solana/book/src/running-replicator.md

Running a Replicator

This document describes how to setup a replicator in the testnet

Please note some of the information and instructions described here may change in future releases.

Overview

Replicators are specialized light clients. They download a part of the ledger a.k.a Segment and store it. They earn rewards for storing segments.

The testnet features a validator running at testnet.solana.com, which serves as the entrypoint to the cluster for your replicator node.

Additionally there is a blockexplorer available at http://testnet.solana.com/.

The testnet is configured to reset the ledger daily, or sooner should the hourly automated cluster sanity test fail.

Machine Requirements

Replicators don't need specialized hardware. Anything with more than 128GB of disk space will be able to participate in the cluster as a replicator node.

Currently the disk space requirements are very low but we expect them to change in the future.

Prebuilt binaries are available for Linux x86_64 Ubuntu 18.04 recommended, macOS, and Windows.

Confirm The Testnet Is Reachable

Before starting a replicator node, sanity check that the cluster is accessible to your machine by running some simple commands. If any of the commands fail, please retry 5-10 minutes later to confirm the testnet is not just restarting itself before debugging further.

Fetch the current transaction count over JSON RPC:

$ curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1, "method":"getTransactionCount"}' http://testnet.solana.com:8899

Inspect the blockexplorer at http://testnet.solana.com/ for activity.

View the metrics dashboard for more detail on cluster activity.

Replicator Setup

Obtaining The Software

Bootstrap with solana-install

The solana-install tool can be used to easily install and upgrade the cluster software.

Linux and mac OS

$ curl -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/solana-labs/solana/v0.18.0/install/solana-install-init.sh | sh -s

Alternatively build the solana-install program from source and run the following command to obtain the same result:

$ solana-install init

Windows

Download and install solana-install-init from https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/releases/latest

After a successful install, solana-install update may be used to easily update the software to a newer version at any time.

Download Prebuilt Binaries

If you would rather not use solana-install to manage the install, you can manually download and install the binaries.

Linux

Download the binaries by navigating to https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/releases/latest, download solana-release-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.bz2, then extract the archive:

$ tar jxf solana-release-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.bz2
$ cd solana-release/
$ export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH

mac OS

Download the binaries by navigating to https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/releases/latest, download solana-release-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.bz2, then extract the archive:

$ tar jxf solana-release-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.bz2
$ cd solana-release/
$ export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH

Windows

Download the binaries by navigating to https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/releases/latest, download solana-release-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.tar.bz2, then extract it into a folder. It is a good idea to add this extracted folder to your windows PATH.

Starting The Replicator

Try running following command to join the gossip network and view all the other nodes in the cluster:

$ solana-gossip --entrypoint testnet.solana.com:8001 spy
# Press ^C to exit

Now configure the keypairs for your replicator by running:

Navigate to the solana install location and open a cmd prompt

$ solana-keygen new -o replicator-keypair.json
$ solana-keygen new -o storage-keypair.json

Use solana-keygen to show the public keys for each of the keypairs, they will be needed in the next step:

• Windows

  # The replicator's identity
  $ solana-keygen pubkey replicator-keypair.json
  $ solana-keygen pubkey storage-keypair.json
  

• Linux and mac OS

  ```bash

  export REPLICATOR\_IDENTITY=solana-keygen pubkey replicator-keypair.json

  export STORAGE\_IDENTITY=solana-keygen pubkey storage-keypair.json

Then set up the storage accounts for your replicator by running:
```bash
$ solana --keypair replicator-keypair.json airdrop 100000 lamports
$ solana --keypair replicator-keypair.json create-replicator-storage-account $REPLICATOR_IDENTITY $STORAGE_IDENTITY

Note: Every time the testnet restarts, run the steps to setup the replicator accounts again.

To start the replicator:

$ solana-replicator --entrypoint testnet.solana.com:8001 --identity replicator-keypair.json --storage-keypair storage-keypair.json --ledger replicator-ledger

Verify Replicator Setup

From another console, confirm the IP address and identity pubkey of your replicator is visible in the gossip network by running:

$ solana-gossip --entrypoint testnet.solana.com:8001 spy

Provide the storage account pubkey to the solana show-storage-account command to view the recent mining activity from your replicator:

$ solana --keypair storage-keypair.json show-storage-account $STORAGE_IDENTITY