Freedom-Gemini, update v4.0 of the OriginTrail node client, has been released on the main network (mainnet) of the OriginTrail Decentralized Network. This update brings numerous new functionalities to the network, which significantly improve the state-of-the-art for decentralized networks when it comes to scalable data integrity, powerful data connectivity, and flexible data interoperability.

The update will allow businesses to:

Perform truly scalable enterprise-grade data exchange, with ODN nodes gradually accepting datasets of 100 MBs and more without an increase in hardware requirements;

Establish connectivity between a variety of IT legacy systems, including simple Excel files and complex ERP systems exports; and

Retrieve data outputs, ensuring interoperability that relies on widely-accepted data standards like GS1 EPCIS, GS1 CBV, and W3C WoT.

Current network participants running a node will see their nodes update automatically if the “autoUpdate” option is enabled on their node, which is the default setting. However, nodes will require an additional manual restart after the update for all changes to take effect. You can find detailed instructions in this blog post.

Litigation, Reputation, and More Interoperability

These are the key updates enabling the new features of Freedom-Gemini update:

Litigation and reputation mechanism ensure the longevity of data held on the nodes in the network;

The registration mechanism for nodes is removed — ODN is now a truly permissionless network;

The new data layer, which has increased capacity and powerful flexibility, is the foundation that will enable nodes to accept datasets of 100 MB and more. The data layer now supports much more use cases and enables interoperability across data sets;

Improved node communication security with the updated Kademlia implementation; and

Node runners can now manage their compensation settings using a single parameter, Lambda, enabling a seamless, easy-to-use way to influence a node’s ROI.

How to Update Your Node on the Mainnet

The Easiest Way

Wait for your node to auto-update. After that, just restart it.

Prerequisites: Auto-update is enabled and the node is running in a Docker container.

Step 1

Your node will automatically update once it detects the new version of the ODN is available. It can take up to six hours for the node to detect the update.

After six hours or so, log in to the machine that is hosting your node and check the node logs by running the command:

docker logs otnode

If the update is successful, the node will restart itself and you should see this message in the logs to verify the update: the Version check: local version 4.0.0, remote version: 4.0.0.

Step 2

After verifying the version is at 4.0.0, restart the node one more time to finish the update with this command:

docker restart otnode

Step 3

Congrats. You are all set.

The Quickest Way

If you want to get the auto-update as quickly as possible, you can trigger it by restarting your node.

Prerequisites: Auto-update is enabled and the node is running in a Docker container.

Step 1

If you do not want to wait for your node to update itself, you can trigger the update process yourself by restarting your node with this command:

docker restart otnode && docker logs otnode

Step 2

The node will detect the new version and will start the auto-update process.

If the update is successful, the node will restart itself and you should see this message in the logs to verify the Version check: local version 4.0.0, remote version: 4.0.0.

Step 3

Next, restart the node manually. To finish the process, run the following command:

docker restart otnode

Step 4

Congrats. You are all set.

The Manual Way

Proceed here if you don’t have auto-update enabled.

Prerequisites: The node is running in a Docker container.

How to Setup Your Node Settings

The default settings on the v4.0 ODN nodes come with an initial set of values, enabling a smooth transition from the OriginTrail Vostok Mainnet version v2.0.59. The most important update regarding setting up your node reflects the pricing configuration options, which is now possible through one single parameter in your node, the Lambda factor.

The Lambda factor can be set for both the Data Creator (DC) and Data Holder (DH) services on the network. If your node is operating solely as a DH node, you just need to set the DH Lambda according to your preference. Lambda approximates the complex factors for pricing (data lifespan, dataset size, and token withdrawal cost) on the network into one parameter. As each node sets its own Lambda factor, a market for DH nodes gets established around DH services where DC nodes need to publish datasets to the network with a Lambda value that a majority of the nodes on the network will accept. Therefore, an overly optimistic, high Lambda (high cost) could cause your node to be outpriced by other ODN nodes and not receive enough jobs to be profitable, while a Lambda set too low might mean an insufficient ROI. You can change the Lambda factor of your node at any time, which will be taken into account for all the jobs your node will try to engage in. Previously agreed upon jobs will be unaffected.

If you are operating a DC node, you should make sure to set the DC Lambda factor to an appropriate value so that the network will accept your offers.

Additional parameters include the maximum data lifespan your node will accept for data holding offers, the maximum dataset size your node will accept (currently set at a conservative value of 3 MB, though iteratively will grow to hundreds of MBs in the coming incremental releases), and other parameters that have been set by default to values to accommodate the nodes with the lowest hardware abilities (minimum hardware requirements as listed on the website).

The development team will closely be monitoring the statistics and telemetry from the new Freedom-Gemini mainnet and iteratively implement further performance improvements, which will be reflected in the default node parameters. The adaptations and improvements will be made according to the same hardware requirements currently required by the ODN nodes. It is recommended to start with the default configuration values transitioning from OriginTrail Vostok Mainnet and gradually change them according to the latest developments.

Houston Enables Easy Control Over Your Node

Houston Lambda pricing configuration page

To easily setup and update the settings on your node, you can utilize the Houston application, which can be obtained on the new Houston v4 Github repository. Houston is an open-source web application that runs on your local computer and allows you to manage all aspects of your running node. When updating to the newest version of the node, please make sure to also download the latest version of Houston as the old version will no longer work with the new nodes.

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