Run a POA node on Windows (Simple)
This is a simplified and visually explained guide for running a node. If you feel confident with installing software and running commands through command prompt please find the the general guide here:
NOTE:
If at any point you have issues please check our FAQ which we will be constantly updating: FAQ
If the answers can not be found there then feel free to add a new issue to the repository here: Issues and one of our team members or members of the community will be able to assist you.
To begin this process there are three pieces of software that must be installed. These are:
- .Net Framework
- Rust
- MongoDB
We will go through these in turn.
Firstly however we must explain some of the tools we will be using to install the pieces of software.
Some elements of this guide will require the use of the Command Prompt, this comes pre-installed on all Windows distributions. You can find command prompt by using the search bar which is generally found at the bottom of your screen.
Once opened, the window should look like this:
.Net is installed via the link:
Clicking this link should automatically download the SDK needed. If it does not, please click the link as shown in the below photo.
The .Net SDK can then be installed by double clicking its download icon on the bottom bar:
CLicking this should bring up an installation screen:
Proceed through the steps indicated in the the software installation. The installation may at points ask for permission to allow the app to make changes to your computer, if this happens select the yes option. Once the installation is complete select the close option.
Firstly we must install the C++ build tools for Visual Studio. To do this click on the link:
Then you must select the option displayed below.
This should automatically begin the download of Visual Studio. If this does not work, use the link shown here:
Run the installer once it has downloaded. Several options should be available for the installation. We must select the highlighted option in the below image.
After this option is checked press install. This installation may take a while. Once it is complete you will be required to restart your PC.
The download for Rust can be found at the link:
Then select the Download Rustup-init.exe (64-bit) as seen in the below image.
Once the download has completed run the downloaded installation package. This will open your command prompt. This will ask you whether you wish to proceed, continue by typing y and then enter.
The installation will then ask what kind of install you wish to perform, select option 1 by typing 1 and then enter.
Once the download is complete the command prompt will look as below, press enter to complete the install.
Use the following link to download the MongoDB installer:
If that does not work use the link:
Select Windows under the operating system tab and MSI under the package.
Then open the installer which should open a window that looks like this:
Follow the links pressing next and accept the End-User License agreement. You will then be asked what kind of download you would like, select complete.
The installer will ask about Service configuration, leave this as default as seen in the below image.
At the next step the installer will ask if you wish to install MongoDB compass, check the box that says Install MongoDB Compass as seen in the below image and click next.
On the final box select install, at this point the installer may request permissions you must allow these to complete the download. This download may take a while.
Start by downloading the git installer using the following link:
The download should automatically start. If it does not click the link in the image below.
Run the installer once the download is complete to bring up a window like below.
Use the settings in the following images (most are default settings):
Git is now installed on your PC!
We must now change some of the settings manually within the applications that we have installed. We'll also show how to check that the software has been installed correctly.
All of this next step will take place using the command prompt, accessing this is described at the top of the page.
Firstly we wish to update the settings for Rust. This requires two commands, the first is:
rustup toolchain install nightly
Press enter, then use:
rustup default nightly
Press enter again and this will update the Rust settings. We can now check that we have installed everything correctly. We run each of the following commands in turn.
git --version
rust --version
dotnet --version
This will give us an input that looks like:
If your output looks like this then the software is installed correctly.
We can now clone the repository that contains the Catalyst project, this is done using the command git clone https://github.com/catalyst-network/Catalyst.git in the command prompt.
The output should look like:
This means that the repository has been downloaded successfully.
We can now enter the Catalyst repository, this is done with the command cd Catalyst
Catalyst relies on some external submodules that are built into the project, these must be updated and downloaded also, this is done using the command git submodule update --init --recursive --force. The output of this should look like the image below:
We can now move into src file in the Catalyst repository, this is where the source code for the project is held. We do this in the Command Prompt by entering:
cd src
Now we can build the solution by running the command:
dotnet build Catalyst.sln
The final lines of the output should look like:
Now we can run the node for the first time! During this process we must set three passwords for the node:
- Node Password
- IPFS Password
- SSL Certificate Password
First we must change directory again, this time entering the command:
cd Catalyst.Node.POA.CE
To start the node now enter:
dotnet run
You will first be asked to create the node password as shown below.
Enter your desired password and press enter. You will then be asked to set your IPFS password.
Once again enter your desired password and press enter. Finally you will be asked to set a password for your SSL certificate.
Type in the password you want to set it to and press enter.
The node will now begin to run, however we want to stop it so that we can configure it. This is done by pressing ctrl + c
Now that the node is no longer running we must set up the node with an identity so it can be communicated with by other nodes.
For this we will require three elements these are:
- Public Key
- Internal IP Address
- External IP Address
To find the Public Key we must access the folder that was created when we ran the node for the first time. On Windows generally the file path that it is stored in is C:\Users\YourUserNameHere\.catalyst .
Once within this folder, we must retrieve the log file from the first time we ran the node. This file is indicated below.
On your computer the numbers at the end of the filename may be different. Open this file in notepad, then we want to search the file (crtl +f for the phrase using PublicKey and it should come back with something similar to.
Copy the public key somewhere safe.
Note: You do not need the *, only the letters and numbers with no space before or after.
The internal IP address can be found using the ipconfig command. This will return your IP Address settings. Make note of the entry under IPv4 Address.
Your external IP address can be found through the website found here External IP Address Finder, make note of the IPv4 Address given.
Within the .catalyst folder from step 7A is a file called devnet.json. (or just devnet). Open this file in Notepad or a similar text application. It will look like this:
You will need to replace several elements with your details from steps 7 A, B and C.
Where you see the text "PublicKey": "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa", you should replace the aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa with your Public Key from 7A.
For the text "BindAddress": "127.0.0.1", you should replace the 127.0.0.1 with your internal IP address. This field is in two places, both must be changed.
For the text "PublicIpAddress": "127.0.0.1", you should replace the 127.0.0.1 with your external IP address.
Always keep the input values within the quotation marks (" ").
Save the file and exit.
Unfortunately port forwarding varies from router to router so it is not possible to give a definitive guide on how to do this. Generally most routers will have online guides on how to do this. There are four ports that we wish to forward, these are:
- 42076(udp)
- 42066(tcp)
- 4001(tcp)
- 5005(tcp)
The link below contains a large list of routers and guides on how to port forward on then.
Many routers will require you to log into the router using the admin password sometimes found on the back of the router.
To run the node we must use the Command Prompt to go into the Catalyst.Node.POA.CE folder and run the node again. If your Command prompt is still open from earlier and this is the folder that you are in simply use the following command:
dotnet run --reset
Otherwise open a new Command Prompt window and use the command:
cd Catalyst/src/Catalyst.Node.POA.CE and then use dotnet run --reset
The Node will begin running.
There are three ways to check that the node is running correctly.
Firstly and probably the easiest is by going to the Catalyst Node Dashboard found here:
You can identify your node using the public key that you made a note of in step 7A. You should see on this dashboard that your node is online!
Secondly you can go to C:\Users\YourUserNameHere\.catalyst\DFS\blocks . In this folder you should see new files being. this is ledger being downloaded.
Finally you can go to:
Click Network:
You should be able to see your node syncing.
If you have any issues with any of these steps please contact us by making an issue here: Issues and one of our team members or members of the community will be very happy to assist you.