Versions of BOINC
From Unofficial BOINC Wiki
The BOINC Software Components (including both the client and server components) evolve over time. There are a number of pairwise interactions in which version mismatches could cause problems:
- RPC from BOINC Daemon to Scheduling Server.
- RPC from BOINC Daemon to File Upload Handler.
- Interface between BOINC Daemon and Application.
- Interface between the BOINC Database and all BOINC Back-End Components.
- The parsing of the State File by the BOINC Daemon.
Each BOINC Software Component has a version number of the form 100*X + Y, where X and Y are the Major and Minor Versions.
In general, all the parts of a BOINC System must have the same Major Version. A BOINC Daemon can interact with Servers, and can execute Science Applications, only if they have the same Major Version.
Major-version changes to the BOINC Software Components will require that all Projects update their Server Software (and BOINC Databases) and that all Participants update their BOINC Client Software on all of the Participant's Hosts. This doesn't have to happen all at once, but in the midst of the crossover some Participants won't be able to access some Servers.
When a Project makes a major-version change in its Server Software, it may need to create new versions of its Applications. It must invalidate (by incrementing min_version) all Application Versions that are incompatible with the new Server Software.
When a Participant updates the BOINC Daemon, all Results currently in progress are discarded (because new Application Versions would be needed). The BOINC Daemon reads the Version Number from the old Client State File, and discards the Results.
Some changes to the BOINC Server Software may involve changes to the BOINC Database (e.g. adding a new table or field). Such releases will include SQL script for modifying an existing database in-place.
[edit] UCB Source
[edit] Copyright ©
- 2005 University of California
- 2005 Paul D. Buck
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.
