Mass install (disk image)

This guidance is for people wishing to deploy the World Community Grid software on computers imaged using products such as Deep Freeze or Ghost.

In this situation, all that you need to do is add BOINC to the disk image.

Download the installer from the World Community Grid website.

Install BOINC normally, being sure to select the "Install as a service and run under a restricted account" option. Don't run BOINC! If you do, it will create a host ID, which will then be duplicated. So, leave BOINC in its pre-run state, so that a unique host ID is assigned to each imaged PC.

You will want to check some things in the BOINC data directory before testing your image for the first time:

1. There should be a file named account_www.worldcommunitygrid.org.xml — if not, ask for help.
2. If there is a file named RebootPending.txt, delete it.
3. There is a file named cc_config.xml. You will want to check the settings, and possibly change a few. In the options section, add <report_results_immediately>1</report_results_immediately> — this will avoid wasting work when the computer is reimaged.

This is a suggested cc_config.xml file for imaged computers:

<cc_config>
  <log_flags>
  </log_flags>
  <options>
    <client_version_check_url>http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/download.php?xml=1</client_version_check_url>
    <client_download_url>http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/download.php</client_download_url>
    <network_test_url>http://www.ibm.com/</network_test_url>
    <start_delay>120</start_delay>
    <report_results_immediately>1</report_results_immediately>
    <disallow_attach>1</disallow_attach>
  </options>
</cc_config>

Do I need to use a weak account key?

No. Unlike other BOINC projects, World Community Grid account keys are secure, and there is no need to worry about anyone gaining access to them.