[1500 TH] p2pool: Decentralized, DoS-resistant, Hop-Proof pool

[PublicP2poolNode]

I have already performed a restart, this time with no argument as to txfees and also stopped merged mining with namecoin.

[LevinSwe]

One way to not mine empty ones, change The min size, but a empy block brings coins...

Block creation options:
-blockminsize=<n>   Set minimum block size in bytes (default: 0)
-blockmaxsize=<n>   Set maximum block size in bytes (default: 750000)
-blockprioritysize=<n>   Set maximum size of high-priority/low-fee transactions in bytes (default: 0)

[-ck]

One way to not mine empty ones, change The min size, but a empy block brings coins...

Block creation options:
-blockminsize=<n>   Set minimum block size in bytes (default: 0)
-blockmaxsize=<n>   Set maximum block size in bytes (default: 750000)
-blockprioritysize=<n>   Set maximum size of high-priority/low-fee transactions in bytes (default: 0)

This doesn't alter what's going on inside p2pool that mines an empty block (whatever that is). Perhaps the merged mining is the culprit... that almost certainly causes far more losses than any gains people think mining bullshit worthless coins might have. At 5-10% more reward due to transactions currently,  one really should try and mine transaction containing blocks as much as possible.

[PublicP2poolNode]

One way to not mine empty ones, change The min size, but a empy block brings coins...

Block creation options:
-blockminsize=<n>   Set minimum block size in bytes (default: 0)
-blockmaxsize=<n>   Set maximum block size in bytes (default: 750000)
-blockprioritysize=<n>   Set maximum size of high-priority/low-fee transactions in bytes (default: 0)

This doesn't alter what's going on inside p2pool that mines an empty block (whatever that is). Perhaps the merged mining is the culprit... that almost certainly causes far more losses than any gains people think mining bullshit worthless coins might have. At 5-10% more reward due to transactions currently,  one really should try and mine transaction containing blocks as much as possible.

funny thing is, not being familiar with command line prompts, I don't even know how to withdraw my bullshit worthless coins that were likely the reason for the low transaction fees from the block I found yesterday and the one with no fees from last night

[KorbinDallas]

Grab a surfboard. The waves are here...

[in2tactics]

One way to not mine empty ones, change The min size, but a empy block brings coins...

Block creation options:
-blockminsize=<n>   Set minimum block size in bytes (default: 0)
-blockmaxsize=<n>   Set maximum block size in bytes (default: 750000)
-blockprioritysize=<n>   Set maximum size of high-priority/low-fee transactions in bytes (default: 0)

This doesn't alter what's going on inside p2pool that mines an empty block (whatever that is). Perhaps the merged mining is the culprit... that almost certainly causes far more losses than any gains people think mining bullshit worthless coins might have. At 5-10% more reward due to transactions currently,  one really should try and mine transaction containing blocks as much as possible.

funny thing is, not being familiar with command line prompts, I don't even know how to withdraw my bullshit worthless coins that were likely the reason for the low transaction fees from the block I found yesterday and the one with no fees from last night

You should not be mining to the wallet directly.

[PublicP2poolNode]

I don't believe you can specify an address for anything other than Bitcoin when merged mining.

[PublicP2poolNode]

Well that one was a little better as far as trying to fill a block. I don't know if stopping merged mining with namecoin helped or not, I was really hoping for a full block but I guess I will be happy we found one

[veqtrus]

Empty block?  

Again... UGH

sorry guys, don't know what is going on. Both blocks found today we're by me. And this is what I have in my settings.
blockmaxsize=970000
mintxfee=0.0001
minrelaytxfee=0.0001
maxconnections=100
gen=1

I don't understand why I mined one block with no fees and another with low fees.

My apologies.

Could you please send your p2pool and bitcoind logs? Maybe I will be able to find something useful.

[PublicP2poolNode]

Veqtrus, I would be happy to, I'd need instructions on how to do so using a CLI

Not knowing how to do so, I am assuming that since I was merged mining with namecoin, most likely a namecoin block had been found on the network immediately before I found a block and that is why there were no transactions in the block I found.

I believe now that I am not merged mining that won't happen again.

Still, it seems like the last block should have been full if you look at the previous block and next block after it and the amount of time between them.

[veqtrus]

I think I found what is the cause of empty blocks. When p2pool receives a newer block header it immediately attempts to mine on top of it until it receives the corresponding block template from bitcoind. This can take some time as currently p2pool fetches templates on fixed intervals (AFAIK). The relevant code can be found here.

Let's look at the empty block (00000000000000000201d592fcfcf59af02bdfe822123154a4a724ec7ffa0982) and the one before it (0000000000000000000e689d993b465aaa23e56e87d0f6c649de4b98830f789c). The time interval between them is exactly 1487923858-1487923258=600 seconds! This indicates that the p2pool node was still mining without the block template from bitcoind.

I made a patch so that p2pool tries to fetch a new block template as soon as empty work is detected and give up working on the new block header if it can't get the template.

[Merge-mining has nothing to do with that since bitcoin's block template is cached independently of mm work.]

[sawa]

I made a patch so that p2pool tries to fetch a new block template as soon as empty work is detected and give up working on the new block header if it can't get the template.

This patch is compatible with SEGWIT patch?
Veqtrus, please collect all your patches in one brunch.

[PublicP2poolNode]

Not being familiar with CLI I wouldn't have the first clue how to add the patch  

I have approximately 12 hours left on my 4PH rental. My goal is to find five blocks in a row, I've got three down and two to go!

If we get lucky I'll be renting some more, i wish a few other big ballers would come along right now, or a few hundred smaller miners!

I would love to see p2pool have a larger presence.

Come on fellow miners, switch to p2pool right now, I'd love to stay for a while, and could use some help in reducing variance in hopes I can stay a while longer!

I have an idea, if your reading this post and you are inspired to give p2pool a chance for few days, leave a response here that you are in. Hopefully if enough new people to p2pool make a post that there going to give p2pool a shot it will get the ball rolling and many others will join!

P2pool is the best way to decentralize Bitcoin mining, so if your a miner and you want to do your part leave a post below stating that your giving it a try.

Thanks and best wishes to you all!

[veqtrus]

I made a patch so that p2pool tries to fetch a new block template as soon as empty work is detected and give up working on the new block header if it can't get the template.

This patch is compatible with SEGWIT patch?
Veqtrus, please collect all your patches in one brunch.

For your convenience (yes, it is compatible): https://github.com/veqtrus/p2pool/tree/segwit1%2Bempty_block_fix1

[-ck]

I think I found what is the cause of empty blocks. When p2pool receives a newer block header it immediately attempts to mine on top of it until it receives the corresponding block template from bitcoind. This can take some time as currently p2pool fetches templates on fixed intervals (AFAIK). The relevant code can be found here.

Let's look at the empty block (00000000000000000201d592fcfcf59af02bdfe822123154a4a724ec7ffa0982) and the one before it (0000000000000000000e689d993b465aaa23e56e87d0f6c649de4b98830f789c). The time interval between them is exactly 1487923858-1487923258=600 seconds! This indicates that the p2pool node was still mining without the block template from bitcoind.

I made a patch so that p2pool tries to fetch a new block template as soon as empty work is detected and give up working on the new block header if it can't get the template.

Good work, that explains it. You may also wish to decrease the time interval as well since transactions change so frequently. I noticed a long time ago when proxying to p2pool that stratum updates were few and far between. I suggest 60 seconds instead of 10 minutes... The stratum specification says it should be under 90 seconds IIRC.

[sawa]

For your convenience (yes, it is compatible): https://github.com/veqtrus/p2pool/tree/segwit1%2Bempty_block_fix1

Thanks.

Not being familiar with CLI I wouldn't have the first clue how to add the patch 

Now it's easy to do:

Code:

git clone -b segwit1+empty_block_fix1 https://github.com/veqtrus/p2pool.git

[veqtrus]

Good work, that explains it. You may also wish to decrease the time interval as well since transactions change so frequently. I noticed a long time ago when proxying to p2pool that stratum updates were few and far between. I suggest 60 seconds instead of 10 minutes... The stratum specification says it should be under 90 seconds IIRC.

Stratum updates should happen on average every 30 seconds due to new shares being found; not sure about transaction updates.

[PublicP2poolNode]

For your convenience (yes, it is compatible): https://github.com/veqtrus/p2pool/tree/segwit1%2Bempty_block_fix1

Thanks.

Not being familiar with CLI I wouldn't have the first clue how to add the patch 

Now it's easy to do:

Code:

git clone -b segwit1+empty_block_fix1 https://github.com/veqtrus/p2pool.git

I assume a p2pool restart is needed afterwards?
Has anyone found a block with this patch installed to verify it works as intended?

[sawa]

I assume a p2pool restart is needed afterwards?

Yes. I do It so:

Code:

git clone -b segwit1+empty_block_fix1 https://github.com/veqtrus/p2pool.git p2pool-temp

Then stop the node and delete the contents of ~/p2pool/p2pool/ subdirectory.
And copy all from here  ~/p2pool-temp/p2pool  to here  ~/p2pool/p2pool/
Then run the node.
All this only takes a few minutes.

[sawa]

I join a question:

Has anyone found a block with this patch installed to verify it works as intended?