Create An Account Form
From Unofficial BOINC Wiki
Contents |
[edit] General
This is the form that is used to create an Account for use with the BOINC Powered Project. There is not a lot to talk about in general …
In the general scheme of things the project account creation process has the following steps:
- First you create your Account.
- Then the BOINC Powered Project will send an Account Key to the e-Mail address you will enter on this form.
- With that e-Mail, and the information it contains, you will "Activate" your Account with the "Configure Your Account" Form.
- Next you will use that information to "Attach" the BOINC Client Software to the the BOINC Powered Project.
So, without further ado …
[edit] Page Details
The top most link, to the "Rules and Policies" Page takes you to the BOINC Powered Project's disclaimer statement.
If you have not already done so, you should read this disclaimer.
And you should read the contents of this disclaimer carefully.
Like most software licenses and policies, what ever happens is your fault. Not theirs, nor will you be able to make any claim for damages against them, among other things …
Below that, the next link, allows you to use the "Activate Your Account" Form which is the next step in the creation of your Account after you fill out this form.
- Note:
- Detailed steps to accomplish the process and installation of the BOINC Client Software and starting the BOINC Powered Project's Science Application are available in the "Installing the BOINC Client Software And Participating In A BOINC Powered Project".
- Note:
- There are times that the project will restrict the creation of Accounts. Usually this is because they have limitations on the equipment and if there are too many Participants the site may not be responsive.
Usually, account restrictions are lifted when the BOINC Powered Project goes "live" and is in normal operation.
[edit] Field by Field
[edit] Name
The name you wish to be known as within the the Project Community. This can be your real name, or it can be an alias. In either case, this is a required field and your name does not have to be unique within the Project Community. If you wish a unique identity you can be creative in the creation of the name to ensure that no one else will use it.
Names that are inappropriate, like ones you would not like your mother, sweetheart, or your boss to know, can get the account closed. So, make an effort, pick a polite name. Please. The world thanks you …
[edit] e-Mail Address
This is the second mandatory field. And it has to be a valid e-Mail address. This e-Mail address is where the Account Key for the BOINC Powered Project will be sent. So, the e-Mail address has to be a real place that you can access and get the Account Key.
One more note on the importance of this e-Mail address is that if you lose your Account Key and want another copy sent, using "Get Account Key" Form, it will be sent to the e-Mail address on file in your Account Information, normally accessed through "Your Account" Page.
You can use a "dummy" e-Mail account to get started if you like; and then later on you can change the e-Mail address with the "Edit e-Mail Address" Form if you like.
[edit] Country
This is an optional information field. You enter the country that you live in, or the country you like the best, or just the country that you want to allow to get credit for the work you do. Primarily this is to allow the BOINC Powered Project to gather statistical information and allocate on a country by country basis for the Leaderboard.
One of the options in the drop down list is an entry for country is "None" or "International" if you do not wish to be specific.
[edit] Postal Code
This is another optional field that also allows the slicing and dicing of the credit accumulated by the Participants for the leaderboards by Postal Code (Zip Code for the Participants in the United States).
[edit] Create Account Button
Once all the information is correct and you are ready to create your account you click on the "Create Account" button to create your Account.
Once the Account has been created and activated then the information that was entered in this page can be changed using the "Your Account" Page, and then clicking on the "Edit" link and the "e-Mail Address" row for the "Edit e-Mail Address" Form to change the e-Mail address.
[edit] Account Creation Disabled
Because it is possible that the BOINC Powered Project will suspend the creation of new Accounts you are likely to see a page such as this example. Ok! I don't have examples for all of the BOINC Powered Projects. Some of the BOINC Powered Projects have been real uncooperative by accepting all of the people that want to sign up for their BOINC Powered Project.
Particularly in the early days of a BOINC Powered Project going "Live" (and in color) they may open up the project for the creation of accounts then close it down when they have a large enough group of Participants.
Many BOINC Powered Projects, such as Einstein@Home, Predictor@Home and LHC@Home while in the testing phase (Open Beta tests) only allowed 1,000 or so Participants because they wanted to test the system and had limited server capacity. For this reason they limited the total number of Participants allowed.
One more thing to keep in mind is that the BOINC Powered Project may be small enough that they will be able to do the BOINC Powered Project with only a few Participants. Some projects (not many) will also be "one-shot" deals where they do the Project and within a year they are gone. This is not that likely, but it is possible.
One more note about the limits on the allowed number of Participants. As we have moved through the development of the BOINC System we have seen some problems with the design and its ability to "scale up" to large populations of Participants. A thing that is true about all computer systems is that you will not know for sure how well it will work until you have built it, and then started using it.
Some of our first experiences with the BOINC System have not been completely satisfactory for one or more passes through the development and testing cycles. The good news is that the system has been relatively good, and each improvement, each new BOINC Powered Project gives us new insights into how the system can and does work.
[edit] Related BOINC Web Site Pages/Forms
- "Activate Your Account" Form
- "Configure Your Account" Form
- "Edit e-Mail Address" Form
- "Get Account Key" Form
- "Rules and Policies" Page
- "Your Account" Page
[edit] Notes, Oddities, and "Watch Out For This"
- None.
[edit] Web Addresses of the "Create An Account" Form
| Project | URL | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Climateprediction.net (CPDN) | Create An Account | "Create An Account" Form |
| Einstein@Home | Create An Account | |
| LHC@Home | Create An Account | |
| Predictor@Home | Create An Account | |
| Rosetta@Home | Create An Account | |
| SETI@Home | Create An Account | |
| SIMAP@Home | Create An Account | |
| SZTAKI Desktop Grid | Create An Account | |
| World Community Grid | Not Applicable |
