witness4all

Witness4All

A Witness that isn't built or backed by some big name/project. Its built and run by one of you.. the little guys!

I am going to try to keep this short and sweet and to the point.

---

# Short Version

My Witness Node has been down for a long time.

I know and have been working on it slowly.

It should be back up next week.

---

# Long Version

My Witness Node was running on my SuperMicro NAS originally. This was on spinning disk hard drives so it wasn't ideal. I then went out and got a small Intel NUC computer and popped in two 1TB drives and figured that was more than enough and would get the system sync'd and running and everything would be great.

Well about 12 hours before the last replay of the blockchain finished.. I lost power for about 20 seconds during a bad storm. I made the stupid mistake of NOT having it plugged into my Battery Backup.

After power it back on the log files were corrupt and the entire blockchain wanted to replay which was fine. Yet the Block_log file was corrupt as well. I was pissed.

So I reinstalled the OS and started over. Went through the entire process again and just my luck I lost power again. I was pissed more than before because I KNEW that I needed to plug the computer into the Battery Backup and I still didn't do it. 


---


## Change of Plans

It was at this point where I said 'Fuck it'. I am going to rebuild the Witness Node on my SuperMicro NAS because I could give the VM as many Terabytes as it wanted and I wouldn't have to worry about it.

I also decided to repurpose my Intel NUC into a Home Lab system that will host a few apps that I utilize.

But during this past 2 months, I got a new position at my company which required a lot more of my daily focus on that. Also I had to travel 4 weeks for work which ate up a bunch of time. Then with everything else I had going on, this kept getting pushed back and back. 

---

# Recap

I am finally close to getting my Witness Node backup and online and hopefully I can streamline this process so that next time I get back up and running a whole lot quicker. Also once this is live and working, I am going to get my secondary/passive Witness Node up and running so that I can easily failover to the other node.

---

<center>**I am sorry**</center>

<center>**I will do better**</center>

Witness Node - I owe you a apology

OG Mod

![How to Guide - AI Image Creator Locally Hosted.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23yd5dviKpoKYcb9RMMniCE62dYVfoDRcBPhaTzDeMvN25sBeiPzQDBxPJDZDhaxgrZUF.png)


Are you paranoid about these big Tech/AI companies tracking you or your images and you want to AI generate your own images without them?

Are you too cheap to pay for premium and still want to generate images even when the services are bogged down by other users?

Well do I have the solution for you!


---

# What Program are we using?

#### TLDR version is: 

Stable Diffusion with Automatic1111


#### Long Version:

**Stable Diffusion** is a massively used open-source (read FREE) image generation Model. Think of a Model as basically a package that really smart people put together to perform a task. There is a Model for like a ChatBot. There is a Model for Image Generation. There are probably hundreds of different Models for Image Generation for we are using the Stable Diffusion Model in this Guide.

**Automatic1111** is just a web interface for the Stable Diffusion. So once you have the AI Model setup and running you can use a Web URL to interact with it and generate your images. It is a web URL but that doesn't mean you can access it outside your network. This solution is a locally hosted and locally ran Image Generation system. So it all runs on your Computer and accessible from only your local computer. (Yes you could configure this technically to be accessible outside your network but why?)

Besides Stable Diffusion and Automatic1111 you are going to need **Python** and **Git** installed as well.



---

# Requirements

- A dedicated GPU
 - It doesn't have to be the latest and greatest but I would recommend any Nvidia RTX 3000 Series or newer.
- A modern CPU
 - Again, it doesn't have to be the latest and greatest but something decent at least.
- 20GB of Hard Drive Space
 - You will need Git and Python and then all the AI Libraries and such which are roughly 10GB.

That is pretty much it really. You don't need a lot to run this but obviously the better equipment you have the faster the Images will generate.


The best PC option is running Windows with an Nvidia GPU card. Most AI models are optimized for Nvidia GPUs. AMD GPUs are starting to get traction, but expect to jump through hoops to use them. The more VRAM your GPU has, the less trouble you will run into.

You need an Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) to run on a Mac.


---

# What To Install?

Follow these steps IN ORDER and you shouldn't have any problems but if you do ask in the comments and I will TRY to help. Or join my Discord for more help (link at the bottom of the article).

#### Step 1) **Download Python 3.10.6**
- Do NOT try to download the latest and greatest version of Python, trust me you will regret it when you have to uninstall it and install the 3.10.6 version lol.
- Go here https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3106/ and scroll down and find the one that works for you. I chose the `Windows Installer (64-bit)` for my system.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tmjWH7oa7HcDHwis1gkb3qxBfAQfpfAautd8z2cwKaLMRhRQMCiYd14DHZWtCjKur4G.png
- Once downloaded go through the install. There is 1 thing you HAVE to make sure is checked and that is the "Add Python to PATH" but for me personally that wasn't an option when I went through the initial install. 
 - What I recommend is run through the initial install. Once it's down run the installer again and select Modify.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eo2BNsxq1CiFyanYTSNaE6X5moiu2JQHm3V2uFc9stCWPmrk4DrAHnF4Vv1MKHdX5Ai.png
 - Then select all options on the first page if not already checked.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tHbP3gyAzkoNrtysrJQhFXmZ9c2KTBq1ziHHBbfkMj6X3RU7sfYZNmUyRbxNYKcRBZZ.png
 - Make sure to select "Add Python to environment variables"
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eo4JNndffQ6SjBShnwc54cnLYoF1WBn3CQkpAz62mXmuAa9AkixRCqHLnX3U3ixrTNJ.png
 - Then click on Install and let it do it's thing.

#### Step 2) **Download GIT 2.49.0**
- Now we need to install GIT. Why? Because GIT is what will allow us to download the Automatic1111 repository.
- So head here: https://git-scm.com/downloads/win and download GIT.
- I picked the Windows/x64 version
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23uQLUZxA44PfPT3QsBbwgz1YaRwyvDL1SnXfLVd3xofQhbJK758EamG5WobVirEM9Fgy.png
- It is a fairly standard installer as well so just follow the prompts and Next Next Next your way through them.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tmjb17kfvL9pWAu1A6GRqPrJKh9RpXuGbFEPGEcCGa3f715yZsjvkEw8auRYmE2VoHH.png
- For reference here are the options I had selected.

|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tw8AehK154XoLeL83Fn6GQ118R2CGokF71nQNMo9E3aDJ6fcEzJ2pDjWqKLLvvJH5dz.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23viR9qn1Gm5kjffWGinRWQaA7QGjdAaRLGFABXAeoKjr6B3d9pzsC9oQtAqS14bLZWTA.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u6WQPvXLgkavrzWaRRfvQ6W3nBzhMeAgDR6e9Wbjv3Zv9ynNGFayLU5uDp1Kuo3squj.png|
|-|-|-|
|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23viNqKVhWPRSjuqccxP6DCJWF3e8B3Yfj79knznzRrKZEEv471tCAMY5izfRJoctDkLR.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tw7xakkAqUASJiEDhPteWfpuQVrAjCqUhfjpaXJdy8Mx3WW4CGpXnue85UnfGP6C1Sr.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u6WY7zsdUKZKYgjj8PM1pqqP86gKyF8tsE8xhwWsoiRmSjTvTj2cHcszZhxXZnsjssE.png|
|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23uRGA6srSRb7orF3zMYQGfaodwqNeYaikSJ2KRtmNvfbZMgbN9rZmH55gABNjG19RabF.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23uRGA6srU7R1V26YYBE8eyift8TLtoeuZtpAE91X5i8BMiAd6NiejwK7BR8xwXSzj3ax.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tw7skRMn4DcNAcbnZ5Ah7WT64MJFThPPu7ASdmfMJwYgBRj3hKjX8S6StG4NqFTe6Dc.png|
|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/EoCoudgTGCy718yf79KXAtkfWJtmNC7f9ytrxg2vjvugMRCDacwj8nMvzVgs3S1BGW8.png|https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u6WcxLHRoQaUo5kn6VL9XADKpMGFWybbsQYtUJsw2L1DdGGq4Sxov3Eu2yfSEgYKRNo.png|<center>All Done!</center>|



#### Step 3) **Download Automatic1111**
- First thing is to create a new folder. I created a folder called `AI Tools` on my C: drive.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t77FUKhQ8sUCZp8KTtamY4h9ACKqU7aoPPsg73UvieAKKLse1ujsfsSPpUkxjnoizSV.png
- Open the folder and while holding the `SHIFT` key right click in the open space and it will bring up more options. Select `Open PowerShell window here`.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tGVdRv8UxRgEjRpwVsiLws589jmcPKuCVgvSbk1Asc7umk9vr34GxRDvUNxXZpEiFp3.png
- Next you have to run the git command to pull the respository down to your computer.
`git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui.git`
- Let that run and do what it needs to do.






#### Step 4) **Download Stable Diffusion v1.5**
- The version I downloaded was v1-5 which you can find here: https://huggingface.co/stable-diffusion-v1-5/stable-diffusion-v1-5/blob/main/v1-5-pruned-emaonly.ckpt
- If you are unfamilar, HuggingFace is basically like a repository for various AI stuff. Although the name is childish and silly, it is a reputable website in the AI DIY community.
- Click on Download and then copy and paste that .cpkt file to your AI Tools folder.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t74tdoDXVs6fcmQ9B67nG21j9UZpz1fQJXHzeLm2Mq5RkCneWLFmhM6ZsvMXizpSVGk.png
 - Specifically put it in the `modules` subfolder. Mine is located at 
`C:\AI Tools\stable-diffusion-webui\modules`



#### Step 5) **Run your AI Image Generation Tool!**
- To do this all you have to do is double click on the `webui-user.bat` file located in: 
`C:\AI Tools\stable-diffusion-webui`
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23uQNa4Xbmye8AQ4JgqgRYts3QYUq2EEQFKnqg9PsJqyjG75kwQj2xWAhb2MhkWivc6V2.png

- Once you run that for the first time a Terminal window will appear and it will start to download all the other dependencies that are required. Mine took less than 10 minutes to complete so just be patient.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tGTPhEiLgmNdYLoKAjYXPsyxREMJVB3RPdWDoYx4EinWNeagpSUYCVAja2gtfQq8UqM.png
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eo6BE8kGZD3ESJ6Cygbm6bc8o65HAHWwKHptDHksSdSDXZGsCHCEGPLWL6Nx9P1qCDq.png
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tRrDKLVyY6uNJCVHFeyMhkkmPfnwZ81P69Xp3Na21DeMygAsTjkmVN7NDhhwXbuzi8a.png
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23xKhSYzsy5nYp7dSdxw8i6a8vZhSqJ7EMXe7DfLLU62BWfGTjC7Tkqpru86dtixfmnGR.png

For me once it was completed it automatically opened a new Web Browser tab, but if yours does not then just navigate to `http://127.0.0.1:7860/` in your Web Browser of choice!




---

# Generate AI Images!!!

Your Automatic1111 web interface should look like this:

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tGTgekWUD6kUP4YyirU3ytZv15Gr2d24HAZftgGGdDxGSDLkzCNfdiPRdynEWMg1dGB.png

Here is a prompt I gave it. I was curious to test out the default settings by giving a lot of detail but things that don't make sense together.

`A Thumbnail Picture for a blog post. 30 year old male typing at a computer. Camera angle is looking over the mans shoulders. Old rustic reclaimed wood desk with a state of the art Desktop Computer with a hologram keyboard that the person is typing on. The Desk in in the middle of a great green plain with flowers and a clear blue sky. It should be a Fantasy style with small magical energy emitting from the computer.`

You will see a progress bar as it generates your picture...

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23sweHsuQuvikkmvaWtdD83jnEcyUU3MGYivy8HKuh14Ras9iPyqvioo5jbTLio9DExas.png

And then the final result is...

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/AKHzgAMQec1RZECjMb3VnZxqiYoi848mxWHFV3hYvj8gBoygn6fBzKwJvqdAdto.png

TERRIBLE, that is what it is hahahahaha.

But on the plus side, it barely takes up resources. My CPU/RAM was uneffected and my GPU just spiked some on it's Dedicated RAM but not even by much. I am sure if I had a RTC 5090 the results would be the same but it would just generate MUCH faster!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/48FEFfrMuhA8ew5edpj98fWeGS8TTctJfZC9vVUDMPjVuzVJ1CDfRUQNiVMrXdTnRZ.png


Try #2, we are getting better.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23vhuRAtjByKRqgY5n4DnENrepg29MycNDTmRqJYHW2LuBxk1TnfNf9Wqjo9WSacAD9mA.png


Now let's try giving it a image and then adding prompts to re-invent the image to something else!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23wC9LnbjAMJSZLrjTLEUi3ckwx7ji7ik5wPRNeMcha3G4xWjG2gUfnn7dq4UKYESi87v.png

BAHAHA this is so bad it's hilarious!

Also every image you generate gets saved to your computer. For my installation they are all saved here `C:\AI Tools\stable-diffusion-webui\outputs`


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t76t9pzqcoV3Vm6iHig4xpcJqEg55bu6iy6N9ZFa9sXvCUGTV1EXyMj4Y1ezjFFJ94V.png)


---

# Help

You can read more about Stable Diffusion here: https://stable-diffusion-art.com/beginners-guide/


Prompt Guide: https://stable-diffusion-art.com/prompt-guide/

Image size: The size of the output image. The standard size is 512×512 pixels. Changing it to portrait or landscape size can have a big impact on the image. For example, use portrait size to generate a full-body image.

Sampling steps: Use at least 20 steps. Increase if you see a blurry image.

CFG scale: Typical value is 7. Increase if you want the image to follow the prompt more.

Seed value: -1 generates a random image. Specify a value if you want the same image.

Specific Guide to Generating Animals: https://stable-diffusion-art.com/animals/

Img2Img Guide: https://stable-diffusion-art.com/img2img/

---

That is it folks. That is how you can setup your own AI Image/Video Generator to run locally on your own PC. No Big Brother required!

If you are bored or if you enjoyed this Guide. I wouldn't say no to you voting for my Hive Witness Node or joining my Discord. Click each image below to go to each thing!

|[![](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cherokee4life/23wM2s18nnjEVEKsZbH8MSdTUxSq8PnAWnGiSxLNgd3v5zcJn4FtcerTYqmZDSPNYRMN3.jpg)](https://vote.hive.uno/@witness4all)|[![](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/cherokee4life/23uQvauCkxRkAp6TE5itJLaRpiQ2wuszUTBp2bdaKSJvS2KP4fpnPDrvaDFWqj2y65vk5.jpg)](https://discord.gg/ujBXNA6S6Y)|
|-|-|

Guides & How To's

How to run your own Text-2-Img Generator (like ChatGPT and others)

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5TKYnC2xWN6rR4sG5PQn7Z2c3Dbb8btUatSuPJcXHnJAm8g3buX5jRYzZ6wkE1dCUF.png

---

On my escapades on setting up a Hive Witness Node I have come across a wide range of products and services that seem useful and I started to use them so I figured I should start to share the wealth with you all! Not everything I write about may interest you and that is A-OK. I want to write these guides/articles so in case someone who is needing something like it can learn more about it or so you can bookmark and come back to it when you want to revisit it!

---

Today we are talking about...

https://www.netdata.cloud/img/netdata-logo.svg

What IS Netdata I hear you wondering to yourself while you are glaring at that beauty of a svg file logo above! Well I got you covered folks so buckle up!

---

# What is NetData?

NetData at it's core is a monitoring software. You can install it on a server/system and then go to the associated webpage to view a BUNCH of stats on your system.

It is a Open-Source Monitoring tool and if you are a nerd like me that is the golden statement that will perk up my ears. 

You know what else is awesome? It is 100% free to setup and use. 


---

# Why do I need NetData?

You may not but I will list out why I need it so that maybe it will relate to you.

Me having a few physical Computers setup up running various nodes or software and what not and also various VM's running on my NAS, I wanted a way to basically keep tabs on all of them in 1 place. For me I don't care too much about having access outside my network but it would be nice too. 

I found that with NetData I can install it on a system (Windows/Linux



---

# How to Install NetData?

Short Version: is watch the official YouTube instructional Video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5m8JdwMOn8

Long Version: Read through my steps :)

https://learn.netdata.cloud/docs/netdata-agent/installation/

The steps to install NetData are as simple as.....

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t8CoYsD4gbJBkp2LXCtRy8T3GinTaz1jyv9V7thYTy8SvvC3dPcKPEgfWseEjF47bfZ.png




---

## Step 1: Create a Account

Navigate here: https://app.netdata.cloud/ and create a account. It is free but because I am paranoid IT person I have a new Google Account spun up when I test out new products.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tGRcbx8e9JbKcPUwbZqH7knYtQWQA89u3dSNVz3txXyEkTtsANws4rDtx47C8qDBXCU.png




---

## Step 2: Create a new 'Space'

Once you are signed in, in the top left corner you will see a Green "+" sign button. Click it!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tkhmNHe9HDkB4NVHJbNpX2scSZVBqTFqG4bobuVjNYYqz5ciG7w2buYPRV5et9CZDRa.png

It will open a popup on the right hand side asking you what to name the space.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23zbFSY9XPJTUkU5AgLJ6zY9qzfusS5HfnixunibTeHiMrE1Sr4X3BscCYC55hEgZgnBJ.png




---

## Step 3: Prep the Software

It will ask you to connect a Node:

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swXQh8vrhe4uJ3GFhfM9YsCz4azB5w2qHC5Pr6fLpWHdDmXrnJ5MoLeirB26EXad6GR.png

So click on it and then you will see a bunch on install options.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/48FhfvB9GTpjsqVmdtBjpCNSEVQ5DE1g2Am3EtovGXEHesA8s5gDnjVJaAWHBy9H7U.png

I blocked out a bit of the command for Linux because it is a specific command to sync it to MY NetData Cloud system and I don't want you degenerates setting up random PC's in my system :) So get your own!

There are Linux, Windows, MacOS, etc options to pick from as well.

Here you can see the Windows install instructions:

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tRk43P1A8yJFz5Xqmh3GSkUjngTTwkeknowdkassCBjGZRZLASgJ7c8AeWgSFKRvdvR.png

I can't promise this link will work FOREVER but at time of writing here is the Windows Stable Version download link:
https://github.com/netdata/netdata/releases/latest/download/netdata-x64.msi 



---

## Step 4: Install the software

If you are performing the Linux install it will run VERY quickly and truly is Stupid Simple once you have the command setup.

> You can remove the "Token" and "Rooms" attributes to purely run it locally.

Here is the command I ran to run the installer locally without syncing to the NetData Cloud account.

```
wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://get.netdata.cloud/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --stable-channel --disable-telemetry
```

Here are the screenshots on a throwaway server I spun up just to show you what it looked like.


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t6zfjqH9M3oVsjnzWcPSFdVKWQaKvFvQyQhhDyKcLvQAQjUieAqE8Z3Nz1d4X3ont1F.png

It will ask you for your sudo password so it can install the software.
It will also ask you to confirm to download the 33MB file of archives.


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/EnymanAKQhjCQiKQG3jXH5tjdaJhVmE3h42LQuNWJVzMsMYwdzQtcU94yM6DPMhJpBi.png



https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swa9LejjEEjKcUuFaeSi3tLGps8BECned4ApB7NwSzoTGH3sMnEd1MhuYUvJGQRyy2x.png

It will ask you to confirm downloading another 235MB of files.


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eo1uTBWv1z7As4NTnJntF4WNzGbPE4RWYAKqvWsoAiBhwcRMj6TBXNYGfrJqq8iDMN3.png



https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t6xohZkKM25dqTJY3y3LHdG7HJ1v2mWL3uTjqhfWgirQFnQJoQ7Mz7mrbcFbTRbUbt9.png


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swZhMrvj236vTrGVUKbabYf9abbHhZ6nVRZX4gffnUpptpZ1WzqeRVD8yaZfVjpx1Bh.png

From what I can tell is that it takes up less than 1GB of file size but don't quote me on that. But that is it. Once you see the "Successfully installed the Netdata Agent." you are good to go to the next step!


---

## Step 5: Connect to your NetData

`localhost:19999`

Replace the "localhost" with whatever the IP address is of the system you installed it on and you should just automatically get into your data and metrics.

When you are installing the software it literally tells you at the end how to access it:

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t72k8V5TbWfs8cAuCmXM8oK964UN8Tt4fT5ECVLPZ78ySPPqkxi2VTYuYdQkiJjGX3r.png

So go to a web browser on your PC on the same network as the system you installed Netdata onto and connect to it and you will see something like this:

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Enynb1gqqYFMkQKaXB8n6znyA38m7BW7P8MYSQaWjS3ffBt9WNbh2YoKGWk8guUaBiU.png




---

## Step 6: Play around!

There is so many metrics you can track for each node/system that it's bonkers. Install it and play around and see for yourself!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swe5nffoKPBY3s6cd6fAkb4k1n2hwSZs92iEeuCZVkjphPDP35cLZcyjYN1iWe1h9Ph.png

You do NOT need to create a NetData Cloud account to get it setup but it is the easiest way and as far as I know it's the only way to see multiple systems in 1 plane of glass. You could install the software on each system without the Rooms and Token attributes and then connect to each system with a new browser tab going directly to their IP if you wanted to.



---








NetData - 1 Stop Shop for monitoring your Systems for FREE 💵💵💵

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23vrrxNqbwpd86tcXdHoqQfMQR8PrPg65ZmGWBEjQyJ2KUceboEmY66jJEZXVsi97W57c.png


![Hive_GIF_Divider (HIVE Logo Stays)-(10 milisec delay).gif](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/EnymBJ38xs6okVAZmbK7az7ehT5nw1wd5oSPq7ZPMFvotwgdMrMb7K9ZeLWfX6Kw4yS.gif)


# Intro / Preface

This article has been months in the making. If you are one of few people in my discord server who has had to listen to me b!tch and moan over these last few months... I am sorry and also thank you because without you all I wouldn't be posting this article today!



![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)




# ⁉️⁉️ Who am I?⁉️⁉️

I go by many names...

### Cherokee4Life

![TrocProcLock-Cherokee4Life_Profile Picture.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/AJpk72JPsJSRk7uep9DsHCWBT95wJnUBK8i4A2Lmq82LtsripSrU5xtPTD3BkBq.png)
The Cherokee4Life account was created 5 years ago for the sole purpose of playing Splinterlands. Fast forward some and I had an impossible job of getting my keys out of the hands of the Splinterlands team...


### TrocProcLock

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/AK6Wjt6UrMkt3Z3PufgQrzJLoaEjYh7LafZbbvJRzxdz8RSGz8oThw9eFmZdPzH.png)
So I created a 2nd account called TrocProcLock because that was the username I was going by online at this time. Well shortly after creating this account... I was able to regain control of my cherokee4life account and had no real use for this account (except I already started playing Rising Star with this account and still do).

Fast forward to 2025, I use TrocProcLock for Rising Star and that is it's only purpose. Yes it sucks but we lay in the bed we made right?


Cherokee4Life (main account) = https://hiveblocks.com/@cherokee4life
TrocProcLock (secondary but rarely used) = https://hiveblocks.com/@trocproclock
Witness4All (Only for Hive Witness Node) = https://hiveblocks.com/@witness4all





![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)






# Where it all started

I have been around the block a few times at this point. I have done CPU mining, GPU mining, and everything else and in-between. I have a Blockchain Node setup for 2 other blockchains currently running as well. So I am not new to this Node concept or setup (or so I thought).

But what got me intrigued into running a Hive Witness Node was a post by Engrave, specficially this post!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eonk3AbjEkBdLxW7qhetMxMzcxMSSBbErDJ6LkwiJAYyGVL9QUxtbmHPwtpD2CKEuDL.png

<center>https://peakd.com/hive/@engrave/low-power-local-witness-node</center>


I work in IT professionaly and I also have some older Enterprise grade servers in my basement. Some are powered off because I am not paying to run a 12U Server Chassis with 8 blades. I would go broke from the electric bill. Others though I have running 24/7 for my homelab. So I thought to myself if people can get a node running on such small hardware footprint, I can spin one up no problem.

#foreshadowing 😉






![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)






# Getting Started / Proof of Concept

I didn't have any mini Dell PC's laying around though but I did have a massive 8U SuperMicro laying around with a bunch of headroom just waiting for me to throw something at it. So I did! I spun up a Ubuntu VM with minimal specs and started to play around.

Let's just say I lost count at how many VM's I spun up and deleted over the weeks. Each time I learned something new and made changes, and because I didn't want to build a Witness Node on top of old data or file structures I started a new server. My fear was that when I made a change like changed root permissions to a subfolder that days later when I wanted to start over I would be basically trying to battle issues and permissions from 2 or 3 node attempts ago and it would cause me more problems. So I would just start over. And spinning up a new VM could be done in 30 minutes (including Ubunutu install) so it was better that way.

Well after countless attempts and hours reading guide after guide and trying building it from code, deploying from block_log files, using Docker, I thought I finally had my node the way I wanted. Or so I thought.

1 good thing I did though was that I had the foresight to create a new account to be used 100% for my Witness Node and it be separate from my Hive accounts that I actually use to interact with the blockchain on a day to day basis.


---

I want to clarify that I am not a Hive expert. I am not even a Hive Novice. I am just a guy who loves tech and who loves Hive and I am trying to contribute as much as I possibly can to this awesome blockchain. There are people here that could run circles around me when it comes to IT, or tech in general, let alone anything Hive related. But that was a big part of WHY I wanted to do this.

I wanted a node that was being run and active and online contributing to the network that wasn't run by someone with ties to this project or that project. I wanted to see more Nodes run by everyday people. People who are invested in the blockchain and want to help it even without any skin in the game so to speak. 

I am going to screw things up. I may even take my node offline from time to time because I screwed up a upgrade or this or that. But I also will always work to bring it back so that Hive can be more decentralized. Because that is something I want, and I hope that is something you all want as well. This should go without saying but I am not knocking any node ran by someone who also runs projects on Hive. Shoot, I even vote for a lot of them to be witnesses because I like the work those people are doing and want to support it. I just also want to help out and this is the start of my way of helping out!




![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)





# Back to my Proof of Concept

On my SuperMicro I am running TrueNas Scale because for me it's the best at what it does.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tbHLpCwtLuaf6PRU1Sr8TV8v71oWLwN7CLi9VXfDNVJpXCcjkmsAzvdgTD8L5hoAdei.png

If you care about the specs of it, I will indulge you because I care too ;)

**CPU:** Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X5680 @ 3.33GHz (there are 2 CPU's)
**RAM:** 80GB of DDR3 1333MHz 
**HHD:** 28 TB in various RAID configurations (60 TB of actual Hard Drives in total)

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23wC5UyFJtuhdzYNerEgS2QQ1sB7ZopAqz8pA1JmLDYMa8gxFdS2s3dsaUAPrEHtsLaAG.png


Yes, this runs on 3.5" spinning disks but it is a proof of concept after all. I wanted to make sure I could do it before I invested more time and money into this side project and hoping to turn it into a proper project of mine.


> To those who don't know and are curious.. Spinning Disks is tech term for just normal 3.5 inch wide Hard Drives. They are cheap and they are great but they are not as good for I/O as SSD drives or nvme drives. SSD and NVME drives do not have a spinning metal disk inside of them so they are less prone to failure and other issues and last longer and have better Read/Write abilities than the older Hard Drive type disks.

> And for something like a Node for the Hive blockchain that has blocks constantly, having a normal Hard Drive be the data storage for it is not ideal. It is doable because I am doing it right now but it is not ideal or 'best practice' as they say.





The VM that is running my Node at time of me writing this out are as follows:

**CPU:** 2 Core and 4 vCPU's
**RAM:** 16GB
**HD:** 2TB of storage (yes on spinning disks)

---

<center>Graph showing my CPU and RAM usage on my Node</center>

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swZhEgADfiogiJNyzV5od3KKwPpZiV4hYLwtMNTR9gwtTMAvzJFqbe2sVKnvmoDMaf7.png

---

<center>Graph showing my Storage usage on my Node</center>

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swe9k7kiGZHazEa1mSP61SAt5rbyWqnDbuWwYBBsYZTxyfzZpfRbDkJ2Fr27ZgUATTp.png

---

<center>Graph showing my Network usage on my Node</center>

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tGVqWodUWdF2UzjmYWvyVYPHxFRXhBmm5SaeoYGGDVkoCm2CxX2najvywU9HbraDYE9.png

I am going to touch on this last screenshot later but this is the entire network traffic for my SuperMicro that is running my Node and other things... It's not a lot!

---

*Disclaimer: I don't care about showing screenshots and such about my current Node because by the time this article is live and you are reading this than I have already transitioned over to my Proper Node and this VM will be blown away and I will spin up a completely new one setup how I have learned it should be with all the bells & whistles setup properly.*

I made the decision early on that if I was going to setup a Node I was going to set it up on the latest and greatest version, because I thought that it would give me the longest time in between updates where I would have more time to learn and grow and than be able to upgrade successfully when the time came. So because of that I went with Hive 1.27.10. Was this a mistake? Yeah probably haha but too late now.

Most of the guides I have seen are geared around 1.27.8 and honestly I should have gone with that version # because I think I wouldn't have run into as many problems if I had. But why make life easier for yourself? And honestly I would be lying if I said it wouldn't make me a little happy to know I am running a more up to date version than the big name Nodes out there running 1.27.8 ;)



When I first started to setup my Node (one of the first couple iterations at least) I ran into problem after problem. I even managed to screenshot a bunch of it for this exact moment..

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23t74ZK55jzCpwzKorNZx67TDr4uiFKgWBWqRbeXWC22Fxdz3pcRCbqksuH883hYrhhJB.png

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tRvMpYMueixxR4MoVuDCmi1EsnaoUmYcTvsFwvsXx53JVxZCc1vj5Kd1CUDAq5E7bMb.png

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/48FhzEDTA8FFVw11scscFdDd8EcGY2H5KEpBN3Y61PZVqGuv9EzePrpzbQ8ibZzMiw.png

Yeah I was overwhelmed when I started to say the least. Part of my issue was my pride. I wanted to figure this out without asking for help. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. And ironically by the time I got around to asking for help because of the last issue I was running into.. turns out wasn't even an issue and I was already good to go. Ain't that Ironic!

But after attempt and attempt and configuring I don't know how many config.ini files and editing the cli_wallet who know how many times and testing and testing and soo many replaying of the blockchain I got a Node that appeared to be up and running.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23swfwJfXF8HP4zmvki2NcaM7148orJhHYQXPUzoK93krAA7YrTiMPagspN1yb2MRn9qV.png


I do want to take the time to shout out everyone who runs Nodes and runs awesome websites and tools surrounding Nodes. Arcange, you are a legend in my book my guy (or girl, I swear I need to stop assuming everyone online is a male)! This tool was awesome for 2 reasons.

https://hive.arcange.eu/schedule

1) Let me know what Block the blockchain is currently on.
2) Let me know what Nodes are in rotation for Block creation.

Obviously the official documentation is 'helpful':
https://developers.hive.io/nodeop/witness-node.html
https://github.com/openhive-network/hive

No idea who runs this but I love it! Hive Hub Dev!
https://hivehub.dev/@witness4all






![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)







# Setting up a Proper Node

With all of that 'lovely' experience behind me it was time to get serious. So I set out on finding the perfect device to run my Node from full time. Yes my SuperMicro is on 24/7 but I wanted something with SSD's or better yet NVME drives in it. I won't get into the nitty gritty on what I chose and why versus what I didn't. But I did end up getting a Intel NUC.

A 7th generation Intel core i3 NUC to be exact! 


https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23w2kyGo9kzHyLgAip3fmU13iD4LU4uo2FkHZ4PQWCbksf9opPZMssykG342GTYvPWfTp.jpg

And I got some goodies as well!

16GB of RAM
1TB SSD
256GB NVME

---

I would love to say that this is where everything went smoothly and I have my Witness Node up and running on my intel NUC. And why that would be the best outcome here sadly it is not the case. I got ahead of myself and started to playing around with the Rolling Block Log feature and other config.ini settings I came across.

So currently my intel NUC is syncing the blockchain again for about the 10th time 😉

And I also setup another VM and that is where my Witness Node is currently running on!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eo1xLoJtnFtQvTTZp6TXj2HchndhB6sgAeEkuFsbgXrxjGJPvMRi9Q2NQR1a8Gpy7PG.png





![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)






# Next Steps

- I need to get my Witness Node FULLY operational on my Intel NUC
- I need to get a Price Feed setup
- I need to fine tune my Node to require less storage as well.








![Hive_Logo_Divider(2).png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u5xuvbMAh13bBL1Yiru31538p1eCsJzhZ7cdZLKGDytUggNhWNFKC62qg9eaD9CCRYQ.png)







# Current Issues and Roadblocks:

1) Internet Upgrade
In the coming weeks I will be switching to Fiber Internet (again) and I can not wait... Port Forwarding and everything oh baby it can't come soon enough.

2) Price Feed Setup
I will admit I have a lot to learn about setting this up but all I have is time so bring it on.

3) Minting my First Block
As a witness with only 8.2k HP votes.... this one will take time haha But Damn it ONE DAY I will mint a block and that day will be GLORIOUS!

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/Eq38Swt3Lz2kGJqJ7hCyXgHyGy4HvQeYr1QpPdJc52vsLLG4zd1X6twuirYkGbhwttx.gif




---

### Planned Improvements:

1) Getting a 2nd NUC to have pure redundancy
I have plans to purchase a 2nd NUC and have it setup and running 24/7 as a backup node, so that if I do an upgrade on my Node I can switch to my backup so that my 'node' will never go down.

2) External Website/App
I am working on setting up a internal website with helpful information. A website that will hopefully be available to the public to use and bookmark. The idea is to be able to put in a few accounts to see their balances and also prices of various tokens (which will be changeable) and then Node information for specific nodes
![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23u6YZEZbRW83Qw3k8vzY9fuQAYPE353FUaQNM2ekCwzFZeFQofkjwe63wLET1GjR9AFw.png)
Obviously all this info in the screenshot is static BS info but you get the idea..

3) How to Guide for Beginners
I have ideas.. I have thoughts.. This Node process was NOT easy for beginners and I want to (and am currently writing) create guides. I want to create guides that better explain the Hive blockchain for beginners. I want to create a guide on how to setup your own Node with actual step by step instructions on HOW to do each step in the process.

4) To Be Determined 😉




![Hive_GIF_Divider (HIVE Logo Stays)-(10 milisec delay).gif](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/EnymBJ38xs6okVAZmbK7az7ehT5nw1wd5oSPq7ZPMFvotwgdMrMb7K9ZeLWfX6Kw4yS.gif)




# The End

So all of that being said. I hope you would at LEAST consider voting for my Witness Node. If you don't want to after you considered it, I do not blame you. I know I am relatively new to the Hive Blockchain and I still have trust to earn to be considered a valuable member of this community to be trusted to run a Node to secure said blockchain. 

You can Vote here: https://peakd.com/me/witnesses (scroll way down until you find my account, at time of writing I am ranked #248)

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/EoASUqmdhmSeNSyFCmKviSEXyuar3zPUcKp5yqQzZEcBrGPciYutSmqQyxxdmqJqJ2x.png)



**IF** you are someone who has physically setup a Node before and can offer detailed steps and help and want to give it. I have so many questions to ask you haha.

### <center>Thank you and have a good day!</center>

I have a Discord Server where me and a few friends chat about Hive Blockchain things, WAX Blockchain things, Ways to Earn various Crypto, and just shoot the shit throughout the day. If you want to join you are more than welcome!

<center>https://discord.gg/ujBXNA6S6Y</center>

---

*Clarification: This account while is a alt account run by me (@cherokee4life) I intend to only use it to post about HIVE Node things and various guides or articles. Each post will be set to 100% HP as a payout because this account is purely a Node account and hopefully maybe one day it will have enough HP that I can start to use it to curate and vote on other good quality content here on Hive to give back to you all! So follow for more fun stuff!*

---

# *April 18th, 2025 update*
I am still learning things everyday. Today I figured out how to create a URL link that is a link to vote for me as a Witness Node :)

[Vote for Witness4All as a Witness Node!](https://hivesigner.com/sign/op/WyJhY2NvdW50X3dpdG5lc3Nfdm90ZSIseyJhY2NvdW50IjoiX19zaWduZXIiLCJ3aXRuZXNzIjoid2l0bmVzczRhbGwiLCJhcHByb3ZlIjp0cnVlfV0)

It should popup a new webpage with a transaction that looks like this: 
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/witness4all/23tHbr9aB55X2cqFD3GiXd2Avz2TFw7CauspmePzV7B8AtryEGkXfyF46m8aM43ySG6DJ.png

Witness4All (50)

Witness Node - I owe you a apology

How to run your own Text-2-Img Generator (like ChatGPT and others)

NetData - 1 Stop Shop for monitoring your Systems for FREE 💵💵💵

I AM A WITNESS!! 🐝My Hive Witness Node Journey🍯