Linux Fresh install

[Akyboy]

Hi Guys,

If i am to use linux but stand alone distro not mining distros available which one would you recommend?
Also, in regards of overclocking cards i found https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe - anyone tried this software?

[Stanlo]

SMOS because your mining rig performance will stay the same no matter how many months have past, on others it reduce overtime, another good one is HiveOS

[Vann]

Unless you are already familiar with Linux setup and configuration, are comfortable with scripting and are willing to make a commitment to learn, setting up a Linux distro to mine is not something I would recommend. Linux is by no means 'plug and play' like Windows. Setting it up on a multi GPU system you will come across many issues that will require you to figure out. Like setting up drivers, configuring the X-server, configuring permissions, overclocking, etc. It would be difficult for someone not already familiar with Linux to solve. Ubuntu is probably the easiest since many of articles and tutorials about mining on Linux are based on Ubuntu. The mining distros make it much easier as they do all the underwork for you and are a better option for someone new to Linux. Gwe is a Nvidia overclocking utility on Linux. It aims to be a replacement to Afterburner, however currently it's limited to just one GPU.

[th00ber]

Hi Guys,

If i am to use linux but stand alone distro not mining distros available which one would you recommend?
Also, in regards of overclocking cards i found https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe - anyone tried this software?

HiveOS is great

[JayDDee]

SMOS because your mining rig performance will stay the same no matter how many months have past, on others it reduce overtime, another good one is HiveOS

Nonsense.

[th00ber]

SMOS because your mining rig performance will stay the same no matter how many months have past, on others it reduce overtime, another good one is HiveOS

Bullshit

[cabron]

Just use the ubuntu derivative that's lighter than ubuntu itself. You can check the hardware system requirements what sort of Linux system could work on your computer.  But my suggestion because its easier to use Ubuntu and there is a big community of Ubuntu users that you could ask for help if there is something you need help with particularly mining setup. Most of the opensource software also is available in ubuntu.

What I did use for now is the LinuxMint which is lighter and could work computer that is just dual-core. There are others link Mint, Peppermint, Lubuntu and Xubuntu. You just have to learn the system requirements. I have no experience in setting up GPUs to mine coins. Overclocking as far as i know will fast-forward the death of your GPUs, its best to just have multiple of it running. 

[JayDDee]

I've used Ubuntu, Mint and Centos with Nvidia GPUs.

Ubuntu is the easiest to install Nvidia drivers but it relies on new versions being available in the repository.

Drivers can also be obtained directly from Nvidia to get new versions faster but requires
manually reconfiguring Grub. It also requires rebuilding the drivers after every kernel update.

The "mining" distros mentioned above have drivers built in as well as mining applications and other
mining related features.

Depending on your comfort level you could start with a mining OS to get a feel for how things work on
Linux then maybe try out regular distros later if you wish.

[Akyboy]

Thanks guys!
I may try Ubuntu.

When it comes to overclocking, is there a utility/app for 8+ cards?

[FP91G]

You choose the most difficult path in mining.
Do you want to make money or experiment?
HiveOS, RaveOS and other systems have come a long way and made a good product with a user-friendly interface and monitoring for the miner. 1 farm you have is free for testing.
If there are 2 farms, then you need to pay $ 3 per month for each.

[adaseb]

You really should use the dedicated linux distros for mining if you are going from Windows. Installing Ubuntu is the easy part. The hard part is installing the driver properly, then setting your clocks/voltages, then installing your miner software, then making it all launch on start-up, etc.

Honestly i'm good with computers, not a programmer, but I wasted hours trying to get it all to work. Unless you got tons and tons of GPUs. Just use the mining linux distros and save yourself the headaches. In the end you will become so frustrated that you just might give up mining all together under Linux.

[JayDDee]

Unless you got tons and tons of GPUs. Just use the mining linux distros and save yourself the headaches.

I would tend to do the opposite. If I had tons of GPUs I'd be more likely to use a mining distro with dedicated
mining rigs centrally managed. As it is now most of my "rigs" are actually multi purpose PCs so I need a full distro.

I tend to see mining distros as targetted at people who just want a specialist mining OS and don't necessarilly
want it to be Linux, but that's the only choice.

[Vann]

Thanks guys!
I may try Ubuntu.

When it comes to overclocking, is there a utility/app for 8+ cards?

Overclocking multiple Nvidia GPU's on Linux requires running the X server as a root user. Overclocking is done through nvidia-settings and nvidia-smi using scripts after enabling Coolbits, or you can also do overclocking through flashing the GPU Bios. An excellent resource for configuring Linux is the Arch Linux wiki. As Arch is Debian based, like Ubuntu, much of the information applies. Just the package names and commands may be slightly different.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling

https://www.ethmining.net/

[FP91G]

Unless you got tons and tons of GPUs. Just use the mining linux distros and save yourself the headaches.

I would tend to do the opposite. If I had tons of GPUs I'd be more likely to use a mining distro with dedicated
mining rigs centrally managed. As it is now most of my "rigs" are actually multi purpose PCs so I need a full distro.

I tend to see mining distros as targetted at people who just want a specialist mining OS and don't necessarilly
want it to be Linux, but that's the only choice.

It is clear that you want to use each farm for other tasks, for example, data storage, Mail server, etc.
But with this use, it is inconvenient to manage mining farms when changing miners or coins. Special Linux systems for miners, such as Hive OS, allow users who do not understand Linux to manage farms.
I do not understand what you will do when the mining farms freeze or shut down. I think this is not very convenient for all tasks.

[JayDDee]

Unless you got tons and tons of GPUs. Just use the mining linux distros and save yourself the headaches.

I would tend to do the opposite. If I had tons of GPUs I'd be more likely to use a mining distro with dedicated
mining rigs centrally managed. As it is now most of my "rigs" are actually multi purpose PCs so I need a full distro.

I tend to see mining distros as targetted at people who just want a specialist mining OS and don't necessarilly
want it to be Linux, but that's the only choice.

It is clear that you want to use each farm for other tasks, for example, data storage, Mail server, etc.
But with this use, it is inconvenient to manage mining farms when changing miners or coins. Special Linux systems for miners, such as Hive OS, allow users who do not understand Linux to manage farms.
I do not understand what you will do when the mining farms freeze or shut down. I think this is not very convenient for all tasks.

A "farm" is the same as "tons of GPUs" and requires more work to manage so I think we're saying the same thing.
I don't have a farm so I don't need the management included in a mining OS. And my mining rigs are multi-purpose
so I can't use a specialist mining OS.