I've got 5 computers running Win2K that have Seti@Home service. Can I run Boinc as a service too?

Bob

Support for this is being planned, but it is not ready yet. If you want to test this when it comes out, try joing the Beta project at http://setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu/ap/.

In the mean time, there are third party programs that will run almost anything as a service. Try at your own risk.
jm7

You could use FireDaemon, for example:

Website

you can try ;)
They are alive

i have not tried it yet, but boinc_cli.exe even has an option to install it as a service ...

Q:\utils\BOINC>boinc_cli -help

To pause/resume tasks hit CTRL-C, to exit hit CTRL-BREAK
Usage: boinc_cli [options]
-version show version info
-install install boinc as a Windows Service
-uninstall uninstall boinc as a Windows Service
-exit_when_idle Get/process/report work, then exit
-show_projects show attached projects
-return_results_immediately contact server when have results
-detach_project URL detach from a project
-reset_project URL reset (clear) a project
-attach_project attach to a project (will prompt for URL, account key)
-update_prefs URL contact a project to update preferences
-run_cpu_benchmarks run the CPU benchmarks
-check_all_logins check input from remote users
-allow_remote_gui_rpc allow remote GUI RPC connections

i always use MS's instsrv.exe & srvany.exe to run programs as a service.

I have it the boinc_cli.exe running as a service on a couple machines. It appears to work just fine.

Open a command promt and go the the directory where you installed the boinc client (usually c:\program files\boinc). Run:

boinc_cli -install

Now run boinc_gui.exe and attach to any projects you want to participate in, then exit it.

Then do a
net start boinc

and it will be running as a service...

Depending on OS you must maybe also go into "services" (control panel/admin tools) and change the user-account it's running as, since XP seems to set it to something that doesn't work. Running as "localsystem" should work.

> Open a command promt and go the the directory where you installed the boinc
> client (usually c:program filesboinc). Run:
>
> boinc_cli -install

When I do this on my Win2k computer, I get the following error:

C:\Program Files\BOINC>boinc_cli -install
CreateService failed - The specified service has been marked for deletion. (0x430)

I have admin privileges on this computer, but am not running in the "Administrator" account. Could that have any effect?

> You could use FireDaemon, for exaple:
>
> Website
>

I have been using the firedaemon for months now in the SETI Beta test. Works great and it's FREE!!!!

> When I do this on my Win2k computer, I get the following error:
>
> C:Program FilesBOINC>boinc_cli -install
> CreateService failed - The specified service has been marked for deletion.
> (0x430)
>
> I have admin privileges on this computer, but am not running in the
> "Administrator" account. Could that have any effect?

I've also run into this problem although not consistantly and logged in as both "with Admin privs" or as Admin. On one, I restarted and it installed fine. On some others, it never happened at all. It just installed without any problems. On a couple of others however, the problem is still there and it will not install as a Service.

Any ideas anybody?

I've got consistent service install now that I've figured you've got to restart the computer after running the boinc installer (not the boinc_cli -install command). After restarting, the service installs fine.

Now one more question: How does one tell the cli service installer to use other command-line switches like -allow_remote_gui_rpc ? I can't edit the command in the Services control panel. I tried installing boinc as a service with the option tacked on after -install, but it was ingored.

My next step will be to look up how to edit services directly via the command line. If that fails, then the registry editor will definitely work.

Ah. The solution was obvious: Stop the service using the control panel and you can add command-line options via a little box.

(I'm too used to Linux.)

> Ah. The solution was obvious: Stop the service using the control panel and you
> can add command-line options via a little box.

Yet, the option -allow_remote_gui_rpc doesn't seem to be passed on to BOINC...

I found that also... If I open the services panel and enter the command line options there and start it manually, it's fine. Until I log out, at which time, the client exits. Isn't the purpose of running as a service so that it will run even when no-one is logged in?

I haven't seen any docs that mention a config file (.cfg, .ini?) that might be edited to retain this -allow_remote_gui_rpc switch without having to specify it.

> I've got consistent service install now that I've figured you've got to
> restart the computer after running the boinc installer (not the boinc_cli
> -install command). After restarting, the service installs fine.

That worked for me on one machine but so far, none of the others. It's very odd. I suppose I could always use the NT Service installer but would rather not.

> Now one more question: How does one tell the cli service installer to use
> other command-line switches like -allow_remote_gui_rpc ? I can't edit the
> command in the Services control panel. I tried installing boinc as a service
> with the option tacked on after -install, but it was ingored.

As you already noticed, you can add it in the Services panel. It doesn't retain after a restart though. A Registry edit has worked so far for me.

> My next step will be to look up how to edit services directly via the command
> line. If that fails, then the registry editor will definitely work.

Yep, that's about it. From what I understand, the Dev team is working on the CLI problems. Probably not till after they get the website/database problems cleared up though. :)

You should NOT need any 3rd party programs to get BOINC running as a Service on startup. Below are instructions for XP, and there shouldn't be much variation for older versions of NT.

-------------------------
When you run boinc_cli.exe with the "-install" option, it adds "BOINC" to the NT Services list, and with a default of starting at boot time. You only need to do this once! It does not start the service immediately, but you can start it without rebooting by either: a) typing "net boinc start" at the command prompt, or b) going to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services, Right-clicking BOINC, and selecting "Start".

HOWEVER, before you try to Start the BOINC service, the user it will run as needs to have read/write access to the BOINC folder. The default user to run the BOINC service as is "NetworkService".

On NT/2000 and XP Pro, you need to grant "NetworkService" read/write access to the BOINC folder and files within it. Find the BOINC folder (usually under "C:\Program Files"), right-click it, select Properties. Click "Security" tab at the top, then click "Add" button. Type "Network Service" in the big white box (without the quotes). Click the "Check Names" button to make sure you spelled it right. Then click OK.

That box will go away, now make sure all the boxes under the Allow column are checked except for "Full Control". Click OK. Now you can Start the BOINC service, and it should run.

On XP Home, you cannot specify permissions per user like that, so you must change which user the service will be run as. From the Services list (Control Panel), right-click the BOINC Service, and select Properties. Click the Log On tab. Type the name of the User you want the service to run as in the "This Account" box, and enter their password. (It may work as Local System account, haven't tested that tho.) Click OK.

-------------------------
To specify additional command line parameters for the service, type them into the "Start parameters" box. (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services, Right-click BOINC, select Properties. Type into box at bottom, then click OK.) However, it appears to be a Windows bug that does not save these parameters when you hit OK. You might be able to get around that by editing the Registry, but I'd only recommend it if you REALLY know what you are doing. However, the only option that you'd reasonably want to run every time as a service is "-allow_remote_gui_rpc", and from what i've read, the code to utilize that feature hasn't even been written yet. So this issue isn't really even a problem yet...

> You should NOT need any 3rd party programs to get BOINC running as a Service
> on startup. Below are instructions for XP, and there shouldn't be much
> variation for older versions of NT.

Until yesterday, I would have argued that point because of 2000 more often than not refusing to install as a Service with a "Service has been marked for deletion" error.

I tried restarting after installing BOINC software and that occasionaly worked. What I finally did that worked was installed the BOINC software with one Admin account, assigned the needed directory permissions, restarted, then installed the Service with a different Admin account.

I have no idea why this worked but it has worked consistantly on each machine that I was having the problem on.