Ethereum: Work rejected. Server says: Stale or alien proof of work

Understanding the Ethereum Mining Error: “Outdated or Foreign Proof of Work”

As a Bitcoin and Ethereum developer, you’re probably no stranger to the challenges of cryptocurrency mining. However, when you get an error message stating “Outdated or Foreign Proof of Work,” it can be frustrating and unsettling. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into what’s going on and provide insight into how to resolve the issue.

What is Proof of Work?

In cryptocurrency mining, proof of work (PoW) is a consensus algorithm used to validate transactions and create new blocks. It involves solving a complex mathematical puzzle, which requires significant computational power. The miner who solves the puzzle first gets to add the new block to the blockchain and is rewarded with the newly minted cryptocurrency.

The Problem: Outdated or Foreign Proof of Work

When the server says “Outdated” in its error message, it means that your mining efforts are not producing new blocks at a sufficient rate. This can happen for a few reasons:

• Incorrect Difficulty Settings

  

  : If the difficulty level has increased since you last updated your client to the latest version, it can cause older proof of work solutions to become invalid.

• Outdated Client Software: Using an outdated BitMinter v1.3.2 client may not have been optimized for newer versions of Ethereum, leading to performance issues and the “Outdated” error.

• High Computational Load: If your GPU is capable of mining at a high rate but the server’s capacity limits are exceeded, it can cause older proof of work solutions to become invalid.

Alien proof of work

In addition to being “outdated,” the error message also suggests that an alien (i.e. foreign or unrelated to Ethereum) proof of work solution might be in use. This can happen when a malicious actor attempts to mine cryptocurrency using a different algorithm, which your client cannot recognize as legitimate.

Solutions and workarounds

To resolve the issue, try the following steps:

• Update BitMinter Client – Make sure you are running the latest version of BitMinter Client v1.3.2 or later.

• Disable compression – Try disabling compression on your mining pool files to see if that resolves the issue.

• Reset client settings – Revert any recent changes made to the client settings and try again with the default settings.

• Update GPU drivers – Make sure your graphics drivers are up to date, as older versions can cause performance issues.

• Change difficulty levels

  – If you suspect that the issue is caused by an increase in the difficulty level, consider upgrading to a newer version of BitMinter Client or adjusting the difficulty settings manually.

Conclusion

The “Outdated or foreign proof of work” error can be caused by several factors, such as outdated client software, high computational load, and malicious attempts to mine cryptocurrency using foreign algorithms. If you understand what is happening behind the scenes and implement these solutions, you should be able to resolve the issue and continue mining Ethereum successfully.