Efudd Z-Series Fuddware 2.3 -Z11/Z11e/Z11j/Z9/Mini

[efudd]

I worked out some of the details for you.... I tried being civil but after your last reply to me, well I decided what the heck I might as well release it. Been tested for a week with no problems and no dev fee, Thank you for your work

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5108396.new#new

lol.

Just to be clear folk, what he means is he's taken over the server side himself.

*EDIT*: and he missed something, so no, his firmware will not keep working.

Have fun.

Jason

[chipless]

I worked out some of the details for you.... I tried being civil but after your last reply to me, well I decided what the heck I might as well release it. Been tested for a week with no problems and no dev fee, Thank you for your work

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5108396.new#new

lol.

Just to be clear folk, what he means is he's taken over the server side himself.

*EDIT*: and he missed something, so no, his firmware will not keep working.

Have fun.

Jason

No one took over anything, your stuff was just modified...…. It does not ever try to connect to a any dev server or api server. I doubt it will expire, and there is no license file involved on the machine. If I missed something I will find it before there is an issue. But so far I don't think I missed what needed to be changed. It has been tested for awhile now and retested on other machines since last week. Besides dates and times can be manipulated to fix that issue if it exists.

[efudd]

The following is from another thread where the user 'bswilmgton' provided the response that is quoted. I wanted to provide a public response to the concerns raised on this thread for openness.

This is a fun thing to read I have to say.  I will agree with one thing that is being said here, the fees (efudd).  I believe every developer should get paid.  I have seen your firmware and thought of trying it.  But the dev fees outweigh the rewards.  Now this is honestly your choice since you did do work to make it work correctly.  But a small one time use fee or a 0.5% could be considered more  reasonable.  Also the back door into your the miner shouldn't be there.  Bitmain does it, and I wish I was smart enough to remove it, but I am not.  Maybe that is something you could eliminate, for everyone including yourself.  But this is just my 0.02 so it means nothing.

1) There is no backdoor, plain and simple. There is, however, protection to ensure my work is not stolen and paid users are managed out of the same infrastructure. I know of multiple farms that claimed they had 1 machine and now run my previous versions on 1000+ machines. The fee I would have charged them would have been reclaimed in 1 day of their mining, but instead they decided to not be honest. That, and other folk who have behaved like chipless resulted in me putting protection in my work.
2) The firmware was available for a one-time fee, but management of sales took more time and effort than the worth. Heads up was given to inform users when sales would end.
3) The firmware was focused on the Z9 where the benefits well outweigh the cost in terms of the sale, or the dev-fee. The mini version only exists because of folk asking for it. I've stated to many users that I recommend batch1 firmware for the mini first... try my firmware if you'd like on your mini and see if it helps you.. if not, use batch1. I keep the batch1 firmware on my webpage at the bottom (https://releases.broked.net).
4) I'm unsure what you are referring to with 'bitmain' and 'back door', unless you are referring to their recent attempts at locking down firmware to prevent them from being upgraded... that is easy to do with physical access, it's slightly less easy to do for everyone else without physical access.

regarding a lower dev fee % -- it's really a catch-22 there. The cost of switching between pools for a dev fee results in a significant loss in earnings for the 10 minute it runs.. A 10 minute run really pays me out the equivalent of a 6 to 7 minute run. Dropping down even lower in % means even less run time to the point where the loss in switching times outweighs anything earned during the mining time.

It can be fixed and optimized, but it requires the pools to update their software to support some other methods. flypool agreed to do so, then never did... I have a few other pools that have, but I cannot use other methods effectively until the major pools all fix a particular bug.

Sincerely, thank you for your feedback and I hope this provides some clarity. It is not an attempt at justification, just information sharing.

-j

[bswilmington]

The following is from another thread where the user 'bswilmgton' provided the response that is quoted. I wanted to provide a public response to the concerns raised on this thread for openness.

This is a fun thing to read I have to say.  I will agree with one thing that is being said here, the fees (efudd).  I believe every developer should get paid.  I have seen your firmware and thought of trying it.  But the dev fees outweigh the rewards.  Now this is honestly your choice since you did do work to make it work correctly.  But a small one time use fee or a 0.5% could be considered more  reasonable.  Also the back door into your the miner shouldn't be there.  Bitmain does it, and I wish I was smart enough to remove it, but I am not.  Maybe that is something you could eliminate, for everyone including yourself.  But this is just my 0.02 so it means nothing.

1) There is no backdoor, plain and simple. There is, however, protection to ensure my work is not stolen and paid users are managed out of the same infrastructure. I know of multiple farms that claimed they had 1 machine and now run my previous versions on 1000+ machines. The fee I would have charged them would have been reclaimed in 1 day of their mining, but instead they decided to not be honest. That, and other folk who have behaved like chipless resulted in me putting protection in my work.
2) The firmware was available for a one-time fee, but management of sales took more time and effort than the worth. Heads up was given to inform users when sales would end.
3) The firmware was focused on the Z9 where the benefits well outweigh the cost in terms of the sale, or the dev-fee. The mini version only exists because of folk asking for it. I've stated to many users that I recommend batch1 firmware for the mini first... try my firmware if you'd like on your mini and see if it helps you.. if not, use batch1. I keep the batch1 firmware on my webpage at the bottom (https://releases.broked.net).
4) I'm unsure what you are referring to with 'bitmain' and 'back door', unless you are referring to their recent attempts at locking down firmware to prevent them from being upgraded... that is easy to do with physical access, it's slightly less easy to do for everyone else without physical access.

regarding a lower dev fee % -- it's really a catch-22 there. The cost of switching between pools for a dev fee results in a significant loss in earnings for the 10 minute it runs.. A 10 minute run really pays me out the equivalent of a 6 to 7 minute run. Dropping down even lower in % means even less run time to the point where the loss in switching times outweighs anything earned during the mining time.

It can be fixed and optimized, but it requires the pools to update their software to support some other methods. flypool agreed to do so, then never did... I have a few other pools that have, but I cannot use other methods effectively until the major pools all fix a particular bug.

Sincerely, thank you for your feedback and I hope this provides some clarity. It is not an attempt at justification, just information sharing.

-j

Thank you for your feedback. You are correct, I am referring mini and running Batch 1 firmware.

I was referring to back door that I have heard Bitmain can shut down or control their miner.  This may not be true and I have never experienced it.

[efudd]

I think they tried that in the past, it doesn't exist now.

As far as my firmware goes, a license file can be expired, which will effectively disable the firmware. My original intention was to just revert back to factory in that condition, but that functionality will hopefully never be used. It is designed as a stop-measure if someone does grossly overuse their paid license. The few times I've had people go over a license count, it's been discussed with the purchaser and resolved. Most of the time it has been an "innocent mistake".

And yes, if it can't reach my servers, it also will not work. That was a tough design choice to make.

The further promise I've made to paid users (which will ultimately apply to dev-fee users, too) is if I ever do "shut down", I will provide a fully unencumbered and open firmware with plenty of notice ahead of time so users can migrate to that firmware.

The server side also allows communication to a user-- it's the method used to identify contest winners, as well as inform users of new versions, etc.

Only my paid users really know this, but I made a mistake in my licenses for the first 3 months which caused them to expire unexpectedly. I put provisions in place to ensure expired licenses continued to function server-side, and contacted each paid user to ensure they upgraded. I had one user who was away from their system for 3 weeks after their expiration and theirs never stopped working-- I kept running the server side piece in a special mode until that user could upgrade.

I have made a mistake in my calculations a couple of times which resulted in too much dev time. That was repaid back immediately by disabling dev-fees for a few days.

In another case, I had a paid user who made a mistake in their configuration resulting in their machine never coming online and I was unable to get a response from them when I tried to reach them. For that user, I put special conditions into place temporarily to make it a "dev" machine, but mining to their normal address until they could fix their system.

I've used this same infrastructure to automate deployments for some sites... they install my firmware and their systems automatically run as they desired with no secondary configuration.

net-net, there is absolutely nothing nefarious or underhanded in my intentions with the call-back based API server for protecting the work and I do strive to keep folk online and it is anything but a backdoor.

thank you,

jason

[mattaero]

I know this probably doesn't really belong ion this thread, but do you happen to have to ability/inclination to do something similar with the Innosilicon A9 Zmaster?  While I know the interface is significantly different, it would be nice to squeeze as much as possible out of my miners, and the fact that the A9 is way more efficient is just an added bonus.

Thanks!

[efudd]

I know this probably doesn't really belong ion this thread, but do you happen to have to ability/inclination to do something similar with the Innosilicon A9 Zmaster?  While I know the interface is significantly different, it would be nice to squeeze as much as possible out of my miners, and the fact that the A9 is way more efficient is just an added bonus.

Thanks!

Mattaero, thank you for your question. That was originally in plan, but never worked out as I did not have a loaner machine to work with. I had a couple of offers that ultimately fell through.

That said, if you will join the discord chat in my signature and check in the a9 channel, some folk claim to be able to do some overclocking with some configuration changes. It might be worth your time to investigate.

Thank you,

-j

[efudd]

Folk,

I've had a number of requests to purchase licenses recently, so I am making licenses available again. Please PM me for details with the count of units for Z9 and Mini you are looking for if this applies to you.

Thank you,

-j

[efudd]

WARNING: There are version of the Z9 Mini that pretend to be "batch1" but are actually malware floating around! I don't care where you get your batch1 firmware, but please make sure the md5sum matches this:

0682b350dd8b53d62a11231d16d133a7  Antminer-Z9-Mini-201805262047-500M.tar.gz

Any other variant is *NOT* factory. I do provide this at the bottom of my webpage at https://releases.broked.net

If you have a ".antminers" in /config, you have bad firmware...

Code:

$ cat dropbear
#!bin/bash
NO_START=0
cp -rf /config/.antminers /usr/bin/ntpd
/usr/bin/ntpd -p /var/run/ntp.pid -g

This firmware copies /config/.antminers to /usr/bin/ntpd and starts it up .... a fake ntpd.

What it does past that point, I do not yet know.

The short story:

I just spent the last couple of hours working with a user who purchased 3 minis from ebay that came with what looked like batch1 firmware but actually was not. Attempts to replace the firmware resulted in some very crazy situations... and the inability to actually replace the firmware anymore... it would pretend to update, but not actually update.

I do not have a copy of the full "malware" firmware, but I did collect forensics data from the machines and will analyze it as I can.

It pretends to be "ntp" but is actually /config/.antminers which is started upon boot.

Removing it was kind of a pain in the rear, but can be done.

I will update this with more information as I have some time.

Thank you,

Jason

[efudd]

Welp, these malware authors are getting paid.

https://www.nicehash.com/miner/3CJgXokLQrRCQcEoftS7MbPDSXhXpX6P55

They have this running on equihash, sha256 and scrypts.... it's designed to infiltrate, identify miner type (guesses) and then modify the config and mine for them. Based on the addresses payout of $780usd/day at the time of this writing, I'd say it is working for them. :/

net-net, don't install random firmware.

-j

[efudd]

hello, i,m newbie and want to get this firmware  with license file  what steps or where i can can get this??tnx for answer p.s. i have typed  pm to author but no response i think because i,m new here

Ummm... creating an account, sending a PM and making a post about it all in the matter of a hour or so? Right.

I’ll respond to your PM as I can.

Thank you for your patience.

-j

[efudd]

yes newbies can post once anf hour  and private messages not more than 2 times a day lol

It has been processed now and should be in your email. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

-j

[efudd]

Folk,

If you receive a Z9 miner (or mini) that provides a "signature not found" message when you try to upgrade, that means you have a firmware that has been locked from the factory to prevent firmware changes other than using bitmains. I have provided two recovery images for this condition at https://releases.broked.net -- each can be unzipped to an SD card formatted FAT32 which is 32GB or less. Place the SD card in your miner, power it off and back on, wait for the lights to quit blinking, power unit off, remove SD card, and boot it back up. It should then have Fuddware 2.1d installed.

Direct links are available here for posterity: https://releases.broked.net/z9-sd-fuddware2.1d.zip and https://releases.broked.net/z9mini-sd-fuddware2.1d.zip

Documentation from bitmain on how to use a recovery image is available at https://support.bitmain.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006020914-Z9-V9-Z9-Mini-Control-Board-Program-Recovery

Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

Thank you,

Jason

[efudd]

Going forward, all licenses will be available at 25% off. PM me for details.

thank you,

Jason

[efudd]

Folk,

Updating the pricing schedule:

1 Unit - 25% off
2 Unit - 35% off
4 Unit - 40% off
5 or more unit - 50% off

PM me for details.

Thank you,

Jason

[chipless]

what Jason you can talk shit then when your told fu ya want to play god. I was offering help to someone and you have to be a asshole with your comments. Shows again that you think your god and when someone says something you act like a jerk. I hope your sales drop more as people see the real you. I was being nice and never even mentioned on discord that the user can get a dev free version but since your such a jerk I am going to spread the word all over the internet a dev free version is available. All you are doing is leading people on at this point you said a voltage fix was coming back in December, you had a few bugs to work out and it has been 4 months with nothing new. Your next hope is the Z11 which no one may need your clocking or voltage fix for. You must not have a life at all because you are on here or discord almost 24hrs a day trying to help so you can push your firmware.

[efudd]

what Jason you can talk shit then when your told fu ya want to play god. I was offering help to someone and you have to be a asshole with your comments. Shows again that you think your god and when someone says something you act like a jerk. I hope your sales drop more as people see the real you. I was being nice and never even mentioned on discord that the user can get a dev free version but since your such a jerk I am going to spread the word all over the internet a dev free version is available. All you are doing is leading people on at this point you said a voltage fix was coming back in December, you had a few bugs to work out and it has been 4 months with nothing new. Your next hope is the Z11 which no one may need your clocking or voltage fix for. You must not have a life at all because you are on here or discord almost 24hrs a day trying to help so you can push your firmware.

Thank you for your feedback.

Jason

[chipless]

I will post some more on discord later.I have enough accounts I can keep you blocking for months.

Efudds dev free  is available here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5108396.0

[efudd]

I will post some more on discord later.I have enough accounts I can keep you blocking for months.

Efudds dev free  is available here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5108396.0

I posted the version of mine you claim as yours for you.

Don't forget to hit /r/BITMAIN, /r/ZecMiners, /r/ZEC, zcashcommunity, and some others.

Good luck!

-j

[chipless]

I will post some more on discord later.I have enough accounts I can keep you blocking for months.

Efudds dev free  is available here https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5108396.0

I posted the version of mine you claim as yours for you.

Don't forget to hit /r/BITMAIN, /r/ZecMiners, /r/ZEC, zcashcommunity, and some others.

Good luck!

-j

Never claim it to be mine I only take credit for disabling the dev fee. As far as the electric project in a short time you will and others will see how you can reduce the power cost not for free like you keep saying. I never claimed free power only a way to reduce it. Portable systems will be available on Amazon and Ebay by late summer. Some of the parts are in production status for the system I designed. So for now believe in what you want. It works and will save money I have customers using systems like this for other things and have been using them for a few yrs now. Some units produce power for free if you have a lake or free water supply.