Validator Cluster Build

The Validator Cluster is a cluster of Cudos nodes that can be configured as Validator, Seed, or Sentry nodes. Refer to the Validator Cluster Nodes section for an overview of the validator cluster roles.

Cluster Build summary

Note

In this build document, the terms Initialise and Configure refer to running specific scripts that apply the values in the .env settings file to your node.The Initialise script should only be used the first time you start your node, as it will change your node ID.

The following section will take you through these steps in detail:

1. Initialize your Validator Node

  • Apply basic values to the .env file, and Initialise BUT DO NOT START your Validator Node, taking a note of its Node ID.

2. Initialise and Start your Sentry and Seed nodes

  • Apply values to your nodes’ .env files, including adding the Validator’s ID as the PRIVATE_PEERS value.
  • Initialise and Start your Seed and Sentry Nodes, taking a note of their Node IDs

3. Apply peer values to your Validator and start it

Enter the Seed’s ID as the SEEDS value, and the Sentry’s ID as the PERSISTENT PEER value in your Validator node’s .env file.

  • Configure your node
  • Start your validator Node

Cluster Build procedure

1. Initialize your Validator Node

Please ensure you have completed everything in Node Environment Preparation and Binary Builder before you continue to create your node.

To create a validator node you will build a full node, then in a later step stake CUDOS on it, at which point the node will become a validator.

You will apply basic values to your Validator’s .env file and initialise it, however you will not start your validator yet:

1. As root, navigate to the directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/full-node:

sudo -i
cd /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/full-node

2. Create a copy of full-node.env.example, naming the copy full-node.client.testnet.public01.env 

cp full-node.env.example full-node.client.testnet.public01.env

3. Open the file full-node.client.testnet.public01.env.

  • Set the MONIKER attribute to your desired name:
MONIKER=<your-sentry-node-moniker>
  • Set the flag SHOULD_USE_GLOBAL_PEERS to false:
SHOULD_USE_GLOBAL_PEERS=false

4. Make sure that you are still in the correct directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/full-node, and Initialize the node by running this command:

sudo docker-compose --env-file full-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f init-full-node.yml -p cudos-init-full-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build

DO NOT START YOUR VALIDATOR NODE YET

If all steps are completed successfully, you should see a newly generated file: /var/lib/cudos/CudosData/cudos-data-full-node-client-testnet-public-01/tendermint.nodeid that contains your node ID, consisting of a long string of random characters.

2. Initialise and start your Sentry and Seed nodes

Sentry

Please ensure you have completed everything in Node Environment Preparation before you continue to create your node.

1. As root, navigate to the directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/sentry-node

sudo -i
cd /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/sentry-node

2. Create a copy of sentry-node.env.example, naming the copy sentry-node.client.testnet.public01.env

cp sentry-node.env.example sentry-node.client.testnet.public01.env

3. Open the file, sentry-node.client.testnet.public01.env.

  • Set the MONIKER (your node’s name on the blockchain) attribute to your desired name:
MONIKER=<your-sentry-node-moniker>
  • Set SHOULD_USE_GLOBAL_PEERS to true :
SHOULD_USE_GLOBAL_PEERS=true
  • Configure the PRIVATE_PEERS list with the node ID of any validator nodes on your private network.
PRIVATE_PEERS=<validator1-id>,<validator2-id>

Save and Exit

4. Make sure that you are still in the correct directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/sentry-node, and Initialize the node by running this command:

docker-compose --env-file sentry-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f init-sentry-node.yml -p cudos-init-sentry-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build

5. Start your node

docker-compose --env-file sentry-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f start-sentry-node.yml -p cudos-start-sentry-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build --detach

If all steps are completed successfully, you should see a newly generated file: /var/lib/cudos/CudosData/cudos-data-sentry-node-client-testnet-public-01/tendermint.nodeid that contains your node ID, consisting of a long string of random characters.

TIP

Syncing may take several hours. Refer to Checking sync status to verify your node is syncing.

Seed

Please ensure you have completed everything in Node Environment Preparation before you continue to create your node.

1. As root, navigate to the directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/seed-node

sudo -i
cd /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/seed-node

2. Create a copy of seed-node.env.example, naming the copy seed-node.client.testnet.public01.env

cp seed-node.env.example seed-node.client.testnet.public01.env

3. Open the file full-node.client.testnet.public01.env.

  • Set the "MONIKER" attribute to your desired name:
MONIKER=<your-sentry-node-moniker>
  • Set the flag "SHOULD_USE_GLOBAL_PEERS" to true :
SHOULD_USE_GLOBAL_PEERS=true
  • Configure the PRIVATE_PEERS list with the node ID of any validator nodes on your private network.
PRIVATE_PEERS=<validator1-id>,<validator2-id>

4. Make sure that you are still in the correct directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/seed-node, and Initialize the node by running this command:

sudo docker-compose --env-file seed-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f init-seed-node.yml -p cudos-init-seed-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build

5. Start your node

sudo docker-compose --env-file seed-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f start-seed-node.yml -p cudos-start-seed-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build --detach

If all steps are completed successfully, you should see a newly generated file: /var/lib/cudos/CudosData/cudos-data-seed-node-client-testnet-public-01/tendermint.nodeid that contains your node ID, consisting of a long string of random characters.

TIP

Syncing may take several hours. Refer to Checking sync status to verify your node is syncing.

3. Configure peer values on your Validator and Start it

1. On your Validator Node, open the file /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/full-node/full-node.client.testnet.public01.env

  • Add the node ID and IP address+port of any Sentry nodes on your private network to PERSISTENT_PEERS:
PERSISTENT_PEERS=<sentry-node1-id>@<sentry-node1-ip>:26656,<sentry-node2-id>@<sentry-node2-ip>:26656
  • Add the node ID and IP address+port of any Seed nodes on your private network to SEEDS:
SEEDS=<seed-node1-id>@<seed-node1-ip>:26656,<seed-node2-id>@<seed-node2-ip>:26656

2. Make sure that you are still in the correct directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/full-node, and Configure the peer values you have just defined on the validator:

sudo docker-compose --env-file full-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f config-full-node.yml -p cudos-config-full-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build

3. Start your Validator

Make sure that you are still in the correct directory /var/lib/cudos/CudosBuilders/docker/full-node, and Start the node by running this command:

sudo docker-compose --env-file full-node.client.testnet.public01.arg -f start-full-node.yml -p cudos-start-full-node-client-testnet-public-01 up --build --detach

TIP

Syncing may take several hours. Refer to Checking sync status to verify your node is syncing.

Once your node has synced you can stake CUDOS on it, at which point your node will become operational as a validator.

Staking

A full node becomes a validator when it has successfully staked CUDOS.

Before staking, you must create and fund your wallet, and stash it on your node by following the process described in Setting up your nodes wallet, making sure to use the Testnet cudos-testnet-public-3 instead of mainnet.

Once this is completed, you can go ahead and stake CUDOS, which will make your node a validator, as described in Staking your Validator, making sure to use the Testnet cudos-testnet-public-3 instead of mainnet.