Shield is an anonymous, fast and quantum proof coin. This coin has a lot of unique features. For example it is multi algorithm, and is available to mine it using the x17, scrypt, lyra2v2, myr-gr, and blake 2s algorithms. Shield also plans to add POS, masternodes, and smart contracts in the future.
Now that we know the details about Shield, let’s get to mining some XSH!
Mining Algorithms
Since Shield uses five different algorithms, you will need to test them all on your mining computer to see which algorithm is the most profitable. I am going to be using the “groestl or myr-gr algorithm, for both Nvidia and AMD in this tutorial, but you need to check which algorithm is best for you. Also, Nvidia and AMD do better with different algorithms, so you will probably find that the best algorithm on Nvidia is not the best algorithm for AMD.
Some General Mining Tips
So before we start this tutorial, I have two tips for making the most out of your mining experience. First make sure you have the latest drivers for your GPU’s. Secondly, most mining software will get flagged as a virus from virus scanners. Because of this, if your mining on your normal everyday use or gaming computer that has an antivirus installed, you will want to exclude the mining software from the antivirus. What I like to do, is I make one folder and then put all of my mining software in sub folders. I then exclude the top level folder from the antivirus and that excludes all the mining software.
Mining Pools
The first thing we need is a mining pool. You can solo mine, but the payouts could take months depending on how powerful your mining rig is, and the mining pools usually charge a very small fee (1% or less). Using a pool will allow you to receive consistent payouts, multiple times per day.
For this tutorial we will use http://xsh.umine.org/. I have chosen this pool because the pool has a 2% fee. As for their features, there a large small to medium size pool, and they support all five different algorithms for shield.
Make sure to use the correct port, since they have a different port for each of the different algorithms.
Use 3737 for the X17 algorithm
Use 3433 for the scrypt algorithm
Use 4533 for the lyra2v2 algorithm
Use 5766 for the blake 2s algorithm
Use 5433 for the myr-gr algorithm
Now that we have a pool, lets start mining!
CPU Mining
We will not focus on CPU mining since it is not profitable, compared to GPU mining.
GPU Mining – Nvidia
For GPU mining there are many programs for Nvidia, but the one I have found to be the best is CCminer. The miner does not have a Dev fee. This mining software is compatible with Windows and Linux, however there are only precompiled binaries available for Windows.
You can find the official page and the download link at https://github.com/tpruvot/ccminer/releases
Once downloaded, it is really simple to use.
Just create a new batch file (or script file if using linux) inside the folder where the miner is and paste this into the batch file
ccminer-x64.exe -a algorithm -o stratum+tcp://mining_pool:port -u public_key -p c=coin_symbol
Replace “algorithm” with the algorithm you want to use. In this case we have to use “groestl”
Replace “mining_pool” with xsh.umine.org
Replace “port” with 5433
Replace “public_key” with your public key
Replace “coin_symbol” with XSH
For example my setup is:
ccminer-x64.exe -a groestl -o stratum+tcp://xsh.umine.org:5433 -u SYLbDn7abvRUe7jdL2pNgHTyoBnxDVU3fA -p c=XSH
Double click the batch file to run the miner, and you should see something like this
The red arrow indicates the GPU’s it has detected in your system.
The blue arrow indicates the total speed for your GPU’s.
The green arrow indicates the GPU clock speed, hashes per watt, total power usage, temperature and fan speed.
GPU Mining – AMD
For GPU mining there are many programs for AMD, but the one I have found to be the best is sgminer. The miner has no Dev fee. The miner is compatible with Windows and Linux. You can find the official page and the download link at https://github.com/genesismining/sgminer-gm/releases
Once downloaded, it is really simple to use.
Just create a new batch file (or script file if using Linux) inside the folder where the miner is and paste this into the batch file
setx GPU_FORCE_64BIT_PTR 1
setx GPU_MAX_HEAP_SIZE 100
setx GPU_USE_SYNC_OBJECTS 1
setx GPU_MAX_ALLOC_PERCENT 100
setx GPU_SINGLE_ALLOC_PERCENT 100
sgminer.exe -k algorithm -o stratum+tcp://mining_pool:port -u public_key -p c=coin_symbol
If using Linux, remove all of the setx commands.
Replace “algorithm” with the algorithm you want to use. In this case we have to use “groestl”
Replace “mining_pool” with xsh.umine.org
Replace “port” with 5433
Replace “public_key” with your public key.
Replace “coin_symbol” with XSH
For example my setup is:
sgminer.exe -k groestl -o stratum+tcp://xsh.umine.org:5433 -u SYLbDn7abvRUe7jdL2pNgHTyoBnxDVU3fA -p c=XSH
If you are running large GPU’s (1GB of memory or more per GPU, jump down to the next paragraph, even if the mining software appears to work)
Double click the batch file to run the miner, and you should see something like this
The red arrow indicates the GPU speed and total speed.
The blue arrow indicates the GPU temperatures and fan speed.
If there are problems, you may not have enough virtual memory. You may need 16GB of virtual memory (for Vega GPU’s you need more like 16GB per GPU) to change this go to Control Panel -> System and Security -> System and the click Advanced system settings on the left. From there, click settings under the advanced tab. Next click change, and then on the third screen, uncheck automatically manage, choose custom size, and type in the size (in MB) for both text boxes. Then press the set button, and then the ok button.
General Troubleshooting
One thing to monitor for is stale or rejected shares. If you see a lot of stale shares, you may want to try a server that is closer to you. If you see a lot of rejected shares, try to lower the intensity of the miner if available.
How much XSH will I earn per day?
To figure this out, you would go to https://www.crypto-coinz.net/coin-info/?127-SHIELDGroestl-XSH-Groestl-calculator/ and use their calculator. The calculator does provide a rough estimate, so you may get paid a higher or lower amount than what the calculator actually says.
They have a calculator for each different algorithm, so make sure to use the calculator that fits the algorithm your using.
Use https://www.crypto-coinz.net/coin-info/?126-SHIELDX17-XSH-X17-calculator/ for the X17 algorithm
Use https://www.crypto-coinz.net/coin-info/?125-SHIELDScrypt-XSH-Scrypt-calculator/ for the scrypt algorithm
Use https://www.crypto-coinz.net/coin-info/?128-SHIELDLyra2v2-XSH-Lyra2v2-calculator/ for the lyra2v2 algorithm
Use https://www.crypto-coinz.net/coin-info/?127-SHIELDGroestl-XSH-Groestl-calculator/ for the myr-gr algorithm
Use https://www.crypto-coinz.net/coin-info/?124-SHIELDBlake2s-XSH-Blake2s-calculator/ for the blake 2s algorithm
Most of the values are already correctly entered, and you only need to edit a few values.
Hash rate: Enter your total speed (in gighashes per second) for all of your mining computers. This would be the “total speed” value in your mining software. Make sure to add up all of the computers your using for Shield mining.
Power: Enter the total amount of power (in watts) that your mining rig is using. Some mining software will measure this for you. You can also measure total power consumption for your computer using special software, or a kilowatt meter. I prefer using a kilowatt meter, because I find it to be the most accurate. Make sure to add up all of the computers your using for Shield mining.
Electricity Cost: Enter the cost per kilowatt hour that you pay to your electricity company. I was able to find this info in my monthly bill, as well as on their website.
Pool fee: Enter the pool fee + the miner software dev fee. For our example you would enter 2 + 0 = 2
Hardware cost: Enter in the total cost of all of your hardware.
Make sure to pick an exchange from the drop down menu.
In this image, we can quickly see how many coins and USD value we will make in certain time frames. You want to look at the Profit column, since this is the value after paying for your electricity usage. I usually just focus on the daily payout in USD. By just focusing on this number, you can run the calculator for a few different coins, and quickly see which coin is most profitable for your mining rig setup. Keep in mind you also want to weigh the daily payout with the market cap. A low market cap coin may be really profitable one day, and then could have half the payout tomorrow.
That’s it. You should now be mining Shield! Make sure to type in your public key into the mining pool’s dashboard, to keep track of your statistics.
