# Any help for a mac noob would be appreciated

**URL:** <https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202>\
**Category:** Mining\
**Created:** [November 14, 2018, 7:37am UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202 "2018-11-14T07:37:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jimmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jimmy](https://forum.grin.mw/u/jimmy)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 7:37am UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/1 "2018-11-14T07:37:12Z")

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I’m an absolute mining noob and computer retard. I have a 3 year old iMac. Is there anyway I could set up mining or should I just forget it? I need really simple youtube type guide to do anything on a computer.

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**Author:** ![norvegicum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d78d45/32.png) [@norvegicum](https://forum.grin.mw/u/norvegicum)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/2 "2018-12-01T13:50:55Z")

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yes, sure you can. follow the build guide from grin-tech website…

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**Author:** ![burrrata](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/burrrata/32/667_2.png) [@burrrata](https://forum.grin.mw/u/burrrata)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/3 "2018-12-01T17:15:47Z")

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And if you don’t want to run it on your own computer with your own IP and stuff, you can spin up a node on Google Cloud fairly easily:

- [How to: Run a Grin node on Google Cloud for free · mimblewimble/docs Wiki · GitHub](https://github.com/mimblewimble/docs/wiki/How-to%3A-Run-a-Grin-node-on-Google-Cloud-for-free)

The tutorial is _a little_ out of date from when I explored it a few weeks ago, but happy to respond to any questions or walk you through it if I can 🙂

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**Author:** ![y3v63n](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7993a0/32.png) [@y3v63n](https://forum.grin.mw/u/y3v63n)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 8:09am UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/4 "2018-12-04T08:09:25Z")

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Hey, thanks for the share! What part of this article is outdated?

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**Author:** ![burrrata](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/burrrata/32/667_2.png) [@burrrata](https://forum.grin.mw/u/burrrata)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/5 "2018-12-04T15:03:34Z")

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# Spin up and sync a Grin node in \< 10min:

### Create a Google Account

- Visit [http://cloud.google.com](http://cloud.google.com) and set up an account as an individual.
- This will require a debit or credit card, they do a $1 reserve charge on your card to ensure it’s valid.
- As part of signing up you also get [$300 in free trial credits](https://cloud.google.com/free-trial/) to spend within 12 months.

### Create a VM

- Using the GUI, go to [Compute Engine](https://console.cloud.google.com/compute) / [VM Instances](https://console.cloud.google.com/compute/instances). In the menu on that page you should see a “[New VM Instance](https://console.cloud.google.com/compute/instancesAdd)” button. Click that. If the GUI menus or links change, just figure out how to spin up a new VM instance.
- Configure the VM to your preferences. I chose Debian GNU/Linux 9 (stretch) amd64 with 8vCPUs, 30gb memory, and 100gb storage. This is overkill just to run a node, but I’m impatient and this downloads and syncs in ~10min. The [f1-micro in the Always Free tier](https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier#always-free-usage-limits) with 5gb storage will work too, but it takes ~60min to setup.
- When the VM is read you’ll see a green check mark next to the name of the VM. Click on the SSH drop-down menu, then ctrl click to open an SSH shell in a new browser tab.

### Download and Update Stuff

```auto
sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt install git nano tmux zlib1g-dev libncursesw5-dev libssl-dev clang cmake libncurses5-dev libncursesw5-dev zlib1g-dev pkg-config
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh; source $HOME/.cargo/env
# choose option 1)
rustup update

git clone https://github.com/mimblewimble/grin.git
cd grin
cargo build --release

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

PATH=$PATH:$HOME/grin/target/release:/home/YOUR_USERNAME/.cargo/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games

$ grin
# should open up the command line app and start syncing 

```

Good luck! 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![y3v63n](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7993a0/32.png) [@y3v63n](https://forum.grin.mw/u/y3v63n)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/6 "2018-12-05T05:07:19Z")

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I got to the point when I try to move grin.toml to the release directory, but I get the error saying “mv: cannot stat ‘grin.toml’: No such file or directory”

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**Author:** ![burrrata](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/burrrata/32/667_2.png) [@burrrata](https://forum.grin.mw/u/burrrata)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/7 "2018-12-05T22:43:59Z")

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@y3v63n Sorry! I should’ve been more clear. The process I posted above is **ALL** I did. If you want to do it fast, most of the stuff in the docs can be ignored. I just did it in ~10min using a faster VM. Just updated the instructions for this process end-to-end.

Also, if you **really** care about the [“always free”](https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier#always-free) thing from Google, then you might want to investigate [how that works](https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/gcp-free-tier#always-free-usage-limits), but I just use the [credits](https://cloud.google.com/free-trial/) Google provides with new accounts. I’ve never run out of credits, but your mileage may vary.

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**Author:** ![burrrata](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/burrrata/32/667_2.png) [@burrrata](https://forum.grin.mw/u/burrrata)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/8 "2018-12-05T23:03:28Z")

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@jimmy regarding mining on an old iMac, you might want to check the [discussions](https://forum.grin.mw/t/grin-mining-faq-all-of-the-answers-to-your-mining-questions/71) in the [mining section](https://forum.grin.mw/c/mining). The process is evolving fairly rapidly and I _think_ that GPUs are going to be your main competitors, but I’m not an expert. Better to ask @tromp

- If you want to mine Grin but don’t have a GPU there are various pools and cloud options that are emerging. There’s a list of them somewhere in the Docs, but I don’t remember where. Hopefully they’ll be more organized before the main net launch though.
- If you’re set on using your old iMac, there’s sites like [WhatToMine - Crypto coins mining profit calculator compared to Ethereum](https://whattomine.com/coins) that can help you choose a blockchain that’s friendly towards CPUs and has a low hash power that you could contribute to 🙂

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**Author:** ![tromp](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/tromp/32/22_2.png) [@tromp](https://forum.grin.mw/u/tromp)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 8:41am UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/9 "2018-12-06T08:41:19Z")

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CPUs are at least 10x less efficient than GPUs, so CPU mining is not going to be profitable. You’ll just have to get very lucky to mine a block with your old iMac…

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**Author:** ![DataV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@DataV](https://forum.grin.mw/u/DataV)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/10 "2019-01-18T20:03:47Z")

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Hi @burrrata,  
Thanks for this post. I followed the steps and it perfectly worked.  
Could you please also explain how to set up the mining ?

Thanks

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![burrrata](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/burrrata/32/667_2.png) [@burrrata](https://forum.grin.mw/u/burrrata)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/11 "2019-01-18T20:19:10Z")

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I don’t mine. My interest was in learning about the architecture of the blockchain and the crypto behind it. Best of luck tho 🙂

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**Author:** ![Richard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.grin.mw/richard/32/1259_2.png) [@Richard](https://forum.grin.mw/u/Richard)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/12 "2019-01-27T18:21:16Z")

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Love the “How to: Run a Grin node on Google Cloud for free” explainer. I got as far as… “You’re now ready to receive grins. Try asking the GrinGod faucet for some. In a new terminal window on grin-node1 whilst your node is still running:”

But when I enter: “curl gringod.info” I get the following response: “curl: (7) Failed to connect to gringod.info port 80: Connection refused”

I’m a total noob so it wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve done something stupid while following the tutorial. Any help you guys can offer would be much appreciated. Thank you.

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**Author:** ![Jasper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cdc98d/32.png) [@Jasper](https://forum.grin.mw/u/Jasper)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/13 "2019-01-27T19:18:24Z")

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Sorry, I think the gringod.info faucet is empty for now.

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**Author:** ![Alex\_Beasant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@Alex\_Beasant](https://forum.grin.mw/u/Alex_Beasant)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.grin.mw/t/any-help-for-a-mac-noob-would-be-appreciated/1202/14 "2019-06-04T18:27:22Z")

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I’m new to mining so apologies in advance for being useless! I got the following when I span up a google cloud VM and ran the code:

Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent  
permitted by applicable law.  
alexanderbeasant7@abgrin:~ sudo apt-get install build-essential Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following additional packages will be installed: binutils bzip2 cpp cpp-6 dpkg-dev fakeroot g++ g++-6 gcc gcc-6 libalgorithm-diff-perl libalgorithm-diff-xs-perl libalgorithm-merge-perl libasan3 libatomic1 libc-dev-bin libc6-dev libcc1-0 libcilkrts5 libdpkg-perl libfakeroot libfile-fcntllock-perl libgcc-6-dev libgomp1 libisl15 libitm1 liblsan0 libmpc3 libmpfr4 libmpx2 libperl5.24 libquadmath0 libstdc++-6-dev libtsan0 libubsan0 linux-libc-dev make manpages manpages-dev patch perl perl-modules-5.24 rename Suggested packages: binutils-doc bzip2-doc cpp-doc gcc-6-locales debian-keyring g++-multilib g++-6-multilib gcc-6-doc libstdc++6-6-dbg gcc-multilib autoconf automake libtool flex bison gdb gcc-doc gcc-6-multilib libgcc1-dbg libgomp1-dbg libitm1-dbg libatomic1-dbg libasan3-dbg liblsan0-dbg libtsan0-dbg libubsan0-dbg libcilkrts5-dbg libmpx2-dbg libquadmath0-dbg glibc-doc libstdc++-6-doc make-doc ed diffutils-doc perl-doc libterm-readline-gnu-perl | libterm-readline-perl-perl The following NEW packages will be installed: binutils build-essential bzip2 cpp cpp-6 dpkg-dev fakeroot g++ g++-6 gcc gcc-6 libalgorithm-diff-perl libalgorithm-diff-xs-perl libalgorithm-merge-perl libasan3 libatomic1 libc-dev-bin libc6-dev libcc1-0 libcilkrts5 libdpkg-perl libfakeroot libfile-fcntllock-perl libgcc-6-dev libgomp1 libisl15 libitm1 liblsan0 libmpc3 libmpfr4 libmpx2 libperl5.24 libquadmath0 libstdc++-6-dev libtsan0 libubsan0 linux-libc-dev make manpages manpages-dev patch perl perl-modules-5.24 rename 0 upgraded, 44 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 47.8 MB of archives. After this operation, 206 MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y Abort. alexanderbeasant7@abgrin:~