BOINC@TACC: Difference between revisions

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'''BOINC@TACC''' is a [[volunteer computing]] project operated by the [[Texas Advanced Computing Center]] (TACC) at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] that integrates [[BOINC]]-based volunteer computing with supercomputing and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=About BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/about.php |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Rather than running scientific applications directly on TACC's supercomputers, the project routes qualified High-Throughput Computing (HTC) jobs from TACC systems such as [[Stampede2]] to computing resources donated by volunteers, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and cloud-based virtual machines.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/ |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Launched in 2017, BOINC@TACC was the first use of volunteer computing by a major high-performance computing center.<ref name="hpcwire">{{Cite web |authors=Iriarte, Mariana |title=Science Enthusiasts, Researchers, Students Benefit from Volunteer Computing Using BOINC@TACC |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/science-enthusiasts-researchers-students-benefit-from-wolunteer-computing-using-boinctacc/ |work=HPCwire |date=2019-06-25 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>

'''[https://web.archive.org/web/20220711171713/https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/ BOINC@TACC]''' is a [[volunteer computing]] project operated by the [[Texas Advanced Computing Center]] (TACC) at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] that integrates [[BOINC]]-based volunteer computing with supercomputing and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=About BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/about.php |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Rather than running scientific applications directly on TACC's supercomputers, the project routes qualified High-Throughput Computing (HTC) jobs from TACC systems such as [[Stampede2]] to computing resources donated by volunteers, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and cloud-based virtual machines.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/ |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Launched in 2017, BOINC@TACC was the first use of volunteer computing by a major high-performance computing center.<ref name="hpcwire">{{Cite web |authors=Iriarte, Mariana |title=Science Enthusiasts, Researchers, Students Benefit from Volunteer Computing Using BOINC@TACC |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/science-enthusiasts-researchers-students-benefit-from-wolunteer-computing-using-boinctacc/ |work=HPCwire |date=2019-06-25 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>

== Overview ==

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== History ==

After several live iterations, the project began operating in 2017 under the name '''TACC-2-BOINC'''.<ref name="github">{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu |title=ritua2/BOINCatTACC |url=https://github.com/ritua2/BOINCatTACC |work=GitHub |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> To get started, the TACC team deployed an instance of a BOINC server on a cloud computing platform and then developed the software needed to integrate BOINC with TACC's supercomputing and cloud computing platforms.<ref name="hpcwire" /> On ~~July 30~~, ~~2018~~, the project was renamed BOINC@TACC and moved to its current project URL.<ref name="github" /> The project is funded primarily through [[National Science Foundation|NSF]] award #1664022, with additional support from [[XSEDE]], TACC, and the Science Gateway Community Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Contributors to the BOINC@TACC codebase have included Carlos Redondo, an aerospace engineering student and developer on the project, along with Thomas Johnson and Anubhaw Nand, with additional input from [[BOINC]] founder [[David P. Anderson|David Anderson]].<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>

After several live iterations, the project began operating in 2017 under the name '''TACC-2-BOINC'''.<ref name="github">{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu |title=ritua2/BOINCatTACC |url=https://github.com/ritua2/BOINCatTACC |work=GitHub |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> To get started, the TACC team deployed an instance of a BOINC server on a cloud computing platform and then developed the software needed to integrate BOINC with TACC's supercomputing and cloud computing platforms.<ref name="hpcwire" /> On Jan 1, 2019, the project was renamed BOINC@TACC and moved to its current project URL.<ref name="github" /> The project is funded primarily through [[National Science Foundation|NSF]] award #1664022, with additional support from [[XSEDE]], TACC, and the Science Gateway Community Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Contributors to the BOINC@TACC codebase have included Carlos Redondo, an aerospace engineering student and developer on the project, along with Thomas Johnson and Anubhaw Nand, with additional input from [[BOINC]] founder [[David P. Anderson|David Anderson]].<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>

== Software infrastructure ==

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Volunteers can join BOINC@TACC either by attaching the standard [[BOINC]] client to the project (requiring [[VirtualBox]] for virtual-machine-based tasks), or, for donors offering cloud-based virtual machines, by using the project's alternative VolCon software.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=About BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/about.php |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Researchers eligible to submit jobs include TACC users, researchers from any of the 14 University of Texas System institutions, and, historically, researchers accessing TACC resources through [[XSEDE]].<ref name="hpcwire" />

[[File:Boinc client rosetta climateprediction net.jpg|thumb|A BOINC Manager client showing tasks attached from multiple BOINC projects; volunteers use the same client software to contribute to BOINC@TACC]]

[[File:Boinc client rosetta climateprediction net.jpg|thumb|A BOINC Manager client showing tasks attached from multiple BOINC projects; volunteers use the same client software to contribute to BOINC@TACC|364x364px]]

== Publications ==

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# Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua. [http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing]. ''Software Challenges to Exascale Computing'' (2019).

# Wilson, Lucas A and David P Anderson. [http://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.2.28139.64805 VAST: Integrating Volunteer Computing into Existing Cyberinfrastructure]. (2017). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28139.64805.

~~=== Other publications ===~~

No additional peer-reviewed publications specifically about BOINC@TACC were identified beyond the three listed above and on the BOINC project publications page as of this writing. Related conference material by the project team, including presentations on the ''nanoHUB@home'' collaboration and general TACC volunteer-computing outreach, has appeared in TACC and NSF project reports but does not constitute a separate peer-reviewed publication about BOINC@TACC itself.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=NSF Public Access Repository |title=nanoHUB@home: Expanding nanoHUB Through Volunteer Computing |url=https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10143977-nanohub-home-expanding-nanohubthroughvolunteer-computing |work=par.nsf.gov |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>

== See also ==

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 }}
-'''BOINC@TACC''' is a [[volunteer computing]] project operated by the [[Texas Advanced Computing Center]] (TACC) at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] that integrates [[BOINC]]-based volunteer computing with supercomputing and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=About BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/about.php |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Rather than running scientific applications directly on TACC's supercomputers, the project routes qualified High-Throughput Computing (HTC) jobs from TACC systems such as [[Stampede2]] to computing resources donated by volunteers, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and cloud-based virtual machines.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/ |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Launched in 2017, BOINC@TACC was the first use of volunteer computing by a major high-performance computing center.<ref name="hpcwire">{{Cite web |authors=Iriarte, Mariana |title=Science Enthusiasts, Researchers, Students Benefit from Volunteer Computing Using BOINC@TACC |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/science-enthusiasts-researchers-students-benefit-from-wolunteer-computing-using-boinctacc/ |work=HPCwire |date=2019-06-25 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>
+'''[https://web.archive.org/web/20220711171713/https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/ BOINC@TACC]''' is a [[volunteer computing]] project operated by the [[Texas Advanced Computing Center]] (TACC) at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] that integrates [[BOINC]]-based volunteer computing with supercomputing and cloud computing.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=About BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/about.php |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Rather than running scientific applications directly on TACC's supercomputers, the project routes qualified High-Throughput Computing (HTC) jobs from TACC systems such as [[Stampede2]] to computing resources donated by volunteers, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and cloud-based virtual machines.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/ |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Launched in 2017, BOINC@TACC was the first use of volunteer computing by a major high-performance computing center.<ref name="hpcwire">{{Cite web |authors=Iriarte, Mariana |title=Science Enthusiasts, Researchers, Students Benefit from Volunteer Computing Using BOINC@TACC |url=https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/science-enthusiasts-researchers-students-benefit-from-wolunteer-computing-using-boinctacc/ |work=HPCwire |date=2019-06-25 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>
 == Overview ==
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 == History ==
-After several live iterations, the project began operating in 2017 under the name '''TACC-2-BOINC'''.<ref name="github">{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu |title=ritua2/BOINCatTACC |url=https://github.com/ritua2/BOINCatTACC |work=GitHub |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> To get started, the TACC team deployed an instance of a BOINC server on a cloud computing platform and then developed the software needed to integrate BOINC with TACC's supercomputing and cloud computing platforms.<ref name="hpcwire" /> On July 30, 2018, the project was renamed BOINC@TACC and moved to its current project URL.<ref name="github" /> The project is funded primarily through [[National Science Foundation|NSF]] award #1664022, with additional support from [[XSEDE]], TACC, and the Science Gateway Community Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Contributors to the BOINC@TACC codebase have included Carlos Redondo, an aerospace engineering student and developer on the project, along with Thomas Johnson and Anubhaw Nand, with additional input from [[BOINC]] founder [[David P. Anderson|David Anderson]].<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>
+After several live iterations, the project began operating in 2017 under the name '''TACC-2-BOINC'''.<ref name="github">{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu |title=ritua2/BOINCatTACC |url=https://github.com/ritua2/BOINCatTACC |work=GitHub |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> To get started, the TACC team deployed an instance of a BOINC server on a cloud computing platform and then developed the software needed to integrate BOINC with TACC's supercomputing and cloud computing platforms.<ref name="hpcwire" /> On Jan 1, 2019, the project was renamed BOINC@TACC and moved to its current project URL.<ref name="github" /> The project is funded primarily through [[National Science Foundation|NSF]] award #1664022, with additional support from [[XSEDE]], TACC, and the Science Gateway Community Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Contributors to the BOINC@TACC codebase have included Carlos Redondo, an aerospace engineering student and developer on the project, along with Thomas Johnson and Anubhaw Nand, with additional input from [[BOINC]] founder [[David P. Anderson|David Anderson]].<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua |title=Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 |work=Software Challenges to Exascale Computing |date=2019 |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>
 == Software infrastructure ==
@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 Volunteers can join BOINC@TACC either by attaching the standard [[BOINC]] client to the project (requiring [[VirtualBox]] for virtual-machine-based tasks), or, for donors offering cloud-based virtual machines, by using the project's alternative VolCon software.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=Texas Advanced Computing Center |title=About BOINC@TACC |url=https://boinc.tacc.utexas.edu/about.php |work=boinc.tacc.utexas.edu |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref> Researchers eligible to submit jobs include TACC users, researchers from any of the 14 University of Texas System institutions, and, historically, researchers accessing TACC resources through [[XSEDE]].<ref name="hpcwire" />
-[[File:Boinc client rosetta climateprediction net.jpg|thumb|A BOINC Manager client showing tasks attached from multiple BOINC projects; volunteers use the same client software to contribute to BOINC@TACC]]
+[[File:Boinc client rosetta climateprediction net.jpg|thumb|A BOINC Manager client showing tasks attached from multiple BOINC projects; volunteers use the same client software to contribute to BOINC@TACC|364x364px]]
 == Publications ==
@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 # Arora, Ritu, Carlos Redondo and Gerald Joshua. [http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-7729-7_8 Scalable Software Infrastructure for Integrating Supercomputing with Volunteer Computing and Cloud Computing]. ''Software Challenges to Exascale Computing'' (2019).
 # Wilson, Lucas A and David P Anderson. [http://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.2.28139.64805 VAST: Integrating Volunteer Computing into Existing Cyberinfrastructure]. (2017). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28139.64805.
-=== Other publications ===
-No additional peer-reviewed publications specifically about BOINC@TACC were identified beyond the three listed above and on the BOINC project publications page as of this writing. Related conference material by the project team, including presentations on the ''nanoHUB@home'' collaboration and general TACC volunteer-computing outreach, has appeared in TACC and NSF project reports but does not constitute a separate peer-reviewed publication about BOINC@TACC itself.<ref>{{Cite web |authors=NSF Public Access Repository |title=nanoHUB@home: Expanding nanoHUB Through Volunteer Computing |url=https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10143977-nanohub-home-expanding-nanohubthroughvolunteer-computing |work=par.nsf.gov |access-date=2026-07-22}}</ref>
 == See also ==