News archive
Q1 2021: Planned hardware upgrade of the iThena BOINC platform
A major hardware upgrade of the BOINC server is planned for Q1 2021.
Currently, the BOINC platform shares hardware resources within the framework of virtualization.
I plan to separate the BOINC platform into dedicated hardware resources (dedicated server).
This server will probably run on 15k SAS drives (mirroring) with double socket Intel Xeon CPU.
If somebody has unnecessary SAS hard drives (15k or even 10k) or some RAM (DDR3 ECC/non-ECC), these are components that can be very useful in hardware system;)
In case someone would like to donate this type of hardware to the project or have other interesting components (also network equipment) can contact me by email: lswierczewski@cybercomplex.net
In Q1 2021, we also plan to make a significant upgrade of the Internet access link.
The exact timing of the changes is not yet known.
11 Jan 2021, 12:08:40 UTC
· Discuss
Open.Data (HowFaster.Net) - First sets of result data from iThena Project released
Today (December 31, 2020) we are officially releasing the first data under the Open.Data Initiative.
This data is available on HowFaster.net and is the result of measurements in the iThena project.
The data is officially available at the address:
https://open.data.howfaster.net
The information is available in formats: CSV and JSON.
The information contains data of the same type as presented on HowFaster.Net.
However, the CSV/JSON data contain additional parameters and you can perform your own analyses based on them.
The final data structure is not yet determined.
The data structure presented in the files is a preliminary concept.
The data is released under the Open Database License (ODbL).
Information about the license:
https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/dbcl/1-0/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Database_License
License links:
https://open.data.howfaster.net/LICENSE.txt
https://open.data.howfaster.net/LICENSE-ODbL.txt
The data may have some misrepresentations (related to not yet tested implementations of export scripts etc.).
If you see any errors, please provide information :)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1344679183323193344
31 Dec 2020, 15:58:41 UTC
· Discuss
Happy New Year 2021!
iThena Project Team wishes everyone a Happy New Year 2021!
Lots of health, lots of luck!
Lots of money and lots of credits! (BOINC credits of course)
To make the new year much better!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1344607405057966081
31 Dec 2020, 11:25:18 UTC
· Discuss
Happy Christmas 2020!
I would like to wish the iThena users and all those supporting the BOINC initiative, as well as others supporting interesting ideas: Happy Christmas!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1342124241009967105
24 Dec 2020, 15:03:54 UTC
· Discuss
HOWFASTER.NET: Following on from previous LVEE 2020 ONLINE EDITION news
At the conference LVEE 2020 ONLINE EDITION (date: 19.12.2020) the website HOWFASTER.NET was presented for the first time.
It was the premiere information about this site :)
Howfaster.net presents simple results (in statistical terms) of the iThena project.
It contains information about delays in terms of AS (Autonomous Systems / Companies), Cities, Regions, Countries etc.
The site is currently in beta.
There may be errors in the data displayed on the site.
Currently there are only two rankings added:
- September 2019
- November 2019
However, we are working on adding more months of data.
We are also working on removing data errors.
New statistics/metrics will be added to the system.
Sample screenshots from the first release:
Part of the AS ranking:
Part of the cities ranking:
Part of the countries ranking:
Of course, the rankings presented on howfaster.net are based on data from the iThena Project.
Many thanks to all users!
Please be patient :)
We will continue to work (patching of bugs) - there are a lot of problems in system but thanks a lot.
21 Dec 2020, 21:56:50 UTC
· Discuss
LVEE 2020 ONLINE EDITION Conference and iThena Project
On 19.12.2020 the conference LVEE 2020 ONLINE EDITION took place.
The LVEE conference is focused on open-source software and technology.
A presentation was made at the conference: iThena Project: Distributed measurements and analysis of the global Internet – BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) and Big Data environment
Link to LVEE website: https://lvee.org/en/main and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Vacation_/_Eastern_Europe
Link to the presentation PDF file: http://cybercomplex.net/docs/LVEE_2020_ONLINE_EDITION_SWIERCZEWSKI.pdf
I encourage you to read it.
Probably inside there is a small surprise about the project results and their partial publication :)
20 Dec 2020, 12:38:12 UTC
· Discuss
iThena Project - another small point
Today, the iThena Project exceeded 30,000 hosts (theoretical/total number).
Thank you very much to all users for your help and patience!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1325885749875662855
9 Nov 2020, 19:30:55 UTC
· Discuss
New information: CCF
On 23 October 2020, the Cyber-Complex Foundation was officially entered into the Polish register: KRS (National Court Register).
Cyber-Complex Foundation website: https://cybercomplex.net
The Foundation will begin to take over the function of the organizer of the iThena project.
This is a very small step.
We are currently working all the time.
Sometimes you can't see the effects so quickly and you have to wait for them.
Thank you all for your work so far.
We have a lot of plans.
You are expecting information ;)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1325445563148623882
8 Nov 2020, 13:46:50 UTC
· Discuss
iThena PERF: Automatic task generator was launched
Yesterday (Friday, 23 October 2020) in the evening hours, the iThena PERF automatic task generator was launched. New tasks in iThena are available :)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1320065938612420608/
24 Oct 2020, 18:19:07 UTC
· Discuss
New Badges: iThena CNode and iThena PERF - credits points requirements
Referring to the news item I would like to start a discussion on the credits points requirements for certain badge.
The topic on the forum announcing badge: https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=83
Preliminary proposal concerning the category "total credit" for individual applications:
====================================== ====================================== iThena CNode Badge: Badge TotalC 2Power ============================== Bronze 8192 13 Silver 16384 14 Gold 32768 15 Amethyst 65536 16 Ruby 131072 17 Turquoise 262144 18 Jade 524288 19 Sapphire 1048576 20 Emerald 2097152 21 Diamond 4194304 22 ====================================== ====================================== iThena PERF Badge: Badge TotalC 2Power ====================================== Bronze 32768 15 Silver 65536 16 Gold 131072 17 Amethyst 262144 18 Ruby 524288 19 Turquoise 1048576 20 Jade 2097152 21 Sapphire 4194304 22 Emerald 8388608 23 Diamond 16777216 24
The credits thresholds may seem quite high.
However, this is only my suggestion.
These applications will also have long support.
PS. At the moment I have small problems with storage, but the PERF application will also be normally available.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1312827807412744193
4 Oct 2020, 18:46:55 UTC · Discuss
Article in the magazine "Forum Akademickie" No. 5/2020: "Globalna sieć komputerowa przed i po pandemii" (only in Polish language)
In the magazine "Forum Akademickie" (https://forumakademickie.pl) No. 5/2020 an article "Globalna sieć komputerowa przed i po pandemii" (title translation: "Global computer network before and after the pandemic") was published.
The article content is available only in Polish.
The article is currently available online for free.
Link to the magazine website (No. 5/2020):
https://miesiecznik.forumakademickie.pl/czasopisma/fa-05-2020/
Official link:
https://miesiecznik.forumakademickie.pl/czasopisma/fa-05-2020/?download=pdf&mid=2514
PDF document clone:
http://doc.ithena.net/FA-05-2020.PDF
- pages: 59 - 61 in paper numeration.
- pages: 61 - 63 in PDF file numeration.
Link to the version with content on the webpage (official):
https://miesiecznik.forumakademickie.pl/czasopisma/fa-05-2020/globalna-%E2%80%A8siec-komputerowa-przed-i-po-pandemii%E2%80%A9/
The article belongs to the category of popular science materials.
The article also refers to the iThena project initiative.
We invite everyone to read it!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1309059387479257094
24 Sep 2020, 9:10:51 UTC
· Discuss
17 September 2020 at 20:00 CET - planned maintenance in iThena platform.
Tomorrow (17 September 2020) at 20:00 CET - planned maintenance in iThena platform.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject/status/1306302156199391232/
16 Sep 2020, 19:10:54 UTC
· Discuss
New Badges: iThena CNode and iThena PERF
Below I present new official badge for iThena CNode and iThena PERF applications.
The old "beta" badge will obviously not be removed.
The credit score requirements for the next badges will be determined in the next days.
Badges were developed by user: DoctorNow
------------------------------------
CNode Badges:
iThena CNode Bronze Badge:
iThena CNode Silver Badge:
iThena CNode Gold Badge:
iThena CNode Amethyst Badge:
iThena CNode Ruby Badge:
iThena CNode Turquoise Badge:
iThena CNode Jade Badge:
iThena CNode Sapphire Badge:
iThena CNode Emerald Badge:
iThena CNode Diamond Badge:
------------------------------------
PERF Badges:
iThena PERF Bronze Badge:
iThena PERF Silver Badge:
iThena PERF Gold Badge:
iThena PERF Amethyst Badge:
iThena PERF Ruby Badge:
iThena PERF Turquoise Badge:
iThena PERF Jade Badge:
iThena PERF Sapphire Badge:
iThena PERF Emerald Badge:
iThena PERF Diamond Badge:
ZIP Archive: https://img.ithena.net/badges/i_badges_cn_pe.zip
9 Sep 2020, 13:36:42 UTC
· Discuss
August 29, 2020: 1 year of the iThena Project!
Approximately one year ago (August 29, 2019) we launched the iThena Project on the BOINC platform!
As a system administrator I would like to thank all users for their time and help in developing the platform.
In this message I should include more information about future plans, of which there are many.
However, I don't want to reveal all the plans - there are still many things in development.
There are many different technical problems in the project. Sometimes there are new problems. I try to fight the problems as much as possible. But sometimes such a fight takes a lot of time - we can't build everything very quickly (with limited daily time).
In the near future I plan to add new badges. Here was a thread about it on the forum:
https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=71
The iThena PERF application should also return to the platform permanently and the tasks for this application should be available all the time.
To improve the contact I decided to create a dedicated Twitter account: @iThenaProject.
URL: https://twitter.com/iThenaProject
The latest information will be posted on Twitter. Of course, it will also be on the official project website.
Use the "Following" option on Twitter!
Many thanks for all your help!
Additional links:
https://everipedia.org/wiki/lang_en/ithena
https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/IThena
29 Aug 2020, 19:56:48 UTC
· Discuss
August 28, 2020: iThena PERF application reactivation tests
On August 28, 2020 I am planning the first tests of reactivation of iThena PERF application tasks.
The tests will start in the afternoon (UTC Time).
The tests will also be connected with the necessity to perform several servers reboots (the system may be unavailable for a short time).
27 Aug 2020, 22:11:02 UTC
· Discuss
The problem with the stability of the systems...
The last few days we've had problems with the stability of the iThena system.
The problems are related to storage.
Sorry about the problems!
19 Jul 2020, 19:00:18 UTC
· Discuss
iThena CNode (non-beta) badge - badge graphics proposals
A few days ago, Thena CNode beta badges were frozen.
These badges were introduced in this message:
https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=24#212
The old iThena CNode badge (beta stage) will no longer be updated.
Maybe you have suggestions for the next generation of badges for iThena CNode?
You can submit your suggestions and/or ideas in this thread in the forum.
12 Jul 2020, 16:55:16 UTC
· Discuss
iThena Cnode application - new credits settings
According to the forum post:
https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=39&postid=658#658
I'm going to introduce better credit for Thena CNode tasks.
I will initially set 2 credits per task.
New settings will only be visible after a certain period of time.
The current tasks still have the old configuration. However, the new tasks will already have higher credit values.
The update of the historical "cnode beta" series badges has been disabled.
These badges will no longer be changed.
5 Jul 2020, 14:32:23 UTC
· Discuss
[June 28th, 2020] Maintenance interruption in access to the system
Today (June 28th, 2020) evening of the UTC time I plan a relatively short break in the availability of the iThena project.
This break will apply to all services of the iThena project in BOINC.
The break should last about 1-2 hours.
Sorry for the problems!
28 Jun 2020, 15:07:23 UTC
· Discuss
[31 May 2020 UTC time] Maintenance interruption in access to the system
In the evening / night (31 May 2020 UTC time) I am planning a break in access to the system availability.
The break should last maximum 2 hours.
31 May 2020, 7:39:09 UTC
· Discuss
New Form [Info Form] - hosts information
I implemented a new form.
This form is available after logging in at the host list address: https://root.ithena.net/usr/hosts_user.php.
Location of the link to the form ("Info Form"):
Template form:
All fields in this form are optional.
There is no requirement to complete these fields.
17 May 2020, 17:52:35 UTC
· Discuss
iThena PERF version 1.03 - platforms windows_intelx86 and x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
I added iThena PERF application version 1.03 for platforms windows_intelx86 and x86_64-pc-linux-gnu.
The application for Windows requires Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Theoretically, the problem with "freezing" should disappear in this version of the application.
Please inform me about possible problems ;)
16 May 2020, 6:42:14 UTC
· Discuss
Maintenance interruption in access to the system
Tonight (May 9th, 2020) at night (UTC) I will be modifying the iThena database.
The project can be offline for 1-2 hours.
9 May 2020, 13:44:10 UTC
· Discuss
iThena on BOINCStats
The iThena project is already available in the BOINCStats statistics:
https://www.boincstats.com/stats/186/project/detail/overview
Of course iThena is also available on Free-DC:
https://stats.free-dc.org/proj/ith
5 May 2020, 15:48:08 UTC
· Discuss
3/4 May 2020 - Maitenance of the system at night (UTC time)
3/4 May 2020 I plan to do system maintenance (night in UTC time).
The BOINC platform will be unavailable in the network.
3 May 2020, 18:19:23 UTC
· Discuss
Maintenance and new version of iThena PERF application - Linux platform - Continuation
Continuation of topic:
https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=43
Tomorrow (16 April 2020) from around ~21:00 UTC I plan to migrate the iThena system (BOINC platform modules).
For this reason the iThena project will be offline for several hours.
I am also planning to implement a new version of iThena PERF application on Windows and Linux platforms.
I will do this after the migration.
15 Apr 2020, 19:58:23 UTC
· Discuss
Happy Easter 2020!
In these difficult times of crisis I would like to wish everyone the best!
Completely regardless of any problems and the current global situation, I wish you a lot of hope, faith, and the pursuit of all planned goals. Goals in private life, professional life, as well as excellent results and further satisfaction from using the BOINC platform.
In these days we should help each other at all levels. Let us fight the problems together!
Once again all the best!
11 Apr 2020, 13:18:46 UTC
· Discuss
Maintenance and new version of iThena PERF application - Linux platform
Today (i.e. 5 April 2020) around 21:00 UTC I plan to shut down the BOINC server. The planned shutdown is due to the continuation of re-implementation works described in the thread: https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=42
The interruptions may take several hours. However, the server should be online in the morning of 6 April (or even earlier).
Additionally, it is planned to implement a new version of iThena PERF application. Also Linux versions (first of all: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu).
The first (test) version (v1.01) of iThena PERF is available at the address:
https://root.ithena.net/usr/ithena_perf_1.01_bins_x86_64-pc-linux-gnu.zip
You can download it.
We start executing it by running ithena_perf_v1.01_x86_64-pc-linux-gnu files in the uncompressed directory:
./ithena_perf_v1.01_x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
Please help with the first tests.
The application generates a load on your computer network (standard load).
You can send questions and results (files result_*.dat and stderr.txt) to my e-mail address: lswierczewski [at] cybercomplex.net
This version for Linux should no longer be able to calculate in infinite time... New version of Windows (in progress) won't have this problem either.
Send me a message to tell me if everything is okay.
5 Apr 2020, 15:55:29 UTC · Discuss
Project availability interruption
I'm planning a break in project availability.
The break may last several hours.
The break will be caused by a change in virtualization technology on one of the servers - migration from VirtualBOX to VMware ESXi.
I will probably try to migrate tomorrow (29.03.2020).
I will inform about the changes.
PS. In case of other problems, maybe they concern the forum thread?
28 Mar 2020, 21:54:31 UTC
· Discuss
Network situation related to the general state of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Today I introduced a new iThena PERF application for Windows platforms (the application works on both 32 and 64-bit systems).
Next tasks will be iThena PERF will generate real credits for users.
However, the iThena CNode application is also very important for this moment.
The iThena PERF application tests mainly the overall performance (bandwidth of client/server performance nodes) of the Internet network. The software base here is iperf3 open app.
iThena CNode is much more focused on mapping the Internet network including delays (hops). The software base here is traceroute solutions.
Due to the general situation related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, deviations in Internet network structures are very interesting. For this reason I strongly encourage you to participate in the project.
Measurements can also be interesting in the sense of crisis management of network infrastructure and increased use of network resources related to the situation.
In the coming days I also plan to better solve the "age-old problem of small loans".
20 Mar 2020, 20:36:13 UTC
· Discuss
iThena PERF and Windows platform - first version
I added iThena PERF (ithena_iperf) application for testing.
This application uses BOINC wrapper and is based on iperf3.
iperf3:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iperf
https://iperf.fr/iperf-download.php
iThena PERF uses the computer network (internet) quite intensively.
The application can use a lot of data transfer to the Internet.
An Internet connection is required.
The iThena PERF application is available for the Windows platform.
Please perform the tests and send me the information ;)
20 Mar 2020, 8:24:58 UTC
· Discuss
Current situation in the world: Networks
Hi,
Due to the current situation in the world I have a request to BOINC users.
Due to the problem of network systems usage (currently occurring overload) I would like more people to run iThena CNode application.
I plan to add a new application for Windows (32 and 64-bit). However, it will be a bit different type of application.
However, the results from iThena CNode application are very interesting for me.
iThena CNode does not use the computer network very critically.
Many thanks for your help!
18 Mar 2020, 20:01:26 UTC
· Discuss
New application, new possibilities, new problems ;)
I will soon be implementing a new application ;)
The application will be called iThena NRT.
The credit problem will be solved.
The tasks for iThena CNode will be phased out.
However, there are many problems.
Initially, iThena NRT will be available as a virtualised environment (VBox/Vmware). You will be able to start a virtual system.
Of course it will also be possible to run it locally.
In addition, the iThena NRT application will require a permanent connection to the Internet.
8 Feb 2020, 15:36:58 UTC
· Discuss
Performance problems
There are performance problems in system operation.
Today / tomorrow I'll be reconfiguring the database.
Possible problems with system availability.
8 Feb 2020, 15:20:27 UTC
· Discuss
Geolocation of network points data
One of the important information in network analysis is the geolocation of network points data.
There is no generally available, one coherent database covering very precise data.
The problem is well known by engineers and researchers.
http://www.eng.tau.ac.il/~shavitt/pub/JSAC2011-Geolocation.pdf
https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/107073/1/p53-v41n2h2-uhligA.pdf
There are of course some (not perfect) solutions but often the error is big.
I will probably implement a mechanism enabling the platform user to provide location information for a given client.
This is a longer planning period.
Also remember that providing such information is only optional.
This will definitely not be a requirement.
If you have questions or concerns, I encourage everyone to discuss.
29 Dec 2019, 13:55:32 UTC
· Discuss
Technical breaks in the operation of the BOINC server
I plan to introduce a lot of changes at the beginning of January.
These changes may initially cause system instability.
I need to transport the BOINC server to another location.
It will be associated with a minimum of two longer breaks.
Probable break dates:
1) Today (29/12/2019) in the evening CET [probably several hours];
2) Saturday (04/11/2020) in the afternoon CET [probably several hours];
There are no special long breaks planned between these breaks [there may be smaller, unplanned technical problems].
I will inform you about work and possible changes.
29 Dec 2019, 12:06:08 UTC
· Discuss
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2020!
I wish you all the best for the upcoming Christmas and a happy New Year!
Many successes, many achievements, many credits and badges in 2020!
22 Dec 2019, 20:10:54 UTC
· Discuss
Possible performance issues
I found problems with server performance / availability on the Internet. I will analyze the problem.
For interesting observations, please contact the forum or my email (lswierczewski at ithena.net).
Sorry for problems ;)
22 Dec 2019, 9:08:42 UTC
· Discuss
Badges for beta stage - iThena CNode
Today I introduced first badges for users (for beta stage).
We have three degrees of beta stage badges:
- bronze: 
- silver: 
- gold: 
We have the following thresholds for these badges:
Gold badge for beta stage >= 0.10 total credit
(average 30030 wu at 0.00000333 credit per wu)
Silver beta badge >= 0.025 total credit
(average of 7507 wu at 0.00000333 credit per wu)
Bronze badge for beta stage >= 0.010 total credit
(average of 3003 wu at 0.00000333 credit per wu)
Only the highest possible badge is awarded.
Deadline on January 1, 2020 is probably not bad ;)
We will pre-implement this date.
Badges designed by DoctorNow (forum: https://root.ithena.net/usr/forum_thread.php?id=23&postid=200#200).
16 Dec 2019, 19:22:36 UTC
· Discuss
Statistics Export: GDPR Policy
Yesterday, the iThena project started exporting statistics to external systems.
Statistics are available at: https://root.ithena.net/usr/stats/
Statistics in standard mode are currently generated every 1 hour.
By default, user statistics are not exported.
To allow statistics (user) to be exported, select the option in the profile (after logging into the iThena web portal):
iThena preferences
->
Do you consent to exporting your data to BOINC statistics aggregation Web sites?
11 Nov 2019, 18:39:11 UTC · Discuss
November 1, 2019: Database replication and power sections
Tomorrow (November 1, 2019) I will configure database replication and modify power issues. I will have to shut down the BOINC server for a certain time that day. The website and all BOINC services will not be available.
31 Oct 2019, 18:31:11 UTC
· Discuss
October 14, 2019: Backend / storage - planned tests / changes
Tomorrow (October 14, 2019) I plan to test the changes on the backend / storage side.
In the evening, from 18:00 UTC and later, serious accessibility problems are possible (the server may be offline).
13 Oct 2019, 20:22:55 UTC
· Discuss
Small changes on the server
In recent days I have not introduced any major changes to the system.
Yesterday and today I spent more equipment issues (infrastructure etc.).
Today, I will probably make small changes on the server. The project may be unavailable for several hours (evening hours - 07.10.2019 UTC).
7 Oct 2019, 3:22:13 UTC
· Discuss
ARM platforms
I added support for ARM platforms.
Platforms added:
arm-unknown-linux-gnueabihf
aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
All platforms require wget to be installed.
I noticed that sometimes problems may occur (I will make corrections to the implementation).
30 Sep 2019, 21:45:28 UTC
· Discuss
September 26, 2019: Changes in the platform and adding version v1.17 of the iThena CNode application - completed
I implemented optimization changes in the platform. In addition, I added the v1.17 version of the iThena CNode application. This version of the application should work much better on x86_64-pc-linux-gnu.
26 Sep 2019, 20:26:54 UTC
· Discuss
September 26, 2019: Planned changes in virtualization
First news ;) Tomorrow (September 26, 2019 - Thursday) I plan to turn off the server (maximum a few hours - probably much shorter) - I need to make some changes in virtualization. Problems with server availability will be possible.
25 Sep 2019, 21:28:07 UTC
· Discuss
News is available as an RSS feed
External uptime stats (via UptimeRobot): web and RSS feed
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