How is IPFS mining different from BTC/ETH mining?
1. The relationship between the IPFS system and the FIlecoin system:
① IPFS is just a protocol, not the mining software itself;
② The Filecoin system is the mining software itself, the token name is FIL, and Filecoin uses the IPFS protocol to run the system;
③ Filecoin and IPFS protocols are both developed and maintained by Protocol Labs.
2. How are FIL tokens distributed?
There are a total of 2 billion FIL tokens, and the distribution plan consists of four parts:
① 70% as the return of mining: like Bitcoin, it is gradually distributed according to the progress of mining;
② 15% reserved Protocol Labs: as research and development expenses, the ban will be gradually lifted in 6 years;
③ 10% is allocated to ICO investors: according to the mining progress, the ban will be gradually lifted;
④ 5% is reserved for the Filecoin Foundation: as long-term community construction, network management and other expenses, the ban will be gradually lifted in 6 years.
The Filecoin system has created two mining markets:
① Filecoin Storage Market (Filecoin Storage Market)
Hard Disk—Yes, it’s the size of the hard disk. What you need to contribute to the data storage market is hard disk storage space. The more hard disk space you have, the higher your mining capacity. Storage) prove that FIL will be distributed to everyone proportionally according to the size of the data you store. So everyone knows what to do: students who want to dig the first pot of gold, get your disks ready.
② Filecoin's Retrieval Market (Filecoin's Retrieval Market)
Bandwidth-Provide network bandwidth. If you have bandwidth resources, you can consider mining in this market and allocate FIL according to your bandwidth.
Of course, you can also participate in the two markets at the same time. It's up to you. After the Filecoin system is released, students who want to mine should act quickly and try to dig the first pot of FIL. The earlier you intervene like BTC, the higher the profit. .
4. The main technical difficulties of Filecoin:
① Proof-of-Spacetime (Proof-of-Spacetime): Proof that miners use characteristic storage space to store specific data (used for mining) within a period of time;
② Proof-of-Replication: Proof that specific data has been copied to the user's storage space;
③PFT (Power Fault Tolerance): The upgraded version of Byzantine fault tolerance, a classic problem that cannot be avoided by the communication protocol, the Byzantine Generals problem.
① Different mining principles:
PoW, the full name of Proof of Work, is proof of work.
Bitcoin/Ethereum, as well as most public chains or virtual currencies, are based on the PoW algorithm to implement their consensus mechanism. That is, according to the effective work contributed by mining, the distribution of currency is determined. The so-called mining under this principle is a process in which the computer continuously searches for the Nonce value and calculates the Hash value through exhaustive methods. Whoever finds it first will succeed in digging. Mining based on the PoW mechanism is mining that consumes a lot of computing power and electricity.
PoSt, the full name of Proof-of-Spacetime, is (storage) proof of space time.
On the basis of Proof-of-Stake consensus, Filecoin improved the consensus mechanism and became PoSt, to replace the proof-of-work PoW. In the Filecoin system, the miner completes the storage, and the user confirms that the miner completes the storage. The “confirm that the miner completes the storage” here is the Filecoin consensus mechanism (PoSt). This “confirm that the miner completes the storage” will always exist in the Filecoin network, and the user can Check it out anytime.
PoSt is generated when Filecoin verifies that miners store user data. Filecoin converts the current storage ratio of miners in the network to the storage ratio of the entire network into voting power of the miner, where the network selects a miner to create The likelihood of a new block is directly proportional to the cost of the storage they are using and the rest of the network.
Under the PoSt mechanism, miners prefer to invest in storage rather than computing power to parallelize mining calculations. Miners provide storage and reuse calculations to prove that data is stored to participate in consensus. Proof of storage (PoSt) is used to generate consensus, without wasting computing resources and energy like Bitcoin, and it can encourage miners to invest more storage space (hard disk) resources instead of computing and energy resources to contribute to the network, which is very environmentally friendly and efficient Way. Simply put, mining based on the PoSt mechanism is a mining that invests a large amount of storage space (hard disk) and bandwidth resources.
② The nature of the mining machine is different:
The essence of BTC/ETH mining machines is a data computing device.
From the initial personal computer mining, graphics card mining, and personal mining at home, mining has developed to clustered and specialized large-scale mining. Regardless of the initial CPU mining, GPU mining, or later FPGA mining, ASIC mining, large-scale cluster mining, the essence is to concentrate on improving the data computing power of mining equipment mining.
The essence of IPFS mining machine is a data storage device.
The essential difference of the mining machine makes the configuration characteristics of the storage mining machine very different from the BTC/ETH mining machine. The storage mining machine mainly used for data storage does not require too high computing power, that is, the performance of the CPU does not require too high, and the memory capacity is suitable, but it requires a large storage space, that is, the density of the hard disk per unit space is required. Large, equipped with as many hard disks as possible, at the same time, the I/O performance of data storage should be high, and the bandwidth channel should be as high as possible. Because of the special requirements of data storage, the entire mining machine must be stable, safe and not easily damaged.
BTC/ETH mine: Because it consumes a lot of electricity resources, places that can provide low-cost electricity are the first choice. Our domestic mines choose to deploy in relatively remote places such as Inner Mongolia and southwestern provinces because of the rich thermal power, wind power or hydropower resources. The internal requirements of the mine are relatively simple. As long as the ventilation and heat dissipation effect is good, the racks for placing the mining machines do not need too professional equipment, and there are no special requirements for the floor and ceiling of the mine. Mines do not require a high degree of dispersion, so such mines are relatively concentrated.
IPFS mining farm: We already know the secrets of IPFS mining: the hard disk space of the mining machine must be large, the network bandwidth must be large, and the site should preferably be in a place with high frequency of use and high population flow. Because the IPFS mining machine consumes less energy, it is not too demanding on the supply of electrical energy. Because there is a large amount of data I/O, the network bandwidth requirement is as high as possible. Because of the particularity of data storage, mining farms must be constructed in accordance with the requirements of data centers or quasi-data centers, requiring constant temperature and humidity to prevent static electricity as much as possible, and the equipment for placing mining machines must also be dedicated to professional servers. IDC data room in large cities is the first choice for large mines. It is a good choice for small mines to be placed inside residential communities. Because of the particularity of the IPFS system, the more dispersed the mines, the better. Large mines are useful, small mines are also useful, and even personal home mining equipment is as useful.
