Mainnet Validation Update: What LAMINA1 Noderunners Need to Know
The LAMINA1 Mainnet is launching in May 2024. Here’s what that means for validators, delegators, and interested noderunners for the LAMINA1 network.
The time is near. Last week, LAMINA1 released a preview of its Governance & Tokenomics Whitepaper, which introduced a novel Staking and rewards mechanism for the LAMINA1 Mainnet that will largely replace Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, Node Rewards and other various structures most blockchains employ for incentives.
Now that the dust has settled, and a new draft is in the works at the Open Metaverse Foundation, we wanted to fill the community in about a missing piece of the puzzle in our upcoming launch plan — How validation, delegation and noderunning will work on the LAMINA1 Mainnet.
Read below for an overview, which we’ll be talking through in more detail during a dedicated AMA with LAMINA1 CTO Will Carter next week, on Monday, May 06.
A Three-Phased Approach
The TLDR; for noderunners is that if you are interested in validating for the LAMINA1 Mainnet right now, you will likely have to wait until the network expands.
Because we’ll be launching LAMINA1 Mainnet as a subnet on Avalanche, our individual validator requirement is lower than a traditional chain launch, and we’ll be rolling out validation to the public gradually, across three phases over the next 12 months.
Phase 01: Invitation-Only Nodes Launch; Betanet Validation Continues
On day 01 of Mainnet, the LAMINA1 network will operate as a traditional, federated subnet under the Avalanche infrastructure, starting with 8 primary nodes and 5 subnet nodes managed by the OMF, our core team, and close partners. This number is in line with Avalanche’s current recommendations/requirements, and will be purposely kept small during the initial launch window as we launch new functionality and infrastructure to the network.
As such, the primary method to engage in chain governance and earn rewards on LAMINA1 during Phase 01 will be through staking tokens via the new rewards process described in last week’s Governance Whitepaper draft. These activities will be accessible to LAMINA1 users via a new, dedicated ‘Governance’ tab on the LAMINA1 Hub that will make it easy to monitor, lock-up and withdraw L1, and claim your corresponding rewards tokens in exchange for supporting the network.
Note that there will be no direct way to delegate to these initial validator nodes like there was during Betanet, and the L1 Staking Wallet will officially be retired from the LAMINA1 Mainnet ecosystem.
This first phase of validation and noderunning is expected to last the first 3–6 months post-Mainnet launch.
Phase 02: Mainnet Validation Expands to Select Noderunners Operating on both LAMINA1 and Avalanche
After the first 3–6 months of Mainnet has passed, we plan to extend the opportunity to validate to 8 or more community validators, prioritizing our current cohort of Betanet validators before potentially extending invitations out to the rest of the LAMINA1 community. These validators will need to meet Avalanche’s current validator requirements, including the requirement to be holding at least 2000 AVAX to operate a node on the network. These nodes will have smaller stakes compared to the initial 8 nodes launched on LAMINA1.
Validators will be selected based on their engagement and performance during the Betanet phase, as well as any past validation activities on Avalanche. Preference will be given to those already running nodes on Avalanche, especially those with good uptimes and reliability scores on the Avalanche network.
We expect this second phase to continue through the end of the first year of Mainnet operation.
Phase 03: Major Validation Expansion, Permissionless and Subnet-Only Validation Begins on LAMINA1
Our goal for Phase 03 is to open up validation to anyone interested in supporting LAMINA1. This expansion is contingent on two things: First, the status and potential resolution of Avalanche Community Proposals 13 and 77, which aim to overhaul Subnet creation and management on Avalanche to unlock increased flexibility and lower validation costs for Subnet creators; and second, to transition to an elastic subnet within the Avalanche ecosystem, essentially making LAMINA1 a permissionless network within it. We’re not sure which one will come first, but have game plans ready for either contingency.
If the Avalanche Community Proposals we’ve been eyeing are approved first, they would allow us and other subnets to essentially separate out subnet validators from primary network validators — removing the 2000 AVAX requirement and moving ownership of Subnet validator set management from the P-chain to the Subnets themselves. The proposal would also introduce a continuous P-chain fee mechanism for Subnet validators that would result in continuous subnet staking, essentially allowing validators to pay a modest “rent” for operating subnets, rather than having to cover a large upfront cost.
If/when the proposal goes through, a message will go out to all existing Betanet validators on LAMINA1 and those who said they were interested in validating during Betanet to help expand the validator community and sign up for to operate a Subnet Only Validator (SOV), which you can read more about here: https://github.com/avalanche-foundation/ACPs/discussions/14
Second, if the network reaches sufficient economic value and maturity before the above proposals go through, or if the proposals are voted down or significantly delayed by the Avalanche community, we may transition to an elastic subnet first. This would allow LAMINA1 to activate Proof-of-Stake validation and uptime-based rewards using our own token (L1) on our own Subnet, meaning that we can directly set the amount of L1 (and other requirements) noderunners need to validate on the network. Without the Subnet Only Validator improvements, L1 validators would still be required to stake the 2000 AVAX required to be an Avalanche validator. For more information about elastic subnets and how they work on Avalanche, check out: https://medium.com/avalancheavax/banff-elastic-subnets-44042f41e34c
In the meantime, anyone can stake tokens on LAMINA1 starting this May to support the network and begin earning rewards, per the plans and parameters laid out in the Governance Whitepaper draft.
For additional info, see the Frequently Asked Questions section below.
FAQ
Q: Why start with such a limited validator pool?
A: The initial validator pool allows us to ensure stability and functionality as we integrate new features and infrastructure. This approach aligns with Avalanche’s current guidelines for subnet validation and will help us maintain network integrity during early operations.
Q: What incentives are planned/available for validators on the LAMINA1 network?
A: As per the latest LAMINA1 Governance plan, validators of both Mainnet and Betanet will be rewarded with rewards tokens called RL1. Rewards tokens will be initially allocated as follows: 15% to Node Operators, 15% to the Lamina1 Ecosystem / Creator DAO, and 70% to the Voting Contract. Once launched, the community can change these percentages or even add new allocation targets by using the governance system.
RL1 will begin to unlock at a rate of 7.5% per quarter for validators and stakers (this will be updated in the final draft of the Governance whitepaper, which previously set that rate at 3.5%). Unlock rates are linear and will be voted on and adjusted quarterly by the democratically elected OMFMA.
Q: What is the timeline on Avalanche’s new subnet proposals to make validation cheaper and more flexible for validators?
A: We don’t know. The latest update to Avalanche’s proposal to update its validator program, ACP 77 was just released on April 25, 2024 and needs to undergo a review and voting period with the Avalanche community before being approved. For more info about Avalanche’s ACP process, visit: https://github.com/avalanche-foundation/ACPs/blob/main/README.md
Q: What is the future of delegation on LAMINA1?
A: Initially, there will be no delegation as seen in Betanet. This style of delegation, where you contribute tokens to a public validator node to aid in Proof-of-Stake, would only potentially become available once the LAMINA1 network transitions to an elastic subnet.
That said, we are considering a different form of delegation for VOTE tokens, which would allow users to delegate their voting power within the platform. The specifics of this mechanism will be shaped by early governance activities and inputs during the initial launch period.
Q: What criteria will you use to select Mainnet validators in Phase 02 and onward?
A: We’ll be using similar criteria to what we used during Betanet. Priority will be given to existing Betanet validators who demonstrated high engagement and reliable uptimes throughout the Beta period. We will also favor established organizations/companies or individuals with a visible, clearly provable history of validation.
Geographic diversity is also a key factor, as we aim to ensure the gradual decentralization of the network as it grows. Ultimately, the Open Metaverse Foundation will make selections based on the core team’s recommendations, which will be influenced by application quality, reputation, and past engagement/activity during the Betanet phase.
Q: How will node participation be evaluated? Will there be penalties for validator downtime or misbehavior?
A: To evaluate node participation during Mainnet, we’ll be looking mostly at uptimes and active/positive contribution to the LAMINA1 community. If you fail to consistently log uptimes of 90% or higher, we’ll talk to you first and provide a warning. If it persists to be an issue, we’ll take you offline ourselves.
The LAMINA1 network does not plan to have slashing (e.g. penalties for behaviors deemed harmful to the network) built into our consensus mechanism, however, we do have some ideas on incentivization dependent on uptime, where validators will have to provide proof that they’ve validated a certain number of nodes over a period of time to receive rewards and incentives. This approach has yet to be implemented, but is technically possible within the current rewards contract.
Q: How can I express my interest or apply to become a validator in future phases?
A: If you’re an existing Betanet validator, keep an eye out in your inbox and on Telegram after next week’s AMA for a form asking whether you’d like to continue validating for Betanet, and/or to sign up to launch a community validator node in Phase 02.
If you did not validate during Betanet, you’ll have to wait for Phase 03 to start validating — via upcoming subnet-only validator programs, or public calls to validate once LAMINA1 becomes an elastic subnet and anyone can validate on the network.
Q: What kinds of support will be available to validators on LAMINA1? How can stakers and noderunners stay updated on how each phase is progressing?
A: Our existing Telegram and #top-testers Discord groups will continue to support validators on Betanet and Mainnet. Validators will also continue to receive regular email updates from the LAMINA1 community team when new opportunities become available.
Community members interested in validating or delegating in the future can stay up to date on our public #announcements channel, or in the #nodes interest group on the LAMINA1 Discord.
We also encourage L1 community members to follow along with us closely on the two Avalanche Community Proposals we’re watching above. Let us know if you have any thoughts or feedback about the proposals, and if you’re a member of the Avalanche community, use your voice to speak out in favor of it for chains like ours.
Q: I have more questions about Validation and Staking on LAMINA1. How do I ask them?
A: Join our upcoming AMA on May 6th, at 11am PST / 6:00pm UTC, where we will address any queries live with LAMINA1 CTO Will Carter. Questions can also be submitted in advance through the designated form: LAMINA1 Mainnet Node/Validation AMA Question Form.
Thanks for reading, and we look forward to your continued support as we move toward Mainnet launch.
