110 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
110 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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id: building
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title: Getting Started with Nimbus
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---
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This document explains how to install, test, and run Nimbus on your local machine. To learn about what Nimbus is, see our original [intro post](https://our.status.im/nimbus-for-newbies/). To dig deeper, see the Nimbus [Ethereum 1.0](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth1) and [Ethereum 2.0](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth2) repositories.
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### Building and running Nimbus
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To run Nimbus in [Ethereum 1.0 mode](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth1), first [install the prerequisites](https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth1#prerequisites).
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Then:
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/status-im/nimbus-eth1
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cd nimbus-eth1
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make update
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# >>> WINDOWS ONLY <<<
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make fetch-dlls # WINDOWS ONLY
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# >>> WINDOWS ONLY <<<
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make nimbus
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./build/nimbus
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```
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Nimbus will now run and attempt to synchronize with the Ethereum 1.0 blockchain. It can currently reach block 1.5 million.
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### Building and running the Ethereum 2.0 local beacon chain simulation
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The beacon chain simulation runs several beacon nodes on the local machine, attaches several local validators to each, and builds a beacon chain between them.
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**Prerequisites:** At the moment, Nimbus has to be built from source, and has the following external dependencies -- developer tools (C compiler, Make, Bash, Git), [PCRE](https://www.pcre.org/); follow the instructions outlined [here](https://github.com/status-im/nim-beacon-chain#prerequisites-for-everyone) to install them.
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Once you've installed the prerequisites, you're ready to enter the Ethereum 2.0 realm of Nimbus:
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/status-im/nim-beacon-chain
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cd nim-beacon-chain
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make
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make test
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```
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To run the simulation:
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```bash
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make eth2_network_simulation
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```
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If you'd like to clean the previous run's data:
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```bash
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make clean_eth2_network_simulation_all
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```
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To change the number of validators and nodes:
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```bash
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# Clear data files from your last run and start the simulation with a new genesis block:
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make VALIDATORS=192 NODES=6 USER_NODES=1 eth2_network_simulation
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```
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If you’d like to see the nodes running on separated sub-terminals inside one big window, install [Multitail](https://www.vanheusden.com/multitail/index.php) (if you're on a Mac, follow the instructions [here](https://brewinstall.org/Install-multitail-on-Mac-with-Brew/)), then:
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```
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USE_MULTITAIL="yes" make eth2_network_simulation
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```
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You’ll get something like this (click for full size):
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[](https://i.imgur.com/Pc99VDO.png)
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You can find out more about the beacon node simulation [here](https://our.status.im/nimbus-development-update-03/#beaconsimulation).
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### Building and running the Ethereum 2.0 local state transition simulation
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This simulation is primarily designed for researchers, but we'll cover it briefly here in case you're curious :)
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The [state transition](https://github.com/ethereum/annotated-spec/blob/master/phase0/beacon-chain.md#beacon-chain-state-transition-function) simulation quickly runs the beacon chain state transition function in isolation and outputs JSON snapshots of the state (directly to the `nim-beacon-chain` directory). It runs without networking and blocks are processed without slot time delays.
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```bash
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# build the state simulator, then display its help ("-d:release" speeds it
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# up substantially, allowing the simulation of longer runs in reasonable time)
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make NIMFLAGS="-d:release" state_sim
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build/state_sim --help
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```
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Use the output of the `help` command to pass desired values to the simulator - experiment with changing the number of slots, validators, , etc. to get different results.
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The most important options are:
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- `slots` : the number of slots to run the simulation for (default 192)
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- `validators`: the number of validators (default 6400)
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- `attesterRatio`: the expected fraction of attesters that actually do their work for every slot (default 0.73)
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- `json_interval`: how often JSON snapshots of the state are outputted (default every 32 slots -- or once per epoch)
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For example, to run the state simulator for 384 slots, with 20,000 validators, and an average of 66% of attesters doing their work every slot, while outputting snapshots of the state twice per epoch, run:
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```
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build/state_sim --slots=384 --validators=20000 --attesterRatio=0.66 --json_interval=16
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```
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### Medalla Ethereum 2.0 Testnet
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There is a publicly available [Ethereum 2.0](https://our.status.im/tag/two-point-oh) multi-client testnet running until at least October. Read all about it [here](https://blog.ethereum.org/2020/08/03/eth2-quick-update-no-14/), and learn how you can join it in [the Nimbus beacon chain book](https://status-im.github.io/nimbus-eth2/medalla.html) 💛
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