Don't know osx a lot, but let me do some guessing from my experience with linux.

The script itself is in tcl, that should be no problem. Also probably libusb should be right there in osx, right, so it's a matter of compiling that "libusb-driver"? You'd also have to see about the firmware upload. Don't know about the Xilinx ISE or what else could be used to smolder the logic onto the chip.

So: I wouldn't count on it and it might require some fiddling, but chances are it's doable, I'd say. You'd best need someone who knows his way around osx.

Lol. Thanks for the flowers, but not all of my 498 posts are as long and contentrich as the above one

Allright, here we go: Linux guide to X5000 mining:

Step 1: start download of Xilinx ISE (it's development environment. There might be other ways to program the FPGA, but for now, I used this, as Li suggested in the windows version of the guide). The file is huge (4.6GB), so we start this now to avoid coffee breaks later.

Step 2: Get the USB Platform Cable to work (I use a USB platform cable here, there are others, this guide is for USB Platform cable, I have a "Model DLC9G")

Step 2 A: Plug the "Cable" (it's called cable, although it's a box, and I will just call it "Cable" or "Platform Cable") into a USB port. Better try without a hub first. Check if the USB portion of the device works:


Step 2 B: Driver for Platform Cable

Before we start, lets make a directory to work in:



My gentoo linux did not have any sort of driver coming with it and there is no module in vanilla kernel 2.6, at least not in mine.

The Xilinx ISE actually comes with source for a kernel mode driver, called "windrvr". I tried to compile this but I failed miserably.

I used this: http://rmdir.de/~michael/xilinx/. It's a usermode driver that uses libusb (or parport for parallel port cables) and emulated windrvr afaik. Download, unpack, compile it and check it created the lib we need:


Now, this software comes with a script that copies firmware-files from the Xilinx ISE install directory, this means we have to install the Xilinx ISE now:


I checked the option "install driver" here. First I ran this as user and after unzipping files for an hour, the installer told me I'm not root and therefor drivers could not be installed. I did the whole shebang again as root, and this time it told me that driver installation failed. Since we do not use the windrvr that comes with the ISE, screw it. You can try, though, maybe it works for you.

I chose /opt/Xilinx as install directory. You can choose any dir, just replace that in the following

Now let's run the above-mentioned setup-script:

This installs some udev-rules in /etc/udev/rules.d/xusbdfwu.rules by copying from xilinx folder somewhere. They already mod these xilinx-rules for newer udev versions, but it seems udev changed again, so I had to edit that file:


change all occurences of "$tempnode" to "%N" (uppercase N)

you also need a tool called fxload to upload the firmware to the device, install it (this example is gentoo)


now if you replug the USB Platoform Cable, the firmware should load and the LED on the device go from "maybe very dimly red" to "BRIGHT RED", when the firmware is loaded. If x5000 is connected, it will go green.

If it doesn't work for some reason, set udev_log="debug" in /etc/udev/udev.conf to see what's going on in the syslog when you replug.

You can also load the firmware manually (look in the rules file and lsusb which one by device id):


At this point, the driver should be working and the LED on cable should be either GREEN or RED depending on wether x5000 is plugged in or not.

To check if driver works libusb and the firmware works, you can use another tool, urJTAG (http://urjtag.org/):


maybe we can even program with this tool, I don't know. Anyone?

Step 3: program the FPGA using ISE:

Now you can start impact, which can be used to program the X5000 fpga, preloading the usb driver:

impact should start up and ask you some stuff about project folder. Just answer as you see fit. It also asks you "Configure devices using Boundary-Scan (JTAG)". You can try "Automatically connect to a cable...." here, but it never worked for me. Instead, I select "Enter a boundary-chain manually".

The gui starts now. Important: Do  "Menu: Output -> Reset Cable". This helped me to get the cable working at all. It did not work for me without doing this.

No you can select "boundary Scan" on the left and then Right Click on "Right click to Add Device....". and select "Cable Setup...". This is also in the "Output Menu".

If it says: "warning, windrvr not installed", you probably did something wrong with the LD_PRELOAD above.

Select "Platform Cble USB/II" (at least for me that's what I wanted) and then check out "Advanced USB Cable Setup", it should show an entry in the list of usb cables/ports. If it doesn't, exit that stuff and try "Output -> Reset Cables" again.

If it says: "this function requires a target to be set first", it's probably working . Load the xxx.bit file from the miner.zip by right-clicking on the white "boundary scan" areay and selecting "Add xilinx device...". Then try again with the Cable Setup.

The cable works and a nice Xilinx image popped up in the white area? Then you can program the fpga by right-clicking the image and selecting "program". Took 11 seconds for me, the bar didn't go all the way to 100%.

Step 4: mine!

go to the directory where you unpacked Miner.zip and make a script, mine.sh



note that this script quite sucks, you probably have to change a couple of paths.

edit the configfile... and start to mine


you might get some errors. If tcl complains about missing packages, try installing tcllib.

Ok, that's it. Hope it helps someone.

• User Mode Platform Cable Driver: http://rmdir.de/~michael/xilinx/
• Info about udev rules $TEMPNODE: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1313572 (maybe outdated, but still interesting)
• Linux udev manpage: http://linux.die.net/man/7/udev
• urJTAG: http://urjtag.org/

Yeah, well. Lots of luck in a 15 minutes measuring window. It goes from 80 to 130 if you look at 15 minute average. That's not the X5000, of course, that's just fortuna playing with it

One question: is it safe to plug in/out the power plug while the PSU is on? I'd really hate to have to power off my system for this (my X5000 currently runs on it's own PSU but I want to switch to the one used by my wall-pc)

UPDATE5 Aug 31st 16:53 - After initial disappointment that I might have to use windows, I got the X5000 to work on LINUX (see above post with pic)

Looks awesome, right. Green LED and all It get's better:


YESSSS!

I got it working, on LINUX! fucking hell yea!

Li, newMeat, should I write up a little linux guide. It's not been trivial ^^

EDIT: changed image to include eligius screenshot of hashrate

YESSSS!

I got it working, on LINUX! fucking hell yea!

Li, newMeat, should I write up a little linux guide. It's not been trivial ^^

EDIT: Arghhh! sorry, this is the wrong thread. will crosspost to x5000 thread

Hmm, [mumbling, cig in mouth], just let me get this, .... power ... hmgrbl ... plug ... which way w.. BRATZL BRUTZ ZAPPP

UPDATE4 Aug 30th 13:30 - Received package containing FPGA miner "built with care". Also received Platform Cable same day

now what? I'm afraid!

There are indeed some videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06huCv3cCaM) that show a big tsunami wave hitting a ship (it survives just fine, btw).

You have to know that such waves only get high when the come close to land (more precisely, when the ocean gets shallower). Further out (where I assume such an island would be built), the wave have the same energy, but are more spread out (wider), you probably wouldn't even notice it passing by.

I'd use the navy or airforce.

Other than that: what's to gain for a country to invade this except bad publicity for murdering naive libertarians?

If they use bitcoins, the real estate prices will probably be stable. The will fluctuate measured in USD, of course, like bitcoin.

This could be the first island of stability for bitcoin

Cool page, like it, thanks. Sent some coins your way.

shameless plug: I added market depth graph to my SolidCoin graph page: http://solidcoin.kicks-ass.org/graphs/graphs.html

It would be interesting to know which ones you tested and can therefore not recommend. Surely you didn't test the whole list.

You're welcome. Love to be able to give back a little code, too.

Cool!

I've had some problem with format_satoshis (worked around them by casting to UNSIGNED in the sql query)

gives
other than that, I made alle the changes you requested:


Anything else?

EDIT: I could put the sql string directly into the call to selectrow(...). The sql variable was only used for debugging output, which doesn't make too much sense any more anyways since the values are to filled in any more (% -> ?)

John,

have you implemented q/getreceivedbyaddress and q/getsentbyaddress yet?

I have:




If you want to use it, please take a look at the following things especially:

• SQL Query correct? (longest chain only, correct joining of txout in getsentbyaddress?)
• Handling of decimal values correct? Is it "your way"? Probably not since I needed to "import decimal"

I didn't implement the "confirmations" filter yet.

Thanks a lot for you answers. Maybe you could make this more clear on the webpage. Such information not being easily accessible can really stop people from making a purchase in my mind.

Especiall the "month to month" provision of service really makes it a lot easier to buy because it reduces risk and tends to increase service quality, thanks for that, I might buy from you but will do more looking at the others first.