## Start Mining

1. **Pick a coin**: whatever the dropdown offers is what is supported (currently PRL, QTC, XTM).
2. **Pick a pool**: HeroMiners, Kryptex, LuckyPool, PEARLSKI, PearlFortune, PearlHash, F2Pool. Choose the pool first - the client then hides the miners that pool cannot use.
3. **Enter wallet / username**: follow that pool's rule. Kryptex takes either; F2Pool only takes its account name (top right of the F2Pool dashboard), not a wallet address; the others take a wallet.
4. **Pick a miner**: defaults to "Auto (system recommended)", which uses the version we recommend (new versions are first offered for manual selection and only become the recommendation once proven stable); to use the newest version or keep a specific one, pick it in the "Kernel version" dropdown. It downloads on first use and verifies itself - you never place files by hand.
5. **Connection**: Direct is the default. Choose a node for the current pool; leave it empty to use its default. You can add your own domain / IP node.
6. **Your proxy (Direct only)**: start your proxy software, then enter its actual local port, e.g. `http://127.0.0.1:7897` or `socks5://127.0.0.1:1080`. Use your software’s actual port, never a subscription URL.
7. **CF**: hides pool-node selection and ignores the proxy above. Automatic fallback to Temporary 1 / 2 depends on the signed server switch. Heartbeat, authorization, announcements and fleet control still use CF in either mining connection mode.
8. **Custom miner (optional)**: only WildRig, PeakMiner, OneZeroMiner and SRBMiner are supported. Select its family and main EXE (`wildrig.exe`, `peakminer.exe`, `onezerominer.exe` or `SRBMiner-MULTI.exe`) from the fully extracted folder. Vminer validates the miner identity; run a compatibility test after importing.
9. **Press Start.**

- **GPUs**: `all` uses every card, or enter `0` / `0,1,2`.
- **Worker name**: set a prefix, or use the random-suffix button; left blank it follows the machine name.

> Stop ends the miner and clears state.

## Connection modes and your proxy

New installations default to Direct. Upgrades from releases without mode selection default to CF. A mode you have already saved is preserved.

- **Direct (default)**: choose a pool node and use your current network. It does not switch to CF automatically.
- **Your proxy**: leave blank if unused. Start your proxy and select its exit, then enter its local HTTP/mixed port, e.g. `http://127.0.0.1:7897`, or SOCKS5: `socks5://127.0.0.1:1080`. Use your actual port, not a subscription URL or remote node IP. Windows system proxy alone may not route mining traffic.
- **CF mode**: the server selects the pool node. Node selection is disabled and the proxy field above is ignored. Your system TUN/VPN still follows your own network settings.
- **Other features**: both modes retain heartbeat, authorization, fleet management, announcements and accounting. A temporary heartbeat failure does not interrupt mining already in progress.
- **Connection failure**: check the DNS, connection, job and share messages in the log. Receiving a job does not mean a share has been accepted. Try another node, your own proxy, or CF mode.
- **Backup forwarding**: after repeated CF connection failures or frequent disconnects, the client uses backup forwarding when server policy permits. No manual setting change is needed. The operator controls availability and restoration; healthy connections stay open. Direct mode is unchanged.

**Network recovery**: temporary loss of connectivity, connection timeouts or resets keep retrying automatically with increasing, bounded delays; two retries do not stop mining. A running mining process reconnects itself; only an exited process or a temporarily failed startup is restarted. Direct mode keeps the selected node and explicit proxy, without switching to CF or another pool. CF keeps its stable group within the same-pool policy and uses server-controlled temporary-route fallback; this does not imply automatic US-to-JP failover. Stop, Netbar yielding, scheduled breaks, exit and version updates cancel pending recovery. GPU faults, permanent login rejection, missing files and invalid parameters retain fault-stop protection and are not restarted forever. Initial verification is still required; a temporary heartbeat or verification-service outage does not interrupt existing mining.

## Custom miner versions

Only WildRig, PeakMiner, OneZeroMiner and SRBMiner are supported. Download and fully extract the version into any folder. Select its type under Mining software, click Custom, then select wildrig.exe, peakminer.exe, onezerominer.exe or SRBMiner-MULTI.exe. Keep the complete folder and dependencies; Vminer copies the folder automatically. It checks the miner identity and refuses mismatched or unidentified programs. Run a compatibility test after importing. Uncheck Use imported version to return to the official version.

## What the Home Page Shows

- Total hashrate, shares, pool balance, paid, coin price; per-card hashrate, temperature and power.
- **Floating window**: turn on "Open overlay" at the top of the window for a small desktop window with hashrate, shares, temperature and power.
- **Pool site**: opens that pool's lookup page with the wallet you already entered.
- **Related sites**: pool homepages, block explorers and other entry points.
- If the price feed or a pool API is briefly down those figures show N/A and keep retrying. Mining is unaffected.

> Pool credit is authoritative. The client shows this machine's view, which differs because of dynamic difficulty, reporting windows, rejected/stale shares and reporting delay.

## Stats & Fleet

We recommend registering and signing in to Fleet: while you are not signed in, the top-right button is a gold "Register / sign in to Fleet".

Register an account (username + password + email); signing in claims this machine under it. Sign in to the web console with the same account to see every machine you own.

- **See**: online state, hashrate, shares, temperature, power, GPU model.
- **Control**: start/stop mining, restart the miner, switch coin / pool / miner / wallet, change power, fan and clocks, rename, reboot, shut down.
- A machine belongs to one account only; commands are queued and run when the machine is online.
- The web console also shows earnings; the bell at the top right gets a red dot when there's a new notice.
- **Shutdown works remotely, power-on does not** - someone has to press the button.

> Email is the only way to recover a password, so register with one you can read.

**Change the connection method remotely**: use the single-rig action list, or select rigs for a batch → click “Change connection method…” → choose Direct / CF → optionally choose a direct node; leave it empty for a valid default node. CF has no node selector → click “Apply”. The pool and worker name stay unchanged. Legacy clients have no single-rig button; batches send only to supported clients and skip legacy ones. All-legacy batches are disabled. Cancel sends nothing; after applying, check the existing command notices, execution receipts and reported state.

**LAN downloads and staged updates**: LAN coordination, peer discovery and validation of received files run automatically, but LAN file distribution does not itself trigger an upgrade. Installation still follows the update setting or a manual command. Fleet “Staged update” schedules predownloads, then offers “Install together once all are downloaded” or “Install each as soon as it’s downloaded”; task progress and stopping further installations are available. Netbar clients do not update automatically: update the master image manually, then distribute it through the diskless system.

## Netbar Mode

Mine while the PC is idle and step aside the moment a customer uses it.

> **Remember to register and sign in to Fleet**: click "Register / sign in to Fleet" at the top right. Sign in once on the master machine and every cloned PC is listed under your account - see the whole cafe and start/stop it from your phone. **Manual mode is woken from Fleet, so signing in is required.**

- **Full power**: always mining, for dedicated rigs.
- **Avoid (default)**: mining stops when a listed game starts and resumes when it closes. Add newly installed games to the list.
- **Sensitive**: yields according to the GPU load, foreground application and optional mouse / keyboard rules in Netbar settings. Mining resumes once the idle and resume conditions are met; the configured settings determine the details.
- **Manual**: boots hidden and does not mine until woken from the web console or started locally; once mining it no longer yields, until shutdown or a manual stop.
- **Administrator required**: netbar mode can only be turned on when Vminer runs as administrator (right-click Vminer → "Run as administrator"); without it, sensitive mode can't read GPU usage. If netbar PCs should also start as administrator after boot, turn off UAC in Windows.
- **Power and overclocking**: Set power, fans and overclocking on the OC page. Only when Enable OC is on does Netbar yielding restore the managed settings to defaults and mining resume reapply your OC settings. With OC off, Vminer does not change these GPU settings.

> Diskless cafes: set one machine up, copy the whole Vminer folder into the master image, and every PC starts with the same configuration.

## Power, Fan and Overclocking

On the "OC" page. The master switch "Enable OC" covers power, fan and core/memory clocks; turned off the client touches nothing and whatever the driver or third-party tools set stays as is.

- **Power**: one value for all cards, or per card. 70-80% usually costs very little hashrate while clearly lowering heat and power bills.
- **Fan**: fixed speed or leave it to the driver.
- **Core / memory, four settings**: core clock (mining default + N, e.g. "base+50"), core offset (shifts the factory clock up or down), memory clock (locks one step such as 810 - start mining and check the status column that it locked; it will not lock reliably while a monitor is plugged into that card - use integrated graphics and restart the PC) and memory offset. Off by default, advanced, applied only while mining. Every change gets a 10-minute trial; a dropped card, driver reset, zero hashrate or overheating rolls it back automatically.

> Turning on "Enable OC" needs Vminer to run as administrator.

## System Settings

Each card's description is in the "?" next to its title - hover to show it.

- **Automatic seamless updates**: a downloaded and verified update restarts Vminer by itself.
- **Auto restart on failure**: when mining hits a fault that restarting the miner cannot fix, Vminer restarts itself (mining background program not responding) or the PC (GPU driver crash or hung GPU), and mining resumes; there is a 60-second window to cancel a PC restart. Faults a restart cannot fix (unsupported GPU, not enough virtual memory) do not trigger a restart; mining stops and the reason is shown.
- **Take a 5-minute break**: after 24 or 48 hours of continuous mining, pause for 5 minutes, then resume by itself.
- **Scheduled mining**: start and stop at set times every day using this PC's clock, 24-hour, hour and minute in separate boxes. Leave Stop as "-" to keep mining after the start time. A manual stop during the scheduled hours is respected until the next day's start time. Not available while Netbar Mode is on.
- **One-click allow Vminer**: use it when antivirus deletes the miner.

## Downloads & Updates

- The installer ships without miner binaries - a miner downloads the first time you select it, which keeps it small.
- Downloads use a primary and a backup route, switch automatically on failure, and verify size and hash.
- Automatic client updates are on by default outside Netbar mode. Netbar mode does not support automatic client updates; miner downloads remain independent and are not affected by this restriction.

## Notes

- If antivirus deletes the miner, use "One-click allow Vminer" in System Settings to allowlist the folder; 360, Huorong and similar need their own entry as well.
- Logs show only what concerns you: local service, miner download, pool connection, share results and faults. Minor local hiccups are not flagged in red.
- If the heartbeat to our servers is briefly unreachable you get a "mining continues, reconnecting" notice - one failed heartbeat never stops mining.
- Make sure the machine suits sustained full load; watch power draw, temperature and the power supply.
- Earnings, pool stability and third-party network services are controlled by their providers.


## Custom pool nodes

In Direct mode, select a pool, then click Add beside Node. Enter the domain or IP and port published by that pool, without a protocol prefix or wallet. Add and select saves the node for future starts. To remove it, select it in the custom list and click Delete selected custom node. Nodes belong to the selected coin and pool; the selected miner and pool protocol are retained. CF mode selects nodes automatically and ignores custom nodes. Stop mining before changing nodes. TLS with a literal IP still verifies the selected pool certificate name; use the published hostname if verification fails.


## Background update checks

Vminer checks for miner and component updates in the background. If a check fails, mining continues with the current version and the check is retried later. Download progress appears only when files are being downloaded. Official updates do not overwrite imported custom miners.


Automatic updates are unavailable while Netbar mode is enabled. Update the client version in the master disk image manually; alternatively, find the master disk's fixed worker name in the fleet console and click Manual update.
