From Palm 🌴 Network to Futureverse 🌌
😎 As a lifelong 🦇 DC fan, the last four years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster. From the early days on the DC NFT Marketplace built on the Palm Network, to the big merger with Candy Digital, and now this exciting leap into the Futureverse powered by The Root Network — it’s been wild 🤪
And now, for the first time ever, I’m running a Validator Node on AWS to help support our DC collectibles migration and contribute to the Futureverse ✨ ecosystem. But before I dive 🤿 into my experience with validator setups, let’s back up for anyone new to The Root Network…
What is The Root Network? 🌐
The Root Network (TRN) is the backbone blockchain that powers the open metaverse — designed to connect games, content, and digital experiences in one interoperable ecosystem. Think of it as the infrastructure that ties everything together.
👉 Check out The Root Network
To keep TRN alive and synchronised, it relies on nodes — the backend engines that either serve apps or secure the network. Without nodes, no blocks get processed, no transactions get validated, and the metaverse doesn’t move forward.
Types of Nodes 🖥️
Here’s a quick breakdown of the three main types of nodes on The Root Network:
Full Node ⚡
Stores recent blockchain data and prunes older states (keeping the last 256 finalised blocks). Around 50GB of storage. Useful for developers who need access to the latest transactions and data.
Archive Node 📚
The historian of the blockchain — keeping all past blocks and states. Heavyweight: 500GB–1TB of storage required. Great for apps needing historic data (leaderboards, ownership records, collection displays, gamification).
Validator Node 🛡️
The guardians of the network. Validators don’t just store data — they create new blocks and validate transactions, playing a central role in securing TRN and maintaining consensus.
Lessons Learned from Running a Validator Node 🛠️
Running a validator for the first time isn’t just a “click and go” setup. It’s an ongoing responsibility. Here are some of my key learnings that might save you time (and money) if you’re considering joining as a validator:
1. Be Ready to Stake Big 💰
The first thing to know: you’ll need to stake a significant amount of ROOT tokens to cover costs and make your validator viable.
👉 At the time of writing, 1.5M–2M ROOT (roughly $5K–$7K USD) is the recommended range, though this can change depending on market prices.
This detail isn’t always clear in the documentation. It’s “tacit knowledge” among node operators. Factor it in early: running a validator isn’t just about spinning up a server — it’s about ensuring your stake covers costs and generates returns.
2. Don’t Run It From Home 🏠🚫
It’s tempting to host a validator locally or through a cheap provider, but uptime and performance are everything.
If your node goes offline, you risk slashing penalties (losing part of your stake). Robust cloud infrastructure is the way to go.
✅ I chose AWS, which offers 99.99% uptime per month. Alternatives include Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.
If you delegate to someone else’s validator, make sure you can reach them quickly if things go wrong. Downtime happens, and responsiveness is critical.
3. Fine-Tune Node Settings ⚙️
The docs are easy to skim, but buried inside are optimisations that really matter:
Disable Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) → Better single-threaded performance.
Prioritise CPU speed → Single-thread performance matters more than core count.
Use SSD gp3 (EBS storage) → Lower latency, optimised for I/O-heavy workloads.
Harden network settings → Secure your instance for updates and P2P traffic.
4. Monitor Everything 📊
Running a validator is like managing a server that never sleeps. You need visibility.
CloudWatch Alarms → Alerts for CPU, storage, and RAM usage (set triggers at ~70%).
Node updates → Expect ~3–4 updates per month (kernel patches, security updates, resets for optimal performance).
Small practices like this make a huge difference in long-term stability.
Example: Updating a Root Network Node
If you don’t understand the commands below — no stress. I’ve added documentation links at the end. You can copy and paste commands into search or the docs for more detail.
Step 1 — Check what’s upgradeable:
apt list --upgradable
Step 2 — Check & Update Packages information:
sudo apt update
Step 3 — Upgrade packages:
sudo apt upgrade
Step 4 — Restart if needed:
sudo reboot
Example Updates Performed
On 29th August 2025, we updated around 10 packages on our Ubuntu system.
Linux kernel packages:
linux-aws (6.14.0-1011.11~24.04.1 → 6.14.0-1012.12~24.04.1)
linux-headers-aws (6.14.0-1011.11~24.04.1 → 6.14.0-1012.12~24.04.1)
linux-image-aws (6.14.0-1011.11~24.04.1 → 6.14.0-1012.12~24.04.1)
linux-tools-common (6.8.0-78.78 → 6.8.0-79.79)
System packages:
udisks2 (2.10.1-6ubuntu1.2 → 2.10.1-6ubuntu1.3)
libudisks2-0 (2.10.1-6ubuntu1.2 → 2.10.1-6ubuntu1.3)
New kernel-related packages installed:
linux-aws-6.14-headers-6.14.0-1012
linux-aws-6.14-tools-6.14.0-1012
linux-headers-6.14.0-1012-aws
linux-image-6.14.0-1012-aws
linux-modules-6.14.0-1012-aws
linux-tools-6.14.0-1012-aws
We moved from kernel 6.14.0-1011-aws → 6.14.0-1012-aws. Restarting the system was required to load the new kernel.
Why Continuous Updates Matter
Skipping updates leaves your validator exposed. For example:
Critical security flaws (like CVE-2025-38083 in the network traffic control subsystem).
Broad driver and network fixes.
👉 In short: keeping your node updated = protecting both your stake and the network.
Helpful Documentation 📚
Final Thoughts 🙌
Running a validator is a commitment, but it’s also an incredible way to support the network and community while deepening your knowledge of blockchain infrastructure. For me, this is more than a technical experiment — it’s about helping shape the future of DC collectibles in the open metaverse 🌍✨
TL;DR ⚡
- The Root Network (TRN) powers the open metaverse — nodes keep it running.
- Validator Nodes 🛡️ secure TRN by creating blocks & validating transactions.
- What you need to know if you’re starting out:
- Stake Requirement → 1.5M–2M ROOT ($5K–$7K) recommended.
- Don’t run from home → Use cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) for uptime.
- Optimise settings → Disable SMT, prioritise CPU speed, use SSD gp3, secure networking.
- Monitor constantly → Set CloudWatch alerts, expect ~3–4 updates per month.
- Updates matter → Kernel/security patches (e.g. CVE-2025-38083) protect your stake and the network.
- In short: Running a validator is a real commitment, but it’s one of the best ways to support the Futureverse ecosystem while learning blockchain infra 🚀
Special thanks to:
Scott (MoMeta.root) — Debugging node issues
Bildo — Connecting me with experts
Shen — Optimising storage & costs
People from AWS: David Espitia Castresana, Diego Cavestany, Jason Dunn + Team (& many others I am sure helping behind the scenes)
AWS London IRL Workshops — Node performance guidance
Dr Cleopatra — Reviewing this content 🙏
Collaborative efforts achieve greater, more sustained success than individual pursuits. I’m grateful to everyone contributing — whether by helping, staking, or simply reading this blog 🚀
Top comments (1)
This is such a satisfying blend of fandom and infrastructure. From Palm to Futureverse, it’s wild to see how far the DC ecosystem has come and now you’re literally helping power it. Loved the validator breakdown, especially the ‘tacit knowledge’ around staking and the SMT tweak (that one’s sneaky important). Curious how you’re planning to scale monitoring or automate patching long-term. Feels like you’re not just running a node you’re shaping the metaverse’s backbone.