Masternodes: Building Blocks for Something Great

Update: Added detail to provide distinction between daily and total rewards.

Note: MVP stands for Minimum viable product. A MVP is a product that has just enough features to satisfy early customers and to provide feedback for future product development.

Masternodes first, Oracles second

A decentralized masternode system, just like the concept of Oracles, is a system that asks questions of the network and makes a decision that affects a smart contract. In the case of Akroma’s initial masternode scheme, there are two questions we must continually ask:

1. Is the node online?
2. Is it’s owner holding the required balance of AKA?

Building a decentralized system that can support just these two questions will be used as the building blocks for the Akroma Oracles.

Masternodes as Oracles Roadmap

Members of Akroma’s core development team are in the midst of several different project where some solutions are more complex than others. The most complex task on the roadmap today is the building out of a second layer of nodes which have features much more advanced than the first.

The MVP version of Akroma Masternodes can be developed and deployed in a much shorter time frame, as portions such as node registration, uptime monitoring, and basic network health contribution where registration and monitoring function in a traditional centralized fashion. This pattern of building, releasing, and back-porting into a decentralized implementation can be seen in multiple platforms, such as Dash, IOTA and 0xBounty.

The next major masternode iteration is drastically more intricate. This will include either adding a new breed of node to the network or making major modifications to the Ethereum source code.

In the midst of our planning phase, we are reviewing the work that projects, such as Golem, are doing to build out such complex systems on or next to Ethereum.

MVP Alpha and Beta Programs

The alpha testing program will be open to a limited number of testers at the end of Q1 2018. The beta program will open after significant testing has been completed. Sign up for both programs will be announced across all Akroma social channels — at the same time.

We realize that there will be a gap between the 300K hard-fork, when AKA starts collecting for the masternode reward and open registration for masternodes. The following process has been outlined to solve both the fork-gap and running closed alpha and beta testing periods.

1. 1% of the daily reward* will be distributed during the alpha testing program.
2. 5% of the daily reward* will be distributed during the beta testing program.
3. The first 2 days of open registration will continue to use the 5% of daily rewards.
4. On 3rd after open registration, the reward will be 6% of total AKA*
5. Each day, the % reward will rise by 1% until it reaches 100%

*Daily reward is the amount of AKA in the Masternode address, not total AKA mined on the network.

Bonus Masternode Hosting

There is a subtle upward trend in masternode hosting, and that’s something we’d love to deliver once strength and stability are reached after testing. The health of the Akroma network relies on multitudes of nodes and by setting the bar at ground-level, our health grows.

MVP FAQ

What features does the MVP offer the Akroma network?

The masternode MVP helps create a stable and responsive network. Without a stable and well-performing application development platform, it wouldn’t be reasonable to build on the network.

When we started working on Akroma, we were unsure if any attention would be given to the network. Concerned with not having enough full nodes, we decided to create a system that rewarded people for running full nodes.

Are Oracles the only feature that Akroma masternodes will have?

We expect to build a range of features into our masternodes. The focus of those features is going to be heavily weighted towards application development and features that attract developers. It’s unlikely that we will focus efforts into features, such as private or instant transactions, that are found in many other networks.

Is my AKA held in a smart contract?

No, you hold your AKA in your own wallet.

Does my AKA wallet need to be “hot” or otherwise online?

No, it is recommended that you use “cold storage”.

Why not use a smart contract?

It’s been shown that the current design of multisig wallets has not yet reached a level of maturity that we would be comfortable with storing AKA in.

“I accidentally killed it.” — devops199 Nov 2015

https://hackernoon.com/parity-wallet-hack-2-electric-boogaloo-e493f2365303

https://cointelegraph.com/news/parity-multisig-wallet-hacked-or-how-come

What are the advantages of the Akroma Masternode system?

• You control your AKA
• Simple setup
• Doesn’t use smart contract
• Open source

What are the disadvantages of the Akroma Masternode system?

• Temporarily using a centralized watcher node — watches blockchain and network to ensure node is online and owner holds required AKA.
• It’s a stepping stone to the next set of features.

Why not just build the final system?

In order to be successful with such an ambitious project in a reasonable timeline, it would likely require taking outside funding. We are committed to testing and using the Akroma Foundation to create a stable governance model.

Also, the concept of “product market fit” should not be lost when building a decentralized system. Given the immutability of the network, its arguably more important to ensure that the final version meets the needs of the market.

How long will it take for me to be rewarded with more AKA than I need to be part of the masternode system?

It will depend on the number of masternodes on the network, here is a simple calculation.

How is the Alpha program going to be managed?

The program will run from April 1st until sufficient testing of all areas has been completed.

Signup for the Alpha testing program can be done using this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsM37LyuZXQfvnD_8qy5rsGX93gy5PXtXG9ihJq_9J_AjU-w/viewform?usp=sf_link

The Alpha testing program will be limited to a small group of testers. We will decide how large to make the Alpha test group once we know what level of interest there is.

Alpha testers will be expected to have the required amount of AKA before the testing program begins.

Alpha testers will be selected at random.

All communication for the Alpha testing program will happen in the Akroma Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/KWC8wtT

How is the Beta program going to be managed?

The beta program will have all the same processes as the Alpha program.

Alpha testers will be auto-accepted into the Beta program.

A Google Form for Beta testing will be posted on all the Akroma social channels.

Can a tester run multiple nodes?

At this time, No.

How do I get AKA to take part in the Alpha program?

The most common way to get AKA is by mining. Information about mining and mining pools can be found on akroma.io

We expect that Akroma will be listed on at least 1 exchange before the Alpha program signup is announced.

Another avenue that we are considering is by offering portions of the Akroma Development fund to those that wish to support Akroma direct rather than using an exchange.

If I buy AKA before the Alpha program am I guaranteed a spot?

No. The Alpha program will use random selection.

What is required to be part of the Alpha program?

The following are required to take part in the Alpha program.

• 5000 AKA
• Access to linux server (AWS, Azure, Digital Ocean, etc)
• Basic linux command line ability
• Multiple hours per-week to perform updates and install new software on your linux server.

Will Akroma Masternodes be supported on non-Linux OS?

Initially no, for those without knowledge of linux or desire to manage their own masternode, we plan on offering a hosting service.