Testnet Blog Part 1 — Getting Started
In combination with our partners at Polygon (formerly Matic), we’re proud to launch Wildhorn — the first of our new series of testnets. The goal is to stress-test the HOPR network on a chain which sees strong variation in levels of traffic, and Polygon is a perfect environment to do that.
The testnet will run from August 27th to September 3rd. Visit network.hoprnet.org/help to get started, or read on for a full tutorial.
How the Wildhorn Testnet Works
Spin up HOPR nodes and send, receive and relay data to earn points in the leaderboard.
One goal of this testnet is to see how the HOPR network performs at scale, so we’re encouraging people to run as many nodes as possible. You can link multiple nodes to a single decentralized ID via the new signing function. You’ll then accrue points for ALL of your nodes.
This blog will explain how to get started: installing, running and funding your first node and then linking that and subsequent nodes to the dashboard.
The second part of the blog will explain what to do with your nodes and how to earn points.
The third part will explain how to verify your nodes to claim NFTs.
NFT Rewards
Participation in Wildhorn will be rewarded with HOPR Boost NFTs, which can be traded or redeemed in our staking program for APR boosts.
Everyone who passes the minimum participation threshold (full details in Part 2, but very little more than completing this tutorial) will be eligible to receive a Bronze Polygon Tester NFT, which confers a 1% APR boost in the staking program.
Running more nodes and earning more points will move you up the leaderboard, making you eligible for higher ranked NFTs, up to a 5% APR boost for Diamond rank. Participation will be assessed via on-chain data.
Full details of how to claim rewards will be given in Part 3 of this blog. For now, let’s get started with installing a node.
Installing and Running a Node
First you’ll need to install a HOPR node. You can run a node locally on Linux or macOS, on a virtual private server (VPS) or on your AVADO box. Windows is currently unsupported locally, but you can using WSL.
To install, click your preferred distribution on the Help panel of the dashboard and follow the instructions. Commands should be input into your terminal.
If you aren’t sure which to choose, Docker is the most stable and easiest to troubleshoot.
Important: If you already have a HOPR node, make sure to install to a different device or location or withdraw any funds using the command:
`withdraw [amount] [address]`
Otherwise your funds may be lost.
Once you’ve completed the installation process, keep your terminal open and visit localhost:3000 in your browser to access the node interface ([link] on AVADO). You should see something like this:
You’ll need to fund your node with MATIC before it can start. 0.01 is the minimum, but at least 0.02 is recommended.
You can fund your node via our faucet, or if you’re a HOPR staker you should have already been airdropped some tokens.
Creating a Testnet ID
To get the most benefit from the testnet, you’ll need to link an address to our leaderboard.
You’ll use this address to link your node address(es) to a single identity. This will also be the address where you receive any HOPR NFTs you earn during the testnet.
Please make sure to use your Metamask account from the Polygon network — you can follow this guide for adding the Polygon network to Metamask. To link an address, go to the Node panel of the testnet dashboard and click “Connect”
A popup will appear (for this tutorial, we’ll assume you’re using Metmask). Choose the address you want to connect and click Next.
Once your wallet is connected, the dashboard will change. The first thing you need to do is click the “Connect to IDX” button which has just appeared.
A popup will appear asking you to connect an ID on Ceramic Network, a decentralized data platform we’re using for the testnet (and future HOPR data needs).
Most likely you’ll need to create a new ID, so click that and then sign the popup that appears.
After some processing, a second signature will be required. Sign that too.
Once your address is connected, the dashboard will change once again. You’ll see options to fund a node via the faucet and verify a node using the new sign function.
Funding Your Node(s)
The Wildhorn testnet uses a valueless testnet token called mHOPR. HOPR stakers will be airdropped an amount of mHOPR based on their stake, but this does NOT affect the rewards for the testnet — it’s simply a way to ensure nodes have a wide variety of balances.
Staker Airdrop
If you were registered in our staking program before August 6th, you should already have some MATIC and mHOPR airdropped to your registered address. Add the Polygon network to your wallet (Metamask instructions here) and add the mHOPR token using the following contract details:
Contract address: 0x6f80d1a3ab9006548c2fbb180879b87364d63bf7
Token symbol: HOPR
Decimals: 18
You can then send MATIC and mHOPR to your node. In your node interface, you’ll see a warning message with an address to send tokens to.
If you’re not staking or started after August 6th, you can fund your node(s) via the faucet on our dashboard.
Using the Faucet
If you’re not a HOPR staker or you are and want to set up more nodes, you can use the faucet for funding.
Go to the Node panel, connect your wallet and connect to IDX. You’ll see the faucet and funding panel.
In the Add HOPR node section, enter your HOPR node address into the field. Your node address begins 16Uiu2HA… and can be found in your node interface. You’ll see a message that says “Node address:” followed by a 5 character string underlined with dots. Click this to expand the string and reveal the full address.
Copy this full address and paste it into the Add HOPR Node field.
Click “Validate node for funding” and the dashboard will attempt to validate the address. If this is successful, the node will be added to a list below
You can add as many nodes as you like to this list. Press the “Fund” button next to the node you’d like to fund.
You’ll be allocated tokens on the following basis:
- If the node has no mHOPR you’ll be sent 10 mHOPR.
- If both the node and your registered MATIC address have no MATIC you’ll be sent 0.01 MATIC.
If you’ve funded a node before, you won’t be able to fund it again.
Once funding has been started, you’ll be shown the result and some transactions to monitor. Please be patient, as funding via Polygon can take some time. Expect it to take around 10 minutes to get your node funded and confirmed by the Polygon chain.
Congratulations, you’re running your first Wildhorn node!
What Next?
Now that your node is up and running, you’re ready to start earning points. The Network and NFT panels will be activated in the next 48 hours, but all on-chain activity before that happens will still count.
There are various things you can do to help test the network. Open channels to other nodes and send messages to generate tickets for the relayers. Every action which generates on-chain data will increase your score in some way, although you won’t see this reflected in the leaderboard just yet. (Don’t worry — the leaderboard is generated by analysing past chain data, so you can’t lose your progress. It just won’t update in real time.)
If you’re not familiar with running a HOPR node, type `help` to see the available commands. Feel free to play around, then come back tomorrow for the next part of this blog series which will explain what to do in detail.
Unlike previous testnets, you’re not restricted to running just one node. Spin up as many as you want, and link them all via the dashboard. Your total score will be the combined score for ALL your nodes. However, you’ll need to verify you control your nodes by signing them via the node interface. Follow the instructions in the “Verify HOPR Node” panel to do this, or wait until Part 3 of this blog, which will explain all about signing and how to claim NFTs.
Please report any issues on our Telegram and Discord. This is the first major test of the HOPR protocol since some major overhauls, so don’t expect everything to run completely smoothly!
As always, thanks for helping us test and contributing to improved online privacy.
Sebastian Bürgel
HOPR Co-Founder
Website: https://www.hoprnet.org
Testnet: https://network.hoprnet.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hoprnet
Telegram: https://t.me/hoprnet
Discord: https://discord.gg/dEAWC4G
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hoprnet
Forum: https://forum.hoprnet.org
Github: https://github.com/hoprnet
