block origin, which pool mined that block?

[Graet]

Hi Kinlo,

It's just a collection of website scrapers it seems, nothing that pool hoppers didn't have a year ago too... nice work nevertheless but of limited usability (and cheating pool operators won't be pointed out by this).

Actually, I've found it to shown some insight into "cheating" pool operators.  Look at ecki, they find a block from time to time, but their data is never correct - every time another pool found the same block - pools I know that are not incorrect...

Could you tell me please in a bit more details what "cheating" is ongoing in our pool?
(I am the operator of https://miner.ecki.net:444)

Do you consider in your chart that we are operating different pool-servers in Europe and Asia?
I would like to provide the IP addresses to you or whatever you need so that our pool is shown up correct in your static chart.

Sunny regards from holiday island Koh Samui (Thailand),
 Eckmar Eckel

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=66026.msg1161968#msg1161968
pretty much covers it
might be worth checking your software and announcing the correct blocks - this will help avoid this type of accusation confusion

[kinlo]

Eckmar,

I should learn to write more clearly.  I don't claim you are cheating, I'm sure it is very well possible that you do find blocks when you say you do. However, the data you provide on your site is plain wrong.  Not being transparent about what your pool finds is usually an indication that you might be altering the list of blocks you find, but I currently have no proof that you are indeed cheating.

If I look at your site, on https://miner.ecki.net:444/blocks.php you claim that you found block 197,288.  However, exactly the same block number has been found by Deepbit.  Only one pool finds a certain block, it is not possible that 2 pools find the same block - if they do one of the blocks becomes an orphan/invalid block, and you wouldn't get any reward from it as it gets discarded by the network.

The problem with your pool is that almost every block you find has this problem, almost every time another pool found the same block number.   In other words, the block numbers you claim to have found on your site are plain wrong. 

I strongly recommend looking into it.  Also, please do NOT supply people the block number, although that number is informative, it is more useful to give the block hash, or generation hash for the blocks you find.  A simple listtransactions on your bitcoin client will give the generation hash for the blocks, and publishing that information will make sure that I have correct information, as calculating the block number is somewhat difficult, and implemented completely wrong on your site.

Please give me an URL where you publish the block hashes or block generation hashes, so I can have accurate information about your pool.

For more information do not hesitate to contact me on IRC (nick kinlo) or by sending a private message on this board.

[P4man]

Graet linked to a discussion about this. The answer is provided by shadesofmarble here:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=66026.msg1162121#msg1162121

Block numbers are off. Blocknumber+1 is the correct one. So just a bug in the pool software Smiley

IOW, Eckmar is reporting the wrong blockheight.

[eckmar]

Hi Great,

...
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=66026.msg1161968#msg1161968
pretty much covers it
might be worth checking your software and announcing the correct blocks - this will help avoid this type of accusation confusion

Many thanks for this very helpful link. 

I will talk to the developer and we will fix this problem today.

Sunny regards from holiday island Koh Samui,
 Ecki

[eckmar]

Hello kinlo,

...
I should learn to write more clearly.  I don't claim you are cheating, I'm sure it is very well possible that you do find blocks when you say you do. However, the data you provide on your site is plain wrong.  Not being transparent about what your pool finds is usually an indication that you might be altering the list of blocks you find, but I currently have no proof that you are indeed cheating.
...

...
Actually, I've found it to shown some insight into "cheating" pool operators.  Look at ecki, they find a block from time to time, but their data is never correct - every time another pool found the same block - pools I know that are not incorrect...

Well if you are talking public on a board end of April about "cheating pool operators" and mention our pool as an example, I think it would be at least fair if you would contact me by PM or Email and ask for explanation.
Do you agree?
Instead you are telling me about 4 months later: "I don't claim you are cheating."
Your end of April announcement sounds very different from your current statement to me.
May be you can rephrase it?
Please keep in mind that you can easily destroy reputation of a pool by stating that the pool operator is cheating!

I strongly recommend looking into it.  Also, please do NOT supply people the block number, although that number is informative, it is more useful to give the block hash, or generation hash for the blocks you find.  A simple listtransactions on your bitcoin client will give the generation hash for the blocks, and publishing that information will make sure that I have correct information, as calculating the block number is somewhat difficult, and implemented completely wrong on your site.
...

Well this "implemented completely wrong" looks to me that we just report the blocks which we found with +1, so the previous block should be ours.
I let the programmer fix this problem today.

Again, please give everybody the chance of feedback before you blame him in public "cheating" in future.
Thanks for that in advance.

Sunny regards from holiday island Koh Samui,
 Ecki

P.S.: Nevertheless I like your chart. Good work!

Edit 6.9.2012 13.00 h:
The original program code subtracts -1 from the block number (for no reason?), this bug has been fixed now in our current code.
Right now we are reworking all the block numbers in our database so that the "Last 30 Blocks Found" list should be correct in a few hours.

[kinlo]

Hello kinlo,

Well if you are talking public on a board end of April about "cheating pool operators" and mention our pool as an example, I think it would be at least fair if you would contact me by PM or Email and ask for explanation.
Do you agree?

You are right, I hereby apologize for my behavior.  I did try to contact you on irc - Graet told me you came online under the nick Eckmar from time to time - but after several attempts to find you I totally forgot about it.  I should have made further attempts to contact you.  I hereby retract my comments about your pool.

Well this "implemented completely wrong" looks to me that we just report the blocks which we found with +1, so the previous block should be ours.
I let the programmer fix this problem today.

Well, once the number is wrong, it's hard to know what's going on on your pool.   Thanks for fixing it.

Can I ask again for links to blockexplorer using blockhashes or transaction hashes?  You can retrieve that information from your bitcoin client, and they are much more reliable - when a block becomes invalid my site will no longer link that block to your site.

P.S.: Nevertheless I like your chart. Good work!

Thanks!

[kinlo]

And on a lighter note, we're below 10% of unknown blocks!

I still need everyone's help to figure out which pool found one of those unidentified blocks!

Should you know which pool mined blocks such as 197654, 197652 or 197650, or any other block that remains unknown on the blocklist at http://blockorigin.pfoe.be/blocklist.php, feel free to contact me so this site can be more accurate!

[eleuthria]

Hi kinlo,
  I noticed blockorigin stopped recognizing blocks from BTC Guild.  Not quite sure why, nothing has changed software side other than moving some servers around.  All the blocks still contain either 'BTC Guild' or 'Mined by BTC Guild' somewhere in the coinbase message.  The last block identified as BTC Guild on blockorigin was #223477.  I'm not sure if any are missing before that, but none show up after it.

[kinlo]

Hi eleuthria,

I noticed blockorigin stopped recognizing blocks from BTC Guild.  Not quite sure why, nothing has changed software side other than moving some servers around.

Actually, you gave me the url that I used on irc, and that one stopped working

In any case, the url has been updated, and it seems that it is working again.  Thanks for the update.

[eleuthria]

Hi eleuthria,

I noticed blockorigin stopped recognizing blocks from BTC Guild.  Not quite sure why, nothing has changed software side other than moving some servers around.

Actually, you gave me the url that I used on irc, and that one stopped working

In any case, the url has been updated, and it seems that it is working again.  Thanks for the update.

Ah, sorry .  It's been so long I don't remember giving out a URL, so I just assumed it was reading my coinbase flags.  Thanks for correcting it!

[kinlo]

Added AsicMiner.  They have grown dangerously large....