# Nethermind Sedge 

**Published by:** [GLCstaked](https://paragraph.com/@glcstaked/)
**Published on:** 2022-11-21
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@glcstaked/nethermind-sedge

## Content

Set up an Ethereum /Gnosischain validator in under 30mins What is Sedge: A one-click setup tool for PoS network/chain validators for Ethereum and Gnosischain, Sedge takes care of the entire on-premise full node setup based on the chosen client, using generated docker-compose scripts based on the desired configuration. You of course, still need to sync chain data which can take a while, but the whole set-up process is minutes as sedge will automate much of the configuration that goes into a validator setup. Simply download Sedge select client for Execution layer node and consensus layer node, it will configure the setup including checking and installing dependencies on your system. Sedge is developed by Nethermind client teamNethermind | Blockchain Research & Software Engineeringtools & products tools & products Developer tools Our work touches every part of the Ethereum and Starknet ecosystem, from our full nodes to cryptography research and application-layer protocol development. ethereum contributions The Nethermind project was bootstrapped in 2017 and received an Ethereum Foundation grant in 2018 to deliver the full-client implementation.https://www.nethermind.ioSedge is a tool that focuses on ease of use and, as such, lowers the entry barrier for non-technical users. If you are interested in being a solo-validator for Ethereum or Gnosischain but have little technical experience then this tool may be for you. Sedge, will not run or maintain the validator for you, with sedge you are a solo-staker, you should be comfortable with the responsibilities involvedTo Run a Validator To run a validator for Ethereum or Gnosischain there are two main Nodes, an Execution Layer client is required this is typically referred to as a full node, it stores the state of the blockchain and connects to other full nodes. This is needed to interact with the chain. Consensus Layer Client (or Beacon Node) uses beacon node client software to coordinate Ethereum/Gnosischain proof-of-stake consensus. Validator Client, This is special piece of software that manages validator keys and duties such as producing new blocks and voting on others' proposed blocks. Validator clients connect to the Ethereum network through beacon nodes, which depend on execution nodes. There are a number of different client implementations for these node types (you can find many here) To setup a Validator, these clients have to be configured correctly the process of which varies client to client. Sedge will handle the configuration of these node types for you.HardwareYou should run your validator on a dedicated server/device. Would recommend installing Linux Ubuntu 20.04LTS, find out how to boot to a new device here https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#1-overview Specs: You don’t need a $5k PC setup, both Ethereum and gnosischain were designed to be run on consumer hardware. I picked up a $300 PC tower, came with 16GB ram & intel i5 4Core CPU. No graphics card, whatever integrated graphics is fine, this is one thing we don’t care about at all. Internet: You need Ethernet Connection (Wifi is no good). Internet should be at least 100 Mb/s download. But keep in mind you don’t need a data centre to run a validator on these networks, a little bit of downtime will not effect rewards/profitability badly. Storage: the most important component, hard-disk is no go, its simply too slow, you won’t be able to keep in sync. Get a quality SSD (preferably NVMe SSD) but a higher grade SATA SSD is fine.1. Install SedgeFind the latest release of Sedge from hereGitHub - NethermindEth/sedge: A one-click setup tool for PoS network/chain validators and nodes.A one-click setup tool for PoS network/chain validators and nodes. - NethermindEth/sedgehttps://github.comLook for Releases find the latest version, under assets (as were using ubuntu) the file we want is for linux-amd64. At time of writing this was 0.4.0 but the latest version should be used if available.You can copy the link to use in the command belowOpen the Terminal in Ubuntu, and download the Sedge binary with the following. This will download v0.5.0 release which is merge ready.wget https://github.com/NethermindEth/sedge/releases/download/v0.5.0/sedge-v0.5.0-linux-amd64 -O sedge Make Executablechmod +x sedge Add to Pathsudo cp sedge /usr/local/bin/sedge Run this to confirm installationsedge --help This is what you should see if installed successfully2. Initialize SedgeTo start Sedge and start your Execution Node and Beacon Node with Validator NodeThis will default to Ethereum Mainnet and will select random clients for you If we wanted to run a validator on Gnosischain we can select the network as follows, can display compatible networks with sedge networkssedge cli --network gnosis If we want to select our clients we can do so like this, for example lighthouse for our consensus layer, and nethermind for our execution layersedge cli --network gnosis -c lighthouse -e nethermind As this is a fresh Ubuntu Install and you have likely not installed any dependencies Sedge will check this for you and suggest an installPress Enter to install these DependenciesSedge will now generate docker-compose scripts to configure your nodes, the JWT secret is configured for you (this is required to allow communication between the EL and CL clients) and a working directory is created in /docker-compose-scripts here you can find the docker-compose.yml file that is created for you.Enter Y to accept the configuration and startAfter accepting, press enter to start the containers, this will pull the docker images of the selected clients, and start syncingWait to Sync, At this point we need to wait for our Execution and consensus clients to fully sync, the validator node will not start until this happens. Its best to get the next step done while waiting, which only takes a minute, after that you can come back to the service after 12-24hrs to check.3. Generate KeysTo Generate Keys for Ethereumsedge keys otherwise we would need to specify the network, example for Gnosischainsedge keys --network gnosis You will be asked to enter a passphrase, this is for our decrypt key, that will be stored on a password.txt file Next you will be presented with your seed phrase THIS MUST BE BACKED UP, DO NOT SHARE, DO NOT STORE DIGITALLYSave the Seed somewhere safe, press enter to continueOnce confirmed you will be asked to enter the number of validators, enter the number you wish to run (provided you have the tokens to back it for the deposit later)You can now find in /docker-compose-scripts/keystore your Validator keystores in validator_keys, deposit_data.json which is needed for the deposit, and your password.txt4. Start the ValidatorAfter Syncing on the Beacon Node and Execution Client have finished you will be prompted to start the validator nodePress y and enter to continueThis will import your keystores, which should have been generated in Step 3, and start the validator service.To Check the Validator service logs, go into our working directorycd docker-compose-scripts sudo docker-compose logs -f validator Logs should look like thisLogs should read ‘awaiting activation’ this means the validator keys are detected and the validator service is connected to a working synced beacon node which is connected to a working synced execution node. NOTE: this depends on the client type, in some clients it will display something like ‘unable to get validator ….. status’ which means its not active on the beacon chain, however you can find at the beginning of the logs an indication on the validators being dectected by the client. To activate you must make the deposit5. DepositYou need to grab the deposit_data.json file in /docker-compose-scripts/keystore folder and head to the deposit UI For EthereumConfirm both URL and Contract address from the official docs. Contract Address: 0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa For GnosischainGnosis Beacon Chain DepositGnosis Beacon Chain Deposithttps://deposit.gnosischain.comConfirm both URL and Contract address from the official docs. Contract Address: 0x0B98057eA310F4d31F2a452B414647007d1645d9Additional InformationRunning containers / servicessudo docker ps -a Checking logs for specific containersudo docker logs -f &#x3C;container-name> Sedge LogsNethermind Sedge DocumentationIntroduction | Sedge documentationSedge is a one-click setup tool for PoS network/chain validators and nodes written entirely in the Go programming language. Sedge takes care of the entire on-premise full node setup based on the chosen client, using generated docker-compose scripts based on the desired configuration.https://docs.sedge.nethermind.ioUpdating Sedge Image versionsIf you used an old version of Sedge, it may have set older docker images when setup, you can manually update these images with this procedure. For example updating the Execution client to a newer release. Example updating to: Nethermind v1.14.7 Stop Sedge Containerscd docker-compose-scripts sudo docker compose down Edit .env filenano .env this opens the file where environment variables are defined, this is a hidden file within the docker-compose-scripts directory. We need to edit the docker image versions here. EC_IMAGE_VERSION - this is the execution layer docker image CC_IMAGE_VERSION - this is the consensus layer docker image VL_IMAGE_VERSION - this is the validator node docker image, usually the same as your consensus layerTo write changes ctrl+O, then to close ctrl+XRestart Containerssudo docker compose up -d executon sudo docker compose up -d consensus sudo docker compose up -d validator If successful, when starting the client you have updated the image for it should pull the new image on start on like soOpen Ports/Port ForwardingIf you have trouble connecting to peers, you can try opening the p2p ports which are Execution: 30303 tcp/udp Consensus: 9000 tcp/udp Open with UFW on Ubuntu devicesudo ufw allow 30303 sudo ufw allow 9000 sudo ufw enable sudo ufw status NOTE: if you are running on a VPS, be careful not to lock yourself out and enable ssh also sudo ufw allow ssh Port forwarding if running locally, this can be done by logging into your router, usually 192.168.0.1 on any browser while connected, you will need your admin log in details to get access (usually found on the router). The process will be different depending on your provider and you should consult the manual for more info.Importing Existing Keystores with Sedgeshould you wish to not generate new keys, and use existing keys. example: from an old setup that you want to migrate to using sedge. Do not follow step 3, instead place your own keystores (your existing keystores) in the following folder Place Keystores in ./docker-compose-scripts/keystore/validator_keys/ Place Decrypt key in ./docker-compose-scripts/keystore/ your decrypt key (which you created when generating these keystores) in a file called password.txt in the folder. Run Validator Service Once EL and CL have finished syncing you may be prompted to run the validator service, like so if your keystores are in the correct folder with password.txt, Press y to confirm. Troubleshooting problems if you ran this and there was an issue with the import, you would have to close your containers for validator and validator-import and check the files are in the correct place, password is correct. close containerscd docker-compose-scripts sudo docker stop validator-client &#x26;&#x26; sudo docker rm validator-client sudo docker stop validator-import &#x26;&#x26; sudo docker rm validator-import if you were not prompted to run the validator service from the terminal, but your EL and CL have finished syncing, the validator import and validator service can be run manually Run Validator Manuallycd docker-compose-scripts sudo docker compose up -d validator-import sudo docker compose up -d validator Adding more validators - gnosischainShould you wish to add more validators the process is as follows, high level steps create more keystores with the deposit-generator tool, import these new keystores to our validator client and make the deposit for the new validators. This is for Gnosischain, but similar steps can be taken for Ethereum build using the respective key generators for Ethereum network.1. Create New KeystoresDownload the Key Generatorcd sudo docker pull ghcr.io/gnosischain/validator-data-generator:latest mkdir /home/$USER/gnosis/keystore Run the generator to create new keystore/s This will restore from existing mnemonic seed phrase (where your keystores are derived from), place the amount of new Validators you wish to create for <# of val>, your ETH address in place of And the is the starting index of the seed, for example is you created/&imported 10 existing validators already the starting index is 10. This will derive keystores from this point instead of creating the same keystores again. sudo docker run -it --rm -v /home/$USER/gnosis/keystore:/keystore \ ghcr.io/gnosischain/validator-data-generator:latest existing-mnemonic \ --num_validators=<# of Val> --validator_start_index=<START_NUM> --chain=gnosis \ --folder=/keystore --eth1_withdrawal_address=<ETH-withdrawal-address> Your password will need to be the same as the password in keystore_password.txt within sedge working folder, or the additional validators will not work with the validators already imported with sedge. this will now generate your keystore/s (validators keys) and place them in the directory /gnosis/keystore/validator_keys along with deposit_data.json 2. Import new keystores to validator Stop the Validator client cd docker-compose-scripts sudo docker stop validator-client && sudo docker rm validator-client Place keystores in the keystore directory sudo cp home/$USER/gnosis/keystore/validator_keys/* home/$USER/docker-compose-scripts/ keystore/validator_keys/ this can also be done manually or if the directories are different then change accordingly, the * will copy the contents and not the folder itself. this should now place your keystores in the working keystore folder along with your existing validator keystores. Import new keystores to Validator client. cd docker-compose-scripts sudo docker compose up -d validator-import You should see x number of keystores found, but only your new keystores imported remove the validator import container sudo docker stop validator-import-client && sudo docker rm validator-import-client Restart validator sudo docker compose up -d validator You should see validator client logs indicating that some validators are awaiting activation. 3. Make Deposit Now use the deposit_data.json for the new keystores from the folder home/$USER/gnosis/keystore/ To make the deposit the same way the deposit was made for the existing keystores in Step 5.

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