Table of Contents Getting Started Finding P2Pool Nodes Hosting P2Pool Node How to Mine Vertcoin One-Click Miner (OCM) Getting Started First off, you'll need to download the OCM. You can find the most recent version HERE. Once you have the OCM downloaded and installed, you'll find a new icon on your desktop that says 'Vertcoin One-Click Miner'. Double-click the icon to launch the miner. You should see a screen similar to the one below.
Finding P2Pool Nodes First things first, let's find a pool to mine to. Click the 'Find P2Pool Nodes' button in the top-center of the OCM. You should see a screen that looks like this. Click the 'Scan' button to scan for active nodes on the P2Pool network. The 'Network 1' and 'Network 2' tabs will populate with pools showing included fees, locations, latencies, etc. It is recommended to select pools with the lowest latency (ideally < 100ms). *If you are a smaller miner with 2 graphics cards or less or are using your CPU, it is recommended to use Network 2. If you are a larger miner with multiple cards and/or a hash rate larger than 100Mh, it is recommended to use Network 1.
Once you have selected your pools, copy the Vertcoin wallet address you wish to mine to into the box and click 'Add Selected Pool(s)'. Now that you ve added pools, the OCM main window should look something like this.
Hosting P2Pool Node To host a local P2Pool Node, you need to be running the Vertcoin Core Wallet. This can be downloaded HERE. Once you have the Vertcoin Core Wallet installed and fully synchronized, all you have to do is click the Run Local Node checkbox that s located in the top-right-hand corner of the OCM main window. If you haven't run a local node before or if there is an update available, you will see a pop-up message prompting a download like the image below. Click 'OK' to download and install P2Pool. You will also be prompted to add a wallet address and password to your local node address so the OCM can add your new node to the pool list.
If you selected an alternate location for the Vertcoin Data Directory when installing the Vertcoin Core Wallet, you will be prompted by the OCM to select the directory you chose. This is the directory that stores the Vertcoin blockchain for P2Pool to reference for mining. Click OK to browse and select the directory.
Once you ve clicked the Run P2Pool Node checkbox and have completed the other steps, you will see the P2Pool status text change to Loading and then Running: Network X. To change the Network in which your local P2Pool Node is running, click the Settings menu option at the top of the OCM. All you have to do is click the drop-down box in the P2Pool section under Network, and select which network you wish to host your node on. Once selected, close the Settings menu and restart your P2Pool Node to change networks.
How to Mine Now it's time to get your miner started! There are two ways to mine Vertcoin, via your graphics card or your CPU (processor). There are essentially two types of graphics cards, AMD and Nvidia. Once you've decided what you want to mine with, click the drop-down box below the Miner status box in the top-left-hand corner of the OCM and select your hardware type. See below. Once you've selected your hardware type, click the 'Start' button. If you haven't started the miner before or if there is an update available, you will see a pop-up message prompting a downloaded like the image below. Click 'OK' to download and install the miner.
Now that your miner is downloaded, click the 'Start' button again to start mining. You will see 'Waiting for Share' or 'Running' in the Miner status window if your miner is running. You will start to see your hash rate climb at the bottom of the OCM window once you start to solve shares supplied by the pool. It is not uncommon to see a hash rate of 0.00 kh/s if mining with a low hash rate on p2pool. The lower your hash rate, the longer it takes to solve a share on the pool. See below for an image of the OCM mining.