Setting up and configuring a node

As the builders of the Redbelly network, we understand that running a node can be a daunting task. That's why, with our team's knowledge and experience, we have come up with this guide in order to help you launch a Redbelly node on your preferred cloud platform, whether it's AWS, GCP, Azure, or your physical machine.

In this documentation, we will explore the steps you can take to launch your very own Redbelly Node on the Redbelly Network including:

 

DNS Configuration

You can use any DNS provider. We only need the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) to be mapped to the IP of the server joining the Redbelly Network.

An FQDN consists of three labels, including the hostname, second-level domain name, and top-level domain name (TLD), each separated by a period, ending with a trailing period.

The following is an example of what an FQDN looks like:

FQDN = https://rbn-gcp-australia-southeast1-a-0-b-v2.devnet.redbelly.network

 

Sub domain = rbn-gcp-australia-southeast1-a-0-b-v2.devnet

 

Second-level domain name = redbelly

 

Top-level domain name = network

 

FQDNs indicate unique addresses on the internet. They’re also required for installing SSL certificates.

 

Enable TLS

The steps below use LetsEncrypt as a certificate provider, however, you can use any certificate provider of your choice.

Note that SSL certificate generation requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) to be available, also the certificate issued by LetsEncrypt is valid for 90 days and must be renewed before expiration to allow communication between your node and other nodes on the network.

Step 1: Login/SSH into your server

Syntax
To log in using the private key, to transfer the file use the following command:
ssh -i <private_key_path> <user>@<server_ip>
To use a username and password to transfer the file use the below command:
ssh <user>@<server_ip>
Example
<private_key_path> : ~/.ssh/server.pem

 

<user> : ubuntu

 

<server_ip> : 10.10.10.10

 

 

ssh -i ~/.ssh/server.pem ubuntu@10.10.10.10
Using password:
ssh ubuntu@10.10.10.10

Step 2: Check package list

Ensure your package list is up-to-date by using the following command:
sudo apt update

Step 3: Install Certbot utility

Install certbot utility on your system using the below command (The below scripts are for Ubuntu OS):
sudo snap install --classic certbot
sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot

Step 4: Check processes

Ensure no process is running on Port 80, which will be utilized by certbot to validate your DNS/FQDN and issue the certificate.
netstat -an | grep 80

Step 5: Download certificates

Once Certbot is installed, it can be used to download certificates using the below command:
email=<YOUR_EMAIL_ADDRESS>
fqn=<YOUR_DNS/HOSTNAME_ADDRESS>
sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d $fqn. --non-interactive --agree-tos -m $email
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /etc/letsencrypt/

 

Install/upgrade dependencies

Prepare the system to start the node with the following command:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y cron curl unzip
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y upgrade

 

Redbelly Binary/Genesis.json

Before we proceed with the Redbelly node setup we need to download particular files to the machine.

Step 1: Download files

Important!

You will need to access the Redbelly Developer Support Portal which you would have received an invite to if you were accepted into the Node Operator program.

Property 1=code

Download genesis.json

Property 1=world

Download Redbelly Binary

Step 2: Rename binary

Rename the downloaded binary to “rbbc” as per the following command:
mv <Path_to_RedbellyBinary> rbbc

Step 3: Transfer file

Transfer the file to your machine using the following command:
Syntax
If using the private key, follow the syntax below:
scp -i <private_key_path> <file_path> <user_name>@<server_ip>:<remote_directory>
If using a username and password, follow the syntax below:
scp <file_path> <user_name>@<server_ip>:<remote_directory>
Examples
If using a private key:
scp -i ~/.ssh/server.pem ~/Download/genesis.json user_name@10.10.10.10:/home/user_name
If using username and password:
scp ~/Download/genesis.json user_name@10.10.10.10:/home/user_name

 

Firewall configuration rules

Ensure that the firewall is installed on your node.

We need to allow certain ports through the firewall for TCP inbound.

The following example uses UFW and allows ports 80, 8545, 1888, and 1111

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow 22
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 8545
sudo ufw allow 1888
sudo ufw allow 1111

The below ports are recommended, however, make sure you supply the same port values in the node registration form which you will find in Node Registration defined in the next section:

  • 8545: HTTP-RPC port:
  • 8546: WS-RPC port
  • 1111: Recovery port
  • 1888: Consensus port

Next up:
Register your node
→