Set Up a Validator Node

Before setting up your Shibarium validator node, review this checklist and ensure all prerequisites are met for a secure and reliable deployment.

Recommended: Sentry Node Architecture

It is highly recommended to run your validator node with a Sentry node for security. Running without a Sentry node may expose your validator to security risks.

Downloading the Snapshot

Keep your Heimdall and Bor snapshots handy before setup. [Learn how to download them here.]

RPC Endpoint for Node Setup

Validator nodes require an Ethereum-based RPC endpoint.

Open Necessary Ports

26656: Heimdall service peer connections
30303: Bor service peer connections
22: SSH access

Install RabbitMQ

Install RabbitMQ before setting up your validator node:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install build-essential
sudo apt install erlang
wget https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-server/releases/download/v3.10.8/rabbitmq-server_3.10.8-1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i rabbitmq-server_3.10.8-1_all.deb

Mandatory Checklist for Validator Setup

Checklist	Binaries	Ansible	Packages
Machines Required	2 Machines - Sentry & Validator	3 Machines - Local Machine, Sentry and Validator	2 Machines - Sentry & Validator
Install Go Packages	Yes	No	No
Install Python	No	Yes (only on the Local Machine where the Ansible Playbook runs)	No
Install Ansible	No	Yes (only on one machine)	No
Install Bash	No	No	Yes
Run Build Essential	Yes	No	No
Node Setup	Using Binaries	Using Ansible	Using Packages

Logs & Backups

Heimdall logs:
```
journalctl -u heimdalld.service -f
```
Bor logs:
```
journalctl -u bor.service -f
```

Backup key files:

vi ~/var/lib/heimdall/config/priv_validator_key.json
vi ~/var/lib/bor/keystore/UTC--XXXXX
vi ~/var/lib/bor/password.txt
vi /etc/shib/metadata

Version Checks

Heimdall version:
```
heimdalld version
```
Bor version:
```
bor version
```

Maintain at least 2 sentry nodes for maximum uptime.

Peer Count Monitoring

Heimdall:

curl localhost:26657/net_info? | jq .result.n_peers

Bor:

bor attach .bor/data/bor.ipc
admin.peers.length

For validators, the output should be only one peer (the Sentry). Validators should only connect to their Sentry, not external peers. Sentries can connect to multiple peers.

Additional Setup & Troubleshooting

VPN, Python, and Ansible Setup

VPN setup is required before proceeding.
On Mac, replace native Python 2.7 with Python 3.x.
Ensure pip3 packages are installed correctly.
Remove any previous Go, Bor, or Heimdall setups before starting.

To clean up old setups:

ansible-playbook -l sentry playbooks/clean.yml

SSH and Remote Access

Ensure you have SSH access to the remote machine:

ssh -i <downloaded_key_file.key> <remote_user>@<ip/host>

Sentry Host IP and Validator Host IP must be the same, with colons at the end of lines.

Config and API Keys

Migration & Cutover

Common Questions & Answers

Why keep ETH in signer account? ETH is needed for submitting checkpoints to Ethereum (gas fees).
Do I need both Sentry and Validator nodes? Yes, for security and network architecture.
Where is Heimdall account info?
- Binaries: ~/.heimdalld/config or /var/lib/heimdall/config
- Linux package: /etc/heimdall/config
Where to add API key? In heimdall-config.toml.
Where to add persistent_peers? In /var/lib/heimdall/config/config.toml.
How to stop services?
- Linux: sudo service heimdalld stop, sudo service bor stop
- Binaries: pkill heimdalld, pkill heimdalld-bridge, bash stop.sh
How to remove directories?
- Linux: sudo rm -rf /etc/heimdall/*, sudo rm -rf /etc/bor/*
- Binaries: sudo rm -rf /var/lib/heimdall/, sudo rm -rf /var/lib/bor
How to reduce Bor cache? Use the --cache parameter.

How to delete Bor DB?

bor --datadir  /var/lib/bor/data removedb
cd ~/node/bor
bash setup.sh
service bor start

Quickstart

How-tos

Architecture

Recommended: Sentry Node Architecture

Downloading the Snapshot

RPC Endpoint for Node Setup

Open Necessary Ports

Install RabbitMQ

Mandatory Checklist for Validator Setup

Logs & Backups

Version Checks

Peer Count Monitoring

Additional Setup & Troubleshooting

Quickstart

How-tos

Architecture

​Recommended: Sentry Node Architecture

​Downloading the Snapshot

​RPC Endpoint for Node Setup

​Open Necessary Ports

​Install RabbitMQ

​Mandatory Checklist for Validator Setup

​Logs & Backups

​Version Checks

​Peer Count Monitoring

​Additional Setup & Troubleshooting

Recommended: Sentry Node Architecture

Downloading the Snapshot

RPC Endpoint for Node Setup

Open Necessary Ports

Install RabbitMQ

Mandatory Checklist for Validator Setup

Logs & Backups

Version Checks

Peer Count Monitoring

Additional Setup & Troubleshooting