Validator FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get help?

Our documentation at https://docs.tangle.tools has the most up-to-date information, and you can ask questions at our Discord, the best place to get assistance with your node or other questions about the project. See http://tangle.tools/community (opens in a new tab) for links to Discord and more.

How do I stay up to date?

All upgrades and important technical information are announced on Discord and Twitter, in the #tangle-network channel. See http://tangle.tools/community (opens in a new tab) for links to Discord and more.

What are the hardware requirements?

See Hardware and Getting Started with Validating for more information.

What about backup nodes?

We recommend that you run two machines with the same specifications, in different countries and service providers to decentralize and make your services more robust. If your primary fails you can quickly resume services on your backup and continue to produce blocks and earn rewards. Please refer to the Q&A on failovers below.

What are the different networks?

There are two networks, each will require dedicated hardware. The Tangle Testnet is free and should be used to familiarize yourself with the setup. See Resources for more details.

What ports do I allow on my firewall?

The only ports that need to be open for incoming traffic are those designated for P2P.

Default Ports for a Tangle Full-Node:

Is there a binary?

Yes, see our Releases page. (opens in a new tab)

What are the recommendations for monitoring my node?

Monitoring is critical for success as a node operator. See our full Monitoring guide

What are the KPIs I should be monitoring?

The main key performance indicator for a node operator is the number of blocks produced. The Prometheus metric for this is called substrate_proposer_block_constructed_count.

How should I set up alerting?

Alerting is critical for your success as a node operator, see our full guide to using our recommended AlertManager

What is the failover process if my primary node is down?

When the primary server is down, the best way to perform a failover to the backup server is to perform a key association update. Each server should have a unique set of keys already. Run the setKeys author mapping extrinsic. You can follow the Mapping Extrinsic instructions and modify the instructions to use the setKeys extrinsic.

What should I look for in the logs?

For full support, see our guides on Logging.

How much stake do I need to become a validator in the active set?

Per era, the NPoS system selects a certain number of nodes with the most TNT to validate. Therefore, the minimum amount required to become an active nominator and earn rewards may change from era to era. You can check the active validator set's stake at https://polkadot.js.org/apps/?rpc=wss://rpc.tangle.tools#/staking (opens in a new tab)

How do I set an identity on my account?

Setting an identity on-chain will help to identify your node and attract delegations. You can set an identity by following the instructions on Polkadot's Identity Documentation (opens in a new tab)

How to move validator to another machine?

To move your validator to another machine, follow these steps:

1. Stop the validator node on the current machine.
2. Copy the keystore file containing your validator's keys to the new machine.
3. Install the necessary software and dependencies on the new machine.
4. Configure the validator node on the new machine, ensuring that you point to the copied keystore file.
5. Start the validator node on the new machine.

How to start a new validator with old account?

To start a new validator with an existing account, you need to:

1. Set up a new machine with the necessary hardware and software requirements.
2. Copy the keystore file containing your validator's keys to the new machine.
3. Configure the validator node on the new machine, ensuring that you point to the copied keystore file.
4. Start the validator node on the new machine.

Your new validator will be associated with your existing account.

How to stop validating?

To stop validating, follow these steps:

1. Unbond your validator using the chill extrinsic in the Staking module. This will initiate the unbonding process.
2. Wait for the unbonding period to complete (usually 28 days).
3. Once the unbonding period is over, you can stop your validator node and safely shut down the machine.
4. Your staked funds will be available for withdrawal after the unbonding period.

How are validators elected or chosen to be in the active set on Tangle?

The election algorithm is complex, but relies on stake and the number of nominations - it is not simply who has the most tokens. See the Polkadot SDK wiki for more information. (opens in a new tab)