Setting Up and Running a Qubic Archive Server

Set up an archive server to store and validate Qubic transaction data using scripts for peer maintenance, tick files, and epochs.

Qsilver · Jan 22, 2024.

Introduction

Qubic is not your ordinary crypto! Without a blockchain, it’s initially unclear how transactions are validated, and weekly pruning of transaction data presents challenges in determining past transactions. The archive server addresses these issues by storing all relevant data from each epoch automatically, handling epoch changes without recompilation (unless the network protocol changes).

Setup and Compilation

Assuming a Linux server, follow these steps to set up the archive server:

git clone <https://github.com/Qsilver97/qubic-cli>
cd qubic-cli
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
g++ -I.. ../bxid.cpp ../connection.cpp -o bxid

Your system will need g++ to compile C++ code, cmake, and e2fsprogs. These usually come standard and may not require installation via apt-get.

Running the Archive Server

To run the archive server continuously, use infinite loop bash scripts:

while true; do ACTION; done

Run each script in a separate window or asynchronously with &. If disconnection is a risk, use:

nohup ./script > script.out &

Actions and Scripts

1. Maintaining Peers List

Create a loop script with the action:

./bxid peersloop

This script will update the peer directory with files named after peer IP addresses, essential for queries to find the current and previous epoch peers.

2. Fetching Tick Files

Create a loop script with the action:

./bxid maketickfiles

This script saves quorum files and tick data in their respective directories. It works in two phases: parallel requests to get tick files and a sequential mode with retries. Running this script in a loop ensures more files are obtained with each iteration.

3. Scanning Epochs

Create a loop script with the action:

./bxid scanepoch 0

The epoch value of 0 means the script will determine the current epoch and generate .json files for the archive. Ensure the computors file for the specified epoch is available.

4. Generating JSON Files and Posting to OpenSearch

Create a loop script with the action:

./bxid jsonfiles

This script generates .json files and posts them to OpenSearch, performing basic validations and deleting invalid files.

5. Validation

Create a loop script with the action:

./bxid validate

This script validates quorum votes, ensuring 451+ votes with matching hashes and verifying the tick data hash. It write-protects validated files to prevent revalidation.

Using OpenSearch

Install OpenSearch by following instructions on opensearch.org. Ensure it’s available on localhost:9200. Modify opensearch() and opensearchpost() functions in bxidutils.cpp to use appropriate credentials if logins and certificates are added. To run the archive server without OpenSearch, comment out #define POST_TO_OPENSEARCH in bxid.cpp.

Additional Tools

For those with access to a computor log feed, create a bxid dataset using:

./qubic-cli -nodeip (ipaddr) -getlogfromnode (pass0) (pass1) (pass2) (pass3)
./bxid logjson logfileN

Replace N with the source number of the computor log entries. This creates and maintains logs in logs/(epoch)/logfileN and its .json file.

Final Notes

Add a script to include:

./bxid qchain 0

This generates a qchain dataset, a digest of all invariant data in the quorum vote and the previous tick digest. This helps ensure identical data across different archives.

Conclusion

The archive server setup with its various scripts ensures Qubic transaction data is comprehensively stored and validated. With these tools, you can maintain a robust archive server capable of handling Qubic’s unique transaction processing.

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