Controlling BOINC remotely
The BOINC client typically is controlled by the BOINC Manager or the Boinccmd tool running on the same machine:
The two programs communicate over a local connection, using 'GUI RPC' (Graphical User Interface Remote Procedure Call). It's also possible to use the BOINC Manager to control a client on a different host:
You can use add-on programs such as BoincTasks or BOINCView to control many BOINC clients at once:
GUI RPCs are divided into two categories:
- Status operations which return information about tasks, project, etc.
- Control operations which change the state of BOINC (suspend/resume, add project, etc.).
Some GUI RPCs are authenticated with a GUI RPC password. This is stored in the file gui_rpc_auth.cfg in the BOINC data directory. On a multiuser computer, this should be protected against access by other users. When BOINC client first runs, it generates a random password. You can change it if you like; max length is 255 characters.
A "local" RPC is one that comes from the computer where the BOINC client is running (but perhaps from a different logged-in user).
Local status RPCs are not authenticated. On a multiuser computer, a user can see the status of any other user's BOINC client.
Local control RPCs are authenticated using the GUI RPC password.
A "remote" RPC is one that comes from a different computer.
All remote RPCs (both status and control) are authenticated using the GUI RPC password.
By default, remote RPCs are not accepted from any host. To specify a set of hosts from which RPCs are allowed, create a file remote_hosts.cfg in your BOINC data directory containing a list of allowed DNS host names or IP addresses (one per line). Only these hosts will be able to connect. The remote_hosts.cfg file can also have comment lines that start with either a # or a ; character.
You can also set <allow_remote_gui_rpc>1</allow_remote_gui_rpc> in the options section of a cc_config.xml file (see Client configuration).
Alternatively, if you run the client with the --allow_remote_gui_rpc command line option, it will accept connections from any host (subject to password authentication). If you have a remote_hosts.cfg file but also start the client with
Note that the "Read config file" on the BOINC Manager, ''Advanced'' menu will also read in the remote_hosts.cfg file i.e. a restart of the client is not required to enable changes to the remote host list.