AsicBoost Setup Guide — Free Efficiency Boost on SoloFury

AsicBoost is a Stratum protocol extension (BIP310) that lets a SHA-256 ASIC reuse intermediate hash computations, producing more useful work per cycle without consuming more power. SoloFury supports AsicBoost on all 5 coins. Yet many solo miners run with it disabled or aren’t sure if it’s negotiated correctly. This guide walks through enabling it on Antminer, Whatsminer, and Bitaxe/NerdQAxe family hardware, and — most importantly — how to verify it’s actually active.

For background on the algorithm-level theory behind AsicBoost, see the AsicBoost Explained article. This guide focuses on how to enable and verify it in practice for SoloFury.

1. What AsicBoost Actually Does

The SHA-256 algorithm hashes a 1024-bit input block in two stages. Both Bitcoin’s block header structure and the algorithm’s structure leave room for an optimization: certain bits of the input can be varied to reuse mid-computation state across multiple hash attempts. This is AsicBoost.

There are two implementations:

Overt AsicBoost (BIP310 — “version rolling”) — the miner negotiates with the pool to roll the version field of the block header within an allowed bit mask. Standard, transparent, widely supported. This is what SoloFury supports.

Covert AsicBoost — the miner rolls the merkle root by manipulating the coinbase transaction extranonce. Patent-encumbered (historically), now mostly deprecated in favor of overt AsicBoost.

For modern mining on SoloFury, overt AsicBoost via BIP310 is the version you want. It’s supported by stock Antminer firmware on S19 series and newer, all serious custom firmware (Vnish, LuxOS, Braiins OS+), Whatsminer M-series firmware, and the open-source ESP-Miner firmware that runs on Bitaxe and the NerdQAxe family.

2. How Much Efficiency Do You Actually Gain?

The theoretical maximum on SHA-256 is around 30%, but real-world results are bounded by chip implementation. Documented real-world numbers:

On an Antminer S21+ at 235 TH/s, AsicBoost typically delivers a measurable boost in effective hashrate without any power increase. The exact percentage depends on chip silicon lottery and firmware version — measure empirically on your own machine rather than trusting a single quoted number.

3. How to Tell If AsicBoost Is Already Active

Before enabling, check whether it’s already negotiated.

Method A — Check your ASIC firmware logs

Most firmware logs the Stratum handshake. Look for a message like:

mining.configure: version-rolling accepted, mask=0x1fffe000

or in the request direction:

{"method": "mining.configure", "params": [["version-rolling"], {"version-rolling.mask": "ffffffff"}]}

with a successful response. If you see “version-rolling accepted” or a non-zero mask returned by SoloFury, AsicBoost is negotiated.

Method B — Use the ESP-Miner API (for Bitaxe / NerdQAxe family)

ESP-Miner exposes a system info API. From a machine on the same network:

curl http://<miner_ip>/api/system/info

Look for a version_mask field with a non-zero value. If present, the miner has negotiated version-rolling with the pool.

Method C — Compare effective hashrate

If your SoloFury 1-hour average hashrate is meaningfully higher than the chip’s nominal spec, AsicBoost is contributing. This is reverse-engineering and less reliable than checking the negotiation log directly — but it’s the empirical confirmation that the negotiation actually translated to extra work.

If you can’t tell from logs and your hashrate looks lower than expected, assume it’s not enabled and follow the steps in Sections 4–6 to turn it on.

4. Enabling AsicBoost on Antminer S19 / S19 Pro / S21+

Stock Bitmain firmware

On stock firmware, AsicBoost is enabled by default on S19 series and newer. Verify by checking the Miner Status page — it should show a “Version Rolling” or “AsicBoost” indicator as enabled.

If you see it disabled or the indicator is missing:

1. Log into the ASIC web UI
2. Navigate to Miner Configuration → Advanced Settings
3. Look for “Enable AsicBoost” or “Version Rolling” checkbox
4. Enable and save
5. Restart the ASIC’s mining service

Custom firmware (Vnish, LuxOS, Braiins OS+)

All three custom firmwares enable AsicBoost by default and expose more granular control:

1. Navigate to Mining Config → Stratum extensions (or similar — exact name varies)
2. Ensure “Version Rolling” or “BIP310 AsicBoost” is enabled
3. Optionally set version mask (default usually 0x1fffe000 — leave alone unless you know what you’re doing)
4. Save and verify the log shows successful negotiation

5. Enabling AsicBoost on Whatsminer M50 / M60

Whatsminer firmware has a slightly different UI:

1. Log into the M-series web UI at http://<asic_ip>
2. Navigate to Mining → Miner Configuration (path varies by firmware version)
3. Find “AsicBoost Mode” or “High Performance Mode” setting
4. Set to Enabled (or “On”)
5. Save configuration — the miner restarts the stratum connection

If your firmware doesn’t expose AsicBoost as a clear toggle:

1. Look for “Advanced Settings” or “Pool Configuration → Extensions”
2. Enable “version-rolling” or “BIP310”
3. Save

On newer Whatsminer firmware (post-2024), AsicBoost is typically enabled by default and the toggle may not be exposed. Check the Stratum log to confirm it’s active.

6. Bitaxe and NerdQAxe Family — Version Rolling Support

The Bitaxe family (Ultra, Supra, Gamma) and the NerdQAxe family (NerdQAxe+, NerdQAxe++, NerdOCTAxe) run open-source ESP-Miner firmware or community forks of it. The ESP-Miner codebase does implement BIP310 version-rolling — this is confirmed by inspection of the firmware source at bitaxeorg/ESP-Miner:

• main/tasks/stratum_task.c contains a STRATUM_V1_configure_version_rolling() call
• The miner requests max mask 0xffffffff from the pool; the pool responds with the actual mask (typically 0x1fffe000 = 13 bits)
• components/stratum/mining.c has construct_bm_job(..., uint32_t version_mask, ...) — the version mask is plumbed through to ASIC job construction

So the firmware negotiates AsicBoost with SoloFury at connection time. There’s no separate “enable” toggle in the UI on most ESP-Miner versions — it’s automatic, baked in.

Chip-level nuance for BM1370 (Bitaxe Gamma, NerdQAxe++, NerdOCTAxe)

The newer BM1370 chip implements version rolling differently than older Antminer chips. From a recent firmware discussion on the ESP-Miner repo: the BM1370 uses an OR-based version reconstruction internally, which interacts unusually with standard version-rolling math. The firmware handles this, but the effective hashrate gain from AsicBoost on BM1370 may differ from what you’d expect on a comparable Antminer chip.

Translation for the practical solo miner: AsicBoost is negotiated and active on your Bitaxe Gamma / NerdQAxe++ / NerdOCTAxe, but the only reliable way to know what you actually gain is to measure it on your own machine.

Keep firmware current

ESP-Miner is actively developed. Recent releases have improved stratum stability and version-rolling behavior. Check your firmware version against the latest stable release on GitHub (bitaxeorg/ESP-Miner/releases for Bitaxe, or your specific fork like shufps/ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlus for NerdQAxe+) and update if you’re behind a few versions.

7. Verifying AsicBoost Is Active on SoloFury

After enabling (or after verifying that it’s already on), measure the gain on the SoloFury dashboard:

1. Note your baseline hashrate before any changes (or before enabling AsicBoost if it’s off)
2. Apply AsicBoost setting and save
3. Restart the ASIC’s mining service (or full reboot if needed)
4. Wait 30–60 minutes for vardiff to stabilize and the 1-hour rolling average to update
5. Compare new hashrate on SoloFury’s miner page:

   https://solofury.com/miner/?addr=<your_wallet>&coin=<coin>

You should see a measurable increase in 1h average hashrate. The exact percentage depends on chip family and firmware, as noted in Section 2. If you don’t see a change after 1 hour:

• Check the ASIC’s stratum log for “version-rolling accepted” message
• For Bitaxe/NerdQAxe: curl http://<miner_ip>/api/system/info and inspect version_mask
• Verify the pool URL is *.solofury.com:7070 (not a different pool)
• Restart the ASIC fully (not just the mining service)

8. AsicBoost Across All 5 SoloFury Coins

SoloFury supports AsicBoost on every coin it operates:

• BTC: version-rolling negotiated since launch
• BCH: version-rolling negotiated since launch
• BC2: version-rolling negotiated since launch
• BCH2: version-rolling negotiated since launch
• XEC: version-rolling negotiated since launch

You configure your miner once, and AsicBoost works on every SoloFury coin you point to. No per-coin reconfiguration needed.

This is unlike some pools where AsicBoost might be supported only on the flagship coin (BTC) and disabled on side chains. SoloFury treats all 5 coins as first-class.

9. AsicBoost + Undervolting — The Power Combo

The biggest efficiency wins come from combining AsicBoost with custom firmware undervolting. Example calculation for an Antminer S21+ at $0.085/kWh:

Stock S21+ baseline (no undervolt, AsicBoost negotiated by default)

• 235 TH/s @ 3,877 W
• 16.5 J/TH
• ~$44.7 / PH/s/day

After Vnish Profile A undervolt

• Same hashrate target, lower power
• Roughly 15 J/TH
• ~$40 / PH/s/day

After Vnish Profile A + aggressive AsicBoost negotiation

• Slightly higher effective hashrate at the same lower power
• Roughly 14 J/TH
• ~$35 / PH/s/day

That’s approximately a 20% reduction in cost-per-PH/s/day from stock, primarily from the multiplicative effect of less power + more effective hashrate. For full undervolting walkthrough, see the Undervolting Antminer S21+ guide.

The numbers above are illustrative — your actual cost reduction depends on your electricity price, chip silicon lottery, and firmware tuning. Measure on your own machine.

10. Troubleshooting

Logs show “version-rolling rejected”

Pool didn’t accept the negotiation. This could mean:

• You’re pointed at a non-SoloFury pool that doesn’t support AsicBoost
• Network glitch during negotiation — restart ASIC and try again
• Firmware bug — update to latest stable

Hashrate increased but reject rate climbed

Some chips need slight voltage increase to handle AsicBoost properly. If your machine is undervolted aggressively, raise voltage by 0.5V (custom firmware) or back off AsicBoost where exposed as a toggle.

Hashrate increased but worker frequently disconnects

Latency-sensitive behavior. Some firmware sends version-rolled shares slightly out-of-band. Switch to closer SoloFury region (eu- or asia- prefix) to reduce share latency.

Bitaxe/NerdQAxe shows version_mask = 0 in API

The firmware didn’t successfully negotiate version-rolling. Update ESP-Miner to the latest stable release, restart, and check again. If still zero, check the stratum task log for errors during the mining.configure exchange.

For comprehensive worker diagnostics, see the Reading Your Worker Stats guide.

11. Cost-Benefit Summary

For most SoloFury miners, ensuring AsicBoost is active is the single most cost-effective action you can take:

For miners already on modern firmware, AsicBoost is likely already negotiated — confirm it, then move on to undervolting and rental strategy.

Next Steps

• Verify activation on your dashboard: Reading Your Worker Stats guide
• Combine AsicBoost with custom firmware undervolting: Undervolting Antminer S21+ guide
• Re-evaluate your owned-hardware economics with the new efficiency: Owned vs Rental Cost Comparison
• Pick the optimal coin to mine with your improved hashrate: Coin Selection Guide
• For ASIC-specific setup walkthroughs: Antminer S21+ Setup, Antminer S19 & Whatsminer Setup, NerdQAxe & NerdOCTAxe Setup
• For algorithm-level background, read the AsicBoost Explained article