Skip to main content

How to run a Venom validator node

Precautions​

info

The keywords "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.

Caution​

Running a Validator node makes you responsible for your entire stake. If something goes wrong, the node could be slashed, and you can lose your stake.

You SHOULD have enough Linux engineering skills to manage, secure, and maintain nodes. Running a Validator node is considerably more advanced than executing a validator binary.

Pre-requisites​

Stake​

To operate a Validator node, a sufficient quantity of Venom tokens is required. The node can be deployed in either validator or DePool mode.

Node hardware minimums​

CPU: 12x cores Intel Skylake or a newer CPU. The higher base CPU frequency is preferred over a core count;

RAM: 64GB; Network: 300Mbps with a reliable internet connection. Connection issues can potentially cause slashing of your Validator;

Storage:

50GB SSD storage for the operating system; 500GB of NVMe for Validator internal database, with the ability to add additional space to allow for the the growth of the blockchain;

Operating system: Ubuntu 22.04

These specs are not a hard requirement, but rather a best practice. Because running a validator node is a consequential task, you should consider using enterprise-grade hardware, to ensure the stability of your node.

Cloud providers​

caution

Beware of the Terms and conditions of the cloud provider of your choice. DigitalOcean’s Acceptable User Policy requires implicit permission to undertake "mining of cryptocurrencies" and this may be extended to other cryptocurrency activities.

Successfully tested Cloud Providers:

  • Google Cloud
  • Amazon AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • OVH

To make your node work properly, configure the cloud firewall to accept incoming traffic on UDP/30000 port

info

The node will consume approximately 6TB of incoming traffic each month. You should consider this when estimating the costs of your setup.

Node setup​

caution

Always check any scripts you are running

  1. Prepare the server for node setup

1.1. Create a user and group for running the Validator node, and create all necessary folder structures

VALIDATOR_USER="validator"
VALIDATOR_GROUP="validator"
sudo groupadd $VALIDATOR_GROUP
sudo useradd $VALIDATOR_USER -m -s /bin/bash -g $VALIDATOR_GROUP -G sudo
# Mount 
sudo mkdir -p /var/venom/rnode/
sudo chown $VALIDATOR_USER:$VALIDATOR_GROUP /var/venom/rnode/

1.2. Check if the NTP service is UP and running

systemctl status systemd-timesyncd

Your system should show that the service is up and running. If not - please refer to the documentation

● systemd-timesyncd.service - Network Time Synchronization
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/systemd-timesyncd.service; enabled; 
     preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running)
caution

If the system clock is out of sync (even by a small amount), the blocks which the Validator produces, may not be accepted by the network.

  1. Create firewall rules to allow ADNL communications
sudo ufw allow 30000/UDP
  1. Install dependencies
sudo apt update 
sudo apt install -y git libssl-dev pkg-config build-essential libzstd-dev 
libclang-dev libgoogle-perftools-dev
  1. Switch to the validator user
sudo su validator

4.1 Install rust


curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"
  1. Build a Validator node

cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/venom-blockchain/stvenom-node-tools
# Enable validator services
sudo $PWD/.cargo/bin/stvenom init systemd

Here choose the user for the validator. DON'T RUN Validator service as a root user!

[0/2] Preparing services
? Select the user from which the service will work ›
❯ validator
  root
  1. Setup Validator and create wallets Compile and init node
stvenom init

Choose "other" network

[0/2] Preparing configs
✔ Create root directory? (/home/validator/.stvenom) · yes
? Select network ›
  Venom mainnet
  Venom testnet
❯ other

Provide global config URL (Contact Venom core team)

✔ Select network · other
? Config URL ›
[0/2] Preparing configs
✔ Create root directory? (/home/validator/.stvenom) · yes
✔ Select network · other
✔ Config URL ·<hidden>
✔ Node config doesn't have control server entry. Create? · yes
✔ Control server listen address · localhost
✔ Specify control port · 31000
✔ Enter public ip · 164.92.106.127
✔ Specify server ADNL port · 30000
✔ Specify node DB path · /var/venom/rnode
[1/2] Preparing binary

The node would be compiled, Select the mode of your node:

? Select validator type ›
❯ Single
  DePool

Create a new seed phrase or import existing

[0/2] Creating validator wallet
❯ Generate new keys
  Import seed

6.1 Define the desired stake per round. Notice you will need an amount of tokens 2*(stake per round)+10

Leave "stake factor (ratio between maximum available stake on the network and your stake) to 3 as it is standard in the Venom network

✔ Stake per round (VENOM) · 10000
✔ Stake factor · 3
[2/2] Validator configured successfully. Great!

Validator wallet address:


Required validator wallet balance: 20010 VENOM
  • 10 VENOM, maintenance balance
  • 2 x 20010 VENOM, stakes for each round

Make sure you back up your keys:
/home/validator/.stvenom/keys/vld.keys.json
info

Make sure you back up your keys after the initial configuration! All keys are stored at $HOME/.stvenom/keys/

Init validator services

sudo ~/.cargo/bin/stvenom init systemd
caution

Service MUST NOT run as the root user

[0/2] Preparing services
? Select the user from which the service will work ›
❯ validator
  root

It will create two services:

  • venom-validator-manager - control service that takes part in elections, recovers stake and performs other tasks with the Elector contract
  • venom-validator - node itself, managing validation process

You can check the status of both services with the following commands:

service venom-validator status
service venom-validator-manager status
  1. Transfer tokens to the Validator contract

Transfer the required amount of tokens to the address generated in the previous step. The Wallet will become active after the first stake

  1. Wait until the elections start

When elections start, the venom-validator-manager process will automatically stake the desired amount of tokens. You can check the current state of elections using Venomscan.com.

info

venom-validator-manager adds 1 VENOM token for the stake to pay for the transaction fees, and you will be required to add 1 VENOM token to the "stake and bonuses recovery" transaction. Due to this, it is adviseable to always keep some additional tokens in the Validator

If everything has been setup correctly - you should see your address in the validators list for the next round.