What hardware is required to participate in Ethereum 2.0 Staking?
Editor's Note: This article comes fromCrypto Valley Live (ID: cryptovalley)Editor's Note: This article comes from
Crypto Valley Live (ID: cryptovalley) , Author: Alexandre Wolff, translation: Olivia, reproduced by Odaily with authorization. That's it, you have prepared 32 ETH, you just need to wait for one thing, which is to be able to use them to participate in Staking and become a validator of Ethereum 2.0! The question now however is: what hardware do we need? The curious have already begun to study the installation process of clients in development such as Prysm, Lighthouse or Teku. But regarding hardware acquisition, information is limited. So I explored this question online, on various Discords, and by testing. Below is a hardware overview of the different possibilities we can choose. What are the selection criteria? At the moment, unfortunately, the specs are only partially defined. Validator nodes under development only integrate phase 0 specifications of Ethereum 2.0. As a result, the first test hardware performed will not necessarily represent the long-term development of the protocol once Phases 1 and 2 are in production. At the same time, Prysmatic Labs announced the following technical specifications in the documentation of its client Prysm: minimum specification Operating system: 64-bit Linux, Mac OS X 10.14+, Windows 64-bit. Processor: Intel Core i5-760 or AMD FX-8100 or better. Intel Core i5-760 or AMD FX-8100 or better Memory. 4GB memory Storage: 20GB free space SSD Recommended Specifications Processor: Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-8310 or better Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-8310 or better Memory: 8GB memory Storage space 100GB free space SSD
Thus, a typical computer will be able to run the beacon chain along with one or a few validating nodes. However, this choice is not necessarily the wisest.
A basic computer is far from being energy efficient. When you only run the computer for a few hours a week, its power consumption is acceptable to us. But if you have to keep it running 24/7, problems arise because excessive power consumption can reduce your return on investment. If we take for example a classic 500W PC power supply and a price of 0.16 euros per kWh, this equates to an annual electricity bill of 700 euros! It is therefore necessary to find an alternative that consumes less energy.
In addition, there must be a stable machine (impossible to crash) to avoid being punished by the Ethereum 2.0 algorithm. This is achieved through 2 aspects:
There is a dedicated machine dedicated to running validators. Running other processes may cause conflicts and preempt Ethereum 2.0 client machine resources. Likewise, the breakdown of these systems affects our customers as well.
Use Linux as it is very stable and does not require frequent reboots. Plus, it's lightweight and safe. It also reinforces the need to have a dedicated machine, since few people want to leave Windows or MacOS on their personal machines and switch to Linux.
Once this is considered, two options emerge: have your own hardware or use a VPS.
Based on the constraints mentioned above, we have 2 options: buy a computer to plug in at home, or rent a computer from a host through a so-called VPS (Virtual Private Server). Each solution has its pros and cons.
advantage:
own hardware
The first solution, to buy equipment optimized for our needs, to run at home.
advantage:
cost optimization
By maintaining it yourself, the overhead of hiring someone to maintain it is avoided.
If you want to upgrade your equipment or stop your validator activity, you will be able to resell some of your investment back.
shortcoming:
Participate in decentralization in the best possible way
In addition to the economic rewards provided by validators, we must not forget that we are here to support a decentralized network, so it needs to separate its participants as much as possible from the perspective of geography, network and responsibility. And for that, there's nothing better than everyone hosting their own node at home.
shortcoming:
Reliability of electricity and internet providers
As you probably know, Ethereum 2.0’s proof-of-stake algorithm penalizes validators when they go offline. Rest assured, this penalty is still very low, according to Paul Hauner's estimates, the penalty for being offline for a week is about 0.3% of equity. However, individual Internet contracts can present a lot of instability depending on the situation, as well as long recovery times in the event of an outage. Likewise, we can never avoid power outages. These are potential deficiencies.
electricity price
Even with an energy-saving machine, power consumption is a cost that needs to be considered.
equipment maintenance
Calculators are great when they work, but troublesome when they fail. By hosting the validator yourself, once the hardware fails, you need to maintain it yourself. This can be very disconcerting, knowing that failures can happen at any time.
As mentioned above, we don't yet know what the final specs will be once Phase 2 goes into production. Buy equipment today, and if you buy at a lower price, you run the risk of ending up with an underperforming unit and having to buy something else later. Conversely, if you want to play it safe, you may end up buying equipment with excess performance, which unnecessarily increases the investment cost.
advantage:
use VPS
advantage:
Upgradability
Electrical, Network and Hardware Security
The main advantage of this solution is that you don't have to manage anything related to the hardware, neither setup nor maintenance. All you need to do is rent a machine on the host's website. In the event of a power outage, network or hardware failure, you don't have to do anything, the mainframe will take care of everything. Most of them have over 99% uptime!
Most web hosts offer a live migration option that allows you to switch between plans without shutting down services running on the machine. Therefore, it is very easy to adjust your offer up or down according to the evolution of your needs and the specification of the Ethereum 2.0 client.
shortcoming:
No extra charges on your electricity bill
Prices for energy are included in the quotation.
shortcoming:
Insurance premiums to be paid
In the long run, VPS services are generally more expensive than buying hardware and hosting yourself. But as we'll see later, with the right hosting, a VPS can still be a competitive solution.
Investing money is wasted
We are not the owner of the hardware at any time and therefore cannot resell it in case of interruption of activity.
Reduced decentralization
If everyone goes through VPS, then the verifiers will all be concentrated in a few data centers around the world, which brings a lot of problems to the decentralization of the network. In the event of a power outage, network attack, host bankruptcy or malicious intent, a portion of the entire Ethereum network is at risk.
How to choose between the two?
Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult to choose! Let's summarize the important points.
The first things to consider are the quality of your electricity network and internet connection. Do you often disconnect from the Internet? Is your speed enough? Everything has to be stable to be able to manage validators yourself with complete confidence. For example, if you live in the country and have a 1 megabit ADSL link, this would not be a good idea. So going through a VPS would be quite appropriate.
Hosting your own hardware will save you money in the long run, increasing your ROI. Furthermore, the penalty of the Ethereum 2.0 algorithm is still negligible if a validator is down for a short period of time (from a few hours to a few days). Therefore, this solution is still feasible. On the other hand, VPS offers peace and quiet. Since you will be running this validator for several years, it is important that the workload of maintaining this validator is affordable for you. So, selection will be based on this last criterion.
hardware selection
It is also possible to install validators on VPS during the first few months of Ethereum 2.0, and migrate to our own hardware once the protocol is more mature and we have a better understanding of how it works and what it needs.
You should now have a pretty good idea of the various possibilities we have. Now let's get into the specifics! What are some interesting hardware and VPS offerings?
hardware selection
Would a mini PC be a good option?
Many people's first instinct is to think of mini computers such as Raspberry Pi or other Odroids. It is true that these machines do not cost much (less than 100 euros), are quite efficient and consume almost no electricity. At an average cost of 0.16 euros per kWh, such a machine would cost no more than 4 euros a year for electricity.
Tests with current clients are conclusive, beacon chain works on Raspberry Pi 4 4 Go. A version of Prysm for ARM processors (for mini PCs) is also available.
However, it is too early to say that these machines will be sufficient in the long run. As noted above, current configurations are not necessarily indicative of future conditions once Phase 2 goes into production.
There is also a viable option for the Nimbus client, which focuses on machines with limited power, such as smartphones. This client can fit within the resources of a mini PC, but it's still a gamble as it's not finalized and we can't guarantee it will be available in the long term.
If you still want to try this solution, here's the hardware you'll need:
Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB RAM - 84 Euros
Power supply - 9 euros
Case with cooling system - 15 euros
Micro SD card - 7 Euros
Solid state drive with USB 3.0 interface - 500 GB for 84 euros, 1 TB for 159 euros.
Total: €199 (500GB storage) / €274 (1TB storage).
A Better Choice: Microcomputers
As the mini PC's cousin, we find microcomputers (also known as bare metal) very similar to traditional computers in terms of components. However, they are very small and more energy efficient. As such, they can bring together suitable performance over the long term to run one or more validating nodes, and reasonable energy consumption.
You can find a machine suitable for our case with a budget between 700 and 900 euros. Electricity costs between 90 and 120 euros per year, or 0.16 euros per kWh, depending on the model.
The brand I recommend to you is Zotac's C series. It is a bit more expensive than other brands, but it has the advantage of offering a product that consumes less, about 30 euros per year, 24/7 use, at a price of 0.16 euros per kWh. Backed by its general quality, it makes the product more meaningful in the long run.
Below are two examples of suitable verifiers.
Minimum configuration, meeting the minimum requirements:
With i5 processor - 555 euros
1TB SSD - 160 Euros
4GB RAM - 24 Euros
Total: 739 euros
Recommended configuration, preferred recommended conditions:
i7 processor - 650 euros
1TB SSD - 160 Euros
8GB RAM - 48 Euros
Total: 858 euros
You can also vary the capacity of SSD and RAM according to these two suggestions. A 500 GB SSD will cost you less, while a 2 TB SSD will keep you going longer before filling up. Likewise, you can swap out for 8GB or 16GB of RAM for added convenience and some room for the future.
Let's continue to talk about VPS. If you already know about this issue, you know that it is very expensive among the major players in the market, such as Google Cloud, AWS and even Digital Ocean. You will have to pay no less than 40 euros per month.
Summarize
These hosts offer the advantage of having the most robust infrastructure, but their prices significantly reduce our ROI at current ETH prices. Their offers are more suitable for large companies that require an impeccable quality of service.
If the price of ETH peaked, a slight cut would represent a significant loss of revenue, which may be justified in our case. But now, there is no need.
Summarize
