The RNode software runs as a server on the RChain network. The RNode communications software uses gRPC, which uses TLS to secure TCP connections between validators and read-only nodes. The RChain network is a peer to peer network. For a RNode server instance to properly communicate with the rest of the network, secure bi-directional communication must be possible. Validators must be able to send queries to each other and must be able to receive connections from other validators.
RChain communications software supports this network configuration.
RNode server → Router → Internet
The RNode server needs to be directly connected to the router. The router needs to either support UPnP or have static NAT with port forwarding configured for ports 40400 - 40430. If you wish to use a different set of ports, specify those at runtime with the --p option.
RNode supports the UPnP protocol, commonly available on retail routers today. When RNode detects a UPnP gateway device, such as your wireless router, the node software will configure the router's firewall rules automatically. In many small business and home networks, this allows the user to run RNode as a validator without having to reconfigure their network.
Note - Node operators running Docker on Mac OS X will not be successful running RNode with UPnP. If you want to run with Docker on Mac OS X, you must configure static NAT and port forwarding manually. See "Routers without UPnP Support" below.
Test your network
A success message means your configuration should be successful connecting to the RChain network. An error message means your network configuration may not be successful connecting to the RChain network. You need to investigate your configuration and possibly make changes. |
If your router does not support UPnP, you will have to configure Static NAT and Port forwarding manually.
Refer to your router's documentation and user guide for specific instructions. |
At a high level, you should:
When configuration is complete, it should look something like this:
| Device | Allowed Applications | Protocol | Port Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| My_RNode_server | RChain | tcp | 40400-40430 |
Running RNode in Docker has additional network configuration requirements. You must. include explicit port mapping options in your run command with the --p option..
Example run command:
docker run -it -p 40400:40400 --name my_rnode_server -v "$HOME/var":/var rchain/rnode:latest run --default-timeout 6000 --no-upnp -b rnode://address_of_bootstrap_node |
Note - Node operators running Docker on Mac OS X will not be successful running RNode with UPnP. If you want to run with Docker on Mac OS X, you must configure static NAT and port forwarding manually. See "Routers without UPnP Support" below.
Look in the console for connection confirmation. Below is an example showing the run command through the confirmation of connection to the bootstrap node.
root@salt:~# rnode run --default-timeout 6000 -b rnode://7fa70d245268ed19253f18c802fccd22668a0211@52.119.8.68:40400 --validator-private-key d19bab22bed4d72422e5ae2dc37982635e1d894f5a63dc4f790836a86a05b7ba 18:08:34.299 [main] INFO c.r.n.configuration.Configuration$ - Starting with profile default 18:08:34.321 [main] INFO c.r.n.configuration.Configuration$ - Using configuration file: /root/.rnode/rnode.toml 18:08:34.330 [main] WARN c.r.n.configuration.Configuration$ - Can't load the configuration file: File /root/.rnode/rnode.toml not found INFO - trying to open ports using UPnP.... INFO - No gateway devices found INFO - No need to open any port 18:08:43.937 [main] INFO c.r.node.configuration.Configuration - flag --host was not provided, guessing your external IP address 18:08:44.190 [main] INFO c.r.node.configuration.Configuration - guessed 52.119.8.64 from source: AmazonAWS service Using data_dir: /root/.rnode No certificate found at path /root/.rnode/node.certificate.pem Generating a X.509 certificate for the node Generating a PEM secret key for the node 18:08:46.224 [main] INFO coop.rchain.node.NodeRuntime - RChain Node 0.6.1 (acde1c1a2bc983838a38118653905b0c85ab9c58) 18:08:46.225 [main] INFO coop.rchain.node.NodeRuntime - Starting node that will bootstrap from rnode://7fa70d245268ed19253f18c802fccd22668a0211@52.119.8.68:40400 18:08:46.501 [main] INFO o.h.b.c.nio1.NIO1SocketServerGroup - Service bound to address /127.0.0.1:40402 18:08:46.502 [main] INFO org.http4s.server.blaze.BlazeBuilder - _ _ _ _ _ 18:08:46.503 [main] INFO org.http4s.server.blaze.BlazeBuilder - | |_| |_| |_ _ __| | | ___ 18:08:46.503 [main] INFO org.http4s.server.blaze.BlazeBuilder - | ' \ _| _| '_ \_ _(_-< 18:08:46.503 [main] INFO org.http4s.server.blaze.BlazeBuilder - |_||_\__|\__| .__/ |_|/__/ 18:08:46.503 [main] INFO org.http4s.server.blaze.BlazeBuilder - |_| 18:08:46.549 [main] INFO org.http4s.server.blaze.BlazeBuilder - http4s v0.18.0 on blaze v0.12.11 started at http://127.0.0.1:40402/ 18:08:46.585 [kamon.prometheus.PrometheusReporter] INFO kamon.prometheus.PrometheusReporter - Started the embedded HTTP server on http://0.0.0.0:40403 18:08:46.659 [main] INFO coop.rchain.node.api.GrpcServer$ - gRPC server started, listening on 18:08:47.003 [main] INFO coop.rchain.node.NodeRuntime - Listening for traffic on rnode://d533e024910f1c4c57eae88c0945a29fdc2ada6a@52.119.8.64:40400. 18:08:47.025 [main] INFO coop.rchain.comm.rp.Connect$ - Initialize protocol handshake to rnode://7fa70d245268ed19253f18c802fccd22668a0211@52.119.8.68:40400 18:08:49.608 [grpc-default-executor-0] INFO coop.rchain.comm.rp.Connect$ - Peers: 1. 18:08:49.615 [grpc-default-executor-0] INFO coop.rchain.comm.rp.Connect$ - Connected to rnode://7fa70d245268ed19253f18c802fccd22668a0211@52.119.8.68:40400. |
The RNode software automatically attempts to detect a UPnP gateway. If you see the following message and are not able to connect to the bootstrap node, then you need to check that your network configuration is correct and your router supports UPnP.
INFO - trying to open port using uPnP.... INFO - [OK] no gateway found, no need to open any port. |
RNode will make 5 attempts to connect to the bootstrap. After the fifth attempt, RNode will exit. If your RNode cannot connect, you will see the following message.
Failed to connect to bootstrap (attempt 1/5) |