Step 1: Prerequisites

Hardware specifications, network requirements, and OS dependencies.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Running an Ethereum node is computationally intensive. Unlike lighter chains, Ethereum requires significant I/O throughput to process the sheer volume of state changes and historical data.

Before provisioning your server, ensure your environment meets the Institutional Standards below.

1. Hardware Specifications

The most common cause of node failure is Disk I/O.

⚠️ Critical Warning: Do not use HDDs (Spinning Disks) or standard SATA SSDs. The node will fail to sync. You strictly require NVMe SSDs with high IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second).

Component	Minimum (Home Validator)	Institutional (RPC / High-Load)	Why it matters?
CPU	4 Cores @ 2.8GHz+	8 Cores @ 3.5GHz+	Block verification is single-threaded; high clock speed > core count.
RAM	16 GB DDR4	32 - 64 GB DDR4/5	Clients cache state in RAM to reduce disk hits. More RAM = Less I/O wait time.
Storage	2 TB NVMe	4 TB Enterprise NVMe	The chain grows ~15-20GB/week. 4TB allows for 3+ years of growth without maintenance.
Network	100 Mbps	1 Gbps Unmetered	Nodes consume 30TB+ of bandwidth monthly.

2. Operating System

We officially support and recommend Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) versions for stability and security updates.

• Recommended: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

• Note: Other Debian-based distributions will work, but this guide assumes apt package management and systemd architecture.

3. System Dependencies

Before installing the Ethereum clients, we need to prepare the Linux environment with core utilities for time synchronization, building from source (if needed), and authentication.

A. Update Repositories

Refresh your package lists to ensure you download the latest versions.

Bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

B. Install Core Tools

Run the following command to install the required dependencies:

Bash

sudo apt install -y curl git jq build-essential chrony unzip

• curl / git: Required for downloading binaries and cloning repositories.

• jq: A lightweight command-line JSON processor (essential for reading RPC logs).

• build-essential: GCC and Make tools required if you ever need to compile a client.

• unzip: Required for extracting release archives.

C. Configure Time Synchronization (Chrony)

In Proof-of-Stake (PoS), time is money. If your node's clock drifts by more than 0.5 seconds, you will miss attestations (slots) and lose potential rewards. We use chrony to keep the system clock perfectly synced.

Bash

# Enable and start the Chrony service
sudo systemctl enable --now chrony

# Verify synchronization status
chronyc tracking

• Check: Look for the System time offset line. It should be close to 0.000 seconds.

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✅ Checklist: Ready for Step 2?

Before proceeding to configuration, confirm:

• [ ] You are logged into an Ubuntu server.

• [ ] You are using an NVMe SSD (not a SATA SSD).

• [ ] chronyc tracking shows the time is synced.