Pool Server hardware

Staking & Delegation Operate a Stake Pool
1

Hi guys,

My name is John, I am from Denmark and I am a software engineer and graduated last year, so still a noob :slight_smile:

I have 10k ADA and want to start my own pool. I know there is a lot of work in maintaining and operating the pool and I am not expecting a lot of return on my pool. and i it’s more about marketing and so on.
I am very excited about the Cardano project and want to be a part of it and help decentralize.

I am looking for a server to buy and have found and interesting computer for sale

(Low energy home server, perfect for backup or central file server, can also be used as normal. PC.)
Intel Pentium G2020 2,9Ghz CPU
8GB DDR3 ram (2x4GB)
Promise Fasttrack TX4650 hardware raid controller
256GB SSD
4 x 2TB WD Red NAS diske
Fractal Design Node 304 kabinet

Is this pc enough to start my first pool?

Thanks in advance

John

1 Like
2

Hi There!

Raspberry PI 4 (4 GB) is also meet the requirements to operate a pool. So yes, it is a good hardware to start with.

1 Like
3

Thanks a lot, thats a much cheaper solution to start off with​:grinning::grinning:

1 Like
4

also you can start with a cloud vps solution… :wink:

5

Thanks a lot, Alex😀

With the amount of ADA and knowledge I have, what would you recommend?

A raspberry pi or a cloud solution, economically?

In my understanding I would have to spend a couple of months before I have delegators and start earning on my pool. I also think that my amount is very small, but all I can afford right now.

6

U should compare the prices for both scenarios and see which is fine for you. Sometimes cloud services can be a good alternative.

2 Likes
7

Thanks Alex :slight_smile:

1 Like
8

So, I have ordered my Raspberry pi 4 8gb and with and ssd harddisk.
I just received the order today, but I am confused as I have read that there should be
2 servers running to operate a pool?

Is this necessary and can I start with 1 server for now while testing?

Thanks in advance

9

Hello, u will need 1 Producer and at least 1 relay.

If u are testing (on testnet) … u can do it only with one server which will be the Producer

Cheers,

10

Hi Alex, I have decided to use Contabo vps as you have recommended.

I want to use 2 x VPS L SSD plan for 15€ a month, does the BP and relay server both need the 15€ plan or can I have 1 smaller plan for either BP or relay???

Thanks in advance

11

These should be fine for both Producer and relay

image

You’ll can upgrade anytime in the future if it will be the case

Cheers,

2 Likes
12

Thanks Alex you have been really helpfull😀

13

I think you need to start with your local machine.
It’s not necessary big cpus and networks.
Because first you will be confused about that.

When you’re ready to start Mainnet, you needs a UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply system), reliable servers. It’s very hard to build personally.
If you think all things are good, you can start with paid server(Cloud or workstation)
That time cloud service would be a great way.

14

Hi Alex,

I have done the min. security on th server and i am on step 2 building the node on your pool guide.

When I entered
git checkout 1.25.1
it show error: you need to resolve your current index first.

Hope you can help me out :slight_smile:
Thanks in advance

15

Hi @mrjohn

try

merge --abort
git reset --hard origin/master

git fetch --tags --all
git checkout 1.25.1

echo -e "package cardano-crypto-praos\n  flags: -external-libsodium-vrf" > cabal.project.local
$CNODE_HOME/scripts/cabal-build-all.sh -o
16

Thank you Alex😀
It worked!!

17

Now this looks much more appealing than the 20 USD that i’m paying on digital ocean!
Why are you suggesting this one though, instead of the cheaper 4.99 one? It seems to meet all the requirements: Stake Pool Minimum System Requirements – IOHK Support

18

ah ok after reading some reviews it explains the price a bit :sweat_smile:
https://www.whtop.com/review/contabo.com

19

Yeah… I don’t know what to say… I didn’t read these feedbacks before … but since 1 Sept last year I didn’t had any issue … now… it’s up to you

1 Like
20

I too found contabo surprisingly cheap. Don’t know how they can manage such cheap prices. Could be a good option for one of the relays if not BP.

1 Like