Message boards : Number crunching : Boinc 8.2.4 - Docker / Podman vs Virtualbox ???
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The Real Weasle
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Message 52032 - Posted: 17 Jul 2025, 8:16:02 UTC

Hello, I have just installed the new version of Boinc 8.2.4 on a Windows 11 PC with Virtualbox 7.1.10.

I see this new version of Boinc comes up with a notice:

"Docker is a system that makes it easy for BOINC projects to run applications on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. It's like VirtualBox but is more efficient and easier to use.
In the future, many BOINC projects will use Docker to package their apps. To run these apps, you'll need to have Docker installed on computers running BOINC.
Eventually we hope to include Docker in the BOINC installer. For now, you need to install it yourself. It's easy, and we strongly encourage you to do it.
Docker itself is a commercial product. Podman is a free open-source drop-in replacement for Docker. We use Podman because it's free and easier to install. But if you already have Docker installed, BOINC will detect and use it.


At the moment it seems that I am quietly crunching using the virtualbox as always (LHC is the only project I have that uses Virtualbox) but can LHC use this new Docker / Podman thing?
Do I uninstall virtualbox and install Docker?

I don't consider myself PC illiterate, but I have no real clue as to what virtualbox / docker or podman are exactly and as I can't find any reference to them on the boards...
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Toggleton

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Message 52033 - Posted: 18 Jul 2025, 5:44:37 UTC - in response to Message 52032.  
Last modified: 18 Jul 2025, 5:49:08 UTC

LHC@Home is working on it on the Dev server.
Docker on Windows https://lhcathomedev.cern.ch/lhcathome-dev/forum_thread.php?id=681
Docker on linuxhttps://lhcathomedev.cern.ch/lhcathome-dev/forum_thread.php?id=682

https://lhcathomedev.cern.ch/lhcathome-dev/apps.php here you can see that they test linux and windows docker

For now keep virtualbox and once the docker version is production ready someone will for sure write a tutorial how to use the Docker version.
I am waiting for the Theory Docker version too, cause they no longer have workunits for the Theory linux native version that will be replaced with the docker version.
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Toby Broom
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Message 52035 - Posted: 19 Jul 2025, 10:04:57 UTC - in response to Message 52033.  

There is some instructions how to setup docker on the BOINC wiki:

https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/wiki/Installing-Docker-on-Windows

However, on windows they conflict with one another so we have to wait for the project to switch over.
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Message boards : Number crunching : Boinc 8.2.4 - Docker / Podman vs Virtualbox ???


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