[XPM] [ANN] Primecoin High Performance | HP14 released!

[tinnvec]

I'm still having a hard time figuring out the best way to optimize / balance sievesize, sievepercentage, and roundsievepercentage. Any pointers / recommendations from anyone?

Well, I think we are getting to the point where the optimal settings for mainnet will be different from testnet. That means that most of us won't be able to accurately measure the actual block rate and we will have to rely on whatever performance metrics we have. That's where the chains/day estimate comes in. Instead of counting shorter chains found during the search, it's trying to estimate the chances of finding a full-length chain that may lead to a block. Assuming that the model works, it should be the best performance metric available.

The default settings are my best guesses of what the optimal settings would be for most people. With the latest release I was mainly looking at chains/day and then checking 5-chains/h after that to make sure there's some sense in the new setting.

I understand that but it would be helpful, at least for me, to understand how to go about optimizing. So we start with default parameters but where do we go from there? I understand that we should try optimizing chains per day but in what manner? Should we be finding the sweet spot for cpd by adjusting sievesize first (to find the highest value), then doing the same for sievepercentage, then roundsievepercentage? If we tweak the first one in and then change another, will it move the potential optimal point for the first variable optimized?

What I'm ideally looking for is some sort of workflow for optimizing the three variables. Like:

Code:

1) Start with default settings, give it 1 hour to get a history of cpd, then increment seivesize up 200k (or 1M or whatever you choose). Obtain 30 min - 1hr of new data and compare the log file to see what the difference was. When you find the optimal setting for sievesize then move on to sievepercentage.
2) Increment sievepercentage by your chosen amount and compare log performance to find the optimal setting. (This is where, if a different sievepercentage effects the ideal sievesize it would be prudent to go back to step 1).
3) Adjust roundsievepercentage to obtain optimal results.

But maybe roundsievepercentage and / or sievepercentage are more dependent on cores, cpu speed, or something else. I just don't understand it enough to come up with a good process to try to optimize. Something like this would be very helpful. Once we figure out a good way to optimize, it seems like it would be relatively easy to create some type of optimization script that will run through this process, collect variables & performance from the log, and after a day or two of running through the script, spit out "based on the script, these are your optimal settings for this machine". Even if it takes a day to settle into these figures, over the long term it would be worth it.

Love the script idea, to take it even further, you could build the logic in to the miner so that it adjusts itself automatically, helping keep performance high with the changing network.

[Trillium]

From OP's posts it looks like they've done a lot more testing of those variables than anyone else, especially me, so I've started to use the HP9 defaults because of this.

[Tamis]

HP9 runs pretty well with default settings

[dudeguy]

HP9 runs pretty well with default settings

Runs well on a 300 server farm, or on your home PC?

Is anyone solomining still with a handful of processors, or is it Ypool or nothing?

[Aggrophobia]

runs very well cause the difficulty is rising (not because mrlt's gpu miner is out)

[Stinky_Pete]

Is anyone solomining still with a handful of processors, or is it Ypool or nothing?

Yes, 4 quite ordinary home machines. The only one not to get a block in the last two days is the laptop.

[gateway]

Hmm from hp8 to hp9 on this 32 core machine, i went from about 13k down to 5k.. :?

[bcp19]

Hmm from hp8 to hp9 on this 32 core machine, i went from about 13k down to 5k.. :?

That's about normal.  PPS is a broken metric to use for calculations.

[dudeguy]

Is anyone solomining still with a handful of processors, or is it Ypool or nothing?

Yes, 4 quite ordinary home machines. The only one not to get a block in the last two days is the laptop.

Ok I have a i3 ivy a turion x2 laptop and an A6-3400m laptop. I was able to mine 12 blocks total with them until about a week ago I had nothing for a week prior so I just gave up and went Ypool. I'll start solomining again with my i3 although I'm thinking you got a little lucky finding a block on 3/4 machines in the last 2 days. I probably am wrong and just unlucky.

[Tamis]

Do take note that difficulty is skyrocketing !

Haven't found a block for the last 4 hours, 40 servers running...

[vinne81]

Do take note that difficulty is skyrocketing !

Haven't found a block for the last 4 hours, 40 servers running...

What sievesize you running? Roundsievepercentage?

[k0vic]

i'm with you, I have 16 servers each were getting over 16k primes each. I've updated to hp9 on half to see which one I have better luck with. Found 15 blocks yesterday, only 3 today.

[Tamis]

Do take note that difficulty is skyrocketing !

Haven't found a block for the last 4 hours, 40 servers running...

What sievesize you running? Roundsievepercentage?

hp9 default settings

[Tamis]

Difficulty increase the past few days :

30/7 21:17 =  9.25429928
31/7 22:13 =  9.21990514
01/8 18:46 =  9.20411742
01/8 21:30 =  9.20453721
02/8 21:35 =  9.20166713
03/8 14:08 =  9.21277529
04/8 22:06 =  9.31226444

Today we saw a crazy increase where I used to get around a block per hour I found one the last four hours !

I'm getting ready to cut all the servers, the fun is over !

Maybe mtlr testing his gpu miner ?

Edit : 5 servers down - Still made 20 blocks today and got an hour left. Keeping 30 servers for the night, I'll see if I terminate more in the morning.

[vinne81]

i'm with you, I have 16 servers each were getting over 16k primes each. I've updated to hp9 on half to see which one I have better luck with. Found 15 blocks yesterday, only 3 today.

That's just randomness. 16 blocks today (1 hour left), 6 yesterday.

[monsterer]

You have most competent explanation exactly four posts above yours, from the developer himself.

This one?

Assuming that the model works, it should be the best performance metric available.

When talking about chains/day?

[laughingbear]

You have most competent explanation exactly four posts above yours, from the developer himself.

This one?

Assuming that the model works, it should be the best performance metric available.

When talking about chains/day?

[Lauda]

Time to mine some moar 

[Lyddite]

Difficulty increase the past few days :

I have a graph of the past few days, difficulty. There is a link in this post. Unfornately I am not yet able to post attachments here yet.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=251850.msg2866774#msg2866774

Edit : 5 servers down - Still made 20 blocks today and got an hour left. Keeping 30 servers for the night, I'll see if I terminate more in the morning.

You seem to have dedicated quite a bit of infra to this. :-)  Today, I decided to shut down a larger machine and wait and see if the difficulty drops. (No I don't think what I run has a impact on the difficulty.)

[reb0rn21]

I think GPU miner is near alpha release... so keep tho coinz and don`t sell for the fishes!

HP9 is gr8 btw faund 2 blocks today with haswell i5