Separate power, network and pool faults

From an Ethernet connection to a mining session

Network communication works in layers, and each layer depends on the one before it. The physical link is the cable and port that connect the miner to the local network. The IP address identifies the miner on that network. Routing carries traffic between networks, for example from the site network to the internet. If the pool is set by name, name resolution (DNS) turns that hostname into an IP address. Then the miner opens a mining session and exchanges work with the pool.

Success at one layer does not prove the next one works. A lit link light does not prove the address settings are correct. Reaching the local management page of the miner does not prove the miner can reach its pool. A pool connection does not prove that accepted work is credited to the right worker.

Configuration belongs in the diagnosis

Each of these settings on a miner does a different job: the IP address, the gateway (the router the miner uses to reach other networks), the DNS settings, the pool address and the worker name. One wrong value can break one part of the work path while other parts still work. Before you suggest any change, record the current configuration using approved read-only access.

A fleet-wide communication problem and a local power problem can both show as 'offline' on a dashboard. Use where the reading came from, and how many units it affects, to narrow the question. The 'offline' label is not a measurement of electrical state. It does not tell you whether a unit is still energized.

Trace dependencies without confusing layers

Build a dependency map from approved records. This is a simple drawing or list of what each miner relies on, such as its switch, power feed and pool. Next to each link, write what you observed and when. A recent reply from the management page supports the link from the management station to the control board. Current accepted work supports a different path, from the miner to its pool worker. Mark any link you have not observed as unknown.

Compare affected and unaffected groups that share some dependencies but not others. A network segment is a group of miners that share the same part of the network, such as one switch. Suppose one segment loses accepted work while another segment still works with the same pool. Then a full pool outage is less likely. A route, policy or configuration problem on that segment is still possible. The comparison does not prove that a switch has failed. Give the network owner the affected assets, when it started, the comparison group and the open connection question.

If you suspect an electrical supply fault, report the pattern you observed to qualified personnel. Do not open panels, reset protective devices such as breakers, or move power connections. That work is for qualified personnel.

Worked example: management works, pool does not

In a fictional incident, twenty units on one shared network segment stop submitting accepted work at 11:05. You can still reach them from the management station. Another segment using the same pool is not affected.

The healthy segment makes a full pool outage less likely. It does not show which switch, route or policy is the cause. Escalate with the affected segment and the time it started, keep the logs and compare any approved network changes. Do not replace twenty hashboards just because they share one symptom.