[vcm] Build your own custom miner OS for your farm, from Debian 64-bit Live iso.

vcm-01 beta testing
****************

Latest readme.txt
Latest ready images info
Latest install.txt

From Latest readme.txt

-vcm is a custom 64-bit debian mining OS, these files are intended to be used on that platform and have not been tested on any other OS.
  vcm is built on a Debian 64-bit live image, and is currently in testing mode.

-Everything is installed on a "clean" Debian 64-bit Live USB stick, were the live iso has been extracted to a blank
  USB stick, and the nessesary steps to make the stick presistent has been made, after that the boot image is made
  from that stick.

-The image has never been booted in any computer, so its a "clean" Live USB stick.
  How to do that? google or Read about it here:

  http://syn.theti.ca/2013/06/22/tutorial-wheezy-live-iso-hybrid-with-persistence-on-usb/

-I do it a little different from that, but the principal is the same.
  Look at my live-to-persistence.txt file for information how I do it for vcm.

  http://vsminer.square7.ch/vcm/live-to-persistence.txt

-The goal with vcm is a fully custom miner OS, the idea is to make the platform ready to manage a mining farm from one or more
  custom vcm-server's, the vcm-server will be running a file server that hosts miner install scripts,
  miner config files and OS update scripts. The vcm-server can also host the miners OS'es on a PXE server.

-The idea is that when the miner wants to change pools, he updates a file on the server, and a update checker will notice the file has
  changed, download the new conf file and restart the default miner or a miner of the operators choosing.
  Same goes for different miners, when a new miner comes out, the operator can make a install script on the server for the new miner, put it
  on the server share, and vcm will automagically install the new miner by running the new script.
  This way it will be automagically installed on all rigs in the farm, that has the auto install script enabled.

-Miners can also be installed "manually", if the operator wants to install a new miner on the farm, he would make a install script for it,
  make a default config file and update the vcm_install_supported_miners.sh script on the server. Then he would run vcm_install_miners on the
  rig, that would get the updated vcm_install_supported_miners.sh and all the other needed files for installing the miner, then a promt would ask
  the operator what miner to install, and the new miner install script will install the miner.

************************************************************************************************

Thats the presentation,

vcm is a project that I have been working on for my own farm, and it's getting ready for production use.

vcm-01 currently supports automatically installing:

- amd 12.8 drivers
- amd 13.11 drivers
- amd 13.12 drivers
- amd 14.6 drivers

- amd app 2.7
- amd app 2.8
- amd app 2.9

1. install cgminer-3.7.2 -for scrypt http://ck.kolivas.org/apps/cgminer/old/3.7/cgminer-3.7.2.tar.bz2
2. install sgminer *latest from github -for scrypt and scrypt-N https://github.com/sgminer-dev/sgminer/archive/master.zip
3. install sph-sgminer -for scrypt https://github.com/prettyhatemachine/sph-sgminer/archive/master.zip
4. install cgminer-gc3355 -for GridSeed ASIC miners https://github.com/girnyau/cgminer-gc3355/archive/master.zip
5. install sph-sgminer_x11mod lasybear -for x11, x13 https://github.com/lasybear/sph-sgminer_x11mod/archive/master.zip
6. install sph-sgminer_x11mod_djm34 -for x11, x13 https://github.com/djm34/sph-sgminer_x11mod/archive/master.zip

- more to come

   --Note! The formatting is not correctly shown in the pastes I make here from the vcm terminal, the real thing looks much better.--

*************************************************--virtuals custom miner--*********************************************

root@vcm-pxe-15:~# vm

*************************************************--virtuals custom miner--*********************************************

   --vcm-pxe-15-- --192.168.10.15-- --eth0 60:a4:4c:37:06:d4--

   -- Time & Uptime: 11:05:04 up 1:56, 3 users, load average: 0.00, 0.02, 0.05 --

   -- CPU Temp: Core 0: +32.0°C Core 1: +33.0°C --

   --GPU Temp: 72.00 C 71.00 C 71.00 C-- --GPU Load: 99% 99% 97%--

****************************************************-- vcm menu --*********************************************

   --miner menu-- --system menu-- --amd menu--

   -start/show miner -start/install apps -view info

   -edit confs -configure -configure

-install/reinstall miners -view info -uninstall/reinstall

[mm]. -go to miner menu -update linux [am]. -go to amd menu

   [sm]. -go to systems menu

-- vcm server menu -- -- pxe menu -- - ssh menu --

-configure vcm server -configure pxe -copy ssh keys

  [vsm]. -go to menu [pm]. -go to pxe menu -delete known hosts

   -open ssh connnection

   [sshm]. -go to ssh menu

*****************************************************-- vcm menu --**********************************************

[up]. -Update vcm [rb]. -Reboot [sd]. -Shutdown [Enter]. -back
[vm]. -vm menu [sm]. -system menu [am]. -amd menu [mm]. -miner menu
[vsm]. -vcm server menu [pm]. -pxe menu [sshm]. -ssh menu

*****************************************************-- vcm menu --************************************************

Choose now :

**************************************************--virtuals custom miner--*******************************************

vcm is terminal mode only miner, everything is done by ssh connection or locally in terminal, openbox is installed but nothing else at the moment, right click on desktop to get the menu and start a terminal.

The installer asks what gpu drivers and amd-app you like to install during the install, it also asks what miner you like to install and asks to edit the miners conf file during miner install.

Everything works with the scripts that I made, from first boot to mining, first you need get the first install script from the web server with wget and run that, after that you just need to answer the questions the installer makes, type boot-2 after first reboot and then boot-3 after second reboot. then type cgminer to start mining and sc to connect to the screen session that cgminer is running in.

There is probably many things that could be done better in vcm, and it still needs may more scripts to be a fully functional farm mining OS and Manager, but you got to start some were I guess.

I'm doing all the work on vcm in my free time, and I'm not a real coder or anything so don't expect me to make vcm in to a full farm manager any time soon.

Next things I'm going to add is more amd drivers to the installer and finishing the VCM/PXE server installer and it's functions, atm ~ 70% ready.

Suggestions for improvement and comments about vcm are welcome, all the scripts and files are here:

vcm

To get started make your own persistent debian usb or download a image I made

at first boot switch to root terminal:

sudo su

make a root password:

passwd

check ip of box:

ifconfig

then ssh in to box and start the installer script:

sh /install/vcm.sh

This thread is not meant to be a support thread for vcm, You'll find me at freenode irc in #vcm if you have support questions.

I'm posting this because maybe some of you miners are interested in customizing your mining OS, and this gives you a base for doing that.

Of course, the ready vcm images I make will work almost out of the box, you just need to install the miner you want, from miner menu, press mm and enter.

vcm is not meant to be a mining OS for beginners at the moment, not because it's difficult to install, thats easy, but when adding your own scripts and getting the farm manager functions to work you are probably going to need to know some more than just windows OS stuff.

And on that note I'll just say, that all questions about how to do anything vcm related on windows is going to be unanswered by me, I have 22 computers and none of them are running windows, so thats out of my league.

**************************************************--virtuals custom miner--***********************************************

root@vcm-pxe-15:~# vcm

***************************************************** System Data **************************************************

Hostname : vcm-pxe-15
IP Address : 192.168.10.15
MAC Address : 60:a4:4c:37:06:d4
Kernel : 3.2.0-4-amd64
Time/Uptime : 10:56:30 up 1:47, 3 users, load average: 0.11, 0.04, 0.05
CPU     : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU G1620 @ 2.70GHz
Cores : 2 @ 1600 MHz
CPU Temp : Core 0: +31.0°C Core 1: +34.0°C
Memory : 4 GB
AMD-driver : fglrx 14.20.7 [May 22 2014] with 3 minors
AMD-APP : OpenCL 1.2 AMD-APP (1526.3)
GPU Load : 99% 96% 96%
GPU Temp : 72.00 C 70.00 C 72.00 C
GPU's:

Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Tahiti XT [Radeon HD 7970]
Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Tahiti XT [Radeon HD 7970]
Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Tahiti XT [Radeon HD 7970]

***************************************************** installed on VCM ************************************************

GPU Drivers : amd-catalyst-14.6-beta-v1.0-may23 aka fglrx-14.20
AMD APP : app-2.9
AMD ADL : amd-adl_sdk_6

******************************************************* commands *************************************************

vm -vcm menu mine -start default miner F11 -switch terminal to fullscreen in desktop mode
vsm -server menu sc -attach to miner screen session Ctrl+Shift+c -copy text in terminal
sm -system menu rb -reboot rig Ctrl+Shift+v -paste in text in terminal
mm -miner menu sd -shutdown rig Shift+Page Up -scroll terminal window up
am -amd menu up -vcm update Shift+Page Down -scroll terminal window down
pm -pxe menu vcm -show vcm info (this screen)
sshm -ssh menu

**************************************************************************************************************************

   type vm to show vcm menu

**************************************************************************************************************************

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