Step 4: Startup & Monitoring

Creating the startup script, systemd service, and monitoring sync status.

Step 4: Startup & Monitoring

We do not run the solana-validator binary directly. Instead, we use a shell script to manage the complex flags and a systemd service to ensure the node restarts automatically if it crashes or the server reboots.

1. Create the Startup Script

We will create a script that defines your node's configuration.

⚠️ Initial Mode: Non-Voting (Spy Node) In this script, we include the --no-voting flag.

• Why? Your node needs to sync the ledger before it can vote. Voting before you are synced can lead to delinquencies.

• For Validators: You will remove this flag and add your vote account in the [Validator Setup] section later.

A. Create the script file

Bash

nano /home/solana/start-validator.sh

B. Paste the following configuration (Mainnet Beta)

Bash

#!/bin/bash
exec solana-validator \
    --identity /home/solana/keys/validator-identity.json \
    --known-validator 5D1fNXzvv5NjV1ysLjirC4WY92RNsVH18vjmcszZd8on \
    --known-validator dDzy5SR3AXdYWVqbDEkVFdvSPCtS9ihF5kJkHCtXoFs \
    --known-validator Ft5fbkqNa76vnsjYNwjDZUXoTWpP7VYm3mtsaQckQADN \
    --known-validator eoKpUABi59aT4rR9HGS3LcMecfut9x7zJyodWWP43YQ \
    --known-validator 9QxCLckBiJc783jnMvXZubK4wH86Eqqvashtrwvcsgkv \
    --only-known-rpc \
    --ledger /mnt/ledger \
    --accounts /mnt/accounts \
    --rpc-port 8899 \
    --dynamic-port-range 8000-8020 \
    --entrypoint entrypoint.mainnet-beta.solana.com:8001 \
    --entrypoint entrypoint2.mainnet-beta.solana.com:8001 \
    --entrypoint entrypoint3.mainnet-beta.solana.com:8001 \
    --expected-genesis-hash 5eykt4UsFv8P8NJdTREpY1vzqKqZKvdpKuc147dw2N9d \
    --wal-recovery-mode skip_any_corrupted_record \
    --limit-ledger-size 50000000 \
    --log /home/solana/solana-validator.log \
    --no-voting
    # --vote-account /home/solana/keys/vote-account.json \

C. Make it executable

Bash

chmod +x /home/solana/start-validator.sh

🔍 Flag Explanation:

• --known-validator: Trusted nodes (Solana Labs, Jito, etc.) we download a snapshot from.

• --only-known-rpc: Security feature. Only ask trusted nodes for the initial ledger download.

• --limit-ledger-size: Keeps your ledger disk usage under control (deletes old history).

• --no-voting: Critical for initial setup. Prevents the node from trying to vote while it is still syncing.

---

2. Create Systemd Service

This configures Linux to run your script as a background service.

A. Create the service file

Bash

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/solana.service

B. Paste the configuration

Ini, TOML

[Unit]
Description=Solana Validator
After=network.target
StartLimitIntervalSec=0

[Service]
Type=simple
Restart=always
RestartSec=1
User=solana
LimitNOFILE=1000000
LogRateLimitIntervalSec=0
ExecStart=/home/solana/start-validator.sh

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

C. Enable and Start

Bash

# Reload systemd
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Enable service on boot
sudo systemctl enable solana

# Start the node
sudo systemctl start solana

---

3. Monitoring & Verification

Your node is now running! It will immediately begin fetching a snapshot and verifying the ledger. This process is CPU intensive.

A. Check the Logs Watch the startup process. You are looking for "Snapshot Download" or "Process slots".

Bash

tail -f /home/solana/solana-validator.log

B. Check Sync Status (Catchup) This is the most important command for a Solana operator. It tells you how far behind the network you are.

Bash

solana catchup --our-localhost

Output Guide:

• Total: The total number of slots your node needs to verify.

• Remaining: How many blocks left to sync.

• Speed: Blocks per second (Should be > 1.0 to catch up).

• Note: It may take 30-60 minutes before catchup shows accurate numbers while it downloads the initial snapshot.