Baking with Tandoor on Windows PC

Tandoor is a virtual appliance that allows running Tezos baker on any systems that VirtualBox supports. Notably, this allows the use of inexpensive Windows PCs for baking. Tandoor is a Debian-based virtual machine with pre-installed Octez (via tezos-packaging) and Pyrometer to monitor the state of the node and the baker. Integrated tezos-setup wizard guides users through the necessary steps automating some and simplifying the rest.

In this article we would like to show how Tandoor can be used to bake using a Ledger Nano S device on Windows.

Installing Tandoor

Install VirtualBox on your PC

To run Tandoor you need VirtualBox version 7.0.0 or later with Extension pack.

Both can be downloaded from VirtualBox web site.

First install the VirtualBox. It is important that you run this as Administrator.

There are step-by-step instructions for installation available for VirtualBox installation and Extension Pack installation.

Download Virtual Appliance

Find the latest Tandoor release available here and download the OVA file (Virtual Appliance) under Images.

Double click on downloaded file.

It will start the VirtualBox and prompt to import the Virtual Appliance. Click Finish.

The import will start:

And Tandoor will now appear in your UI:

Running Tandoor

Start Tandoor

VM may start as a tiny window, so you will need to adjust the size. Right-click the monitor icon on the bottom right, choose Virtual Screen 1 option and select the screen size that you find comfortable to use.

On the first load VM will start the Baking Setup Wizard.

For this exercise we are going to set up baking on Ghostnet, so choose option 2.

We want to set up baking — option 1. Default options are chosen by just pressing Enter. We are going to choose defaults for the next questions:

Snapshot will take some time to download.

When it is done it will automatically start importing.

The node will take some time to bootstrap depending on the network and how long ago the snapshot was created. Be patient!

I am using a Ledger Nano S device with a tz address holding enough tez for baking. You can get tez for Ghostnet at https://faucet.ghostnet.teztnets.xyz/.

Open a Baking app on your Ledger.

Follow instructions on the screen, check the hash and accept on the Ledger screen.

Ledger device will ask whether you want to set up baking. Choose Accept.

Now it will ask to confirm registration as delegate and fee payment.

Accept on ledger.

You need to choose how you want to proceed with the Liquidity Baking subsidy.

The setup is done. Press Enter to exit the setup wizard.

You will see the screen with a couple of important shortcuts.

Pyrometer will start the browser with Pyrometer where you can monitor your baker’s state.

System Logs will show logs in case something will go wrong so the troubleshooting is easier.

Tezos Setup Wizard will run the setup wizard again.

Tezos Voting Wizard will walk you through the voting process (remember to switch back to the Tezos Baking App on your Ledger when done voting).

Setting your PC for running Tandoor

Sleep Settings

To ensure that everything runs smoothly your machine settings need to be set so it never goes to sleep when plugged in. Go to Settings -> Power & Sleep and make sure that Sleep option is set to Never when plugged in.

Making VM start on startup

Windows makes frequent updates and tends to restart without notice a few times a week. If you are looking at your baking machine at all times this may not be an issue, but otherwise you may want to set your machine up so it restarts VM after reboot.

There are a few ways you can find to make a virtual machine start when your PC restarts.

I have tried three, out of which the one below is the simplest and, what is more important, the only one that worked for me. It will require to remove asking for password when restarting and running with admin privileges, so needless to say your PC needs to be in the protected environment. So use at your own risk.

Go to your VirtualBox VMs folder and copy the name of tandoor machine. You will need it later.

Open a Startup folder: press Windows+R to open the Run window. Type shell:startup and press Enter. A Startup folder will appear.

Create a tandoorvm.bat file. Open Notepad and type:

“C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe” startvm <your-virtual-machine-name>

In this case it is

“C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe” startvm “tandoor-1689077234”

Save file as tandoorvm.bat

Move tandoorvm.bat to the startup folder.

You now need to make sure windows starts without asking for a password.

Open Settings.

Click on Accounts.

Click on Sign-in options.

Under the “Require sign-in” section, use the drop-down menu and select the Never option.

Maintaining Tandoor

Be sure to check for updates periodically. This includes operating system and Tezos updates. Notification area in the upper right corner includes updates indicator. If there is an update notification, go ahead and install at earliest convenience:

It is important to stay up to date, especially in preparation for Tezos protocol upgrades — typically new protocol proposals require the latest Octez versions. Usually updates do not require further manual intervention, tezos-packaging takes care of updating configuration, spinning up baker processes for upcoming protocol upgrades and restarting services as necessary. Occasionally errors do happen though, and often the easiest way to fix this would be to run the setup wizard again.

Conclusion

We hope this article provides a useful practical guide to baking on Tezos and showcases Tandoor as an easy-to-use tool that significantly lowers technical barriers to entry for many current and potential Tezos adopters.

Many thanks to Igor Tkach for his help with this article and to the team of Tandoor alpha testers who helped identify issues running Tandoor not just on Windows, but on other platforms as well.