/nomp

NOMP version combining multiple commits.

Primary LanguageJavaScriptGNU General Public License v2.0GPL-2.0

Some basic considerations of Blockchain, mining, pool.

  • Blockchain.Mining key concepts
  • Pool probability calculator

NOMP NOMP Logo

Node Open Mining Portal

This portal is an extremely efficient, highly scalable, all-in-one, easy to setup cryptocurrency mining pool written entirely in Node.js. It contains a stratum poolserver; reward/payment/share processor; and a (not yet completed) responsive user-friendly front-end website featuring mining instructions, in-depth live statistics, and an admin center.

Production Usage Notice

This is beta software. All of the following are things that can change and break an existing NOMP setup: functionality of any feature, structure of configuration files and structure of redis data. If you use this software in production then DO NOT pull new code straight into production usage because it can and often will break your setup and require you to tweak things like config files or redis data.

Paid Solution

Usage of this software requires abilities with sysadmin, database admin, coin daemons, and sometimes a bit of programming. Running a production pool can literally be more work than a full-time job.

Coin switching & auto-exchanging for payouts in BTC/LTC to miners is a feature that very likely will not be included in this project.

Table of Contents

Features

  • For the pool server it uses the highly efficient node-stratum-pool module which supports vardiff, POW & POS, transaction messages, anti-DDoS, IP banning, several hashing algorithms.

  • The portal has an MPOS compatibility mode so that the it can function as a drop-in-replacement for python-stratum-mining. This mode can be enabled in the configuration and will insert shares into a MySQL database in the format which MPOS expects. For a direct tutorial see the wiki page Setting up NOMP for MPOS usage.

  • Multi-pool ability - this software was built from the ground up to run with multiple coins simultaneously (which can have different properties and hashing algorithms). It can be used to create a pool for a single coin or for multiple coins at once. The pools use clustering to load balance across multiple CPU cores.

  • For reward/payment processing, shares are inserted into Redis (a fast NoSQL key/value store). The PROP (proportional) reward system is used with Redis Transactions for secure and super speedy payouts. There is zero risk to the pool operator. Shares from rounds resulting in orphaned blocks will be merged into share in the current round so that each and every share will be rewarded

  • This portal does not have user accounts/logins/registrations. Instead, miners simply use their coin address for stratum authentication. A minimalistic HTML5 front-end connects to the portals statistics API to display stats from from each pool such as connected miners, network/pool difficulty/hash rate, etc.

  • Coin-switching ports using coin-networks and crypto-exchange APIs to detect profitability. Miner's connect to these ports with their public key which NOMP uses to derive an address for any coin needed to be paid out.

Attack Mitigation

  • Detects and thwarts socket flooding (garbage data sent over socket in order to consume system resources).
  • Detects and thwarts zombie miners (botnet infected computers connecting to your server to use up sockets but not sending any shares).
  • Detects and thwarts invalid share attacks:
    • NOMP is not vulnerable to the low difficulty share exploits happening to other pool servers. Other pool server software has hardcoded guesstimated max difficulties for new hashing algorithms while NOMP dynamically generates the max difficulty for each algorithm based on values founds in coin source code.
    • IP banning feature which on a configurable threshold will ban an IP for a configurable amount of time if the miner submits over a configurable threshold of invalid shares.
  • NOMP is written in Node.js which uses a single thread (async) to handle connections rather than the overhead of one thread per connection, and clustering is also implemented so all CPU cores are taken advantage of.

Security

NOMP has some implicit security advantages for pool operators and miners:

  • Without a registration/login system, non-security-oriented miners reusing passwords across pools is no longer a concern.
  • Automated payouts by default and pool profits are sent to another address so pool wallets aren't plump with coins - giving hackers little reward and keeping your pool from being a target.
  • Miners can notice lack of automated payments as a possible early warning sign that an operator is about to run off with their coins.

Planned Features

  • NOMP API - Used by the website to display stats and information about the pool(s) on the portal's front-end website, and by the NOMP Desktop app to retrieve a list of available coins (and version-bytes for local wallet/address generation).

  • To reduce variance for pools just starting out which have little to no hashing power a feature is planned which will allow your own pool to connect upstream to a larger pool server. It will request work from the larger pool then redistribute the work to our own connected miners.

Community / Support

IRC

Join our subreddit /r/nomp!

Having problems getting the portal running due to some module dependency error? It's probably because you didn't follow the instructions in this README. Please read the usage instructions including requirements and downloading/installing. If you've followed the instructions completely and are still having problems then open an issue here on github or join our #nomp IRC channel and explain your problem :).

If your pool uses NOMP let us know and we will list your website here.

Some pools using NOMP or node-stratum-module:

Usage

Requirements

Seriously

Those are legitimate requirements. If you use old versions of Node.js or Redis that may come with your system package manager then you will have problems. Follow the linked instructions to get the last stable versions.

Redis security warning: be sure firewall access to redis - an easy way is to include bind 127.0.0.1 in your redis.conf file. Also it's a good idea to learn about and understand software that you are using - a good place to start with redis is data persistence.

0) Setting up coin daemon

Follow the build/install instructions for your coin daemon. Your coin.conf file should end up looking something like this:

daemon=1
rpcuser=litecoinrpc
rpcpassword=securepassword
rpcport=19332

For redundancy, its recommended to have at least two daemon instances running in case one drops out-of-sync or offline, all instances will be polled for block/transaction updates and be used for submitting blocks. Creating a backup daemon involves spawning a daemon using the -datadir=/backup command-line argument which creates a new daemon instance with it's own config directory and coin.conf file. Learn about the daemon, how to use it and how it works if you want to be a good pool operator. For starters be sure to read:

1) Downloading & Installing

Clone the repository and run npm update for all the dependencies to be installed:

git clone https://github.com/zone117x/node-open-mining-portal.git nomp
cd nomp
npm update

2) Configuration

Portal config

Inside the config_example.json file, ensure the default configuration will work for your environment, then copy the file to config.json.

Explanation for each field:

{
    /* Specifies the level of log output verbosity. Anything more severe than the level specified
       will also be logged. */
    "logLevel": "debug", //or "warning", "error"

    /* By default NOMP logs to console and gives pretty colors. If you direct that output to a
       log file then disable this feature to avoid nasty characters in your log file. */
    "logColors": true,


    /* The NOMP CLI (command-line interface) will listen for commands on this port. For example,
       blocknotify messages are sent to NOMP through this. */
    "cliPort": 17117,

    /* By default 'forks' is set to "auto" which will spawn one process/fork/worker for each CPU
       core in your system. Each of these workers will run a separate instance of your pool(s),
       and the kernel will load balance miners using these forks. Optionally, the 'forks' field
       can be a number for how many forks will be spawned. */
    "clustering": {
        "enabled": true,
        "forks": "auto"
    },

    /* Pool config file will inherit these default values if they are not set. */
    "defaultPoolConfigs": {

        /* Poll RPC daemons for new blocks every this many milliseconds. */
        "blockRefreshInterval": 1000,

        /* If no new blocks are available for this many seconds update and rebroadcast job. */
        "jobRebroadcastTimeout": 55,

        /* Disconnect workers that haven't submitted shares for this many seconds. */
        "connectionTimeout": 600,

        /* (For MPOS mode) Store the block hashes for shares that aren't block candidates. */
        "emitInvalidBlockHashes": false,

        /* This option will only authenticate miners using an address or mining key. */
        "validateWorkerUsername": true,

        /* Enable for client IP addresses to be detected when using a load balancer with TCP
           proxy protocol enabled, such as HAProxy with 'send-proxy' param:
           http://haproxy.1wt.eu/download/1.5/doc/configuration.txt */
        "tcpProxyProtocol": false,

        /* If under low-diff share attack we can ban their IP to reduce system/network load. If
           running behind HAProxy be sure to enable 'tcpProxyProtocol', otherwise you'll end up
           banning your own IP address (and therefore all workers). */
        "banning": {
            "enabled": true,
            "time": 600, //How many seconds to ban worker for
            "invalidPercent": 50, //What percent of invalid shares triggers ban
            "checkThreshold": 500, //Perform check when this many shares have been submitted
            "purgeInterval": 300 //Every this many seconds clear out the list of old bans
        },

        /* Used for storing share and block submission data and payment processing. */
        "redis": {
            "host": "127.0.0.1",
            "port": 6379
        }
    },

    /* This is the front-end. Its not finished. When it is finished, this comment will say so. */
    "website": {
        "enabled": true,
        /* If you are using a reverse-proxy like nginx to display the website then set this to
           127.0.0.1 to not expose the port. */
        "host": "0.0.0.0",
        "port": 80,
        /* Used for displaying stratum connection data on the Getting Started page. */
        "stratumHost": "cryppit.com",
        "stats": {
            /* Gather stats to broadcast to page viewers and store in redis for historical stats
               every this many seconds. */
            "updateInterval": 15,
            /* How many seconds to hold onto historical stats. Currently set to 24 hours. */
            "historicalRetention": 43200,
            /* How many seconds worth of shares should be gathered to generate hashrate. */
            "hashrateWindow": 300
        },
        /* Not done yet. */
        "adminCenter": {
            "enabled": true,
            "password": "password"
        }
    },

    /* Redis instance of where to store global portal data such as historical stats, proxy states,
       ect.. */
    "redis": {
        "host": "127.0.0.1",
        "port": 6379
    },


    /* With this switching configuration, you can setup ports that accept miners for work based on
       a specific algorithm instead of a specific coin. Miners that connect to these ports are
       automatically switched a coin determined by the server. The default coin is the first
       configured pool for each algorithm and coin switching can be triggered using the
       cli.js script in the scripts folder.

       Miners connecting to these switching ports must use their public key in the format of
       RIPEMD160(SHA256(public-key)). An address for each type of coin is derived from the miner's
       public key, and payments are sent to that address. */
    "switching": {
        "switch1": {
            "enabled": false,
            "algorithm": "sha256",
            "ports": {
                "3333": {
                    "diff": 10,
                    "varDiff": {
                        "minDiff": 16,
                        "maxDiff": 512,
                        "targetTime": 15,
                        "retargetTime": 90,
                        "variancePercent": 30
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "switch2": {
            "enabled": false,
            "algorithm": "scrypt",
            "ports": {
                "4444": {
                    "diff": 10,
                    "varDiff": {
                        "minDiff": 16,
                        "maxDiff": 512,
                        "targetTime": 15,
                        "retargetTime": 90,
                        "variancePercent": 30
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "switch3": {
            "enabled": false,
            "algorithm": "x11",
            "ports": {
                "5555": {
                    "diff": 0.001
                }
            }
        }
    },

    "profitSwitch": {
        "enabled": false,
        "updateInterval": 600,
        "depth": 0.90,
        "usePoloniex": true,
        "useCryptsy": true,
        "useMintpal": true
    }
}
Coin config

Inside the coins directory, ensure a json file exists for your coin. If it does not you will have to create it. Here is an example of the required fields:

{
    "name": "Litecoin",
    "symbol": "ltc",
    "algorithm": "scrypt",

    /* Magic value only required for setting up p2p block notifications. It is found in the daemon
       source code as the pchMessageStart variable.
       For example, litecoin mainnet magic: http://git.io/Bi8YFw
       And for litecoin testnet magic: http://git.io/NXBYJA */
    "peerMagic": "fbc0b6db", //optional
    "peerMagicTestnet": "fcc1b7dc" //optional

    //"txMessages": false, //options - defaults to false

    //"mposDiffMultiplier": 256, //options - only for x11 coins in mpos mode
}

For additional documentation how to configure coins and their different algorithms see these instructions.

Pool config

Take a look at the example json file inside the pool_configs directory. Rename it to yourcoin.json and change the example fields to fit your setup.

Description of options:

{
    "enabled": true, //Set this to false and a pool will not be created from this config file
    "coin": "litecoin.json", //Reference to coin config file in 'coins' directory

    "address": "mi4iBXbBsydtcc5yFmsff2zCFVX4XG7qJc", //Address to where block rewards are given

    /* Block rewards go to the configured pool wallet address to later be paid out to miners,
       except for a percentage that can go to, for examples, pool operator(s) as pool fees or
       or to donations address. Addresses or hashed public keys can be used. Here is an example
       of rewards going to the main pool op, a pool co-owner, and NOMP donation. */
    "rewardRecipients": {
        "n37vuNFkXfk15uFnGoVyHZ6PYQxppD3QqK": 1.5, //1.5% goes to pool op
        "mirj3LtZxbSTharhtXvotqtJXUY7ki5qfx": 0.5, //0.5% goes to a pool co-owner

        /* 0.1% donation to NOMP. This pubkey can accept any type of coin, please leave this in
           your config to help support NOMP development. */
        "22851477d63a085dbc2398c8430af1c09e7343f6": 0.1
    },

    "paymentProcessing": {
        "enabled": true,

        /* Every this many seconds get submitted blocks from redis, use daemon RPC to check
           their confirmation status, if confirmed then get shares from redis that contributed
           to block and send out payments. */
        "paymentInterval": 30,

        /* Minimum number of coins that a miner must earn before sending payment. Typically,
           a higher minimum means less transactions fees (you profit more) but miners see
           payments less frequently (they dislike). Opposite for a lower minimum payment. */
        "minimumPayment": 0.01,

        /* This daemon is used to send out payments. It MUST be for the daemon that owns the
           configured 'address' that receives the block rewards, otherwise the daemon will not
           be able to confirm blocks or send out payments. */
        "daemon": {
            "host": "127.0.0.1",
            "port": 19332,
            "user": "testuser",
            "password": "testpass"
        }
    },

    /* Each pool can have as many ports for your miners to connect to as you wish. Each port can
       be configured to use its own pool difficulty and variable difficulty settings. varDiff is
       optional and will only be used for the ports you configure it for. */
    "ports": {
        "3032": { //A port for your miners to connect to
            "diff": 32, //the pool difficulty for this port

            /* Variable difficulty is a feature that will automatically adjust difficulty for
               individual miners based on their hashrate in order to lower networking overhead */
            "varDiff": {
                "minDiff": 8, //Minimum difficulty
                "maxDiff": 512, //Network difficulty will be used if it is lower than this
                "targetTime": 15, //Try to get 1 share per this many seconds
                "retargetTime": 90, //Check to see if we should retarget every this many seconds
                "variancePercent": 30 //Allow time to very this % from target without retargeting
            }
        },
        "3256": { //Another port for your miners to connect to, this port does not use varDiff
            "diff": 256 //The pool difficulty
        }
    },

    /* More than one daemon instances can be setup in case one drops out-of-sync or dies. */
    "daemons": [
        {   //Main daemon instance
            "host": "127.0.0.1",
            "port": 19332,
            "user": "testuser",
            "password": "testpass"
        }
    ],

    /* This allows the pool to connect to the daemon as a node peer to receive block updates.
       It may be the most efficient way to get block updates (faster than polling, less
       intensive than blocknotify script). It requires the additional field "peerMagic" in
       the coin config. */
    "p2p": {
        "enabled": false,

        /* Host for daemon */
        "host": "127.0.0.1",

        /* Port configured for daemon (this is the actual peer port not RPC port) */
        "port": 19333,

        /* If your coin daemon is new enough (i.e. not a shitcoin) then it will support a p2p
           feature that prevents the daemon from spamming our peer node with unnecessary
           transaction data. Assume its supported but if you have problems try disabling it. */
        "disableTransactions": true
    },

    /* Enabled this mode and shares will be inserted into in a MySQL database. You may also want
       to use the "emitInvalidBlockHashes" option below if you require it. The config options
       "redis" and "paymentProcessing" will be ignored/unused if this is enabled. */
    "mposMode": {
        "enabled": false,
        "host": "127.0.0.1", //MySQL db host
        "port": 3306, //MySQL db port
        "user": "me", //MySQL db user
        "password": "mypass", //MySQL db password
        "database": "ltc", //MySQL db database name

        /* Checks for valid password in database when miners connect. */
        "checkPassword": true,

        /* Unregistered workers can automatically be registered (added to database) on stratum
           worker authentication if this is true. */
        "autoCreateWorker": false
    }
}

You can create as many of these pool config files as you want (such as one pool per coin you which to operate). If you are creating multiple pools, ensure that they have unique stratum ports.

For more information on these configuration options see the pool module documentation

[Optional, recommended] Setting up blocknotify
  1. In config.json set the port and password for blockNotifyListener
  2. In your daemon conf file set the blocknotify command to use:
node [path to cli.js] [coin name in config] [block hash symbol]

Example: inside dogecoin.conf add the line

blocknotify=node /home/nomp/scripts/cli.js blocknotify dogecoin %s

Alternatively, you can use a more efficient block notify script written in pure C. Build and usage instructions are commented in scripts/blocknotify.c.

3) Start the portal

node init.js
Optional enhancements for your awesome new mining pool server setup:
  • Use something like forever to keep the node script running in case the master process crashes.
  • Use something like redis-commander to have a nice GUI for exploring your redis database.
  • Use something like logrotator to rotate log output from NOMP.
  • Use New Relic to monitor your NOMP instance and server performance.

Upgrading NOMP

When updating NOMP to the latest code its important to not only git pull the latest from this repo, but to also update the node-stratum-pool and node-multi-hashing modules, and any config files that may have been changed.

  • Inside your NOMP directory (where the init.js script is) do git pull to get the latest NOMP code.
  • Remove the dependenices by deleting the node_modules directory with rm -r node_modules.
  • Run npm update to force updating/reinstalling of the dependencies.
  • Compare your config.json and pool_configs/coin.json configurations to the latest example ones in this repo or the ones in the setup instructions where each config field is explained. You may need to modify or add any new changes.

Donations

To support development of this project feel free to donate :)

  • BTC: 1KRotMnQpxu3sePQnsVLRy3EraRFYfJQFR
  • LTC: LKfavSDJmwiFdcgaP1bbu46hhyiWw5oFhE
  • VTC: VgW4uFTZcimMSvcnE4cwS3bjJ6P8bcTykN
  • MAX: mWexUXRCX5PWBmfh34p11wzS5WX2VWvTRT
  • QRK: QehPDAhzVQWPwDPQvmn7iT3PoFUGT7o8bC
  • DRK: XcQmhp8ANR7okWAuArcNFZ2bHSB81jpapQ
  • DOGE: DBGGVtwAAit1NPZpRm5Nz9VUFErcvVvHYW
  • Cryptsy Trade Key: 254ca13444be14937b36c44ba29160bd8f02ff76

Credits

License

Released under the GNU General Public License v2

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html