Pre-emptively switch to mining P2Pool sidechain when last found block is n Hours away from leaving the window

[specul8]

It would be great if the advanced settings could include a switch that let you switch to P2Pool mining when the last share found is n hours (user configurable) from leaving the current PPLNS window. This would increase the likelihood of having a valid P2Pool share during the XvB raffle.

Ideally, it would mine P2Pool until it found a new share (even though shares still exist in the PPLNS window), then switch back to XvB once one is found.

At 5khz hashrate, I would find an average of 9 shares each day, so I would set mine to 3 hours which makes it "Better than 50% odds" I will find a share before the latest one leaves the window.

[specul8]

Actually, I think the new API call (in P2Pool 4.8) might help (from the release notes):

API: add last_share_found_time in local/stratum

Window length does not change, so the app logic could be something like
if "share window time" - "last_share_found_time" > "share window time" - "user defined hour value", then switch to P2Pool mining

Just thought it might be useful (there's probably heaps better ways to do it, but I thought it was a funny coincidence that the latest P2Pool version has the API call that could make it easier to set this feature request up).

[Cyrix126]

The difference with the p2pool buffer would be that more HR would be sent to p2pool only when there is a high effort going on.

It can be useful in Hero mode.
In Auto/without Hero mode, it would only make the user fall from the highest round it can normally get.
In manual donation level, it would make him drop from the round he chooses.

[specul8]

Ah, so that's my use case - I'm always in hero mode (so I can keep my 1h & 24h hashrate well above 10khz). I might be a narrow use case though.

[Cyrix126]

Ah, so that's my use case - I'm always in hero mode (so I can keep my 1h & 24h hashrate well above 10khz). I might be a narrow use case though.

If you want to be sure to stay above 10Kh/s, you can also use the manual HR in advanced tab of XvB.