This is a custom configuration for creating an Ethereum full node based on the Armbian build tools. Please visit https://www.armbian.com and https://github.com/igorpecovnik/lib for further info regarding ARMBIAN.
These scripts are developed to build an Armbian image for the FriendlyElec NanoPC-T4 [1] due to the high hardware specs needed to sync the Ethereum Blockchain. A NVMe M.2 SSD drive is needed as well. For more information regarding Ethereum please visit:
EthArmbian is a custom Ubuntu Linux image for the NanoPC-T4 ARM SoC that runs Geth or Parity Ethereum clients as a boot service and automatically turns the device into an full Ethereum node.
Once powered on, the image takes care of all processes needed to run an Ethereum node, from setting up the environment to running the Ethereum software and synchronizing the blockchain.
These are the main EthArmbian features:
- Based on Armbian [2] Ubuntu Bionic 18.04
- Automatically resizes the SD card
- Partition and format the NVMe SSD drive (in case is detected) and mount it as /home for storing the Ethereum blockchain under the ethereum user account
- Adds some swap memory (4GB) to prevent memory issues (applies only if a NVMe drive is detected)
- Changes the hostname to something like “ethnode-e2a3e6fe” (HEX chunk based on the MAC hash)
- Limits cpu frequency to prevent database corruption issues due to high temperature (this can be solved by installing a fan as well)
- Automatically reboots once for hostname change and swap to take effect
- Runs Geth [3] by default as a Systemd service in Light Server mode and starts syncing the Blockchain
- Watches the Ethereum client binary and respawns it in case it gets killed
- Includes Parity [4] Ethereum client as well so you can switch both clients
- Friendly Elec NanoPC-T4 ARM SoC [1]
- Micro SD Card and SD Adaptor (for flashing the MicroSD)
- NVMe M.2 SSD (minimum 256GB). Keep in mind that without a NVMe M.2 SSD drive there’s absolutely no chance of syncing the blockchain.
- An ethernet cable
- EthArmbian image, download link below (see build instructions if you don't own a NanoPC-T4)
- (Optional) 30303 Port forwarding. This is a recommended setting (see below)
- (Optional) USB keyboard, Monitor and HDMI cable
Currently, there is only one image available for the Nanopc-T4 ARM Soc:
http://www.ethraspbian.com/downloads/Armbian_5.60_Nanopct4_Ubuntu_bionic_default_4.4.156.img.zip
For other compatible devices please check below instructions for building the image by yourself.
- Flash the Armbian Image on your MicroSD Card (in your desktop or laptop computer, see below for detailed instructions)
- Get the NanoPC-T4
- Plug in the MicroSD card
- Plug in the NVMe M.2 SSD drive
- Plug in the Ethernet cable
- Power on the board
You are all set. Take into account that the installer needs to perform some operations before it wakes up so you may need to wait about 1 minute (this includes 1 reboot).
For a full Ethereum node to be online the whole blockchain needs to be synced (to the very last block) so it will take some time to get there (see the FAQ section).
Insert the MicroSD in your SD adapter and plug it into your desktop or laptop computer. It is recommended to umount partitions in case you have a preformated card.
Note: If you are not comfortable with command line, you can use Etcher:
- Open a terminal and check your MicroSD device name running:
sudo fdisk -l
You should see a device named mmcblk0 or sdd (that matchs with the size of your card. This is a dangerous operation so be careful). For further info please visit:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/linux.md
- Flash the MicroSD:
unzip Armbian_5.60_Nanopct4_Ubuntu_bionic_default_4.4.156.img.zip
sudo dd bs=1M if=Armbian_5.60_Nanopct4_Ubuntu_bionic_default_4.4.156.img of=/dev/mmcblk0 && sync
- Extract the MicroSD card
You are done. Insert the MicroSD into your ARM SoC and power it on.
Please see:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/windows.md
Please see:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/installing-images/mac.md
If you are going to run a full Ethereum node you may forward the 30303 port from your router to your device. This is an optional but recommended setting. There are 2 ways of doing this:
- Enable uPNP on your router. This automates the forwarding process (geth and parity take care of it), but it is less secure
- Forward the 30303 port to your NanoPC-T4 IP on your router. There are plenty of tutorials out there for doing this (it depends on your router model)
Both clients (Geth and Parity) are included in the image so you can switch from one to another anytime. Let’s say you are running parity, by typing:
sudo systemctl stop parity && sudo systemctl disable parity
sudo systemctl enable geth && sudo systemctl start geth
these commands will disable parity and start the geth daemon.
Geth and Parity run as a bootup service so the client wakes up automatically. You can stop, start, restart and check the console output using systemctl:
sudo systemctl stop|start|restart|status geth or
sudo systemctl stop|start|restart|status parity
Both clients settings are stored on /etc/ethereum/ directory (geth.conf file for geth and parity.conf file for parity), so you just have to edit these files and restart the daemon, for instance, changing cache value in geth:
These are some common asked questions:
You can use SSH or a Monitor + USB keyboard. If you don't have a monitor connected you can discover the Nano IP by connecting to your router or using tools like nmap in order to connect though SSH.
User: ethereum
Password: ethereum
It is strongly recommended to change the default password by running:
passwd
You can access as root as well:
User: root
Password: 1234 (you will be prompted to change the default password the first time you log in)
For Parity client, just a few hours (4-5). Geth takes 2 and a half days. (as of September 2018).
For Parity, 33 GB. For Geth, about 127GB. (as of September 2018)
You are fine. This is an expected behaviour in LevelDB databases. See:
ethereum/go-ethereum#16871 (comment)
No, not yet. You will need to wait for the whole import process to finish (as of September 2018, about 218 million state entries). More info:
Karalabe Geth syncing explanation
The most probably reason is that the snapshot is no longer available (it changes from time to time). Just stop parity, remove the data and restart the sync process by running:
sudo systemctl stop parity
sudo rm -rf /home/ethereum/.local/share/io.parity.ethereum/
sudo systemctl start parity
Run the following command to sync time and change the Time Zone
sudo armbian-config
Go to "Personal" --> "Time zone" and choose the correct one.
Absolutely not. You will need an NVMe M.2 SSD Drive.
Both clients are great. If you want to keep the blockchain size as low as possible and sync ASAP, Parity is probably the best option. If you want to support light clients or test swarm, you may go for Geth.
These links are a good start:
By running one of these commands (depends on the client):
systemctl status geth
systemctl status parity
Also, by running:
tail -f /var/log/syslog
- [1] https://www.friendlyarm.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=225
- [2] https://www.armbian.com
- [3] https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
- [4] https://github.com/paritytech/parity-ethereum
If you don't own a Nanopc-T4 you can build an Armbian custom image for your board (in case is powerfull enough to sync the blockchain). Check here if your device is supported:
https://www.armbian.com/download/
- Ubuntu 18.04 (virtual or physical machine)
- Superuser rights
- Git
I strongly recommend the vagrant environment.
For building your own image, please check the Armbian documentation.
If you want to support EthArmbian you can drop some Ether here :-)
0x10BE809ad5F8Da1C675A26344E05cD9b56De6306