Testnet Campaign Flow (Phase 1)

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Prerequisites for a node
    • Hardware
    • Software
• What do I need to participate in testnet campaign?
  • Step 1: Learn
  • Step 2: IP addresses and DNS
  • Step 3: Install Erlang
  • Step 4: Get Tea Ceremony client and token
  • Step 5: Start the Tea Ceremony client
  • Step 6: Download the node
    • Download, build, and run the node using Docker
    • Download, build, and run the node using docker-compose
    • Download, build, and run the node using the source code

Introduction

This simple guide will help you participate in The Power testnet campaign.

warning

Please, turn off the firewall before starting your work with the node.

Prerequisites for a node

Hardware

CPU cores	Memory	Hard disk	Network
4	4 GB or more	Minimum: 40 GB, SSD preferred	100 Mbit/s

Software

OS	Erlang version	Eshell version	Docker version	Server
Ubuntu 22.04	24.3	10.4	latest (20.10.18 as of September 2022)	Virtual machine

note

You need to have a clear server to work with your node. If you have done any experiments before, please delete the previous builds.

warning

If you use other versions of Ubuntu, you'll have to resolve the Erlang dependencies manually.

What do I need to participate in testnet campaign?

To participate in ThePower testnet campaign you need to:

Step 1: Learn

Learn what is a testnet in DCloud. This guide will help you understand what ThePower Testnet is.

Step 2: IP addresses and DNS

You need to have a public IP address to take part in the testnet campaign. You can register a DNS for your server, if you want. The word "domain" will be used in the text below with the meaning of "domain", or of "IP address".

Step 3: Install Erlang

Before starting Tea Ceremony you need to set up your environment by installing Erlang. You will need Erlang to run the Tea Ceremony client. You will not be able to start the node and connect to the chain without Tea Ceremony. To install Erlang, run:

apt -y install erlang-base erlang-public-key erlang-ssl

Note

You need to install erlang-public key and erlang-ssl. Otherwise, Erlang will not operate properly!

Step 4: Get Tea Ceremony client and token

1. Get the Tea Ceremony client by running the following command:

   wget https://tea.thepower.io/teaclient

2. Change the teaclient file mode to executable by running the following command:

   chmod +x teaclient

   Otherwise, you will NOT be able to start the client.

3. Get the Tea Ceremony token from the testnet bot.

   note

   This and the following steps are crucial because you will NOT be able to start your node without genesis.txt and node.config files. You can find more information about these files here.

Step 5: Start the Tea Ceremony client

Start the Tea Ceremony client using the token you've got from the testnet Telegram bot.

warning

Before starting the Tea Ceremony, make sure you've opened the ports 1800, 1443, and 1080 like this:

ufw allow 22
ufw allow 1800
ufw allow 1443
ufw allow 1080
ufw enable

important

We strongly recommend you to start the Tea Ceremony in screen.

To start the client, run the following command:

./teaclient -n nickname aaaaa.bbbbb

where

• teaclient — Tea Ceremony client,
• nickname — The name of your node. Maximum 10 characters,
• aaaaa.bbbbb — Tea Ceremony Token, you've got from the Tea Ceremony bot,
• -n is used with a minus sign, not with a dash.

The token (aaaaa.bbbbb) consists of two parts:

1. aaaaa — chain token. It is common for all nodes in the chain, and
2. bbbbb — personal token. It can't be expired until it is used, but you can use it only once.

If you start the Tea Ceremony with the chain part of the token, you will be able to check the ports availability.

After you have started the client, wait for other participants. Please, DON'T turn off the Tea Ceremony client for 24 hours.

note

If the client is started without options, you will see a short reference on the command and options.

If you have successfully started the Tea Ceremony client, you will get node.config and genesis.txt files after the ceremony ends. You can find these files under the same directory where you have started the Tea Ceremony client.

tip

You can get a ready-to-work node.config file. To do this, rerun the Tea Ceremony.

note

Nickname requirements

Check out the nickname requirements:

• min. 4 symbols;
• max. 16 symbols;
• the nickname must contain alphanumeric symbols of any case.

Step 6: Download the node

Download ThePower Node. Here you have two options:

1. Download ThePower node using the Docker image (recommended for most users), or
2. Download the source code and build it (only for advanced users).

Download, build, and run the node using Docker

Use this manual to download, build, and run the node using Docker. It is a fast and easy way to build and run the Power Node. Recommended to the most of testneters.

Download, build, and run the node using docker-compose

Use this manual to download, build, and run the node using Docker. It is even easier than running a node using Docker image. Recommended to the new testneters.

Download, build, and run the node using the source code

Use this manual to download, build, and run the node from the source code if you want to go through the advanced way of building sources, but we still recommend you to use the Docker image.