
# Fedak, Gilles. [https://hal.inria.fr/tel-01158462 Contributions to Desktop Grid Computing]. (2015). Habilitation à diriger des recherches.
# Delamare, Simon, Gilles Fedak, Derrick Kondo and Oleg Lodygensky. [http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10586-013-0283-6 SpeQuloS: a QoS service for hybrid and elastic computing infrastructures]. ''Cluster Computing'' (2014). DOI: 10.1007/s10586-013-0283-6.
# Visegrádi, Ádám, J. Kovács and P. Kacsuk. [https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167739X1300229X Efficient extension of gLite VOs with BOINC based desktop grids]. ''Future Generation Computer Systems'' (2014). DOI: 10.1016/j.future.2013.10.012.
# Marosi, Attila, J. Kovács and P. Kacsuk. [https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0167739X12000660 Towards a volunteer cloud system]. ''Future Generation Computer Systems'' (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.future.2012.03.013.
# Delamare, Simon, Gilles Fedak, Derrick Kondo, O. Lodygensky, P. Kacsuk, J. Kovács and F. Araujo. [https://hal.inria.fr/hal-00819907 Advanced QoS Prototype for the EDGI Infrastructure]. (2013).
# Delamare, Simon, Gilles Fedak, Derrick Kondo, O. Lodygensky, P. Kacsuk, J. Kovács and F. Araujo. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278629554_Intermediate_QoS_Prototype_for_the_EDGI_Infrastructure Intermediate QoS Prototype for the EDGI Infrastructure]. (2013).
# Terstyanszky, Gabor, Tamas Kiss, Tamas Kukla, Zsolt Lichtenberger, Stephen Winter, Pamela Greenwell, Sharron McEldowney and Hans Heindl. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22942006/ Application repository and science gateway for running molecular docking and dynamics simulations]. ''Studies in Health Technology and Informatics'' (2012).
# Kacsuk, P., Z. Farkas and Z. Balaton. [http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-1-4419-5574-6_5 EDGeS Bridge Technologies to Interconnect Service and Desktop Grids]. ''Remote Instrumentation Services on the e-Infrastructure'' (2011).
# Velasco, J. L., F. Castejón and A. Tarancón. [http://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.3126583 Finite orbit width effect in ion collisional transport in TJ-II]. ''Physics of Plasmas'' (2009). DOI: 10.1063/1.3126583.
# Fedak, Gilles, Haiwu He, Oleg Lodygensky ''et al''. [http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4624461/ EDGeS: A Bridge between Desktop Grids and Service Grids]. ''2008 Third ChinaGrid Annual Conference'' (2008). DOI: 10.1109/ChinaGrid.2008.44.
# Antolí, B., F. Castejón, A. Giner ''et al''. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242126353_ZIVIS_A_City_Computing_Platform_Based_on_Volunteer_Computing ZIVIS: A City Computing Platform Based on Volunteer Computing]. (2007).

=== Additional publications ===

The following additional publications are related to the ISDEP application and the EDGeS project but are not listed on the BOINC publications page:

# Urbah, E., P. Kacsuk, Z. Farkas ''et al''. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10723-009-9137-0 EDGeS: Bridging EGEE to BOINC and XtremWeb]. ''Journal of Grid Computing'' '''7''', 335–354 (2009). DOI: 10.1007/s10723-009-9137-0.
# Velasco, J.L., A. Bustos, F. Castejón, L.A. Fernández, V. Martín-Mayor and A. Tarancón. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2012.04.004 ISDEP: Integrator of stochastic differential equations for plasmas]. ''Computer Physics Communications'' '''183'''(9), 1877–1883 (2012). DOI: 10.1016/j.cpc.2012.04.004.
# Bustos, A., F. Castejón, L.A. Fernández, J. García, V. Martín-Mayor, J.M. Reynolds, R. Seki and J.L. Velasco. [https://doi.org/10.1088/0029-5515/50/12/125007 Impact of 3D features on ion collisional transport in ITER]. ''Nuclear Fusion'' '''50'''(12), 125007 (2010). DOI: 10.1088/0029-5515/50/12/125007.
# Bustos, A., J.M. Fontdecaba, F. Castejón, J.L. Velasco, M. Tereshchenko and J. Arévalo. [https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4793731 Studies of the fast ion energy spectra in TJ-II]. ''Physics of Plasmas'' '''20'''(2), 022507 (2013). DOI: 10.1063/1.4793731.
# Castejón, F., L.A. Fernández, J. Guasp, V. Martín-Mayor, A. Tarancón and J.L. Velasco. [https://doi.org/10.1088/0741-3335/49/6/006 Ion kinetic transport in the presence of collisions and electric field in TJ-II ECRH plasmas]. ''Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion'' '''49'''(6), 753 (2007). DOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/49/6/006.
# Rivero, A. and D. Ferrer. [https://www.academia.edu/758702/ISDEP_a_fusion_application_deployed_in_the_EDGeS_project ISDEP, a fusion application deployed in the EDGeS project]. EGEE User Forum, ''EnterTheGrid'' workshop (2010).
# Cárdenas-Montes, M., A. Emmen, A.C. Marosi ''et al''. EDGeS: bridging Desktop and Service Grids. ''EGEE User Forum'' (2008).

== See also ==

* [[wikipedia:BOINC|BOINC]]
* [[wikipedia:Volunteer computing|Volunteer computing]]
* [[wikipedia:Ibercivis|Ibercivis]]
* [[wikipedia:TJ-II|TJ-II stellarator]]
* [[wikipedia:ITER|ITER]]
* [[wikipedia:Stellarator|Stellarator]]
* [[wikipedia:Plasma (physics)|Plasma (physics)]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

[[Category:BOINC projects]]
[[Category:Completed BOINC projects]]
[[Category:Volunteer computing]]
[[Category:Grid computing]]
[[Category:Plasma physics]]
[[Category:Fusion research]]
[[Category:European Union research projects]]

EDGeS@Home - Revision history

Al Piskun: first light