What is the PPLNS window in P2Pool?
The PPLNS window in P2Pool is the rolling record of recent mining work used to decide who gets paid when your P2Pool sidechain finds a Monero block. It normally covers up to 2,160 sidechain blocks—about six hours—but it is not a promise of a payment every six hours.
What the window actually counts
PPLNS stands for Pay Per Last N Shares. A share is proof that your miner has done a certain amount of work.
P2Pool records qualifying shares on a sidechain, a separate chain that tracks miners’ contributions alongside the main Monero blockchain. Its target is roughly one sidechain block every 10 seconds. That makes 2,160 blocks about six hours, on average.
This is a rolling window, not a fixed shift with a start and finish:
- New shares enter as miners find them.
- Older shares eventually leave.
- When P2Pool finds a Monero block, eligible work inside the window determines the payout split.
The six-hour figure is approximate. Block timing varies, and P2Pool also limits the total work counted in its payout window relative to Monero’s mining difficulty. That can make the effective window shorter.
What happens when you find a share
Imagine you find a qualifying P2Pool share at noon. That share can contribute to your payouts while it remains in the active window.
If your sidechain finds several Monero blocks during that time, your share can count toward several payouts. If it finds no Monero blocks before your share leaves the window, that share earns nothing.
Your share does not need to be the one that finds the Monero block. Sharing the rewards of successful blocks is the point of pooled mining.
Also, an “accepted share” message in your mining software does not always mean you have found a payout-eligible P2Pool share. Your local setup may accept easier submissions to measure your mining speed. Check P2Pool’s own share and window information when judging payout eligibility.
What stopping or starting means for you
Stopping your miner does not immediately remove shares you already found. They can still earn payouts until they leave the window.
The reverse matters too: simply running your miner for six hours does not guarantee a payout. You first need qualifying work in the window, and your sidechain must find a Monero block while that work is eligible.
For you, this means:
- Short sessions can end without any qualifying shares.
- Continuous mining gives you more opportunities to keep shares in the window.
- A lucky or unlucky stretch can make short-term payouts vary widely.
Why your sidechain matters
P2Pool main, mini, and nano keep separate share histories. Your shares count on the sidechain where you mine, not across all three.
Lower-difficulty sidechains can make qualifying shares easier for a slower miner to find. However, a sidechain with less total mining power generally finds Monero blocks less often. An easier share is not a guaranteed payment.
The bottom line
Think of the PPLNS window as your shares’ temporary eligibility for rewards. Around six hours is the usual reference, not a payout schedule: you get paid when your sidechain finds a Monero block and your qualifying work is still counted.
