HowTo run PoP Miner
See: Main_Page, PoP_Miner_CommandLine, PoP_Transaction_LifeCycle, PoP_Miner_Rewards, PoP_Reward_Summary
Contents
- 1 Overview
- 2 Prerequisites
- 3 Run the PoP Miner
- 4 PoP Mining Lifecycle
- 5 Major Changes
- 6 v0.3.8
- 7 v0.3.0
- 8 Reference
- 9 FAQ
- 9.1 Does the PoP Miner require BTC or tBTC?
- 9.2 How can I see my PoP rewards?
- 9.3 Do I need to run a full Bitcoin node?
- 9.4 Does the Bitcoin I send to my PoP Wallet need to be confirmed?
- 9.5 How do I set the BTC transaction fee?
- 9.6 How to set up a cron schedule for mining
- 9.7 How to auto-mine every Nth round?
- 9.8 Can I run multiple PoP Miners?
- 9.9 Can I import a previous BTC wallet?
- 10 Troubleshooting
- 11 Command Line Reference
Overview
The Proof-of-Proof (PoP) consensus protocol enables a security inheriting blockchain (VeriBlock) to inherit the complete proof-of-work of a security providing blockchain (Bitcoin). For a deeper understanding of the PoP consensus protocol, please refer to the PoP White Paper.
A PoP miner serves as the communication and transactional bridge between the VeriBlock blockchain and the Bitcoin blockchain. As often as they wish, a PoP miner will take the most recent blockchain state data from the VeriBlock blockchain, along with an identification of the miner, and publish it to the Bitcoin blockchain via a transaction containing an OP_RETURN with the embedded data. The PoP miner then waits for the transaction to be included in a Bitcoin block. When a publication transactions is confirmed, the miner constructs and submits a "proof-of-proof transaction" that proves inclusion of the publication in the Bitcoin blockchain as well as ownership of the publication.
PoP mining is a competitive endeavor in which miners compete to have their endorsement of the VeriBlock blockchain state included in the earliest possible Bitcoin block.
Prerequisites
- Send Bitcoins to your local PoP Miner's Bitcoin wallet
- Run local NodeCore instance
Run the PoP Miner
Successful PoP Mining will look something like so:
Initially load everything:
Run the "mine" command:
Setup
Note: If you are having trouble running nodecore-pop on Linux, you may need to make nodecore-pop executable: chmod a+x nodecore-pop
Run a local instance of NodeCore
Unzip nodecore-pop-*.zip In the bin folder, if you're using Windows then run nodecore-pop.bat, if you're using Linux or macOS then run nodecore-pop
Wait a few seconds for the PoP Miner to start up. You should see something like:
===[ NodeCore Proof-of-Proof Miner v0.1.3 ]=== INFO: Connecting to NodeCore at 127.0.0.1:10501 WARN: PoP Miner: NOT READY (Could not connect to NodeCore) WARN: PoP Miner: NOT READY (Bitcoin blockchain is not downloaded) WARN: PoP Miner: NOT READY (Bitcoin service is not ready) SUCCESS: Bitcoin blockchain finished downloading INFO: Wallet loaded, current balance: 0.0 BTC INFO: Send coins to: mit5BbeUcper58ozwbMJCxs9hWAZfRKcWk SUCCESS: Bitcoin service is ready SUCCESS: PoP Miner: READY >
Type "help" to see a list of all available commands:
> help
Commands:
getoperation <id>
getpopendorsementinfo <address>
help [command]
listconfig
listoperations
mine
quit
resubmit <id>
sendbitcointoaddress <address> <amount>
setconfig <key> <value>
showbitcoinaddress
showbitcoinbalance
Currently during the "High Noon" Phase (Starting Sept 13, 2018...), the PoP Miner mines to BTC MainNet, and requires BTC.
Before mining, you should be able to run showbitcoinbalance and see a positive balance
> showbitcoinbalance Bitcoin Balance: 0.049292 BTC
Mine
Simply run the "mine" command
> mine 2018-04-18 12:29:22.215 [15dabd68] Mining operation is now: STARTED 2018-04-18 12:29:22.219 [15dabd68] Mining operation current action: Ready 2018-04-18 12:29:22.221 [15dabd68] Mining operation is now: RUNNING *** COMMAND RESULT *** * INFO: [V201] Mining operation started * To view details, run command: getoperation 15dabd68 ********************** 2018-04-18 12:29:22.226 [15dabd68] Mining operation current action: Getting PoP publication data 2018-04-18 12:29:22.239 [15dabd68] Received PoP mining instructions, publishing data: 00000001000000035D489E6E78F3C759BDDE71EEFB20D97A58A616B1187B6C2B666B827A2C53DCF3B766520B169C3AD22AC941C65AD77B46044AE83955448F00217C8C3562659235A15C85F155CA620C 2018-04-18 12:29:22.242 [15dabd68] Mining operation current action: Creating Bitcoin transaction containing PoP publication data INFO: Received tx '9fb8d3f61826031749e89b6e0b940cf3a265a247691c4399ee5951d3945f15d4', new balance: '0.048938 BTC' 2018-04-18 12:29:23.937 [15dabd68] Signed Bitcoin transaction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dabd68] Submitted Bitcoin transaction: 9fb8d3f61826031749e89b6e0b940cf3a265a247691c4399ee5951d3945f15d4 2018-04-18 12:29:23.940 [15dabd68] Mining operation current action: Waiting for transaction to be included in Bitcoin block >
This will show:
- Bitcoin transaction (can see this on a block explorer, such as: https://www.blocktrail.com/tBTC/tx/9fb8d3f61826031749e89b6e0b940cf3a265a247691c4399ee5951d3945f15d4)
- The 80-byte PoP Payload that will be put in the OP_RETURN
There can be multiple PoP Transactions at once, therefore each is given an in-session identifier, in this case "[15dabd68]". This is a temporary session ID. Ultimately the PoP Transaction will be on the VBK blockchain, and have a VBK Transaction ID.
View Status of Mining
While PoP Mining is very quick to start, it does take several confirmations on the BTC blockchain, and 500 confirmations on the VBK blockchain for payout. You can run getoperation on a session ID to see its current status:
> getoperation 15dabd68
PoP Mining Operation: 15dabd68
Status: RUNNING
Current Action: CONFIRM
PoP Publication Data: 00000001000000035D489E6E78F3C759BDDE71EEFB20D97A58A616B1187B6C2B666B827A2C53DCF3B766520B169C3AD22AC941C65AD77B46044AE83955448F00217C8C3562659235A15C85F155CA620C
Transaction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
Transaction ID: 9fb8d3f61826031749e89b6e0b940cf3a265a247691c4399ee5951d3945f15d4
Block Header of Proof: 00000020D22D248064ECA9D9717DDF2C532CD3681E10B1F97462FC7A6101000000000000B3503C8DF213CC4AE02D0C96D5101DBFA85C0C7A950F1684D97DB9296F3A8C65AB80D75AFFFF001D6295F16F
Context Headers:
000000205D98FA5CE3BB7F40BDC6B74C3A3A0334EC29F4B7FB9850882A14CF9900000000FE7CB67E7E84491F9B2C9BDD08731343EBDE6E1B08E64E18265A70D55FB4F7DCF47BD75A9B03031A171C327000
Merkle Path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
Alternate Blocks:
>
PoP Mining Lifecycle
Current Actions
The WAIT and CONFIRM may take a while. Other steps should be fast.
Once the PoP Miner is done, there is nothing more for it to do, check HowTo_run_PoP_Miner#viewrecentrewards to see about rewards.
| Action | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| READY | Operation has been initialized and is ready to start | |
| PUBLICATION_DATA | Getting the publication data from NodeCore | |
| TRANSACTION | Composing and submitting the Bitcoin transaction containing the PoP publication data | |
| WAIT | "a while" | Waiting and listening for new Bitcoin blocks that include the transaction |
| PROOF | Validating the merkle path of the transaction in the block | |
| CONTEXT | Accumulating Bitcoin block headers to provide enough context to NodeCore to maintain an unbroken SPV view of the Bitcoin blockchain | |
| SUBMIT | Submitting all required proofs of the Bitcoin transaction to NodeCore (NodeCore adds a PoP transaction to mempool) | |
| CONFIRM | maybe several hours | Waiting and listening for new Bitcoin blocks and transaction to confirm 20 times. Handles resubmission of PoP transaction to NodeCore if the Bitcoin blockchain should fork and previous block is no longer in the main branch. |
| DONE | Done with mining. Check HowTo_run_PoP_Miner#viewrecentrewards for upcoming rewards |
Expect this kind of flow in the log:
Note the the PoP Id (2aaef35f) given to each step.
Expect this flow: [2aaef35f] Mining operation current action: Waiting for transaction to be included in Bitcoin block [2aaef35f] Transaction seen in block [2aaef35f] Setting block header of proof [2aaef35f] Found transaction in Bitcoin block with header: [2aaef35f] Mining operation current action: Proving transaction included in Bitcoin block [2aaef35f] Found Merkle path to transaction: [2aaef35f] Mining operation current action: Building Bitcoin context [2aaef35f] Added 3 context headers ... [2aaef35f] Mining operation current action: Submitting completed PoP transaction [2aaef35f] Submitted PoP transaction: B9BC44D4E77CD5EE1E6B05B8154453EB436CC516C1DC9B9D3E22208AA2E3BC2E [2aaef35f] Mining operation current action: Confirming Bitcoin transaction [2aaef35f] New block added, checking confidence [2aaef35f] Mining operation current action: Done [2aaef35f] Mining operation is now: COMPLETE
Major Changes
v0.3.8
IMPORTANT! Bitcoin fee configuration changes from Fee per byte to Fee per kilobyte. The configuration property in the nc-pop.properties file has changed from bitcoin.fee.perbyte to bitcoin.fee.perkb. The configuration value should be 1000 times the previous per byte fee (Bitcoin 1 KB = 1000 Bytes).
The rationale for this decision is that if we assume a normal PoP transaction has a size of ~285 bytes, a +1 increase in the fee per byte results in a 285 Satoshi increase in the final fee (+1 satoshi per byte * 285 bytes). Whereas a +1 increase in the fee per kilobyte results in a "0.285 Satoshi" increase in the final fee (+1 satoshi per kb * 0.285 kb). The net effect is a much finer granularity of control over the final fee.
Additional changes:
- The minimum transaction fee per kb of 1000 Satoshis / KB can be disabled by setting the configuration value bitcoin.minrelayfee.enabled=false. This should be used with extreme caution as it is possible transactions below this threshold are ignored by the Bitcoin network.
- The "change" address used in a PoP transaction will now be reused. Given the high volume of transactions we've seen from PoP miners, importing wallets was becoming prohibitive due to the large number of items (address keys) present in the filter.
v0.3.0
See: Mining_High_Noon#PoP_Miner_Update_for_High_Noon
Proof-of-proof transactions now take place on the Bitcoin MainNet and therefore spend BTC from your PoP miner's wallet.
Reference
VeriBlock "Rounds"
VeriBlock blocks are classified as belonging to one of four rounds. The pattern of rounds repeats every 20 blocks (ending with a block whose number is divisible by 20, e.g. blocks 65461-65480 is a set and 65481-65500 is the next set). The round classification within each 20 block set is illustrated below:
Each set of 20 contains just one Round 4 block, the last block, and is known as a "keystone".
ncpop.properties Reference
These properties can be set in the ncpop.properties file (in bin folder, located next to nodecore-pop.bat). If this file does not exist, it will be created the first time the miner is run.
These can also be seen from running the "listconfig" command, and set with the "setconfig" command.
| Config Key | Default Value | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| bitcoin.network | mainnet | |
| bitcoin.fee.max | 8000 | The maximum transaction fee for any given Bitcoin transaction |
| bitcoin.fee.perkb | 20000 | The Bitcoin transaction fee per kilobyte (1000 bytes) |
| nodecore.rpc.host | 127.0.0.1 | |
| nodecore.rpc.port | 10501 | |
| nodecore.rpc.ssl | false | |
| nodecore.rpc.password | ||
| nodecore.rpc.cert.chain.path | ||
| pop.cron.schedule | A schedule on which to mine, see below for further information | |
| auto.mine.round1 | false | Automatically mine whenever a new "Round 1" block is seen by NodeCore |
| auto.mine.round2 | false | Automatically mine whenever a new "Round 2" block is seen by NodeCore |
| auto.mine.round3 | false | Automatically mine whenever a new "Round 3" block is seen by NodeCore |
| auto.mine.round4 | false | Automatically mine whenever a new "Round 4" block is seen by NodeCore |
WARNING: It is not recommended to configure both the pop.cron.schedule and the auto.mine.roundN properties as it can result in too many unconfirmed transactions chained together.
PoP Cron Scheduler
Cron expressions are a compact format for expressing a recurring schedule. For help constructing an expression, visit an online tool, such as http://www.cronmaker.com/. An example schedule that would trigger a mine operation at :00 and :30 minutes every hour is below:
pop.cron.schedule=0 0/30 * * * ?
PoP Application Status Codes
Status of the PoP Miner
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| STARTED | |
| RUNNING | Will most often see this state |
| COMPLETE | |
| FAILED |
PoP Files
These are files within the \bin folder:
- bitcoinj.nodecore-pop.log - log file for BitcoinJ
- bitcoin-pop-testnet.spvchain
- bitcoin-pop-testnet.wallet --> Bitcoin wallet, this contains your BTC!
- ncpop.properties
- nodecore-pop --> start PoP Miner on linux
- nodecore-pop.bat --> start PoP Miner on windows
- veriblock.nodecore-pop.log --> log file for PoP. If you have errors with PoP mining, keep this file for troubleshooting
FAQ
Does the PoP Miner require BTC or tBTC?
BTC.
Previously the TestNet PoP Miner required tBTC (testnet BTC) during the "Mining Sunrise" phase.
After VBK MainNet launch, the VBK TestNet PoP Miner will again use BTC TestNet (tBTC), and the VBK MainNet PoP Miner will use BTC.
How can I see my PoP rewards?
See: PoP_Miner_Rewards
Do I need to run a full Bitcoin node?
No. The PoP Miner uses the BitcoinJ library and embeds a bitcoin wallet, such that one does NOT need to run a full node to do PoP Mining.
Does the Bitcoin I send to my PoP Wallet need to be confirmed?
No. If the Bitcoin transaction with the deposit ends up being reverted, then the PoP transaction that depends on it just fails.
This also has the benefit of allowing PoP Mining immediately after a BTC deposit, without waiting for several confirmations.
How do I set the BTC transaction fee?
For "what should the BTC fee be", check: PoP_Miner_Rewards#What_should_the_tBTC_Tx_fee_be.3F. This section explains how to set the fee.
Either set it in the ncpop.properties file:
bitcoin.fee.max=8000 bitcoin.fee.perkb=20000
Or set it via the 'setconfig' command:
setconfig bitcoin.fee.perbyte 20000 setconfig bitcoin.fee.max 8000
Note: Make sure to also set 'bitcoin.fee.max'. This is the absolute maximum you're willing to allow the final transaction fee to be. An average transaction may be around 300 bytes (or, 0.3 KB), so, generally the configured maximum should be at least (0.3 KB x bitcoin.fee.perkb).
You can see the current fee by running the 'listconfig' command (HowTo_run_PoP_Miner#listconfig)
How to set up a cron schedule for mining
Properties file is:
pop.cron.schedule=0 0/30 * * * ?
Checkout http://www.cronmaker.com/ for help building the expression
How to auto-mine every Nth round?
The PoP Miner can mine every Nth round. See: HowTo_run_PoP_Miner#VeriBlock_.22Rounds.22
Within a 20 block window:
- round4 = every 20th block, i.e. keystone (highest reward)
- round1 = 1,4,7,10,13,16,19
- round2 = 2,5,8,11,14,17
- round3 = 3,6,9,12,15,18
Set the ncpop.properties file:
auto.mine.round4=true
Note if you wanted different fees for different rounds, you could have multiple miners run. Miner A could run rounds 1-3 at Fee X, Miner B could run round 4 at fee Y.
Note, it is advised to not use this and the cron expression - pick one or the other.
Can I run multiple PoP Miners?
For most people you should not need to. Whereas a PoW Miner (either GPU or CPU) is limited by Hardware and processing power and electricity - i.e. run 10 PoW miners for 10x more likely chance of getting a reward - a PoP miner is limited by BTC for the transaction fee.
It will be easier for someone to manage a single instance of the PoP miner, but mine more frequently by constantly feeding it BTC for the TX fees.
BUT... if you do want to run multiple instances:
- Option A: You'll need to put them in separate folders on the machine and use different BitcoinJ wallets. Do not run the multiple instances of the same executable with the same wallet. Each copy will have it's own set of files: HowTo_run_PoP_Miner#PoP_Files
- Option B: You can also run multiple instances on different machines, all pointed to the same remote NodeCore instance by setting the ncpop.properties 'nodecore.rpc.host=<remote_IP_Here>' (also see [[1]] to set up NodeCore to accept connections from the remote PoP miner)
Can I import a previous BTC wallet?
Yes, just copy bin\bitcoin-pop-*.wallet.
This will carry over the BTC balance.
Troubleshooting
"PoP Miner not ready" warning
| Warning | Solution |
|---|---|
| PoP wallet does not contain sufficient funds | Send Bitcoins to your PoP BTC wallet address. Run commands showbitcoinbalance (it should be greater than zero), and sendbitcointoaddress. |
| Could not connect to NodeCore | Ensure an instance of NodeCore is running, and you could connect to it from the NC_CLI and run getinfo |
| Bitcoin blockchain is not downloaded | Ensure the ncpop.properties file has a line for bitcoin.network=testnet, and wait for the blockchain to download. There should be a message like "Blockchain downloading: 95%". |
| Bitcoin service is not ready | Check the other warnings. There should be a message like "SUCCESS: Bitcoin service is ready". |
I do not have any bitcoin
For mainnet, acquire Bitcoin via normal means.
For testnet, use a faucet to get test bitcoin. You can find a list of popular Bitcoin testnet faucets here: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Testnet#Faucets.
Mining operation action took longer than expected. Operation can be resubmitted.
If you get an error, then try running the resubmit command: PoP_Miner_CommandLine#resubmit
ERROR: Mining operation action took longer than expected. Operation can be resubmitted.
PoP Transaction must complete within a certain period of time to remain relevant, and hence it times out. For example, if there's an abnormally high amount of context headers, that may cause a timeout.
Why does the BTC address change each time I run the showAddress command?
Bitcoin addresses are just a representation of the public key from a public/private key pair. We generate new key pairs every time you run the `showAddress` command. The PoP Miner manages these addresses for you, so you don't have to worry about them. As a privacy best practice, it's best to always use a new address (key pair) every time you receive a payment. The reason the PoP miner (or any Bitcoin wallet) generates a new address each time you receive a payment is for privacy reasons only, because if you use the same address for many transactions, the peers you traded with will be able to identify which other transactions you were involved in, and your identity will be easier to tie to the address. [Credit: A sentence or two for this answer may come from an unknown tech source]
Failed to get PoP publication data from NodeCore
This kind of error implies that NodeCore is not ready.
Try to connect to the NC instance with the NC_CLI and run getinfo:
Failed to get PoP publication data from NodeCore: Status{code=DEADLINE_EXCEEDED, description=deadline exceeded after 14999412514ns, cause=null}
Can you run NC_CLI getinfo?
- Yes --> Then try to repeat the PoP miner operation.
- No --> Troubleshoot NodeCore HowTo_run_NodeCore
