0g-chain/docs/validator_guide.md
Adam Robert Turman 8892849f9f
Update docs/validator_guide.md
Co-authored-by: Kevin Davis <karzak@users.noreply.github.com>
2021-09-27 14:00:35 -05:00

193 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
Raw Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

# Validator Guide
This is an updated guide on setting up a mainnet validator. Note that this is a minimal guide and does not cover more advanced topics like [sentry node architecture](https://github.com/stakefish/cosmos-validator-design) and [double signing protection](https://github.com/tendermint/tmkms). It is strongly recommended that any parties considering validating do additional research. If you have questions, please join the active conversation in the #validators thread of our [__Discord Channel__](https://discord.com/invite/kQzh3Uv).
## Installing Kava
### Prerequisites
You should select an all-purpose server with at least 8GB of RAM, good connectivity, and a solid state drive with sufficient disk space. Storage requirements are discussed further in the section below. In addition, youll need to open **port 26656** to connect to the Kava peer-to-peer network. As the usage of the blockchain grows, the server requirements may increase as well, so you should have a plan for updating your server as well.
### Storage
The monthly storage requirements for a node are as follows. These are estimated values based on experience, but should serve as a good guide.
- An archival node (`pruning = "nothing"`) grows at a rate of ~100 GB per month
- A fully pruning node (`pruning = "everything"`) grows at a rate of ~5 GB per month
- A default pruning node (`pruning = “default”`) grows at a rate of ~25 GB per month
## Install Go
Kava is built using Go and requires Go version 1.13+. In this example, you will be installing Go on a fresh install of ubuntu 18.04.
```bash
# Update ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
# Install packages necessary to run go and jq for pretty formatting command line outputs
sudo apt install build-essential jq -y
# Install go
wget https://dl.google.com/go/go1.17.1.linux-amd64.tar.gz (or latest version at https://golang.org/dl/)
sudo tar -xvf go1.17.1.linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv go /usr/local
# Updates environmental variables to include go
cat <<EOF>> ~/.profile
export GOROOT=/usr/local/go
export GOPATH=$HOME/go
export GO111MODULE=on
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:$HOME/go/bin
EOF
source ~/.profile
```
To verify that Go is installed:
```bash
go version
# Should return go version go1.17.1 linux/amd64
```
## Install Kava
Install Kava using `git clone`. Note that version 0.15.1 is the correct version for mainnet.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/kava-labs/kava
cd kava
git checkout v0.15.1
make install
```
To verify that kava is installed:
```bash
kvd version --long
# name: kava
# server_name: kvd
# client_name: kvcli
# version: 0.15.1
# commit: f0c90f0cbf96d230a83cd2309b8fd032e52d7fb933881541472df1bf2703a939
# build_tags: netgo,ledger
# go: go version go1.15.14 linux/amd64
```
## Configuring Your Node
Next, download the correct genesis file and sync your node with the Kava mainnet. To download the genesis file:
```bash
# First, initialize kvd. Replace <name> with the public name of your node
kvd init --chain-id kava-8 <name>
# Download the genesis file
wget https://kava-genesis-files.s3.amazonaws.com/kava-8-genesis-migrated-from-block-1878508.json -O ~/.kvd/config/genesis.json
# Verify genesis hash
jq -S -c -M '' $HOME/.kvd/config/genesis.json | shasum -a 256
# f0c90f0cbf96d230a83cd2309b8fd032e52d7fb933881541472df1bf2703a939
```
Next, adjust some configurations. To open the config file:
```bash
vim $HOME/.kvd/config/config.toml
```
At line 160, add [seeds](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TWsD2lMi1idkPI6W9xFCn5W64x75yn9PDjvQaJVkIRk/edit?usp=sharing). These are used to connect to the peer-to-peer network:
At line 163, add some [persistent peers](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TWsD2lMi1idkPI6W9xFCn5W64x75yn9PDjvQaJVkIRk/edit?usp=sharing), which help maintain a connection to the peer-to-peer network
Next, chose how much historical state you want to store. To open the application config file:
```bash
vim $HOME/.kvd/config/app.toml
```
In this file, choose between `default`, `nothing`, and `everything`. To reduce hard drive storage, choose `everything` or `default`. To run an archival node, chose `nothing`.
```bash
pruning = "default"
```
In the same file, you will want to set minimum gas prices — setting a minimum prevents spam transactions:
```bash
minimum-gas-prices = "0.001ukava"
```
### Syncing Your Node
To sync your node, you will use systemd, which manages the Kava daemon and automatically restarts it in case of failure. To use systemd, you will create a service file. Be sure to replace `<your_user>` with the user on your server:
```bash
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/kvd.service > /dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Kava daemon
After=network-online.target
[Service]
User=<your_user>
ExecStart=/home/<your_user>/go/bin/kvd start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=3
LimitNOFILE=4096
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF
```
To start syncing:
```bash
# Start the node
sudo systemctl enable kvd
sudo systemctl start kvd
```
To check on the status of syncing:
```bash
kvcli status --output json | jq '.sync_info'
```
This will give output like:
```bash
{
"latest_block_hash": "21D7E37A0A5992E1992DD43E42C05E4475A6E212694F746ABEE132267067847D",
"latest_app_hash": "FBE0E799BCCA57F12F781252787BD6340782E5D45E591294D01269F481B128AC",
"latest_block_height": "183566",
"latest_block_time": "2021-03-22T17:21:41.848445277Z",
"earliest_block_hash": "09E688467E5016159D74CEDE2EE870D671CAA772F76E6697AEEB685A398ACB08",
"earliest_app_hash": "",
"earliest_block_height": "1",
"earliest_block_time": "2021-03-05T06:00:00Z",
"catching_up": false
}
```
The main thing to watch is that the block height is increasing. Once you are caught up with the chain, `catching_up` will become false. At that point, you can start using your node to create a validator. If you need to sync using a snapshot, please use https://kava.quicksync.io/
To check the logs of the node:
```bash
sudo journalctl -u kvd -f
```
## Creating a Validator
First, create a wallet, which will give you a private key / public key pair for your node.
```bash
# Replace <your-key-name> with a name for your key that you will remember
kvcli keys add <your-key-name>
# To see a list of wallets on your node
kvcli keys list
```
**Be sure to write down the mnemonic for your wallet and store it securely. Losing your mnemonic could result in the irrecoverable loss of KAVA tokens.**
To see the options when creating a validator:
```bash
kvcli tx staking create-validator -h
```
An example of creating a validator with 50KAVA self-delegation and 10% commission:
```bash
# Replace <key_name> with the key you created previously
kvcli tx staking create-validator \
--amount=50000000ukava \
--pubkey=$(kvd tendermint show-validator) \
--moniker="choose moniker" \
--website="optional website for your validator"
--details="optional details for your validator"
--commission-rate="0.10" \
--commission-max-rate="0.20" \
--commission-max-change-rate="0.01" \
--min-self-delegation="1" \
--from=<key_name> \
--chain-id=kava-8 \
--gas=auto
--gas-adjustment=1.4
```
To check on the status of your validator:
```bash
kvcli status --output json | jq '.validator_info'
```
After you have completed this guide, your validator should be up and ready to receive delegations. Note that only the top 100 validators by weighted stake (self-delegations + other delegations) are eligible for block rewards. To view the current validator list, checkout one of the Kava block explorers:
- https://www.mintscan.io/kava
- https://kava.bigdipper.live/
- https://kavascan.com/
If you have questions, please join the active conversation in the #validators thread of the [__Kava Discord Channel__](https://discord.com/invite/kQzh3Uv).