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Timelords

warning

DO NOT overclock ASICs, overclocking diminishes the life of the ASIC!

Timelord architecture information can be found here.
The hw_vdf_client parameter information can be found here.

Timelord Requirements and Dependencies​

info

Due to restrictions on how MSVC handles 128 bit numbers and how Python relies upon MSVC, it is not possible to build and run Timelords of all types on Windows.
Running a timelord on a farming machine will reduce the efficiency of the farmer and the timelord, for this reason it is recommended to have a dedicated machine for running timelords.

Requirements:

  1. Software Timelord
    • With the release of ASIC timelords, software timelords will have a near impossible time competing. It is recommended to only run a software timelord for experimentation and learning purposes.
    • Dedicated host machine that is a modern gaming PC with minimum 6 fast cores and 8GB of RAM.
  2. Bluebox Timelord
    • Dedicated host machine that is a modern gaming PC with minimum 6 fast cores and 8GB of RAM.
  3. ASIC Timelord
    • The ASIC hardware
    • Dedicated host machine that is a modern gaming PC with minimum 6 fast cores and 8GB of RAM.
    • Two USB-C cables (one for power and one for data). Preferably USB-C to USB-C but we have successfully tested USB-A to USB-C without too much performance loss.

Dependencies:

  • linux OS, our testing has been with Ubuntu 22 and newer
  • git (if installing from source)
  • ca-certificates curl gnupg (if installing from APT or if running an ASIC - RECOMMENDED)

Installing a Timelord​

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Timelords execute sequential verifiable delay functions (proofs of time or VDFs), that get added to blocks to make them valid. This requires fast CPUs and a few cores per VDF.

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Use chia-blockchain-cli instead of chia-blockchain for CLI only version that does not have a GUI.

# Install packages
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg

# Add GPG key
curl -sL https://repo.chia.net/FD39E6D3.pubkey.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/chia.gpg

# Set up repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/chia.gpg] https://repo.chia.net/debian/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/chia.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update

# Install chia-blockchain
sudo apt-get install chia-blockchain

# Launch timelord
chia start node timelord &

Installing a Timelord from Source​

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On MacOS x86_64 and all Linux distributions, building a Timelord is as easy as running chia start timelord & in the virtual environment. You can also run ./vdf_bench square_asm 400000 once you've built Timelord to give you a sense of your optimal and unloaded ips. Each run of vdf_bench can be surprisingly variable and, in production, the actual ips you will obtain will usually be about 20% lower due to load of creating proofs. The default configuration for Timelords is good enough to just let you start it up. Set your log level to INFO and then grep for "Estimated IPS:" to get a sense of what actual ips your Timelord is achieving.
Detailed information about the hw_vdf_client parameters can be found here.

# Download chia-blockchain (for clusters the chia software is only needed on the main machine all other hosts need the hw vdf repo)
git clone https://github.com/Chia-Network/chia-blockchain -b latest --recurse-submodules

# Change directory
cd chia-blockchain

# Install dependencies
sh install.sh

# Activate virtual environment
. ./activate

# Initialize
chia init
. ./activate

# Install timelord
sh install-timelord.sh

# Start timelord (skip this step and proceed below if installing a bluebox or ASIC timelord)
chia start full_node timelord

# Bluebox timelord setup
Once you build the Timelord with `sh install-timelord.sh` in the virtual environment, you will need to make two changes to `~/.chia/VERSION/config.yaml`.
- In the `timelord:` section, set `bluebox_mode:` to `True`.
- In the `full_node:` section and set `send_uncompact_interval:` to something greater than 0. We recommend `300` seconds there so that your Bluebox has some time to prove through a lot of the un-compacted Proofs of Time before the node drops more into its lap.

Note - The default settings may otherwise work but if the total effort is a little too much for whatever machine you are on you can also lower the `process_count:` from 3 to 2, or even 1, in the `timelord_launcher:` section. You know it is working if you see `VDF Client: Sent proof` in your logs at INFO level.

# ASIC timelord setup: install the timelord repo, run the timelord-only chia service, and run the ASIC software
## Install packages
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg

## Add GPG key
curl -sL https://repo.chia.net/FD39E6D3.pubkey.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/chia.gpg

## Set up hw vdf repository (for clusters the chia software is only needed on the main machine all other hosts need the hw vdf repo)
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/chia.gpg] https://repo.chia.net/chiavdf-hw/debian/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/chiavdf-hw.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update

## Install ASIC repo
sudo apt-get install chiavdf-hw

# Launch the ASIC timelord services (for clusters verify the IP address is correct and launch with only 1 VDF for each)
hw_vdf_client --ip 127.0.0.1 8000 3

## Launch the timelord-only chia service (for clusters only the main machine should be running the node and timelord services)
chia start node timelord-only

ASIC Timelord Systemd Setup​

Below is an example of a systemd service file to run the ASIC hw vdf processes.
NOTE - make sure to replace USERNAME with your system's username.

# Create systemd service
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/chiahw-vdf.service

# Copy the data from below replacing USERNAME with your system's username

Example ASIC systemd File​

[Unit]
Description=Chia HW VDF Service

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/bin/hw_vdf_client --ip 127.0.0.1 8000 3
User=USERNAME
Group=USERNAME
LimitNOFILE=1048576
LimitNPROC=1048576
LimitCORE=infinity

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
# Save and start the systemd service
CTRL+O # save the file
CTRL-X # exit the nano editor

# Reload and start the systemd services
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable chiahw-vdf.service
sudo systemctl start chiahw-vdf.service
sudo systemctl status chiahw-vdf.service

Using the systemd Service​

Restart the ASIC systemd software: sudo systemctl restart chiahw-vdf.service

Stop the ASIC systemd software: sudo systemctl stop chiahw-vdf.service

Check status of the ASIC systemd software: sudo systemctl status chiahw-vdf.service

Troubleshooting a Timelord​

For troubleshooting steps please refer to the documentation here.

Timelord support​

Join Our Discord and jump into the #support channel for support

Timelord FAQ​

What are the hardware requirements for running a Timelord?​

There are no specific requirements as timelords are a fastest wins process. This means that those with higher end hardware are more likely to generate Proofs of Time than those with lower end hardware. Currently, a modern gaming PC with 8 cores and 8 GB of RAM is recommended when running an ASIC or Bluebox timelord. With the release of ASIC timelords, software timelords will have a near impossible time competing. It is recommended to only run a software timelord for experimentation and learning purposes.

Can a Single ASIC Compete with an ASIC Cluster?​

The nature of timelords is to create three VDF chains, one can create the chains themselves in parallel (i.e. one on each ASIC) but one cannot break down the VDFs themselves to parallelize them. This means that the ASIC cluster will always have an advantage but there are times when a single ASIC can reasonably compete. This almost always requires the block farming node to be closer in physical proximity to the single ASIC than to the ASIC cluster establishing a minor time advantage for the single ASIC

Can I Overclock the ASIC to Get More Performance or Higher IPS?​

While one can overclock the ASIC we very strongly recommend against doing such. Overclocking the ASICs will lead to diminishing longevity of the machine and only provides a minor increase in performance making it inefficient to overclock an ASIC.

What Voltage Should I Use for an ASIC Timelord?​

It is highly recommend to use the default 0.88 voltage.

What OS is Compatible with Running a Timelord?​

It is recommended to use a linux OS to run timelords as these are the most performant. If running on a MAC, one can compile the chia repo from source and run the timelord services but this is currently only compatible with Intel chips and not compatible with the silicon chip. Windows is not recommended, due to restrictions on how MSVC handles 128 bit numbers and how Python relies upon MSVC, it is not possible to build and run Timelords of all types on Windows.

What System Resources are most Important for an ASIC?​

The single thread speed is one of the most important factors for having a faster ASIC.