Create New Deployment
Host a blobber and get rewards
This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to deploy a blobber on the Chimney platform. By the end of this process, you will have a blobber set up to join the Züs network.
Before starting, ensure you have an account on Chimney. Log in or sign up to initiate the deployment process.
Prior Knowledge: Chimney Deployment Overview
Before we go through the steps of creating your deployment, let's take a look on how this deployments look like:
The Chimney deployment consists of 3 main layers:
Blobber Cluster Layer
Here is where you have the blobber and validator containers as well as the database used by the blobber. The blobber and the validator are exposed using the routes: <your-chimney-host-url>/ and <your-chimney-host-url>/validator respectively.
Monitoring/Tracking Layer
Here are the tools that are used to track metrics and logs of the system, docker and the blobber and validator containers. We use:
Prometheus with the Node Exporter and cAdvisor agents to collect stats and metrics of the system (CPU Usage - Memory Usage - etc..) as well as Docker stats. Prometheus gathers these metrics and exposes an API that will be used in presentation.
Promtail which collects the logs from the blobber and validator to be used in presentation.
Portainer Agent is the "backend" of Portainer, which monitors and controls everything related to Docker, including the containers, images and services.
Presentation Layer
Here we have the tools that present those collected metrics and logs, and expose a nice GUI web-based app for the owner of the deployment to be able to view and control their deployment, as well as an API that can be used by Chimney to view those information (check Monitor and Logs pages). Those tools are:
Grafana + Loki as a presentation GUI and API for logs and metrics. You can access that at:
<your-chimney-host-url>/grafanaPortainer, which visualizes and controls Docker on your machine. You can access it at:
<your-chimney-host-url>/portainerZüs Monitoring API, which exposes a JSON HTTP API where you can access some useful metrics. This API is documented here within our APIs docs.
Now since we got the big picture of the deployment, let's dive into the details of how to create this deployment.
Pre-requisites of the deployment machine
If you'll be self-hosting the Chimney Deployment, make sure that your machine matches the following specifications:
Your machine should be running Ubuntu Linux version >= 20.04 LTS.
The user used to setup the deployment should be the root user, or have sudo privileges.
If you have hardware raid on HDD, please mount it to this path:
/var/0chain/blobber/hdd.If you have hardware raid on SSD, please mount it to this path:
/var/0chain/blobber/ssd.If you don't have hardware raid on SSD/HDD, you need to set software raid and mount the disks as specified in step 3 & step 4 above. Also create an entry in
/etc/fstabfile, so that it gets mounted automatically whenever server gets restarted.
Step 1: Server Setup
Upon login, you will be directed to the "Setup a New Server" page. You have two main options:
Rent: Select a storage server from a list of data centers.
Deploy: If you have your own server, begin the automated deployment process.
Step 2: Server Rental Options
If renting:
Review the server options available from different providers.
Compare specifications and prices.
Visit the provider to rent a server or select "Deploy" to proceed with your own server.
Step 3: Deploy
On the configuration page:
Define your storage service prices under "Write Price / GB / Month"
Note : All Reads are free on Züs.
Enter the desired name for your server in the provided field. By default is the your username.
Opt to delegate by toggling the relevant option, then set the "Number of Delegates" and the "Service Charge %" to define your earnings.
| Input Fields | Description |
|---|---|
Write Price / GB / Month | This slider allows you to set the price you will charge users to write data to your blobber per gigabyte per month. Adjusting this will affect your potential earnings. |
Read Price / GB | All reads are free on Züs, suggesting no charge for data retrieval. |
Name of the server | A mandatory field where you specify the unique identifier for your server, which will be visible to users on the network. Defaulted to your username; It cannot be altered post-deployment. |
Do you wish to delegate? | A checkbox that, when enabled, permits other users to stake on your server and share the generated income, diversifying the investment. |
Number of Delegates | This slider sets the limit on how many delegates can stake on your server, thereby participating in the income generated from the storage services you offer. |
Service Charge | Here you can set the percentage of earnings that will be charged as a service fee. This slider controls the incentive for delegates and can impact the attractiveness of your blobber to potential stakers. |
Step 4: Server IP Address or Domain
Provide your server’s IP address or domain URL to generate a custom script for deployment.
Ensure that your server meets all the prerequisites listed, like the Ubuntu Linux version, root user setup, and minimum mounted capacity. Follow the instructions provided for mounting if needed.
After fulfilling all prerequisites, click “Create, fund server wallets and generate script”.
A loading message will indicate that the process is in progress.
This step automates the process of creating server wallets for blobber and validator, funding the first server wallets for transaction fees, and generating a script to join the network.
Once complete, you will receive toast notifications for each successful step.
Make sure that your server meets all the prerequisites listed.
Step 5: Running the Deployment Script
Follow the instructions provided on the screen to execute the script on your server.
The platform will automatically check the server communication to ensure the script has run successfully.
If there's a delay, you may see a warning prompt asking if you're still there and if you have run the script on your server.
If your deployment is taking longer time and you need to continue to the dashboard until your deployment is done, maybe to check if there's an error or fund the wallet of your blobber/validator, you can click the "Continue to the Dashboard" button.
Step 6: Deployment Confirmation
Upon successful deployment, user will be redirected to the Dashboard Page. This is where you can manage and monitor your blobber.
If any errors occur, they will be displayed in a toast notification.
CRITICAL: You should keep your deployment online, both available and reachable at the IP address you provided. Any outage in your deployment will lead to penalties. Also please be noted that a 3-week continuous outage will lead to automatically signing your deployment off the network, which lead to a penalty that goes up to even half your staked ZCN amount. This is our contract with our clients, to provide as high-quality of a service as we can, so please be cooperative for the good of both your deployment and the Züs Network.
By following these steps, you will have a blobber set up to join the Züs network. If you have any questions or encounter any issues, please join our Discord for further assistance. Our team and the community members are available to help troubleshoot your concerns and provide guidance.
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