Pi Node: Installation and Configuration (Win 10 Pro/Enterprise)
This section of the Pi Network Series will demonstrate how to download, install, and configure Pi Node on Microsoft Windows 10 (Pro/Enterprise edition). The home screen of Pi Node has almost the same features and functionalities as in Pi Mobile App. So that, Pi Node can monitor the mining progress of Pi cryptocurrency on Pi Mobile App, as well as invite your friends and family to form your trustworthy earning team and security circle to boost your fixed mining hourly rate, in straightforward and easy simple steps.
N.B. Before proceeding further, you have to download and install Pi Mobile App on your smartphone (Android or iOS) first, as described and illustrated in the article “Pi Mobile App: Setup, Mine, and Invite”.
N.B. Before proceeding further, you have to check your Microsoft Windows 10 edition, please check the Technical Notes section below.
Setup Phase
Pi Node application can be found and downloaded from the Pi Network homepage or the Pi Node page.
After successful installation of the downloaded Pi Node application, you have to sign-in and then click “Node” on its initial screen to proceed.
N.B. You have to register Pi Node with your Pi Mobile App on your smartphone. From Pi Mobile App’s menu, click “Node”, then confirm Pi Node’s sign-in code.
Finally, to submit your application for Pi Node, click “CONTINUE”.
Preparation Phase
Pi Node requires additional technical configuration and software installation in order to work properly, as two steps as below.
N.B. The “Node Applicants” chat channel on Pi Mobile App has many tips and answered inquires regarding Pi Node preparation steps.
1 The first step is to download Docker Desktop platform — to securely enclose Pi’s blockchain handling and processing functionalities in a container for Pi Node — from Docker website, or click “Download Docker”.
After downloading its stable version for Windows 10, install and configure Docker Desktop application, as illustrated below.
Then, double-click on the created shortcut for Docker Desktop on your desktop.
N.B. If an error occurred while running Docker Desktop, please check the Technical Notes section below for further troubleshooting.
Now, you are ready to run Docker Desktop as Pi Node’s consensus container.
Thereafter, the first step of Pi Node technical preparation is completed.
2 The second step is to open the required TCP ports on Windows Firewall and redirect these ports from your Internet router to your PC. These TCP ports are in the range of 31400–31409, i.e. 10 ports.
To proceed, go to Control Panel →Windows Defender Firewall → Advanced settings.
From Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security’s window, select the “Inbound Rules” and click “New Rule…”, and follow these configuration steps as demonstrated below.
Those TCP ports are, now, opened and ready to receive Internet traffic, but you have to redirect them accordingly from the Internet router to your PC as well, as illustrated below.
N.B. Be sure to select the TCP or TCP/UDP option as well as unify the external (Internet) ports and the internal (local/LAN) ports within the same range.
N.B. Different routers have different configurations, please check your router’s model and its appropriate settings.
Thereafter, the second step of Pi Node technical preparation is accomplished, and it can be examined by “Check now”. When all 10 TCP ports are OPEN, click “Continue”.
Now, you are ready to turn on Pi Node for testing purposes during Testnet, i.e. Phase 2 of Pi Network, as stated in the article “Pi Network: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How”.
N.B. In order to review and check the two previous steps of Preparation Phase, click “Visit tech setup”. For “Troubleshooting”, check the Technical Notes section below.
Eventually, Pi Node runs the consensus algorithm for Pi’s blockchain through Docker container and communicates with Testnet via the opened and redirected TCP ports, as long as Pi Node is switched on.
Technical Notes
1 To check the installed edition of Microsoft Windows 10, go to Start → Settings → System → About. The Pro/Enterprise edition is required in this article to proceed.
2 If the following error occurred while running Docker Desktop …
First, be sure that virtualization features have been enabled in your PC’s BIOS (for more information, check this article), then check Windows Features of “Hyper-V” and “Windows Subsystem for Linux”, i.e. WSL 2, have been installed and enabled in your Microsoft Windows 10 (Pro/Enterprise edition).
N.B. Windows Features is located under Control Panel → Programs and Features → Turn Windows features on or off.
3 To check Pi Node was switched on properly and the consensus (Docker) container was enabled and running as well as removing all blockchain data from your PC (BE CAREFUL!), click “Troubleshooting”.
4To check the consensus container in Docker Desktop for Pi Node is running, right-click on the Docker Desktop’s icon (Windows Taskbar) → Dashboard.
5 To check how much resources that Pi Node and Docker Desktop do consume from your PC, i.e. CPU and RAM, open Task Manager → Processes → sort resources (by CPU or Memory) and search for the processes named ‘Vmmem’ and ‘Docker Desktop’.
