Pre-requisites for Becoming a Node Operator

Pre-requisites

• Computer: A node operating miner should have a computer (machine/instance/device) with Internet connectivity.

• Computer Literacy: Basic computer knowledge of getting around using the computer with the user’s ability to open a terminal and execute commands on it.

• Language literacy: Follow step-by-step instruction.

• Able to Purchase a License: All node operators are required to purchase a license to mine (to earn) transaction fees as a validator on the Shakti Blockchain Network. Payment for fees earned is in the form of Shakti Coins, and the mining license is a pre-requisite to join the Shakti Network.

Terminology Used

Term	Meaning
Mining	Mining is the process of earning Shakti Coin by joining its network.
Miner	Individual who signs up for Shakti Coin mining.

Acronym	Abbreviation
SOMA	Self-Onboarding Mining Application

Note: - You are only required to install an instance of SOMA on you machine/device once and once only.

Configuration Recommendations for Best Results

Software Requirements

The first release of the Shakti Mining application will support

the following OS:

• Mac: 64-bit, MacOS BigSur, MacOS Catalina, Mountain Lion, Yosemite, Mojave

• Windows: 64-bit, Windows 7, 8, or 10

• Ubuntu: 64-bit, Ubuntu 16.04 & 18.04

• Linux distribution such as Debian, Red Hat, CentOS, Mint, and the other popular OS support will be available in due course of time.

Hardware Requirements

• Minimum: A dual-core Intel/AMD based system 1.2GHz with 2GB RAM and 500GB of storage.

• Recommendation: A quad-core or greater Intel/AMD based system at 3.5GHz with 6GB RAM and 2TB of storage. The Mining application may be provided for non-Intel/AMD platforms running a supported version of Linux at a later date. The hardware requirements may vary from the Intel/AMD specs mentioned.

Architectural Overview

The architecture consists of two important things:

• Pushing Data

• Pulling Data

Pushing Data: SOMA will get the data from Miners, which they enter at the beginning of joining the Shakti Network, and store it within the Shakti Ecosystem. The data taken from the miner is Public Key, Node name, IP Address, and Port Number, which will be exposed to the SOMA application. This data is necessary for the installation of the SOMA.

Pulling Data: Here, the builder gets the data from the Shakti Ecosystem cluster and hands it to the node; the node auto-distributes it to the rest of the network. All nodes communicate together, and they exchange information. For example, a single node receiving a transaction is enough to let all the other nodes know about that same transaction. Registration with SOMA will ensure that this process is carried out properly.