[Pkg-bitcoin-devel] Bug#858377: libblkmaker: doesn't support current bitcoin block version

[Steven Chamberlain]

Package: libblkmaker
Version: 0.5.3-1
Severity: grave
Tags: fixed-upstream

Hi,

The version of libblkmaker in sid/stretch supports bitcoin blocks up to
version 4 only:
http://sources.debian.net/src/libblkmaker/0.5.3-1/blkmaker.h/#L15

But since early 2016, the tip of the blockchain uses predemonantly
versions 0x20000000 or later:
https://data.bitcoinity.org/bitcoin/block_version/5y?c=block_version&t=a

That seems to make bfgminer unusable;  it looks at the tip of the
bitcoin blockchain and throws the error, failing to start:
"Unrecognized block version, and not allowed to reduce or force it"

The current Git master of libblkmaker added support for this:
https://github.com/bitcoin/libblkmaker/commit/ae7055df8bbb72dd42dcb6a8d1440ca87da6b0f3
https://github.com/bitcoin/libblkmaker/commit/0d8212c1dcf9dab28d749c08bd107ce0f06d45e3

but I found that bfgminer would still not work unless it also sets
BMM_VERFORCE in tmpl->mutations

I'm not entirely familiar with any of the above-mentioned software but
hopefully the upstream author luke-kr (in Cc:) could comment on these
issues.

Many thanks!

-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
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