Cluster building project

Jayv2251

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I need help building a cluster that can mine cryptocurrency! Laugh, if you will, but it's been done already. I'm just having a helluva time getting information on how it was done. I'm not "wealthy" so I can't afford an $8000 ASCII Bitcoin miner that sounds like a jet engine while sucking all the power generated by a nuclear power plant. Spending many hours Googling various means of mining I read an article originally written by Motherboard magazine back in October of 2017. It featured a new program that Samsung was going to roll out called "Upcycling". While there's mention of several different projects done under the scope of this program such as an automatic fish feeder and a Linux cluster using a laptop and 40 Galaxy S5 phones. The premise of the program is to repurpose old tech such as cell phones for other uses. But that's ALL I know about the project. I've, for months now, tried contacting Samsung. I've written their customer service, media, Upcycling group direct. Nobody knows nuttin'! Or I don't get a response at all.

I'm a bit rusty with my Linux. Back when I took my LCA and Linux+ courses, Redhat and Mandrake were the top flavors. We did do a small cluster in class that helped with the Human Genome Project that was going then. While I don't know how the folks over at Samsung did things, but being the type of person I am, I haven't given up. I do know you can mine cryptocurrency with just one computer, utilizing a package called "cpuminer-multi". As the name implies, it's meant to use your PC's CPU to do the mining. There is a small niche of cryptocurrencies designed to be mined using a CPU vs a GPU or ASCII-based processor. Monero (XMR) is one such coin. Of note, cpuminer-multi likes AMD Ryzen processors and doesn't care for anything Intell.

As for hardware, I haven't decided whether to build a small box or look for a refurbished laptop on Amazon. I already have a handful of older Android phones I could easily install Linux on as well. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to enable cpuminer to work in parallel? Suggestions?

 


I have no experience mining bitcoin but I do know you need some serious computing power to be able to mine anything that can give you profit since the professional miners are using expensive Nvidia cards on their mining systems or a mining cluster of several dozen or more mobile phones. Which would still be expensive if you were to buy 50 S5's, If you pay 100-200 per phone it would cost you between $5000 and $10,000 for 50 of them. Are you doing it for the learning experience or to make profit or were you thinking of mining one of the less well known coins?
 
Ah great!!! There is life here!!! LOL!!!!! Dex, no doubt a pool is a way to go. But... when you connect to that pool, it will only see the server, not the other nodes. Still, it gives you a greater advantage to join a pool for payouts.

f33, Not true. I was just looking at S7's in the $60 range. A quick check on eBay, and you can get S5s for as little as $20. You are correct, I'm not going to mine bitcoin. When you're pitting $8000 ASCII processors developed over the last 10 years specifically designed to mine BTC, you just can't compete. Even GPUs are starting to struggle as ASCIIs slowly walk away with the whole game. I'm looking at cryptocurrencies that utilize an algorithm that can be mined with a CPU. Monero (XMR) is one such coin. They changed the algorithm so it's specifically geared towards CPUs (preferring AMD Ryzen over Intell anything), less profitable for GPUs, and not minable with an ASCII processor.

As you can tell, I've been doing my homework. I don't expect anyone to do the work for me. I just need a bit of advice on how to get things working. It's tantalizing to know this has been done in the past, yet there's so little information as to how it was done.

In a nutshell, I'm looking to build a Beowulf parallel cluster on Ubunto (unless it's suggested otherwise). I'd like to use the package cpuminer-multi, as it can mine something like 52 different currencies including Monero. I don't think it would take much effort to set up a cryptocurrency scanner that tracks which ones are the most profitable at the moment. And just switch the cluster between them. Of course, the end game wouldn't be to invest in many of these coins, but to sell, and then use those profits on ones I'm wanting to hold long term.

Besides funds to go run out and buy the latest greatest Ryzen and 100 S20's of course money. The other stumbling block is how to get cpuminer to run in a parallel environment. *IF* that's the right package to use. Just because others are mining with it on a sole processor basis, rather than a cluster like I want to mimic. There might be something out there I'm not aware of that can mine utilizing a cluster's processing power. And that folks is why I'm here! I need help!!!!
 
Ah great!!! There is life here!!! LOL!!!!!

Indeed. We're scattered across the globe - but most of us are just users or have maybe a small network they're responsible for.

There's also no need to 'bump' your posts. Someone'll come along and try to help - when they're able and (more importantly) if they think they can help. There are a number of more active forums on the 'net, but we do what we can with the (human) resources we have available to us.

Personally, I haven't tried clustering anything for ages and only did so to see how it was done. That was like a decade ago.
 
I wasn't intending on bumping anything. I'd been busy for days at work, and had a brief moment to share more information I had learned.

Honestly, I don't mind a slower forum to discuss this on. The busiest forms seem to be inundated with spam. It gives me more time to do more research, and I might end up taking a course or three via Udemy to get this working!

KGIII, what do you remember? It's been even longer for me. About 20 years since I did anything with Linux.
 
Oh, my company was clustering before 'distributed computing' was even a phrase. I, however, employed the IT staff. I had nothing to do with it at a personal level. I also suggested clustering old phones years ago, as a way to recycle and avoid e-waste. I never took any steps towards that, but it got some interest on Slashdot - but mostly negative interest.

You can check this thread:


You can also ask the author of that post questions, but they may be a little slow to respond.

I'd say it was close to a decade ago when I took a few computers, all fairly similar hardware at the time, and made my own Beowulf cluster. At least I'm pretty sure it was called Beowulf. A quick scan says I didn't keep notes, or I lost the notes, but I can skim through some backups to see if my notes exist elsewhere.
 
Oh, wait, you'd already posted in that thread.

Well, again, you can ask 'em questions.
 
What I need is someone to help a rusty person like myself understand how the server parses (breaks up) an algorithm and assigns work to the nodes. There are many CPU mining packages for Linux. All based around the original CPUMINER. Most are a derivative of that. CPUMINER-Multi, CPUMINER-OPT(imized), and a third one that's don't follow GNU licensing rules. A fourth branch was rewritten and is called XMRIG, specifically designed to mine XMR Monero tokens.

I already know that mining cryptocurrency with a cluster is achievable as I've cited two different instances. Even as rusty as I am, I could probably figure out with too much more effort how to set up the cluster. It's getting the mining package to work I'm stumbling on now.
 
Hmm... I'm not sure anyone here would know that information. Worse, I'm not sure where best to send you.

I don't think any of us here (you get kinda familiar with each other after a while) has done anything like this or knows this stuff off the top of their head. I'd love to be surprised.
 
Have to look at the bright side. I'm learning quite a bit trying to figure this all out. I believe I've mentioned that if necessary, I'd take a class or three via Udemy if that's what it takes to get this done.
 
Someone's gotta know this information. LOL If you learn this information, you'll probably be among a pretty select group of people that understands it!

So, there's that!
 
Hey I have used Linux since windoze millenium. I have decided to try to mine crypto via a cluster as my day job sucks. I will let you know how I get on if I learn anything interesting. If nothing else, I will have my own supercomputer !!!!
 

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