So how do I backup wallet?

ConradJohnson

I've been mining a while and I want to make sure I backup my (Olympic) wallet.

I have an idea of how to do that, but I REALLY don't want to mess this up.

Can anyone walk me through that so that I can make sure I haven't lost anything?

oliverkx

I am a newb myself in this area, but I imagine that all the info you need to keep control of those mined ethers is the 40 character address you specified in you geth command line, and the password you gave when you created the address. The address itself can be public - you can email it to yourself, so you'll have it even if your computer goes up in flames (which is completely possible with a mining rig). For the password, the best would be to write it down on paper, and not keep it anywhere on file, as you just expose yourself to hacking attacks.

If more knowledgeable people would like to chime in, I would love to hear what the pros recommend...

jesus666

@ConradJohnson In your datadir (e.g. on OSX the default is ~/Library/Application Support/Ethereum) you have a subdirectory called keystore. This something you'd want to back up.

However, please make sure your backup works (e.g. remove the keys and copy them back) before you decide to overwrite your datadir.

fosterg

how do I back up my ETHER? tia

dlehenky

@fosterg : Your ether are stored in the blockchain, along with everyone else's. You access it whenever you want, using your coinbase account number and password, to send it to another wallet, person, etc.. You only need your account number to receive ethers from elsewhere. That's why you can go to any Ethereum blockchain tool, like etherchain.org, type in your account number, and see your current balance, transactions you've sent and received, blocks you've mined, etc. It's all there, forever, secured, on the blockchain. That's what this stuff is all about. The blockchain is a perpetual, secure ledger. All you need is your key (password) and account number. You have an encrypted version of your password in the .ethereum/keystore directory (linux), if you are running a full node (geth or eth). You can back that up for safety sake.

-Best Care
David

II_GAV_II

Hi guys - just a quick one, if I was to lose my coinbase account number is there a way to retrieve using CMD?

Just installing ethminer on my server and didn't write it down!

Let me know asap as I'll uninstall everything and start again now if needs be... thank you. G

dlehenky

Are you running 'geth'? If so, at the console prompt, enter:

personal.listAccounts

-Best Care
David

dlehenky

@II_GAV_II : Also, it's printed out in the 'geth' log when it starts up.

II_GAV_II

Thank you David, I'll get that asap.

Still downloading the blockchain] - do you guys have any idea how long this would take at the moment (30 mins, 30 hours)?

And is mining with a CPU less effective than a GPU?

dlehenky

@II_GAV_II : How long it will take is completely dependent on your 'Net bandwidth, and to a lesser extent, your processor, since it will be processing every transaction in the blockchain as it comes in. I can do it from scratch in a couple hours, but I have a 50 Mbit/sec connection and a 6-core i7 doing it. The blockchain is currently about 8 GB and over a million blocks.

It is utterly useless to mine with a cpu. It would literally take you a month or more, 24 x 7, to mine a single block. No joke. A GPU will be over 10 times faster, the exact multiple obviously depends on what CPU you're talking about and the GPU you might use. Beware that some older GPUs with less memory can be really slow, due to the size of the DAG, which is now 1.35 GB.

-Best Care
David

II_GAV_II

Thanks David - funny you should say as I've just realised this in sorts and am currently looking at what GPU I should get to allow me to mine ether in a worthwhile (ish) way...

Do you have any advice on what GPU I could get that would be powerful enough but also work on my server (windows home server 2011)?

And, do I use the coinbase account number as my Ether wallet with a mining company?

Thank you again, G

dlehenky

@II_GAV_II : Yes, the coinbase account number is what you use for your mining wallet. Everyone has their option on GPUs, but AMDs are supported by the stock ethminer, while Nvidia is not. A lot of folks seems to get good results with the Radeon 280/380 series. 2 GB of GPU memory is the absolute minimum you will need, but more is better (don't need 8 GB, though).

-Best Care
David

II_GAV_II

Thanks David.

So an AMD eth mining pc is essentially what I'm going to get a local pc builder to create for me.

I'm going to go for at least one, if not two, AMD Radeon R9 295x2 card for some meaty performance and have a shelf in my garage (which I'll powerline ethernet) cleared so it will be nice and cool constantly (it's f'ing freezing in England at the moment).

But, what other spec do I need? I need minimal HDD capacity, RAM and a basic motherboard right?

Would you be willing to explain what spec you would build with a £2000-3000 (about $4000-5000) budget?

Thanks as always, you're a gent and a scholar!
G.

dlehenky

@II_GAV_II : Most folks run a small SSD for storage, but I went with a Western Digital Blue 1T hard drive. Here in the US, they're the sweet spot, price/size (the 500 GB actually cost a bit more). That way I don't have to think about how big the log files get, etc. I use 8 GB (2 sticks) of RAM (Crucial Ballistic Sport). You can get away with 4 GB (even 2GB, but that gets iffy, and not worth the potential issues). It depends on your OS, configuration, etc. 8 GB is, as with the HD, a "no worries" size. For the MB, I really like the Asrock ATX Anniversary H97, which has 1 x16 slot and 5 x1 slots. I populate the x16 slot with a GPU and use powered USB risers for the x1 slots (I run 6 low-power GPUs). I use an EVGA G2 1300w power supply (10 year warranty), which is about the size you'll need. I don't recommend tying two PSs together; you're only asking for trouble. PS efficiency is an important factor, given the power you'll be using. In the end, a cheap PS will not end up being cheap. Mining 24x7 is not the kind of load cheap generic PSs are designed for. I use a i3-4160 CPU, with 2 cores, 4 threads. Again, more than you really need, but capacity to spare. I buy low-end Corsair cases (Carbide series SPEC-01). I lay the case on it's side, the other side removed, with the GPUs on riser attached to a 1x6 board that spans the width of the case. Overall, I've tried to build my systems so they are actually useful for something other than mining down the line.

For comparison, here's what I pay in the US:

MB (newer.com) $79
RAM (Amazon) $35
HD (Amazon) $55
CPU (Amazon) $119
PS (Amazon) $169
Case (Amazon) $45
______
Total $502

HTH.

-Best Care
David

crsminer

@dlehenky

Hey, thanks for all the info you are sharing here!
Can you post a pic of one of your setups?
Really interested how you build the 1x6 board that you put risers on.

Thanks again!

dlehenky

@crsminer The board is about as simple as it gets. Measure your case top to bottom and add 3 or 4 inches. Cut a 1x6 to that length. Measure 1.5 - 2" in from the right-hand end and mark it. Make 4 more marks, each 4" from the last. The mark will be the right-hand edge of where you place the riser card. The riser have 4 mounting hole; I use two (top-right and bottom-left, usually). Attach the riser base to the board using 1/2" wood screws, but don't over-tighten the screws to the point of flexing the riser base. Place the board at the front of the case, spanning the case. Attach the GPUs and make your connections. Done. I'll be putting another rig together Monday night or Tuesday; I'll try to remember to take some pics. Here are the risers I use (they are available from a number of sources):

http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/7200812309.html?orderId=71791139156953

Scroll down the page to see pics of all the components.

-Best Care
David

II_GAV_II

Thanks David, awesome info.

What kind of hash rate does this rig push out?

My challenge is that i couldnt possibly build my own rig so im going to have pay someone to do it for me, which if buying say an extreme gaming pc will cost £2-3k! Need a pc builder and ill supply the parts...

Is win 7 ok as an os to run ethminer -G?

dlehenky

@II_GAV_II 155 MH/s, no overclocking. I don't touch Windows, but from what I've read on the forums, Windows 7 is the best version to mine with. I run Ubuntu 14.04. So many folks use Windows to mine, and yet the primary platform for the Ethereum developers is Linux, particularly Ubuntu. Next in line is Apple Mac OS X. Windows is the step-child. It has to be supported, because of its ubiquity with average users, but it is not well regarded. Anyway, I'd offer to walk you through a build, if that were practical. I could even send you a disk drive that's ready to boot, so there's be no software issues to deal with. I also have more riser than I can use. But I guess that's all moderately complicated with customs, etc. I don't know if it would end up actually saving you any time or money.

-Best Care
David