Topic: Are Avalon's hard to use or setup compared to Butterfly? - page 2. (Read 2931 times)
It's taking me FOREVER to get my BFL ASIC mining, I can't even get my hands on the damn thing, let alone get it running.
Do you need to know any programming or how to code anything to setup an Avalon miner? Is it as easy as downloading the miner program and setting up a worker and ahead you go? Does anyone know what would go into setting one up, and what you need to know or BUT beforehand? Thanks.
To setup an Avalon miner, the first step is to raid China customs mining with them at the moment. To setup a BFL single, the first step is to teleport in the magical land where the unicorns are currently testing and packaging them.
I'm not exactly sure which one is the easier.
If you manage to get one unit though, we know Avalon can be made to work and information is already available on how to do so on the forums with known quirks/workarounds/patches. For BFL, there isn't any tested procedure at all yet so people can only guess based on what BFL published.
I can get around a command line pretty well and operate Linux pretty good. If that's all this machine is using then I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get by. What I'm really trying to figure out is how does cgminer or other pool programs recognize the unit? Is the unit hooked up to your computer via USB or Ethernet somehow? Just trying to learn how it connects and how the unit is administered. I saw the pictures, but was too hard to see the connections.
It connects directly to your network via an ethernet jack. You need to use another computer to remote into the device (SSH or webportal, IIRC), and then set it up for your network and pool credentials. After that, it connects to the pool directly and mines away. I would say that if a CLI or manually setting an IP scare you, then Avalon is not for you. Sounds like you could probably handle it, as it's not exactly rocket science. However, there are a few members on here who openly admit they are scared of a command prompt, and refuse to touch anything of the sort. They're more than happy to plug their Singles into a laptop, and run the Bitminter client. For those people: no, Avalon is not a good idea. 
Avalon is standalone and don't need to be hooked to a computer. Connectivity is done via wireless or ethernet.
You need a computer only for first time setup via ethernet.
You need a computer only for first time setup via ethernet.
I can get around a command line pretty well and operate Linux pretty good. If that's all this machine is using then I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get by. What I'm really trying to figure out is how does cgminer or other pool programs recognize the unit? Is the unit hooked up to your computer via USB or Ethernet somehow? Just trying to learn how it connects and how the unit is administered. I saw the pictures, but was too hard to see the connections.
Do you need to know any programming or how to code anything to setup an Avalon miner?
No.
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Is it as easy as downloading the miner program and setting up a worker and ahead you go? Does anyone know what would go into setting one up, and what you need to know or BUT beforehand? Thanks.
Looks pretty st8forward and easy to me. Most of this stuff has been addressed in user threads threads available here and elsewhere:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/avalon-asic-users-thread-140539
...as to comparisons to BFL gear ease of use, one can only speculate as no end users have their gear.
Are Avalon's hard to use or setup compared to Butterfly? In a word: yes.
Avalon units are not for the uninitiated, or the timid. It comes with no instruction manual of any kind. It comes with a per-configured IP, that you have to remote into, and change the default config settings. Once it is running, I've heard of Jeff complaining about restarts, but I think that's been pretty well addressed by the memory leak fix in CGMiner 2.10.5.
BFL Singles will be very similar to their current products: plug the device into a USB port on your computer, and run a program (like CGMiner).
Avalon units are not for the uninitiated, or the timid. It comes with no instruction manual of any kind. It comes with a per-configured IP, that you have to remote into, and change the default config settings. Once it is running, I've heard of Jeff complaining about restarts, but I think that's been pretty well addressed by the memory leak fix in CGMiner 2.10.5.
BFL Singles will be very similar to their current products: plug the device into a USB port on your computer, and run a program (like CGMiner).
Do you need to know any programming or how to code anything to setup an Avalon miner? Is it as easy as downloading the miner program and setting up a worker and ahead you go? Does anyone know what would go into setting one up, and what you need to know or BUT beforehand? Thanks.
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