FAQ Zero-OS v3 Part 1: General, User, Developer and Validator

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Welcome to the Threefold FAQ Part 1

Hint: The Table of Contents is not clickable in the FAQ’s Forum version. To go to a chosen Q+A, search the page (Ctrl+F) with specific keywords of the Q+A .

If the Ctrl+F option opens the Forum’s search function, and you want the general browser search function (which is quicker), you can simply click on the URL and then use Ctrl+F, then the browser’s search function should appear instead of the Forum’s search function.

NB: Some hyperlinks are not operational and will be on the Threefold Library version of the FAQ.

GENERAL FAQ

Basic Facts

What is the the Threefold blockchain?

ThreeFold blockchain is the layer 0 infrastructure for an open source peer-to-peer (P2P) Internet owned by humanity.

What is the Threefold Token? What is the uses of the TF token?

ThreeFold Token (TFT) is a decentralized digital currency used to buy autonomous and decentralized Internet services (compute, storage, applications) on the ThreeFold Network – generated only when active capacity is added to the ThreeFold Grid.
It has a specific commercial utility, since ThreeFold Tokens were conceived as the designated currency for buying and selling capacity on the ThreeFold Grid.

How are Threefold Token (TFT) produced?

ThreeFold Tokens are exclusively produced through a process called farming, which means that TFT are generated only when new Internet capacity is added to the ThreeFold Grid. There is no wasteful mining.

How is the TFT managed?

TFT are managed by the ThreeFold Blockchain (“TF Chain”).

What is the hard cap of TFT? How much TFT can there ever be?

The TF Chain can issue a maximum of 100 billion TFT.

I’ve read that Threefold is Carbon Negative, what does this imply?

In short, to accomplish a Carbon Negative footprint, Threefold has a general strategy and many tactics that are all aimed at building and contributing to a regenerative and resilient environment. In long, check this amazing post by @alex24.

Who are the people working for Threefold?

People from all over the world contribute to the growth of Threefold. Meet them here.

Who are the co-founders of Threefold?

The co-founders of Threefold are:

In a nutshell, what can be said of the Threefold team?

The Threefold team is spread across the world and its members built some of the world’s best Internet storage and cloud automation technologies since the ‘90s.

What is the mission of Threefold?

The mission of Threefold is to create a peer-to-peer Internet that can host all of humanity’s digital workloads via smart contract, removing all forms of centralization from global IT systems.

Does Threefold have any partners?

Threefold has great partners and we are proud of the amazing projects we have done throughout the years. Building the New Internet is a collective project and the Threefold team is always ready to create and collaborate with new partners aligned with our Planet first ethos.

What are the priorities of Threefold (the Three P of Threefold)? / Threefold is a Planet first project, what does it mean?

Threefold is working for the Planet, the People and Profit, in this very order of importance. Planet comes first as it is our home to us all. A humane enterprise always has people before profit, and serious entrepreneurs know profit cannot be left out of the equation of a thriving project.

What is Proof-of-Capacity used by Threefold?

Proof-of-Capacity is an algorithm that verifies the Internet capacity provided by the 3nodes. More information can be found here.

What is Proof-of-Utilization used by Threefold?

Proof-of-Utilization is an algorithm that tracks the utilization of a given 3node’s capacity offered on the TF Grid. More information can be found here.

How is Threefold registered as an entity?

Threefold has different registrations and each serves a different purpose.

There is Threefold VZW, in Belgium. Note that VZW is Belgium’s denotation for non-profit association. Read more here.

There is also Threefold DMCC, in Dubai. Read more here.

There is also ThreeFold Tech NV, a software company which owns the IP of the code delivered. Read more here and here.

Where is ThreeFold Tech’s headquarters?

ThreeFold Tech is located in Lochristi, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Can I have more information on Threefold Tech NV and Threefold S.A.?

Of course. Here are the basic information:

  • TF Tech NV (ThreeFold Tech)

    • Registered at the Belgian Chamber of Commerce under number 0712845674.
    • TF Tech NV is a limited liability organisation under the laws of Belgium. TF TECH NV. Antwerpse Steenweg 19 9000 - Lochristi, Belgium info@threefold.tech BE 0712.845.674
      (RPR Gent) Tel: 0032-93242057

  • ThreeFold S.A. (TF LUX)

    • A public limited liability company under the Company Number B265333, governed by the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
    • ThreeFold S.A., 6, Rue Dicks, 1417, Luxembourg.

Threefold Communication

Is there a Threefold app for mobile?

Yes! It is available for Android and iOS.

You can use this app to create a Threefold ID, a Threefold Wallet and also a Threefold Farm to link all your 3nodes.
The Threefold Connect Wallet, with its Stellar payout address, can be used for transactions as well as to receive farming rewards.
The News section gives you the latest information on the fast Threefold development and growth.

I want to reach the Threefold community. What are Threefold social links?

You can find links to the Threefold community here. Here’s a quick list:

Is there a Discord group for Threefold?

Yes! It’s right here. Threefold is decentralized. This is a community initiative. Come and talk. Let’s New Internet!

How can I reach Threefold Support?

Go on the Threefold Connect App and select Support or go on threefold.io, accept the cookies and click on the bottom right icon for chat.

The Technology of Threefold

What is a 3node?

It is essentially a single server that makes up a larger network of servers which together form the Threefold Grid. Essentially any modern computer can be turned into a 3node (DIY Farming) and you can buy plug and play 3nodes as state of the art modern computer.

What is the difference between a 3node and a Threefold farm?

A 3node is a single server connected to the Grid. Each 3node is linked to a farm. A farm can be composed of multiple 3nodes.

I’ve read that Threefold built an Operating System (OS) from scratch, is it true?

Indeed, to have a quantum safe technology and nodes capabling on running the widest range of softwares, the team built a OS from the ground up, the almighty Zero-OS. Read the next question for more info.

What is Zero-OS from Threefold?

Zero-OS is a stateless and lightweight operating system designed to host anything that runs on Linux, in a decentralized way. Once installed, Zero-OS locks the hardware and dedicates its capacity to the People’s Internet via the ThreeFold Blockchain.

Threefold uses Quantum Safe Storage technology, what does it mean?

Quantum computers are theoretically capable of doing huge calculations in a short period of time. By this fact alone, it is a great potential threat to future online safety. Threefold solves this future problem before it even becomes a reality. Indeed, Zero-os compresses, encrypts, and disperses data across the Grid. Learn more here.

Where does the Threefold Explorer takes its data from?

The Threefold Explorer takes its data from this website: https://gridproxy.grid.tf/.

Buying and Transacting TFT

How can I buy TFT?

There are many ways to do this. You can buy it on Liquid.com, buy on PancakeSwap, or on GetTFT.com. For more information, check this link.

Where can I find TFT, concretely? On which blockchains is TFT available?

  • Stellar Chain
    • Most TFT exist on Stellar at the moment and this is the chain where all farming rewards are currently distributed.
  • Threefold Chain
    • the new ThreeFold blockchain that’s used for billing on Grid v3 and will be used to pay Grid v3 farmers at some point in the future.
  • Binance Smart Chain
    • Binance Smart Chain (BSC) - this TFT exists mostly for buying, selling, and providing liquidity on Pancake Swap 2.

What are the uses for each different blockchains offering TFT?

  • Threefold Chain (TF Chain)
    • TF Chain is used to store the full infrastructures of
      • farms
      • nodes
      • contracts
      • billing reports
      • etc.
    • TFT can be used a Internet Capacity on the Threefold Grid
  • Stellar Chain
    • Stellar is used as a payment network
    • TFT is minted on Stellar Chain
  • Binance Smart Chain (BSC)
    • TFT can be traded and moved on Binance Smart Chain

Note that TFT is fundamentally a utility token. It is Internet capacity farmed by TF Farmers and used by TF Users.

What is the interplay between Stellar Chain and TF Chain?

Stellar is basically a payment network. But we also need a decentralized way to store the full infrastructure of farms, nodes, contracts, billing reports etc. This is available now on TFChain, as you can see here.

Stellar remains very good when it’s purely about fast payment, while TF Chain is used as the decentralized blockchain of the New Internet.

It’s why both remain active, with a bridge in-between to enable transfer of the same tokens on two blockchain infrastructures.

Note that TFT is also available on BSC.

Is there a bridge between Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and Stellar to transfer TFT?

Yes! It’s over here.

How can I bridge TFT from Binance Smart Chain (BSC) to Stellar (and vice versa)?

To use the BSC-Stellar Bridge, follow the following steps. If this is your first time with MetaMask and BSC, read the section Setting up TFT on Metamask below.

Note: Always start with a small amount the first time you try the Bridge.

Bridge from Stellar to BSC

Pre-requisites:

  • Metamask account
  • TF Connect App+Wallet
  • TFT

Steps

  1. Go to the BSC-Stellar Bridge website.
  2. Connect your MetaMask Wallet.
  3. Sign in with MetaMask.
  4. Choose the option Deposit from Stellar .
  5. Agree to the Threefold Terms .
  6. Read and tick the box of the Warning Message .
  7. On your phone, open up your Threefold Connect App and go to the wallet section.
  8. Select the option Send .
  9. Select the Stellar chain.
  10. Click on the button Scan QR Code . The QR Code option automatically fill up your MESSAGE .
  11. Scan the QR code that appears on the Bridge window (or write the information manually).
  12. Make sure the MESSAGE is correctly entered.
  13. Press Send Tokens .
  14. Press Confirm .

In this method, you use the Bridge directly. Thus, it is normal if you do not see your standard MetaMask address. MetaMask is on ERC20 and TFT is on Stellar. You are sending TFT to the Bridge’s address, and the Bridge sends money to your wallet afterward.

Bridge from BSC to Stellar

Pre-requisites:

  • Metamask account
  • TF Connect App+Wallet
  • BNB for gas fees
  • TFT

Steps

  1. Go to the BSC-Stellar Bridge website.
  2. Connect your MetaMask Wallet.
  3. Sign in with MetaMask.
  4. Choose the option Deposit from BSC .
  5. Agree to the Threefold Terms .
  6. Read and tick the box of the Warning Message .
  7. On your phone, open up your Threefold Connect App and go to the wallet section.
  8. Copy your Stellar address.
  9. Paste your Stellar address in the proper field on The BSC-Stellar Bridge.
  10. Enter the amount of TFT you want to bridge.
  11. Click on Withdraw .
  12. Follow the instructions on your Metamask Wallet.

Some tips and information:

  • It’s a good idea to start with a small amount the first time.
  • The process is usually quick, but it can take up to 48h. In doubt, contact TF Support.
  • Going from Stellar to BSC costs 50 TFT.
  • Going from BSC to Stellar costs 1 TFT.
  • There is also fixed fee of 0.01 TFT when using the Stellar Blockchain.
  • Gas fees on BSC is usually around 5-20 gwei.
  • You can try the bridge later if gas fees are high at the moment of your transaction.

Setting up TFT on Metamask

  • Download Metamask here. Then, install the Metamask extension in your local browser.
  • Create a Metamask account
  • Switch the network to Binance chain . You will have to create a new network with following information):
  • Add TFT token in Metamask -> custom token -> contract address = 0x8f0FB159380176D324542b3a7933F0C2Fd0c2bbf

How long does it take when you use the BSC-Stellar Bridge?

The bridge will process deposits/withdrawals within 48 hours.

What are the cost when bridging from Stellar to MetaMask and from MetaMask to Stellar?

It will cost 50 TFT for the former, and 1 TFT for the latter. There is a fixed fee of 0.01 TFT when using the Stellar blockchain. Those fees are taken from the total of what you are bridging. For example, if you Bridge 80 TFT, from Stellar to MetaMask, you will receive 30 TFT.

What is the network information to access BSC for the Threefold token? What is the token address for adding the token in the MetaMask app?

Here it is:

BSC TFT Token Address: 0x8f0FB159380176D324542b3a7933F0C2Fd0c2bbf
For more information, read this.

How can I trade TFT on Pancake Swap? How can I add TFT on Pancake Swap?

When searching for a Token on Pancake Swap (Select a Token), paste the TFT Token Address : 0x8f0FB159380176D324542b3a7933F0C2Fd0c2bbf, then select TFT. You can now trade TFT on Binance Smart Chain.

Is it possible to swap TFT on Stellar Blockain?

Yes this is possible. Here’s how to do it with stellarx.com.

First, make sure your wallet has a TFT trustline. Go on https://stellarx.com, in the menu above, click on Swap. Then, select TFT in the dropdown list and select the desired token to swap. If you do not see TFT, make sure you have a TFT trustline linked to your wallet.

TF Connect App, TF Portal & Polkadot Substrate)

What is the Threefold Portal link?

To go on the Threefold Portal, use this link https://portal.grid.tf/.

To access the TF Portal, I need to use the Polkadot Extension. What is the link?

The link to the Polkadot Extension is the following: https://polkadot.js.org/extension/.

Is there a way to create/import another wallet in TF Connect App?

The TF Connect App supports Stellar and TF Chain wallets. The app by default can create one wallet. To add any number of additional wallets, you must create a wallet on Stellar or TF Chain and then import it with the import function.

I created a farm on the TF Chain. On the TF Connect App - Farmer Migration section, my farm is under Other v3 farms, is this normal?

Yes this is normal. Farms created on TF Chain instead of the TF Connect App will appear in Other v3 farms.

I am trying to access my wallet in the Threefold Connect App. It worked fine before, but now I just get a white screen. What does it mean and what can I do?

On the TF Connect App, when you get a white screen, it means that there is a connection issue. It can help to try other networks; maybe try switching between ethernet cable or wifi. Or you can also try it later when the connection might be more stable.

I have some problems connecting to the Polkadot extension. What can I do?

You could try to delete the cache in your browser or try to open it with another browser (Firefox/Brave/Chrome). Sometimes, removing the account and re-entering the seed phrase can also help to fix some issues. Use your seed phrase carefully.

If you have issues on Firefox, refreshing the browser can help.

Apart form the Threefold Connect App Wallet, how can I check my TFT balance?

You can go on Stellar.Expert. With your wallet address, you will be able to see your transactions and wallet details.

Is it possible to export the transaction history of a wallet to a CSV file?

Yes, every blockchain has an explorer function and these explorer functions allow you to see transactions and export them. TFT is on 2 chains at the moment: Stellar and Polkadot.

For Stellar based TFT’s there is an explorer here: https://stellar.expert/explorer/public. Enter you wallet address in the top left search box, and after pressing enter you should see everything/transaction that happened with your account.

If you are not deploying/doing things on the TF Grid (dev, test or mainnet) you will not have transferred any tokens to the TF Chain, therefore all your tokens/wallets will be on the Stellar Chain.

USER FAQ

TF Grid Functionalities

Can I have the link to deploy a VM and other apps on the Grid?

Yes. It’s https://play.grid.tf.

What can I do on Threefold Grid?

Since Threefold 3nodes have their OS based on the Linux kernel, you can run just about anything that runs on Linux. The possibilities are almost endless. Here’s a quick list of what you can do within a few clicks:

When you take into consideration that with CapRover only, you get dozens and dozens of free and open source one-click applications, from Wordpress to Ruby, you realize the fun ahead.

I want to become a Threefold validator. What are the steps?

Excellent idea! This is a great contribution to the Grid. Read the documentation here. You can then register for Layer 0 or register for Layer 2 on the Threefold Forum.

Is there delegated staking for TFT?

Delegated staking is a feature that will soon be implement. Stay tuned.

What are the type of storage available on TF Grid?

There’s two type of storage that van de used on the TF Grid.

  1. VM which has a virtual disk. The virtual disk is a straightforward volume on a local hard disk. Everything stored on this virtual disk is stored only on this virtual (and thus physical) disk. Delete the VM and the virtual disk and the content is gone.
  2. Quantum safe storage. Quantum safe storage uses a “Storage Engine” that parts, compresses, encrypts and then mathematically describes the data.

What is Threefold’s cloud pricing?

You can read more about Threefold cloud pricing here.

Tutorials and Guides

How can I create a profile manager on play.grid.tf?

Read this documentation.

I want to deploy a virtual machine (VM) on Threefold. How can I do this?

Read this short documentation and you’ll soon be exploring the virtual machine world!

How can I use Caprover on Threefold Grid?

Check this video and find out for yourself! If you want to, read the documentation with step-by-step guide for Caprover.

Is there a picture guide on how to deploy Wordpress on the Threefold Grid using Caprover?

We’re glad you ask, Kristof wrote something you might really dig. Read it here!

I’ve heard rumours that you can install Wordpress and Discourse on the TF Grid in less than 15 minutes, is it true?

Oh yes it is. Legend has it, it can even be done under 10 minutes. Would you give it a try? Check this video.

Can I deploy a Presearch Node?

Yes you can! Check this link. Note that you will need to select on the TF Grid a 3node with a Public IP.

What is the minimum amount of TFT to deploy a Presearch node? / How can I get a TFT discount when I deploy a Presearch node? / How much does it cost to run a Presearch node on TF Grid?

The minimum amount of TFT that needs to be in your Threefold Profile before you can deploy a Presearch node is 2 TFT. But this would not last very long.

To benefit from the biggest reduction in price (-60%), you need to have a sufficient amount of TFT in your wallet. The TFT is not locked and simply needs to be present in your wallet.

For the capacity of a Presearch node, and with the 60% discount, running a Presarch node on the TF Grid (mainnet) would cost around 4.40$USD per month.

Note 1: A Presearch node requires about 3 days to stabilize.
Note 2: Running a Presearch node on testnet would cost around 2.20$USD per month.

How can I deploy Kubernetes on the Threefold Grid?

Read this documentation to find out.

How can I deploy Peertube on the Threefold Grid?

You can learn more about this here.

How can I deploy ownCloud on the Threefold Grid?

Read the documentation here to learn more.

How can I use and install Yggdrasil?

Learn all about this here.

Dev Net & Test Net

Is there a way to test the Grid with free TFT?

You can get free TFT on the Dev Net, but note that these are not real TFTs. They are simply there for people to try and explore the Grid.

Can I get some free TFT to test on Test Net

The TFT on Test Net is real TFT. There are ways to get free TFT to explore Test Net, such as joining the Beta Tester Group. More information here.

I want to test the Grid, is there a Grid Tester Community to reach out TF testers?

Of course! And they’ll be happy to help you. Reach them on Telegram and explore the New Internet.

Threefold Connect App

TF Connect App is now asking for a 4-digit password (PIN). I don’t remember it as I usually use touch/face ID to unlock the app. What can I do?

When you set up your the app, you are asked a 4-digit password (PIN). After some time, the app will be asking for this PIN when users may have been exclusively using touch/face ID. You can reset it by recovering the account with your seedphrase.

Is there a way to have more than one wallet in TF Connect App?

Yes, this is perfectly possible. You can have multiple wallets in the TF Connect app. You can have multiple wallets for the Stellar network and multiple wallets for Polkadot Substrate.

For example, you can create a wallet on the Stellar Blockchain and import it on TF Connect App with the function Import Wallet. Just copy the seedphrase and it will be imported in TF Connect App.

Note: There will not be an automatic function in the app to create a new wallet. You must do it manually.

DEVELOPER FAQ

General Information for Developer

Can I use a docker with the Threefold Grid?

Yes you can. Simply run a virtual machine and install your docker as per the given documentation of the software you want to implement. Note that you can also convert a docker into an flist, to simplify the process. For more information, read the next question.

Can I convert an existing docker into an flist?

Yes you can. Go on this link and you will be able to convert a docker into an flist.

How does a flist work?

In a flist, we separate the metadata from the data. The metadata is a description of what files are in that particular image. It’s the data providing information about the app/software. Thanks to flist, the 3node doesn’t need to install a complete software program in order to run properly. Only the necessary files are installed. Zero-OS can read the metadata of a container and only download and execute the necessary binaries and applications to run the workload, when it is necessary.

For more information, check this TF video.

What is stored in the metadata of a software?

The metadata stores information such as: location, properties, ownership, rights, etc.

What is the ratio between the metadata and the actual files on a container?

Metadata is usually less than 5% of the container. The rest (95%+) is the actual files (binaries, applications).

Does Zero-OS assign private IPv4 addresses to workloads?

No. Zero-OS will request two IP address from the DHCP. If you only have one physical NIC connected, Zero-OS will assign the second IP address as a virtual device.

Can Zero-OS assign public IPv4/IPv6 addresses to workloads?

Yes it can provide both standard and Yggdrasil connections.

What is Yggdrasil?

Yggdrasil is an “overlay network implementation of a new routing scheme for mesh networks”.

What does MAC mean when it comes to networking?

MAC means media access control. It is a unique hardware ID. It helps the network to recognize your machine. It is then, for example, possible to assign a specific and fixed IP address to your hardware.

VALIDATOR FAQ

General Information of Validator

What are Validators?

A blockchain validator participates in “consensus” and maintains the record of transactions. Once transactions are verified. Validators are computers that maintain the blockchain’s integrity by keeping a record of the whole transaction history, from the first block to the last.

In Proof-of-Stake (PoS) systems like ThreeFold L0 and L2 validators are given rewards as long as they stake ThreeFold Tokens (TFT) and correctly participate in the network. This mechanism helps secure the network by imposing the need to lock up TFT in order to participate in the consensus decisions.

Why are Validators important for ThreeFold?

Validators are an essential part of the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. They are essentially the moderators of the staking system and have the extremely important responsibility of authoring new blocks on the chain. To have the most decentralized system possible, ThreeFold needs a good number of validator nodes that can be elected. That’s the primary reason why we limited the amount of validators one person or entity can hold to 1.

This creates the greatest variety of staking options for the community and also protects the system by preventing the chain from being controlled by one very wealthy individual. When there are more people validating the blockchain, it significantly increases the barrier to being elected and allows for a fairer ecosystem to emerge.

Can anyone run a validator node?

Validator nodes can be run by anyone with hardware that meets the minimum requirements (4TB of storage, 32GB of RAM and 4 logical cores). Once the blockchain is set up on the hardware, all the verifications and voting is done on a web portal, a seamless process accessible to anyone. However, it is important to remember that if a validator fails to uphold their responsibilities, a portion of their stake will be slashed (fined), as such an event would impact the resilience and security of the network.

The responsibility of a validator (owner) can be summarized to:

  • Actively participating in the governance of the network the validator protects
  • Producing blocks (requires the node to be online 24/7 to sync with the latest blocks)
  • Validator owners are expected to be active members of the community and must always be up-to-date with the current state of the ecosystem, so that they can easily adapt to any changes.

What are the rewards?

To justify the running costs of the node as well as to gather a suitable income from supporting the blockchain, validator nodes earn rewards, see here for L2 validators, and here for L0 validators.

How many validator nodes will there be?

The amount of validators depends on type of validator.
While there is a maximum of 100 validators for L2 (ThreeFold Hub), there will be max 100 L0 validators per sidechain of TFGrid. There will be many sidechains on the TF Grid.

What’s the difference between L2 and L0?

Our three layer blockchain approach provides for unlimited scale and security.

Layer 2 is the top layer of our ThreeFold ecosystem, also called ThreeFold HUB. It’s a Cosmos-based blockchain that is secured by L2 validators.

Layer 0 is the foundational layer of our ThreeFold ecosystem, also called ThreeFold Operators. It’s a network of validator node operators that secure the operating system layer of the ThreeFold Grid.

What are the rewards for L0 and L2 validators?

During the 2 first years, 5% yield will be rewarded to any staker. 10% of revenue of executors on the sidechain go to people staking L0. 5% of revenue of executors on the sidechain go to people staking L2.

10% will be deducted if you did delegated staking. In other words, if you do not own the validator node. This 10% is commission for the owner of the validator node.

For more information, read this.

Validator Requirements

What are the general requirements?

  • Reliable electricity. Either the electricity is always on or the validator owner takes precautions to put his/her node in a data center or invests in a UPS.
  • Bandwidth > 50Mbit/s continuous connection. The higher the bandwidth, the better the validator can participate in the network.
  • A 24/7 connection.

What are the hardware requirements?

  • 4TB of SSD Storage (good quality SSD)
  • 32 GB of RAM
  • 4 physical cores

Can I run more than one validator node?

You can only have one validator node in each validator category.

Does this mean you only really need 50 000 TFT to run a validator node?

Yes, for 50k TFT you can reserve a validator node for L0 Chain securing the TF Executors.
An additional 50k, which can come from anyone, will be enough to get rewards and voting power.

Thus, you need 50k TFT to reserver a validator, and 50k TFT to activate rewards and voting power.

If validator is running on Grid and the host shutdowns the machine, could stakers lose staking tokens?

No, you would not lose staked tokens, but there could be an impact on reward for the time you were off.

What happens if my validator is down for a while?

The technical implementation is not finished yet, we use Cosmos blockchain for this, we will check the more technical details, normally a node can be offline for quite a while before there are issues.

Could we run validator on our farming machine?

Yes you can, you can run validators wherever you want. You can deploy manually (using code) or through a weblet on a location of your choice.

Application to run a Validator Node

When will Verification of applications start?

Starting February 21, 2022

The Foundation will begin with verifying the applications:

  • Submitted validator requests will be vetted and checked on an individual basis
  • Submitted wallets will be checked on for the respective minimum TFT balance (for amount of TFT required see: L2, L0.
  • Submitted individuals / companies will be asked if they have more than one validator request. This request will be recorded.

What are the next steps after the sign-up?

After successfully completing the validation process, validator owners will be asked for their preferred way to deploy the validator. There are two options:

  • On the ThreeFold Grid with a simple weblet.
  • On bare metal that is owned and managed by the validator owner.

If you haven’t topped up your account, please do so now to meet the minimum amount of TFT required.

Once verified, the new validated sign-ups will receive an instructional link to their verified emails to activate their validator.

If you have further questions, please let us know in the comments and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

We’re looking forward to driving the expansion and decentralization of the ThreeFold Grid with all of you!

Conclusion

If you have any question, you can ask on the Forum, on Telegram (General Channel, Farmer Channel and Grid Tester Channel).

NB: If we wrote something wrong, tell us!

NB2: This is a collective effort. A big Thank You to the great Threefold Community. Many Q+A are contributions from the great farmers in the Telegram Farmer Group and also from the amazing Threefold Forum.

Here’s some of them and tell us if we didn’t mention you while you should be there!

@weynandkuijpers @scott @FLnelson @flowmotion @BoatGod @alex24 Michael Smith (TG) Jelle (TG) Valentine969 (TG)

Related Links:

FAQ Part 1
FAQ Part 2
Farming Guide Part 1
Farming Guide Part 2

4 Likes
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DIY 3node Server Guide (Dell R620-720)
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#2

Very well described. Your analysis and recommendations are spot on. Just one important statement to add: your reasoning is optimized for farming (lowest investment creating the highest return / yield). For workloads higher, amounts of memory and SSD might be useful as not every developer / application requires that same ratio between cores, memory and SSD.

So although there might not be a direct return tot he farmer in TFT, it does not harm to have more :pray:

3 Likes
#3

That is an excellent point. Indeed, there is a kind of farming (reward) logic and a grid (utility) logic so to speak. As most farmers are in partly thanks to the great ethos of Threefold, they definitely would benefit from knowing such details as you pointed out.

It would be great if we could have some main template of 3nodes and farm setups that would be for such and such tasks or goals. Farmers could then orient their choice of hardware depending on their localized situation. It could be in the form of ratios between RAM:CORE:SSD:HDD or absolute values with standard builds.

As an example, what kind of 3nodes and farm would someone need if their work is around:

  1. Mail/business communication server
  2. Streaming music and videos
  3. Storing files for long term storage
  4. Graphics and design
  5. Engineering and architecture
  6. AI and physics simulations

And so on.

For example, people could orient their type of farms if they live near an industrial center where there is a lot of engineer and AI. And they could advertise their farms to specific target audiences and so forth.

Also there can be combinations of such type of farms to cover more ground. For example, I have 3 nodes with a lot of HDD, for storage, and 2 nodes with a lot of RAM and SSD, for compute. This type of reasoning could be optimized and extended.

Finally, the current tokenomics incite people to build a stronger TF Grid as Kristof showed in a Deep Dive Session. So in a sense, this utility logic also has a strong reward logic linked to it, once farmers get to know more about the whole dynamic of the Grid!

2 Likes
#4

look i have one :smiley:

Question: If i initially boot my new created DIY Node in the middle of a month, do i fulfill the requirements (95% uptime) to get token?

Answer: For the first month the node is running, you will receive the rewards on prorated basis. That does mean, if you have the Node up and running for the last 15 days of a month, you will get 15 Days payed out.

thanks to Mahendra from Telegram :wink:

4 Likes
#5

Alright! I add it! Thanks :slight_smile:

1 Like
#6

Really awesome initiative, @Mik ! It’s great to see this build up :slight_smile:

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#7

How/what do you use to zero out your disks?

How/what do you use to load the image onto a USB stick?

1 Like
#8

Hi @BoatGod. For zero out disks unix has a tool called “wipefs”. Every distribution should have it. So if you take an ISO image of any distribution and boot in i “try” mode. In a terminal / shell you should be able to do ```wipefs -f /dev/sd?" for all of the disk devices in the hardware . See here.

With regards to tranfering the bootloader onto USB, here’s a page in the library that gives some guidance. For a unix/linux system you can transfer the dowloaded image with the dd command: dd if=created_boot_loader_file.img of=/dev/sd? where the input file is the download d file from http:/bootloader.grid.tf and the output file (device) is the USB stick device.

Hope this helps!

2 Likes
#9

Fully agree what a fantastic initiative, @Mik ! So beautiful to witness how this build up :slight_smile: :boom: :100: :boom: :pray: :desktop_computer: :nerd_face: :heart_decoration:

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#10

Excellent answers! And great questions from @BoatGod.

I added them in the FAQ with some editions for clarity and also updated the organization of the FAQ.

Thanks for your expertise @weynandkuijpers

1 Like
#11

Well, those were things I had to go search for. Being a noob, I’m sure I’ll come up with more questions when my machine gets here… I used Rufus to put the image on the usb stick…

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#12

We all start as noobs. There’s definitely some learning curve with Threefold. The more questions you have, the more answers we can add to this FAQ. That’s great!

1 Like
#13

Modify:

Q: What is the difference between V2 and V3 minting?

V2 is being sunset. New miners should directly onboard to V3

Add:

What is a 3node?

It is essentially a single server that makes up a larger network of servers which together form the Threefold grid.

Where are my rewards?

They are distributed once a month, around the 5th. Distributions are not daily, or after a certain threshold. Note that upcoming minting rules have a 24 month lockup or until 30% utilization for 3 months on your 3node.

How much electricity does will it use?

A small DIY node based on a compact office computer will draw under 20W. A full size server will draw around 100W idling.

What kind of computer do I need to make a 3node?

Any modern computer should be sufficient, especially once you upgrade the amount of RAM and storage to increase your TFT rewards. While CPU specs are not currently measured, they may be in the future. To insure your 3node provides meaningful capacity to the network, you should have at least 1000 CPU mark per core as measured on https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Can I host more than one 3node at my house?

Yes, but do not host more than your bandwidth can support. If you have a gigbit connection, you can really “rack” up quite a large number of servers.

Do I need collateral?

No! Many decentralized data projects require enormous amounts of collateral, but not ThreeFold.

3 Likes
#14

Alright! That was fun to add.

Thank you for the great contribution.

Now I think people could try and find errors I might have made by writing the post or transcribing others’ thoughts, and once corrected, we should hang this in pinned post on the Telegram Channel.

We can then update it every week or so.

Also, I added the modification for the difference between V2 and V3, but kept the tokenomics part so people can see it’s a good thing for long terms.

3 Likes
ThreeFold Weekly! February 28th Edition (Volume Eight)
#16

Lets get this thread pinned?

#17
#18

Done. Pinned until 1/4/2022

#19

May I suggest adding it to the ThreeFold Documentation in the Farming section?

3 Likes
#20

That would be amazing. We’ll just have to keep it updated as new Q-As come up.

Thanks!

1 Like
#21

@scott @gosam

Can any admin expand the character limit of this post? Right now it’s 32 000. I think we can easily go to 99k, in parameters, and even 150k with a plugin (based on documentation). Is 99k feasible easily? Thank you!

(Got many nice questions to add.)