Avalon ASIC users thread

[rudrigorc2]

When you reset, somehow, it should go back to default, which is, accordinly to the avalon user guide: 192.168.0.100

Well that worked..almost. I could enter failsafe-mode. Here's the instruction:
--
To get into failsafe mode, power up the device and wait until the LED starts flashing (about 2Hz). Once it starts flashing (within about 4 seconds) then quickly press the button. The LED will then flash much faster and the device will be in failsafe mode.
--

Failsafe IP is 192.168.1.1. I could telnet to the router. I checked

root@(none):/# cat /etc/config/network

config 'interface' 'loopback'
        option 'ifname' 'lo'
        option 'proto' 'static'
        option 'ipaddr' '127.0.0.1'
        option 'netmask' '255.0.0.0'

config 'interface' 'lan'
        option 'ifname' 'eth0'
        option 'type' 'bridge'
        option 'proto' 'static'
        option 'netmask' '255.255.255.0'
        option 'ipaddr' '192.168.0.100'
        option 'gateway' '192.168.0.1'
        option 'dns' '8.8.8.8'

Everything seems fine. Anyway, after rebooting I'm not able to ping or ssh 192.168.0.100.

Edit: Fixed it!
After making the filesystem writeable with "mount_root" /etc/config/network looked differently:

config interface 'lan'
        option ifname 'eth0'
        option type 'bridge'
        option proto 'static'
        option ipaddr '192.168.0.100'
        option dns '8.8.8.8'
        option gateway '192.168.0.101'
        option netmask '0.0.0.0'

Changed it. Reboot. Problem solved.
(And back to my original problem. Will probably talk about that later..)

Thanks for your great and fast help!

After entering failsafe mode you also reset to default settings.

Code:

mtd -r erase rootfs_data

Im using the latest 703n image(cgminer2.10.4) and now I have backup router again

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[anti76]

xiangfu please answer data the delivery order 200000846

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

[AvenG]

too little, but having an address where to send some tips would help as well, I mean, if each Avalon user sends 1 BTC per owned Avalon 100 BTCs are easily collected!

yeah, that's would be a good idea. Also displaying that donate button on a page showing credit info about the developers of this great work..

[xbaby]

My avalon unit has  the exactly same issue as yours. I'd like to ask if the test firmware posted by xiangfu related to this issue?

I am using firmware 20130419. Unfortunately, I don't recall the previous firmware version I was using.

Prior to the upgrade on May 5, the Avalon unit ran without any problems.

However, after the upgrade, the miner has stopped hashing twice, and the only way to recover is with a cold reset. Is this a know issue?

Cheers!

[xempew]

Has anyone attempted updating the fpga-controller firmware?

http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/xiangfu/avalon/fpga-controller/

README:
http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/xiangfu/avalon/fpga-controller/README

I'm reluctant to update at this point without any release notes/details on the changes with this new release.

[Sakdrissi]

My avalon unit has  the exactly same issue as yours. I'd like to ask if the test firmware posted by xiangfu related to this issue?

I am using firmware 20130419. Unfortunately, I don't recall the previous firmware version I was using.

Prior to the upgrade on May 5, the Avalon unit ran without any problems.

However, after the upgrade, the miner has stopped hashing twice, and the only way to recover is with a cold reset. Is this a know issue?

Cheers!

Are you guys running the avalon over wifi or ethernet? I had similar problems with a bad wifi connection: stopped hashing, no access over wifi. I came across the solution when I tried -and could - connect over ethernet and noticed a pretty bad signal/noise ratio. An interruption of the wifi connection can confuse cgminer completely.

Installing a repeater solved this issue for me and I have a Opetwrt/cgminer uptime of more than 7 days now.

[xiangfu]

Hi

The document have moved to :
  https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Avalon#How_to_Compile_Your_Own_Firmware_for_Avalon

trying to compile avalon/cgminer on an extra linux box i had laying around.

using these instructions:

http://en.qi-hardware.com/wiki/Avalon#How_to_Compile_Your_Own_WR703N_Firmware_for_Avalon

[abracadabra]

xiangfu,

any further info on the fpga firmware/bitstream?

http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/xiangfu/avalon/fpga-controller/

is a JTAG required to flash the fpga?

[-ck]

Mad props and huge thanks to Sitarow who has given me uninterrupted remote access to an avalon this past week, including the ability to power cycle one  . This has allowed me to write a major overhaul of the avalon code which should make it into the next cgminer release.

[Sitarow]

Mad props and huge thanks to Sitarow who has given me uninterrupted remote access to an avalon this past week, including the ability to power cycle one  . This has allowed me to write a major overhaul of the avalon code which should make it into the next cgminer release.

Thank you.

The time and effort made by people like kano and yourself on getting cgminer and other similar miners refined is very much appreciated.

This holds true even by those that may not directly participate in mining.

However new "miners" should not forget efforts spent to refine projects like cgminer will further decentralize ASIC hardware access and promote other DIY projects down the road.

[ImI]

Hi there,

i was wondering how i can connect remotely to the rig? Usually i do this with Teamviewer, but i guess thats not an option with the Avalons.

So how to remote control the rig?

ImI

[SolarSilver]

i was wondering how i can connect remotely to the rig? Usually i do this with Teamviewer, but i guess thats not an option with the Avalons.

So how to remote control the rig?

As the TP-LINK TL-WR703N runs an embedded version of Linux, you connect to it (command line) with SSH as root. Or you use a web browser to log into the web interface.

[ImI]

OK, thx. Seems to be not a big issue then.

[-ck]

So I have completed 3 major rewrites of the avalon driver code to improve it. One was playground for testing things out and never really built, but I'm left with two different rewrites, and a question for existing users.

The first is a complete rewrite of the read/write mechanism using the existing serial usb driver (ftdi) which should be much more robust at staying in sync with results coming in from the device, as well as more accurately picking when the device is misbehaving and hopefully be more reliable at resetting it. This code is currently in a git branch called avalon-serialdev .

The second is an even more complete rewrite, built on the avalon-serialdev one with direct USB bypassing the ftdi driver entirely. The avalon does some weird and (not so) wonderful things to emulate running serial at 115200 baud, and the ftdi chip has some serious limitations I never would have known about had I not started poking around (for instance, the driver reads from the device every 1 millisecond because the buffer is so small it easily overflows). The modified code is more efficient and uses a lot less OS-kernel time but the demonstrable CPU usage of cgminer itself looks the same. This code works reliably and solidly... on a linux PC. This code is currently in a git branch called avalon-usbdev .

Now this is where it gets tricky. The direct USB code does not really work at all on the MIPS router that is built into the Avalon device itself. I'm not really sure if it's a libusb limitation, a different implementation or what, but it just does not work, and what does work appears extraordinarily slow. Only installing usbmon onto the device will tell me for sure, and that's not as trivial as I wish it were. We'll see how much time I get in the future to investigate this and whether it's even worth doing or not.

So down to my questions. How many avalon users here wish to be running them via a PC instead of as the standalone device it is? I suspect precious few. How many of you even want to be building your own binaries versus the number downloading the latest firmware? It would be possible to release a new version of cgminer that has both drivers but that will become a maintenance burden long term - and without having an avalon myself, it could end up going to bitrot. I've already made massive improvements to the serial usb based code and would be happy to push that alone into the next cgminer version and Xiangfu should be able to make you all new firmware with it.

I should add the Avalon team have made it clear they will not be providing me with a free Avalon outright to further development. Talks continue on that front...

[optimator]

So down to my questions. How many avalon users here wish to be running them via a PC instead of as the standalone device it is? I suspect precious few. How many of you even want to be building your own binaries versus the number downloading the latest firmware? It would be possible to release a new version of cgminer that has both drivers but that will become a maintenance burden long term - and without having an avalon myself, it could end up going to bitrot. I've already made massive improvements to the serial usb based code and would be happy to push that alone into the next cgminer version and Xiangfu should be able to make you all new firmware with it.

My first request would be for the Avalon team to get you a unit! The amount of work you, kano, and I don't know who else, have put into developing the cgminer code for the Avalon is simply amazing. Thanks!

I'm planning on using the built in TP-LINK WR703N. It's trivial to flash the unit with new a new .bin file. I'd rethink my plan if there was a substancial performance boost, but it doesn't seem that would be the case.

All that being said, if / when the TP-Link eats it, I'll probably replace it with whatever I have laying around.

It's not that I'm opposed to building my own binaries, just don't see the benefit for the time spent on it.

[ProfMac]

So I have completed 3 major rewrites of the avalon driver code to improve it. One was playground for testing things out and never really built, but I'm left with two different rewrites, and a question for existing users.

The first is a complete rewrite of the read/write mechanism using the existing serial usb driver (ftdi) which should be much more robust at staying in sync with results coming in from the device, as well as more accurately picking when the device is misbehaving and hopefully be more reliable at resetting it. This code is currently in a git branch called avalon-serialdev .

The second is an even more complete rewrite, built on the avalon-serialdev one with direct USB bypassing the ftdi driver entirely. The avalon does some weird and (not so) wonderful things to emulate running serial at 115200 baud, and the ftdi chip has some serious limitations I never would have known about had I not started poking around (for instance, the driver reads from the device every 1 millisecond because the buffer is so small it easily overflows). The modified code is more efficient and uses a lot less OS-kernel time but the demonstrable CPU usage of cgminer itself looks the same. This code works reliably and solidly... on a linux PC. This code is currently in a git branch called avalon-usbdev .

Now this is where it gets tricky. The direct USB code does not really work at all on the MIPS router that is built into the Avalon device itself. I'm not really sure if it's a libusb limitation, a different implementation or what, but it just does not work, and what does work appears extraordinarily slow. Only installing usbmon onto the device will tell me for sure, and that's not as trivial as I wish it were. We'll see how much time I get in the future to investigate this and whether it's even worth doing or not.

So down to my questions. How many avalon users here wish to be running them via a PC instead of as the standalone device it is? I suspect precious few. How many of you even want to be building your own binaries versus the number downloading the latest firmware? It would be possible to release a new version of cgminer that has both drivers but that will become a maintenance burden long term - and without having an avalon myself, it could end up going to bitrot. I've already made massive improvements to the serial usb based code and would be happy to push that alone into the next cgminer version and Xiangfu should be able to make you all new firmware with it.

I should add the Avalon team have made it clear they will not be providing me with a free Avalon outright to further development. Talks continue on that front...

Will SSH access to a retail TP-Link 703n, or even a (to be delivered Real Soon Now) Avalon help you?

[spiccioli]

So I have completed 3 major rewrites of the avalon driver code to improve it. One was playground for testing things out and never really built, but I'm left with two different rewrites, and a question for existing users.

The first is a complete rewrite of the read/write mechanism using the existing serial usb driver (ftdi) which should be much more robust at staying in sync with results coming in from the device, as well as more accurately picking when the device is misbehaving and hopefully be more reliable at resetting it. This code is currently in a git branch called avalon-serialdev .

Will SSH access to a retail TP-Link 703n, or even a (to be delivered Real Soon Now) Avalon help you?

Hi ckolivas,

is new code and/or are new avalons able to fully restart the control unit (FPGA)?

I'm asking because this would be the real advantage, if not I'd go with the new serial code since a stuck avalon would need a full restart anyway.

spiccioli

[-ck]

So I have completed 3 major rewrites of the avalon driver code to improve it. One was playground for testing things out and never really built, but I'm left with two different rewrites, and a question for existing users.

The first is a complete rewrite of the read/write mechanism using the existing serial usb driver (ftdi) which should be much more robust at staying in sync with results coming in from the device, as well as more accurately picking when the device is misbehaving and hopefully be more reliable at resetting it. This code is currently in a git branch called avalon-serialdev .

Will SSH access to a retail TP-Link 703n, or even a (to be delivered Real Soon Now) Avalon help you?

Hi ckolivas,

is new code and/or are new avalons able to fully restart the control unit (FPGA)?

I'm asking because this would be the real advantage, if not I'd go with the new serial code since a stuck avalon would need a full restart anyway.

spiccioli

The previous code used the fpga reset command but at some stage the fpga stopped responding to that command. It's hard to know if that was because it reached a point where it needed to be power cycled or the old code was not able to send the command in sync at the right time ever again. I'm hoping that with the new code it will avoid the latter situation but will be unable to do anything about the former. So the answer is: I'm not sure.

[cypherdoc]

i was wondering how i can connect remotely to the rig? Usually i do this with Teamviewer, but i guess thats not an option with the Avalons.

So how to remote control the rig?

As the TP-LINK TL-WR703N runs an embedded version of Linux, you connect to it (command line) with SSH as root. Or you use a web browser to log into the web interface.

how would you get to it if you're solo mining from a data center?

[-ck]

Will SSH access to a retail TP-Link 703n, or even a (to be delivered Real Soon Now) Avalon help you?

Specifically what I need is an equivalent mips router like the 703n with a kernel that has usbmon support built into it that is attached to a real Avalon via USB so I can monitor the communications that way.