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Installation and Running Testing Qitmeer Node

Prerequisites

Install Prior to Building QNG:

To build QNG, make sure to install these tools first before doing so: - Git (needed to clone repo) - Golang (Go) v1.21 or higher - Make - GCC and development tools - Enough disk space (20-30 GB recommended for storing blockchain data) - Reliable internet access for syncing your copy of the blockchain

Install dependencies (Linux)

Make sure that all the tools required to compile QNG software are installed on your Linux machine.

For operating systems like Ubuntu, you can install all tools you will need to build QNG, with the following commands.

sudo apt update sudo apt install -y git build-essential make gcc

If you do not yet have Go installed, which is necessary for compiling your own version of QNG, go to this link and download it:

https://go.dev/doc/install

Follow the instructions on the Go installation page, and once installed, run the following commands to make sure you installed Go correctly and it is working. go version git --version make --version If all three of these commands run and report back a version number, then you are ready to compile QNG on your Linux platform.

Compile and build MEER node

  • Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/Qitmeer/qng.git
  • Enter the qng directory: cd qng
  • Run make command
> git clone https://github.com/Qitmeer/qng.git
> cd qng
> make

Running make all will also install qx, relay and fastIBD

Build Output Directory

The QNG executable will be located in that folder after the successful completion of the build process:

build/bin/qng

You can confirm the build output using:

ls build/bin

if the qng file appears there, the build has been successful and the node is prepared to run

Install qx

qx is a command-line tool and can be regarded as the “Swiss Army Knife of Qitmeer”. It can provide a range of functionalities such as: random seed generation, public/private key generation, constructing transactions etc.

Installation Instructions:

This process can be skipped if you ran the make all command in the previous section.

  • Enter the qng/cmd/qx directory: cd qng/cmd/qx
  • Run go build (you may have to run go mod tidy if you run into issues regarding dependencies)
  • To run the tool, simply type ./qx
> cd qng/cmd/qx
> go build
> ./qx

Installation of qx is not mandatory but may prove to be useful to complete certain tasks

Starting the QNG Node

After compilation, start the QNG node using:

./build/bin/qng

When the node runs for the first time, it will automatically:

  • Create local blockchain storage
  • Connect to other peers in the network
  • Begin downloading and verifying blockchain data
  • Start processing blocks

Initial synchronization may take some time depending on network speed and system performance.

Common Errors and Troubleshooting

Some common problems you may face when installing or running a QNG node are:

  1. Datadir Already in Use/Being Used by Another Process** - You’ll get this error if you already have another instance of QNG running. Please ensure to stop the previous instance of QNG before starting a new one.
  2. Peer Connection Timeout or "i/o Deadline Reached"** - Messages such as these are common in decentralized networks and indicate that some of your peers are no longer responding, so the database is unable to connect. When this occurs, the node automatically reconnects to the peers and continues to keep the blockchains in sync.
  3. Missing Tools/Build Errors** - If you are experiencing issues trying to run commands like make or go,this means you do not have all of the dependencies required to use QNG properly. Please install any missing dependencies.

Stopping the Node Safely

To safely shut down a QNG node that is running, use Ctrl + C in the terminal where the node is being executed.

Properly terminating the node will guarantee that blockchain data is saved correctly and won't become locked or corrupted upon later startup.

If you have accidentally closed the terminal and the node is still on, you need to manually terminate the node before running a new instance of it.

Create Wallet (KAHF Wallet)

KAHF Wallet - Download and install the app KAHF wallet available at: https://www.kahf.io/. KAHF is a multi-chain wallet that provides a user-friendly GUI to manage all your digital assets. After following the instructions on-screen, ensure that Qitmeer Testnet is also selected in order to manage assets in the Qitmeer test network environment.

Export Private Key

Using the app, you will also be able to export your private key:

1) Click on the icon on the top-right hand corner:

KAHF-1

2) Select Check Private Key and enter in your password 3) Select Qitmeer Testnet Assets (UTXO) 4) Your private key should now be displayed. You also have the option to press Copy to copy to your clipboard

Create Wallet (Using qx)

You can use the qx command line to generate your own wallet:

  • Enter the directory where you have placed the qx binary file (if you followed the previous instructions above, this should be at qng/cmd/qx
  • Generate a cryptographic secure pseudo-random entropy (seed) using the command ./qx entropy
> ./qx entropy
Output: 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28

To produce a mnemonic word-list (BIP39) enter the command:

> ./qx mnemonic-new 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28
Output: museum region tiny moral whale final humble help race crop smart drift fortune real sheriff correct price antique ribbon venture tiny system weather all
With this mnemonic, you can export your wallet to KAHF wallet or any other compatible wallet.

Use the following commands to generate the Private Key, Public Key, Address, Public Key (PK) Address and ETH Address:

WARNING: The entropy and other values generated here, exist purely for demonstration purposes. These values should only be used in a test environment and not used to hold assets with real monetary value.

Private Key: 

> ./qx mnemonic-new <entropy> | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new
> ./qx mnemonic-new 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28 | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new
Output: 12d76cda3b0d4dde6c8cad7f0df2ceb5b1690b4f3725f94226095cf04d3f21e2
Public Key: 
> ./qx mnemonic-new <entropy> | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public
> ./qx mnemonic-new 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28 | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public
Output: 0363e43e0dfda44a34e1653f4feeb487fa8ccb88ba5b975a888913190e4a94abcd
Address: 
> ./qx mnemonic-new <entropy> | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public | ./qx ec-to-addr -v <network>
> ./qx mnemonic-new 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28 | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public | ./qx ec-to-addr -v testnet
Output: TnP7hbozSYpv8vPzHFnVfwVSJR9hhgoW5P7
Public Key Address: 
> ./qx mnemonic-new <entropy> | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public | ./qx ec-to-pkaddr -v testnet
> ./qx mnemonic-new 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28 | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public | ./qx ec-to-pkaddr -v testnet
Output: Tk6ts4JPqiyS5Xn1Jh9XmjADDtnBMDpoDCbcMKV2FkeGqjDJb1azt

The -v flag represents the type of network. By default this is set to "mainnet".

ETH Address (for use in MeerEVM): 

> ./qx mnemonic-new <entropy> | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public | ./qx ec-to-ethaddr
> ./qx mnemonic-new 91b69389c7df9aad1bbb58b0667f322165b965f16184aa613ee4792e27b9be28 | ./qx mnemonic-to-seed | ./qx ec-new | ./qx ec-to-public | ./qx ec-to-ethaddr
Output: 0x86209f32b6490Ca551b09fb4c8f70B79f513cF73

Commands List:

  • mnemonic-new: create a mnemonic word-list (BIP39) from an entropy
  • mnemonic-to-seed: convert a mnemonic word-list (BIP39) to its 512 bits seed
  • ec-new: create a new Elliptic Curve (EC) private key from an entropy (seed)
  • ec-to-public: derive the EC public key from a EC private key
  • ec-to-addr: convert an EC public key to a payment address
  • ec-to-pkaddr: convert an EC public key to a payment public key address
  • ec-to-ethaddr: convert an EC public key to a Ethereum address

Mining Test Coins

There are several ways in which to mine MEER test coins for use in the Qitmeer testnet. Regardless of which method is used, the MEER node must have the --miner flag enabled as well as --miningaddr=<block-reward-address>.

If the block reward were to be sent to address "TnSh92n7s4XbRiPmNrtYDttMugLVycsuars", then the flag would be --miningaddr=TnSh92n7s4XbRiPmNrtYDttMugLVycsuars. Both the address and PK address can be used when setting this flag.

These include: - Inserting the --generate flag before running the MEER node. ./qng –-testnet –-miner –-miningaddr=<block-reward-address> –-generate. This method is the easiest to implement and will attempt to mine blocks using the onboard CPU. - Installing and running the qitmeer-miner. This method provides a greater level of control of the mining process allowing users to utilise their GPU for mining instead of their CPU, participate as a solo miner or as part of a pool etc

Once you have successfully received miner reward and obtained some test coins, you can view the balance of your account on the Qitmeer BlockDAG Explorer Testnet or KAHF Wallet.