Initial testnet participation doc

proposals/src/SUMMARY.md

@@ -29,3 +29,4 @@
   - [Leader-to-Leader Transition](leader-leader-transition.md)
   - [Leader-to-Validator Transition](leader-validator-transition.md)
   - [Cluster Software Installation and Updates](installer.md)
+  - [Testnet Participation](testnet-participation.md)

proposals/src/testnet-participation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+## Testnet Participation
+This document describes how to participate in a public testnet as a
+validator node using the *Beacons v0.12* release.
+
+Please note some of the information and instructions described here may change
+in future releases.
+
+### Beta Testnet Overview
+The beta testnet features a validator running at beta.testnet.solana.com, which
+serves as the entrypoint to the cluster for your validator.
+
+Additionally there is a blockexplorer available at http://beta.testnet.solana.com/.
+
+The beta testnet is configured to reset the ledger every 24hours, or sooner
+should an hourly automated sanity test fail.
+
+### Machine Requirements
+Since the beta testnet is not intended for stress testing of max transaction
+throughput, a higher-end machine with a GPU is not necessary to participate.
+
+However ensure the machine used is not behind a residential NAT to avoid NAT
+traversal issues.  A cloud-hosted machine works best.  Ensure that IP ports
+8000 through 10000 are not blocked for Internet traffic.
+
+Prebuilt binaries are available for Linux x86_64 (Ubuntu 18.04 has been tested
+the most). MacOS or WSL users may build from source.
+
+### Validator Setup
+The shell commands in the section assume the following environment variables are
+set:
+```bash
+$ export release=0.12.1-pre2
+$ export ip=$(dig +short beta.testnet.solana.com)
+```
+
+#### Obtaining The Software
+Prebuilt binaries are available for Linux x86_64 systems.  Download and install by running:
+```bash
+$ wget https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/releases/download/v${release:?}/solana-release-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.bz2 -O solana-release.tar.gz
+$ tar jxf solana-release.tar.bz2
+$ cd solana-release/
+$ export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH
+```
+
+If you are unable to use the prebuilt binaries or prefer to build it yourself from source:
+```bash
+$ wget https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/archive/v${release:?}.tar.gz -O solana-release.tar.gz
+$ tar zxf solana-release.tar.gz
+$ cd solana-${release:?}
+$ ./scripts/cargo-install-all.sh .
+$ export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH
+```
+
+#### Confirm The Testnet Is Reachable
+Before attaching a validator node, sanity check that the cluster is accessible
+to your machine by running some simple wallet commands.  If any of these
+commands fail, please retry 5-10 minutes later to confirm the testnet is not
+just restarting itself before debugging further.
+
+Receive an airdrop of lamports from the testnet drone:
+```bash
+$ solana-wallet -n ${ip:?} airdrop 123
+$ solana-wallet -n ${ip:?} balance
+```
+
+Fetch the current testnet transaction count over JSON RPC:
+```bash
+$ curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1, "method":"getTransactionCount"}' http://beta.testnet.solana.com:8899
+```
+
+Inspect the blockexplorer at http://beta.testnet.solana.com/ for activity.
+
+Run the following command to join the gossip network and view all the other nodes in the cluster:
+```bash
+$ RUST_LOG=info solana-bench-tps --converge-only --num-nodes 100000 --network ${ip:?}:8001
+```
+
+#### Starting The Validator
+The following command will start a new validator node:
+```bash
+$ RUST_LOG=warn ./multinode-demo/fullnode-x.sh --public-address --poll-for-new-genesis-block ${ip:?}
+```
+
+Then from another console, confirm the IP address if your node is now visible in
+the gossip network by running:
+```bash
+$ RUST_LOG=info solana-bench-tps --converge-only --num-nodes 100000 --network ${ip:?}:8001
+```
+
+Congratulations, you're now participating in the testnet cluster!
+
+#### Sharing Metrics From Your Validator
+If you'd like to share metrics perform the following steps before starting the
+validator node:
+```bash
+export u="username obtained from the Solana maintainers"
+export p="password obtained from the Solana maintainers"
+export SOLANA_METRICS_CONFIG="db=testnet-beta,u=${u:?},p=${p:?}"
+source scripts/configure-metrics.sh
+```