CGWatcher 1.4.0, the GUI/monitor for CGMiner and BFGMiner to prevent downtime

[milone]

Einewton:  I'm not sure why that would happen, but it's been a while since I've visited that part of the code so it's possible that I made changes recently that had unexpected affects on the monitor. I'll be looking into this the first chance I get. (Out of town for the next week or two and have to setup Visual Studio on my new notebook). The monitor has always been my first priority with CGWatcher, so if something is not working correctly on it I will make sure it gets fixed.


knowone:  If the miner has a lower hashrate after being started with CGWatcher, it is most likely due to the gpu-threads setting. In cgminer's readme it states that the default value for gpu-threads is 2. So if you do not explicitly set the gpu-threads setting in arguments or config file, it should use 2. But it doesn't, it uses 1. This is something a user pointed out a while back and I tested myself and confirmed. So I made CGWatcher set it to 2 by default, so it would produce the expected behavior one would expect after reading cgminer's readme. This means that starting cgminer outside of CGWatcher uses 1 gpu thread, and starting cgminer with CGWatcher uses 2 threads. Whenever someone has brought up seeing a lower hashrate when the miner is started by CGWatcher, it has been because of this 100% of the time.

In CGWatcher you don't have to point to the .exe when configuring the profile. If you already have a batch file you can point to that instead. CGWatcher will load any arguments from the batch file, and if you change them in Profile Manager it will save them back to the batch file. It will not affect the setx commands or any other commands in the batch file, those will remain in place. I've seen conflicting statements on how long the setx commands are applied for - some say you only need to run the commands once, others that the command will work until the next computer restart. I don't know which is true, and I never really took the time to find out. But if you would prefer running them before launching the miner - just in case - then I would recommend pointing the profile to the batch file instead of the executable.

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[knowone]

Bingo! Setting gpu-threads to 1 in the config fixed it! Thanks!

[Taxidermista]

This Quit command crash is driving me crazy. It ruins half the good things you expect from CGWatcher and CGRemote. Changing mined coin on the fly from CGRemote was top priority for me and I can't do it. 

milone, could you please answer my email about using CGRemote over the internet? I don't understand how the program can know my public ip address to connect with miners on my local network. Do I have to use some service like myip.us or something?

[Goldshredder]

Darn I hope this isn't a silly question (the presumed common-ness of my setup makes me think it probably is...), but how does one run multiple instances of CGWatcher on one (Windows) machine, with each one watching a different running instance of CGminer?

i.e. I have a cgminer running for gpus and a different cgminer running for some asics, both at the same time.

When I run the second instance of CGWatcher so I can set it up to watch my asic version of cgminer, it just picks up the existing gpu miner that's running and displays all the info for that.  And setting up / changing profile in that second CGWatcher instance, seems to stop the gpu miner profile that's running in the first CGWatcher instance.  So no idea at this stage how to run both independently, help appreciated!

[frufru]

Hi milone

I just found a bug (if it hasn't already been reported) happening on Win8, win 8.1 and server 2012 (all x64)
Using previously version 1.3.2 and now 1.3.3, saving settings.

initially the path fot cgwatcher.exe was "d:\miner\cgwatcher-1.3.2\cgwatcher.exe"
I did configure some profile, everything was running smooth.

I then update to 1.3.3, and the path to cgwtcher changed to "d:\miner\cgwatcher\cgwatcher.exe" to simplify further updates.

The program did not launch any more when I started Windows (I then put a link in the startup menu folder and it did the job).

And then when I click on save settings, cgwatcher hangs (not responding), forcing me to kill it via process manager.
after that, when I launch cgwatcher again, settings were saved correctly.
I tries to run it as administrator but with no more luck,

I had to manually modify the run key to correct path, and now, it doesn'thang any more and did run smooth, no more hanging on saving settings...

Same problem here. I have two partions on my rig, one with win7 and one with a fresh win8 install. I have no problems on win7 but on the new system cgwatcher hangs when I try to save settings and won't start with windows. I moved the my mining folder from win7 so all the settings and files are the same. I also tried a fresh start but no change. For some strange reason cgwatcher won't start automatically even if I put the shortcut in the startup folder.

[milone]

Taxidermista:

I'm going to make changes that will kill the miner rather than shut it down during restarts, which should help with stability.. at least when restarting using the same profile or a profile using the same algorithm.

As far as how CGRemote works, the short answer: magic. The long answer: port forwarding. If there wasn't a way to reach your computer from the Internet you would not have been able to post that reply. Port forwarding tells your router that when data comes in on a specific port, forward it to a specific computer on the LAN. Each computer on your LAN would then use a unique port, each setup for the router to forward. If you want to use a dynamic IP hostname service like dyndns you can, or you can just update the IP address(es) when/if they change.



Goldshredder:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=159267.msg3853830#msg3853830



frufru:

The reason I chose not to use the startup folder is because it seems to not work 100% of the time, so I'm not completely surprised that didn't work. I just got some Windows 8 PCs set up so I'll have to see what new unexpected behaviors are found with modifying the registry. CGWatcher should try to set itself to the HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run key (all users), and if that fails it tries the HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run key (current user only). However, if you're not running CGWatcher as Administrator, Windows virtualizes the HKLM hive so CGWatcher thinks it saved correctly but it was actually stored to some WOW6432Node key somewhere. I think what I need to do is just set CGWatcher to start with Windows on a per-user basis, so HKCU only. If you need it to start automatically for multiple users, just open it at least once in each user with the "start when Windows starts" option enabled.

This will be changed in the next update, which I'll try to have out this weekend.

[Einewton]

This will be changed in the next update, which I'll try to have out this weekend.

Your an animal.. Keep up the good work, man. I like where this product is going.

[Taxidermista]

Taxidermista:

I'm going to make changes that will kill the miner rather than shut it down during restarts, which should help with stability.. at least when restarting using the same profile or a profile using the same algorithm.

As far as how CGRemote works, the short answer: magic. The long answer: port forwarding. If there wasn't a way to reach your computer from the Internet you would not have been able to post that reply. Port forwarding tells your router that when data comes in on a specific port, forward it to a specific computer on the LAN. Each computer on your LAN would then use a unique port, each setup for the router to forward. If you want to use a dynamic IP hostname service like dyndns you can, or you can just update the IP address(es) when/if they change.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. I'm going to forward those ports in my router and try a dynamic ip hostname service.

Related to the bsod when closing with the Quit command I've read in the Litecointalk forum that you can avoid the crash using the flag --no-adl in cgminer but I don't know if this is a practical solution or even worse than the problem you're trying to solve.

[Einewton]

Related to the bsod when closing with the Quit command I've read in the Litecointalk forum that you can avoid the crash using the flag --no-adl in cgminer but I don't know if this is a practical solution or even worse than the problem you're trying to solve.

Yeah, I'd rather get a BSOD then give up the ADL beni's... You might as well OC your cards in MSI Afterburner instead of setting your clock speeds in the CGMiner application, that would also prevent BSOD.


--no-adl            Disable the ATI display library used for monitoring and setting GPU parameters


I'll be waiting for this weekends release to have it close the cmd, instead of the Quit method.

[frufru]

This will be changed in the next update, which I'll try to have out this weekend.

Thanks for your detailed answer and of course this fantastic app of yours. I’ll wait for the update than. 

[Taxidermista]

Taxidermista:

As far as how CGRemote works, the short answer: magic. The long answer: port forwarding. If there wasn't a way to reach your computer from the Internet you would not have been able to post that reply. Port forwarding tells your router that when data comes in on a specific port, forward it to a specific computer on the LAN. Each computer on your LAN would then use a unique port, each setup for the router to forward. If you want to use a dynamic IP hostname service like dyndns you can, or you can just update the IP address(es) when/if they change

I don't know what's wrong but this conf does not work. I can't connect with my six miners & respectives cgwatchers forwarding every 5121 port to ports 6661 to 6666, I configure CGRemote with my public ip and these 6 ports, of course. CGRemote reports that the miners can't be reached. This is my router NAT table:



I've tried selecting protocol TCP/UDP in one of the miners but did not connect either.

[milone]

Taxidermista:  Please email me when it is related to CGRemote until I create a forum post for it (which I'll do closer to release). Also, include the bug report (click Report Bug in toolbar) when reporting problems. If you have ports forwarded correctly, it is 99% likely a firewall issue. Make sure CGWatcher and CGRemote have access through their respective firewalls. If you're using Windows Firewall, you may need to create an additional 'Allow' rule for the port on each miner. I ran into this problem, but the computer was also running Windows Firewall Control, so that may have been the cause. For incoming firewall rules on the miners (for CGWatcher), enable "Allow edge traversal" in the Advanced tab of the rule's properties (using Windows Firewall with Advanced Security). If you're using different firewall software, let me know what it is and I can try to help.


I'm still hoping to have the CGWatcher update out this weekend, although my time estimates are almost always wrong.

[Taxidermista]

Taxidermista:  Please email me when it is related to CGRemote until I create a forum post for it (which I'll do closer to release). Also, include the bug report (click Report Bug in toolbar) when reporting problems. If you have ports forwarded correctly, it is 99% likely a firewall issue. Make sure CGWatcher and CGRemote have access through their respective firewalls. If you're using Windows Firewall, you may need to create an additional 'Allow' rule for the port on each miner. I ran into this problem, but the computer was also running Windows Firewall Control, so that may have been the cause. For incoming firewall rules on the miners (for CGWatcher), enable "Allow edge traversal" in the Advanced tab of the rule's properties (using Windows Firewall with Advanced Security). If you're using different firewall software, let me know what it is and I can try to help.


I'm still hoping to have the CGWatcher update out this weekend, although my time estimates are almost always wrong.

Sorry, I posted here because I asked you by mail but didn't get any answer.

I've tried enabling that option in the Windows Firewall but no success, still not responding.

[Einewton]

I know that CG Remote is a standalone app, but it would also be cool if you could expose it, and have a web version so that I can control my miners from work/cell/anywhere else... I guess my question would be, are there plans to provide a web interface with CG Remote?

If not.... Could you provide an API (JSON, Soap, Whatever) or some other method that I can make my own CG Remote WebApp?

[milone]

Taxidermista:  Please email me again because my inbox has been flooded over the past few weeks. There are around 200 people in the beta and of the few that reported issues connecting, it has always been a firewall issue or a port-forwarding issue. You look to have port-forwarding done correctly, so my guess would be a firewall issue. When you email me, include the bug report created by clicking 'Report Bug' in the toolbar.


Einewton:  Yes, a web application and Android app are planned, but not until the desktop application is released. The web application will be located at http://MinerRemote.com. I've received some offers for help on these, so development should be pretty quick.

[Einewton]

Awesome! Thanks so much, man! I'm anxiously waiting for Version 1.3.4... Thanks for posting updates on your website... That helps a lot to see the progress..

[stef942]

hello,

i can't start cgwatcher, i have this error when pointing to my bfgminer.conf :

[d] ConfigFile.Load Exception: Additional text encountered after finished reading JSON content: ,. Path '', line 9, position 1. (Path=F:\bfgminer-3.8.0-win64\bfgminer.conf)

this is my bfgminer.conf :

Code:

{
"pools" : [
	{
		"url" : "stratum+tcp://stratum01.hashco.ws:8888",
		"user" : "xxxxxxxx",
		"pass" : "x",
		"pool-priority" : "0"
	}
]
,
"intensity" : "12,12",
"vectors" : "1,1",
"worksize" : "256,256",
"kernel" : "scrypt,scrypt",
"lookup-gap" : "0,0",
"thread-concurrency" : "4096,7200",
"shaders" : "1024,1440",
"gpu-engine" : "0-0,0-0",
"gpu-fan" : "0-85,0-85",
"gpu-memclock" : "0,0",
"gpu-memdiff" : "0,0",
"gpu-powertune" : "0,0",
"gpu-vddc" : "0.000,0.000",
"temp-overheat" : "85,85",
"api-mcast-port" : "4028",
"api-port" : "4028",
"auto-fan" : true,
"expiry" : "120",
"expiry-lp" : "3600",
"gpu-dyninterval" : "7",
"gpu-platform" : "0",
"gpu-threads" : "1",
"log" : "5",
"no-pool-disable" : true,
"no-show-processors" : true,
"no-show-procs" : true,
"no-unicode" : true,
"queue" : "1",
"scan-time" : "60",
"scrypt" : true,
"skip-security-checks" : "0",
"submit-stale" : true,
"temp-hysteresis" : "3",
"shares" : "0",
"kernel-path" : "C:\\Program Files\\BFGMiner\\/share/bfgminer",
"scan" : [
	"opencl:auto"
]
}

 

[milone]

The 'scan' setting is what is causing the error. There is no support specifically for the scan setting in CGWatcher, and normally it would be able to handle unsupported settings by putting them into a "Miscellaneous" collection... but in this case it's the json it is having problems with. I would suggest changing it to

Code:

"scan" : "opencl:auto"

and see if that works. If not you can remove the 'scan' setting from the config file and set it in arguments instead. In the arguments textbox in Profile Manager, you'd enter:

Code:

--scan opencl:auto

or I believe the short version is -S, so

Code:

-S opencl:auto

should mean the same thing.

I'll have to work out how to handle this because I know there may be more than one 'scan' setting. The easy workaround is to pass these as arguments for now.

[stef942]

hi,

Code:

"scan" : "opencl:auto"

works, thanks Mr Milone 

[Einewton]

Question: Is there a way to set the pre-values?

Like we do in a .bat file:

color 0A
setx GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT 100
setx GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS 1