Distributed Computing - The power of the masses!

Distributed Computing is not a new idea. It's just new to me, since I just started! The basic idea is that the processing power of many consumer-level computers can rival that of supercomputers. And because it is quite common to leave home or work systems powered up 24/7, why not use some of those CPU cycles for distributed computing?



I decided to join the Rosetta@home project at the University of Washington. Their project deals with attempting to better understand the complex physical nature of proteins, and by doing so, gain a better understanding of disease mechanisms. Setup was quite easy, and supported many platforms. Within a few minutes, my system was assigned a task, and was crunching through the data. It was a little alarming at first to see my CPU usage pegged at 100%, but I got used to it. And I also found that my system was still quite responsive. The BOINC client gracefully stepped aside if I wanted to do any other activity. Advanced settings also allow scheduling and partial CPU usage.

The fascinating part for me, is that distributed computing folks are also nuts about statistics. There were numerous sites devoted to tracking my progress, especially in relation to the hundreds of thousands of other participants. Check out the graphic on my sidebar.

Laptop users may want to be a little extra careful, since a CPU running at 100% full time may cause fan noise, overheating, etc. Otherwise, if you have a desktop system like mine that is never turned off, a distributed computing project might be of interest to you.