v0.7.20 release.

README.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# teamredminer v0.7.19
+# teamredminer v0.7.20
 This is an optimized miner for AMD GPUs created by todxx and kerney666.
 
 **Download is available in the [github releases section](https://github.com/todxx/teamredminer/releases).**
@@ -100,6 +100,18 @@ For example command lines please see the batch/shell scripts in the miner downlo
 For command line options see the [USAGE.txt](USAGE.txt) file that comes with the miner.
 
 -----------
+Changes in v0.7.20
+
+Highlights:
+
+ETH is now approaching the start of the 4GB death with the upcoming switch to epoch 382. TRM was the first miner to add support for mining with 4GB gpus with a partial DAG, here called "extended mining". However, it has always required manual configuration. This release adds a default conservative cap at 4072MB for DAG storage on 4GB gpus for out-of-the-box execution of the miner. For maximum performance, miners are still advised to manually tune their rig(s) with the --eth_4g_max_alloc argument. Most rigs runs stable with a higher value than 4072, which makes a significant difference for upcoming ETH epochs. 
+
+For more detailed instructions, our Ethash 4GB guide has also been updated and is available at https://github.com/todxx/teamredminer/blob/master/doc/ETHASH_4GB_HOWTO.txt
+
+Release notes:
+- Ethash: added default capped DAG allocation for 4GBs at 4072MB (see --eth_4g_max_alloc).
+- Ethash: bugfix for crashes using --eth_dag_cache on 4GB gpus.
+
 Changes in v0.7.19
 
 Highlights:

USAGE.txt

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-          Team Red Miner version 0.7.19
+          Team Red Miner version 0.7.20
 Usage: teamredminer [OPTIONS]
 Options:
   -a, --algo=ALGORITHM      Selects the mining algorithm.  Currently available:

doc/ETHASH_4GB_HOWTO.txt

@@ -1,20 +1,116 @@
 TeamRedMiner Ethash 4GB Status
 ==============================
 
+v1.2 - 2020-12-13 - Rewrote Linux section before epoch 382.
 v1.1 - 2020-10-12 - Added Linux section and info around extended mining.
 v1.0 - 2020-10-04 - First version, Windows only.
 
 Summary
 -------
-Both major coins on ethash, ETH and ETC, are approaching the hard
-limit where 4GB GPUs will no longer be able to hold the DAG necessary
-to perform max hashrate hashing. ETC is 11 epochs ahead of ETH,
-meaning it's already impossible to mine on Windows, and only has a few
-epochs left on Linux before it's impossible.
+ETH is now approaching the beginning of the 4GB death period that will
+start with epoch 382. The hard limit where 4GB GPUs will no longer be
+able to hold the DAG necessary to perform max hashrate hashing has now
+been reached.
 
 This status document contains instructions on how to maximize the life
-span of your 4GB gpus when mining with TRM. This document will be
-updated continuously between TRM releases up until epoch 380.
+span of your 4GB gpus by mining with TRM in its "extended mode".  This
+document will be updated continuously between TRM releases up until
+epoch 382.
+
+=========================================================================
+Linux
+=========================================================================
+
+Linux TL;DR
+------------------
+
+Most or all(?) modern amdgpu-pro drivers should be able to mine epoch
+381. After that, you only need to add the argument
+"--eth_4g_max_alloc=N" to reserve N MiB for the DAG at startup. The
+expected range for N is 4070-4078. You really want to run with the
+highest N possible for your rig. If the rig fails to allocate the vram
+on startup or the miner crashes after 5-10 mins every time, lower the
+number (N) in small steps until the miner runs ok. When epoch 382 is
+activated, the miner will automatically switch into extended mining
+mode and continue to mine epoch 382 and up with a partial DAG but lose
+some hashrate for every additional epoch.
+
+If you don't provide a number, the miner will apply N=4072
+automatically and log a warning with each stats print that you should
+manually try to maximize your hashrate with the argument above.
+
+Linux Instructions
+------------------
+
+1) Linux is much simpler to handle than Windows. We've verified mining
+   on epoch 381 on amdgpu-pro drivers 18.50, 19.30, 19.50, 20.10. 
+
+2) PRE-ALLOCATE: You should always avoid reallocation of the DAG
+   buffers at epoch switches, which means you should instruct the
+   miner to allocate the max possible memory at startup. The easiest
+   way to do this is the use the "--eth_4g_max_alloc=N" argument,
+   which also automatically enables extended mining after epoch
+   381. The value N is the nr of MBs the gpu will allocate to store
+   the DAG. You can also use epoch numbers, but trying to maximize
+   storage using an exact MB number is necessary to maximize your
+   hashrate.
+
+   The max possible N value has varied a lot between gpus, driver
+   versions and motherboards in our tests. The best drivers seem to be
+   in the 18.30-19.30 range rather than 19.50-20.40. We have never
+   seen N=4078 work on a driver after 19.30. However, we have also
+   seen a number of rigs than only can do N=4072, and it doesn't
+   matter what driver version you're running.
+
+   A classic error when using a N that is just slightly too high for
+   your rig is that mining works fine for 5-10 mins, then the miner
+   crashes with kernel logs stating "Page allocation fault" or "Buffer
+   eviction failed". In these cases, try lowering N with -1 or -2 MB
+   and you should hopefully run stable.
+
+3) PER-GPU CONFIG: in the approach suggested above, only a single
+   value is passed to "--eth_4h_max_alloc", and that value is applied
+   to all 4GB gpus in the rig. If you e.g. have a display connected to
+   one of your gpus, or if you want to check if some gpus can handle a
+   higher value than the others (not impossible), you need to provide
+   a comma-separated list with values for all gpus in the rig.
+
+   Example: if you have a mixed rig with two 4GB gpus at index 0 and
+   2, and a Vega at index 1, you can pass:
+
+   --eth_4g_max_alloc=4074,4000,4076
+
+   Note that the Vega at index 1 also needs a dummy value. It will not
+   be used.
+
+   Display gpus typically need to adjust with at least -8MB compared
+   to similar gpus not having a display connected.
+
+3) TEST: take your normal command line and add "--eth_epoch=381
+   --high_sample_mode=8" at the end to run simulated mining on epoch 381
+   to verify that it works. You can also increase the number to higher
+   epochs to test extended mining and check what hashrates you will get
+   with partial DAGs.
+
+4) Epoch 382 is here or I can't reach the same speed on the current
+   epoch, what do I do if I want to continue mining?
+
+   Your first choice is to continue mining with TRM in the "extended
+   mode" using the argument "--eth_4g_max_alloc=N", as described in
+   the instructions above. You will lose hashrate for every new epoch,
+   so after 2-3 weeks it won't be worth it unless nethash has dropped
+   significantly and profits have gone up. 
+
+   Your second choice is to switch to a different coin using ethash but
+   with a lower algo. Metaverse, Expanse, Ubiq are three examples, but
+   their returns will be much lower then ETH.
+
+   Your third choice is to switch algo. Plenty of choices available,
+   although the power draw profile for e.g. kawpow is very different
+   from ethash. You have to do your own research for making an
+   informed choice here.
+
+   Fourth choice: shut down and sell the gpus.
 
 =========================================================================
 Windows
@@ -158,69 +254,6 @@ Windows instructions
 
    Fifth choice: shut down and sell the gpus.
 
-=========================================================================
-Linux
-=========================================================================
-
-Linux TL;DR
-------------------
-
-Most or all(?) modern amdgpu-pro drivers should be able to mine epoch
-381. Add the argument "--eth_4g_max_alloc=4078" to reserve 4078MiB at
-startup, which will cover epoch 381 fully. If you fail to allocate the
-vram on startup or the miner crashes after 5-10 mins every time, lower
-the number (4078) in small steps until the miner starts. After epoch
-381, the miner will automatically switch into extended mining mode and
-continue to mine epoch 382 and up with a partial DAG but lose some
-hashrate for every additional epoch.
-
-The example start script start_eth_4gb.sh contains these arguments.
-
-Linux Instructions
-------------------
-
-1) Linux is much simpler to handle than Windows. We've verified mining
-   on epoch 381 on amdgpu-pro drivers 18.50, 19.30, 19.50, 20.10.
-
-2) PRE-ALLOCATE: You should always avoid reallocation of the DAG
-   buffers at epoch switches, which means you should instruct the
-   miner to allocate the max possible memory at startup. The easiest
-   way to do this is the use the "--eth_4g_max_alloc=4078" argument,
-   which also automatically enables extended mining after epoch
-   381. You can also add "--eth_alloc_epoch=381" to apply it to all
-   gpus in the rig, not just the 4GB gpus. The given number tells the
-   miner how many MBs to allocate for the DAG buffer. If gpus in your
-   rig fails to allocate vram with that setting, you need to lower
-   it. You can also specify separate values per gpu in a
-   comma-separated list if it's only one gpu failing to allocate
-   4078MB.
-
-3) TEST: take your normal command line and add "--eth_epoch=381
-   --high_sample_mode=8" at the end to run simulated mining on epoch 381
-   to verify that it works. You can also increase the number to higher
-   epochs to test extended mining and check what hashrates you will get
-   with partial DAGs.
-
-4) Epoch 382 is here or I can't reach the same speed on the current
-   epoch, what do I do if I want to continue mining?
-
-   Your first choice is to continue mining with TRM in the "extended
-   mode" using the argument "--eth_4g_max_alloc=N", as described in
-   the instructions above. You will lose hashrate for every new epoch,
-   so after 2-3 weeks it won't be worth it unless nethash has dropped
-   significantly and profits have gone up. 
-
-   Your second choice is to switch to a different coin using ethash but
-   with a lower algo. Metaverse, Expanse, Ubiq are three examples, but
-   their returns will be much lower then ETH.
-
-   Your third choice is to switch algo. Plenty of choices available,
-   although the power draw profile for e.g. kawpow is very different
-   from ethash. You have to do your own research for making an
-   informed choice here.
-
-   Fourth choice: shut down and sell the gpus.
-
 =========================================================================
 Extended Mining
 =========================================================================