Start by downloading the appropriate client from the Client download page. Run the install (or unzip the archive) and configure it to your liking. (More on that later.) The primary goal is to connect to the internet, let the client download some packets, and get crunching. Depending on how your client is configured, block buffer updates will happen when the input buffer is empty, or after a specified time period has elapsed. If you are eager to get up and running, go ahead and wait for the client to complete one block, stop the client, then run "dnetc -update" to upload the block to the distributed.net servers. You will not be listed on the stats pages (and thus cannot join a team) until you have uploaded at least one block. Once you have uploaded a block, you'll need to wait until the end of the next stats run. Stats runs start at 00:00 UTC and take approximately 4-6 hours to complete.

To get your password, you must navigate to your personal stats page. Point your browser to http://stats.distributed.net/ogr-25/ and search for your registered e-mail under the heading "Participant Stats" (or type your e-mail address in the box on the left and click "Go"). Once you have found your personal stats page, click on the link at the very bottom of the page which reads: "I cannot remember my password. Please email [insert your email address here]'s password." Once you click on the link, you should receive an email with your stats password shortly thereafter.

In order to join Team Beef Roast, you must have completed at least one block of work, and a full stats run must have occurred (stats runs start at 00:00 UTC). You will also need your stats password (which is assigned to you by distributed.net automatically).

Once you have your stats password, you need to go to the Team Beef Roast Stats page. To join TBR click on the "I want to join this team" link at the very bottom of the page. You will then be prompted for your email address and your stats password. Once you enter this information, you will be signed up for Team Beef Roast. If you were not previously on a team then all your current blocks will be attributed to TBR. Either way, your subsequent work will be credited to TBR during the next stats update and you will officially join in the stats race.

[Rold Gold] A Key is one of the many, many keys being checked in the project (the purpose of the project). The speed in which your processor crunches is given in keys/sec.

A Block is large group of keys (2^28 keys). This is the basic unit of measure for the RC5 project. This is also the same thing as a Work Unit (commonly abbreviated here as WU). Block == Work Unit.

A Packet is a group of Blocks (from 1 - 32). You setup the size of the packets that you would like to receive in the client configuration. The current client (2.8012-465) allows packet sizes between 2^28 (1 WU) and 2^33 (32 WUs) keys. By default the client will automatically select the packet size, which usually ranges from 1 - 8 blocks(WUs). The keyserver is not required to give you packets of the requested size, but it will try its hardest. As far as I know, Packets exist for Net traffic reasons, since Blocks are so small in file size. If you look at the visual output on the client while it is running, you will see a percentage complete progress meter. This is the percentage complete for the current packet, which can contain from 1 - 32 blocks. Note: It does not hurt to have a Packet with 8 Blocks compared to having a Packet with only 1 Block. Technically, it is slightly faster to have Packets with more Blocks, because the client can dump (and retrieve) Blocks faster, since Packets are sent one at a time. Plus, there's a slight delay to unload the current packet and load the next one. [/Rold Gold]

To access the setup program run the client with the " -config" switch (ex: dnetc -config). Any configuration changes require that all running instances of the client (on a given machine) be restarted.

You'll probably be most concerned with "e-mail, disable all Screen output, Keyserver<->Client connectivity options, Load-work precedence, and Fetch time threshold". Very simply, your E-mail is how distributed.net (DNet) identifies you. You have the ability to edit how you want your name to be displayed (i.e. your participant number, real name/handle or e-mail address), but you will always need to search and submit your blocks using your e-mail address.

Disable all screen output determines whether you see the client window or not. Keyserver<->Client configures how to connect with DNet. Load-work deals with what projects your client will work on. Fetch time determines how many blocks your computer will collect during one connection with the keyserver.

In the config utility (dnetc -config), Choose 1)General Client Options then 1)Your e-mail address. Make sure this address is valid and error free. This is especially important when configuring multiple machines. A machine with an incorrect e-mail won't be included in your stats. Should this unfortunate event happen, you can talk to the DNet admins to get the error corrected. Hint: You can copy the dnetc.ini file from a single correctly configured machine to any number of other machines, assuming that the firewall/proxy settings are the same, and that you've chosen "autoconfigure" for the CPU specific selections.

For dial-up users, it is recommended that you let the client lurk until you are online. For always on users, let the client initiate the connection. However, to maintain efficiency, it's recommended that you still buffer work.

In the config utility (dnetc -config), Choose 2)Buffer options then 6)Keyserver<->Client connectivity then 7)Dial-up Link detection. For modem users, option 2 is recommended, due to previous problems with the client trying to initiate a dial-up connection (option 1). Option 0 works well for always on connections.

(At this time) All distributed.net projects use the same client. Optimal Golomb Rulers (OGR) is another project which is currently live on DNet (though for how much longer is in question). By default, your client will run every project that is live. You may change this by configuring the Load-work precedence. In the config utility (dnetc -config) choose 2)Buffer options and 9)Load-work precedence. To disable a project, simply set its value =0 (ex: RC5,OGR=0,CSC,DES).

In the config utility (dnetc -config) choose 2)Buffer options then 14)Fetch Time threshold. Simply tell the client the number of hours of work it should grab. It will figure out the rest. This method works so that the maximum amount of work in the buff-in.<project> is X hours, where X is the value you set.

[mostly copied from d.net's site]
[Rold Gold] To simplify these directions, assume that "laptop" refers to the offline/non-networked machine. The following description also assumes you are using Microsoft Windows, though the theory is the same though for all platforms. The buffers are generically called buff-in.rc5 and buff-out.rc5 but this will work for other projects such as OGR by replacing rc5 by ogf in the buffer file names listed below.

1. Download the client and install it on the laptop.
2. Stop the networked client.
3. Use the networked client to fetch a fresh new set of Work Units. You may want to alter the cache options if you want the machine to have a specific hours-worth of WUs to use. (Note: To change how many blocks the client downloads start the client with the "-config" option. Buffer size/update options are in section 2.)
4. MOVE the buff-in.rc5 to floppy (as in, copy and delete (or cut)). You don't want to crunch the same WUs on the same machine(!).
5. Start the networked Client again.
6. Sneakernet the floppy to the laptop.
7. Stop the laptop client (if it's running).
8. Run the laptop client using the "-import [buffer filename]" option.
9. The laptop client will import the buffer.
10. MOVE buff-out.rc5 from laptop to floppy (again, copy and delete (or cut)).
11. Start the laptop client.
12. Sneakernet the floppy to the networked machine.
13. Stop the networked client.
14. Flush the networked client. *Important* Make sure you flush before you replace the buff-out.rc5 file, or you'll lose those WUs already completed on the Net machine.
15. MOVE the buff-out.rc5 from floppy to networked machine.
16. Flush the networked client (this should flush the blocks that you just moved in).
17. Start the networked client.
18. Rinse and Repeat.

[/Rold Gold]

To setup the client as a service, simply run the client executable with the -install option (ex: dnetc -install). This will setup the client as an NT service with automatic startup. If you want to change the username/password that the service uses to start you can do so through the services control panel. To uninstall the service, simply call the client executable with the -uninstall option (ex: dnetc -uninstall), although I can't imagine why you'd want to do such a thing :).

[Rold Gold]: You can set up the client as on service on Win 95/98 machines as well. One of the main benefits of running the client as a service under Win95/98: The client will run completely hidden, even when you press Ctrl-Alt-Del you can't see it.

Besides the 'normal' dnetc executable that comes with the Mac version, you also get an executable called 'faceless'. You will want to run this executable if you want the client to run totally hidden. To have the client start running automatically, you need to put an alias (shortcut) to the client in the Startup folder.[/Rold Gold]