Navigating NuNet’s Release Candidate Testing: A Journey to High-Quality Decentralized Computing

Jennifer Bourke
NuNet
Published in
4 min read2 days ago
Navigating NuNet’s Release Candidate Testing: A Journey to High-Quality Decentralized Computing

Greetings NuNetopians,

We’re excited to announce the community testing phase for the Device Management Service (DMS) v0.5.0-Boot, the open-source orchestration system that enables decentralized, peer-to-peer compute networks. NuNet is an open-source decentralized platform for cloud-native computing, this release marks a significant milestone in our mission to build an ecosystem where distributed devices — whether edge devices, IoT nodes, or traditional servers — can contribute computing power without the need for a central authority.

What is the NuNet DMS?

DMS is designed to orchestrate decentralized computing resources across a global, distributed network, allowing developers to manage, deploy, and monetize tasks. It provides a foundation for a decentralized cloud, enabling anyone to contribute compute power and get paid through blockchain-based micropayments.

With the v0.5.0-Boot release, we’re inviting developers and users to test, tinker, and contribute to this open-source platform, ensuring that it evolves to meet the needs of the decentralized computing community.

Why Open Source?

At NuNet, we believe that open source is crucial for building adaptable, flexible systems. By making DMS open-source, we invite transparency and collaboration, ensuring that developers can customize the platform for their own unique needs.

We are also proud members of the Linux Foundation (LF), LF Edge and Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), actively contributing to the open-source community.

The Path to Release: Rigorous Testing and Community Involvement

Our journey to DMS v0.5.0-Boot’s final release is underpinned by a release candidate testing process. We’re committed to delivering a platform that’s not only innovative but also reliable and ready to meet the challenges of decentralized computing. Here’s how we’re navigating this critical phase:

  • Release Management: We freeze the feature scope for each release candidate, ensuring a stable environment focused on quality. This structured process guarantees that every feature is tested internally and by the broader community.
  • Branching Strategy: We manage development across two branches: the main branch for ongoing improvements and a release branch dedicated to final releases. Public binaries are built from the release branch to maintain clarity and stability during testing.
  • Testing Infrastructure: Our CI/CD pipeline automates build, test, and deployment tasks, ensuring continuous integration and software quality. A geographically distributed feature environment simulates real-world conditions across various hardware configurations.

Community Collaboration: Open Testing, Open Innovation

One of the core principles driving DMS’s development is community involvement. By exposing testing artifacts and reports to the public, we encourage contributors to participate in the testing phase, identifying issues and providing feedback. This collaborative approach ensures that the platform meets real-world needs and enhances its robustness.

How Does DMS Work?

The DMS orchestration layer is powered by NuActor, based on the Actor model, which allows decentralized concurrent computation across a network of devices. Key components include:

  • Decentralized Orchestration: Jobs are scheduled and executed across distributed nodes without a central control plane, enabling adaptive, self-healing workflows.
  • Peer-to-Peer Security: Using the object-capability model, DMS ensures secure, peer-to-peer interactions with User Controlled Authorization Networks (UCANs).
  • Blockchain Micropayments: DMS integrates blockchain technology to enable real-time decentralized transactions, allowing compute providers to be paid through micropayments.

How DMS Fits with Existing Technologies

While tools like Kubernetes excel in centralized environments, DMS extends orchestration into decentralized networks where no central control plane exists. This makes it ideal for dynamic edge and IoT environments where devices frequently join and leave, and boundaries are not predefined.

  • Designed for Edge, IoT, and DePIN: These environments demand more flexibility and autonomy than traditional cloud systems provide. DMS handles the dynamic, shifting nature of such systems.
  • Interoperability: DMS is built to work alongside existing cloud-native tools like Kubernetes, using IP over LibP2P to allow traditional orchestration frameworks to interact with decentralized networks.

How to Get Started

We invite developers, testers, and enthusiasts to get involved in building and refining this platform. Here’s how you can join the journey:

  1. Read the Documentation & Yellowpaper: Get all the technical details on how to start with DMS by exploring our documentation and Yellowpaper.
  2. Join the Community: Connect with us on Discord to discuss your ideas, report bugs, and contribute code.
  3. Get Involved in Testing: Submit your DID (Decentralized Identifier) to receive tokens for testing via our Google Form.

Why “Boot”?

The “boot” in v0.5.0-Boot represents the bootstrap release — a starting point to test decentralized orchestration across the edge, IoT, and DePIN networks. This release is just the beginning; we aim to expand rapidly based on community feedback as we build out a full decentralized orchestration suite.

What’s Next? Preparing for the Future

The release candidate testing phase is scheduled from September to December, 2024, during which we’ll test multiple candidates internally and with the community. The final release of DMS 0.5.x is planned for December 2024.

As we move forward, your feedback and participation will be crucial in shaping the future of decentralized computing. Join us in this journey to create an open-source platform that’s reliable, flexible, and community-driven.

Stay tuned as we progress through the release candidate testing phase, and don’t miss your chance to be a part of this exciting journey. Together, we’re creating a platform that’s not only innovative but also reliable and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

NuNet Is Hiring!

NuNet currently has a number of open positions for various roles within the team. If you have the skills and desire to join us in our journey, you can find more information and contact us through our career page.

About NuNet

NuNet is an open-source, decentralized platform that allows anyone to share and monetize computing resources. By using blockchain for secure transactions and decentralized orchestration to match tasks with resources, NuNet creates a flexible, resilient alternative to traditional cloud computing. Find out more via:

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