[SETI]利用分布式计算来寻找外星人

碧城仙

[SETI]Find aliens with distributed computing

来源：http://www.distributedcomputing.info/news.html
原载：http://www.webuser.co.uk/help-and-advice/problems-solved/general-pc/439901/find-aliens-with-distributed-computing
标题：Find aliens with distributed computing - 利用分布式计算来寻找外星人
作者：Webuser
日期：2010年1月25日
概要：简要介绍了分布式计算的概念和 SETI@home 项目的情况。
正文：

Q: I've been told that my PC could be used to help find aliens while I am not using it via a method called distributed computing. Can you explain what distributed computing means?

疑问：有人告诉我，我的电脑能够在我不使用它的时候通过一种称为分布式计算的方式来帮助寻找外星人。你们能解释一下什么叫做分布式计算吗？

A: Distributed computing is a means of running a single piece of software on more than one computer at the same time.

答复：分布式计算是一种能让一个单独的程序片段同时在多台电脑上运行的手段。

Once the program is installed, it only becomes active when the system is not in use, at which time it will request data from a central server and begin processing it. When you return to your computer, the software will become inactive again.

在您安装了分布式计算程序以后，它仅仅只在您的系统未被使用时才激活，届时，它将从一台中央服务器上获取数据并进行处理。当您回来使用电脑的时候，分布式程序将变回等待状态。

The main benefit of distributed computing is the ability to pool the processing power of multiple computers to perform complex tasks efficiently. In doing so it creates a virtual super-computer from hundreds of separate machines.

分布式计算最大的好处是能够集中多台计算机的处理能力来有效地解决复杂的任务。这样就能让数以百计的电脑组成一台虚拟的超级计算机。

In 1999, the Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory set up SETI@home to search the skies for signs of extraterrestrial life. Previous SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) projects used special-purpose super-computers located at a telescope to do the bulk of the data analysis, but the SETI@home screensaver became the first distributed-computing system.

1999年，Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory(伯克利太空科学实验室)成立了 SETI@home 来寻找天空中来自外星生命的信号。此前，SETI 项目使用安装在望远镜内的专用的超级计算机做了大量的数据分析，而 SETI@home 屏保程序成为了第一个分布式计算系统。

By employing the enormous processing power of thousands of internet-connected computers around the world, it became possible to search through large frequency ranges of radio telescope data at a higher sensitivity than ever before. So far no aliens have been found, but more than 5.2 million PCs are now searching.

通过联合全世界成千上万台联网的计算机的巨大的处理能力，就能对大型射电望远镜搜索到的频率范围内的数据进行更精确地鉴别。到目前为止，还没有发现外星人，但是有超过 520 万台电脑正在搜寻中。