Aethir Checker Nodes: Key Information

After buying a Checker node license on our official Node Sale page, you can claim your Checker node license NFT for each purchased node here, once the link goes live.

These NFTs are your gateway to Aethir's ecosystem, allowing you to set up and run your Aethir Checker node. Once you receive your Checker node license NFT, you can set up your Aethir Checker node and earn $ATH token rewards.

We have just launched our Testnet versions of the Checker Owner Portal and the Checker Client GUI/CLI software. The Checker Owner Portal and the Checker Client GUI/CLI software are two key elements of a Checker node's daily operations.

Now, Checker node license owners can try out both products and get acquainted with the mechanics they'll use to earn $ATH rewards once Aethir's Mainnet goes live in Q2 2024. Since access to the Checker Owner Portal is based on whether a user holds a Checker NFT License, Aethir has airdropped Arbitrum Sepolia NFTs to license owners in order to access the testnet version of the portal. Also, in this phase, users can earn testnet $ATH tokens to see how the Checker Node reward mechanics work.

The testnet version of the Checker Owner Portal and Checker Client GUI/CLI aren’t final, and we encourage users to provide feedback on their user experience so that we can make all necessary improvements for the Mainnet launch.

Let's examine how these two elements work together and what you need to know to run your Checker nodes.

Checker Owner Portal

The Checker Owner Portal is located here and lets Checker node license owners manage their nodes. Here, you can monitor your accumulating rewards and initiate withdrawals. You can also delegate your Checker node licenses to node operators.

Before you start earning Checker node rewards, you'll need to use the Checker Owner Portal to delegate your node license to a node operator. While license owners use the Checker Owner Portal, the Checker Client GUI/CLI software facilitates the daily operations of Checker nodes. The Checker Client powers the actual nodes.

As a Checker license owner, you can also operate the Checker Client GUI/CLI on your computer and run your nodes by yourself. Alternatively, you can delegate your node licenses to third-party node operators that will run your nodes with the Checker Client GUI/CLI on their devices for a portion of your Checker node rewards. Checker node license owners can delegate their licenses to different node operators.

For example, if you own five licenses, you can freely delegate three licenses to one operator and the remaining two to another operator.

To access the Checker Owner Portal, you'll need to connect the crypto wallet where your Checker node license NFTs are located.

As a license owner, you can view your claimable, claimed, withdrawable, and withdrawn $ATH token rewards. Furthermore, the Checker Owner Portal displays the exact breakdown of your Checker node operation by showing the rewards accrued by each active node license over time.

Checker Owner Portal: Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Start

Click Connect Wallet on the top right screen and sign in to the wallet that holds the Checker NFT Licenses.

After you copy the burner wallet address from your Node Operator, or your own Checker Client (Windows GUI or Linux CLI), click delegate in the Licenses tab.
Paste the burner wallet address in the pop-up. Please note that this should NOT be the wallet address with which you are currently logged in.
Once your Node Operator accepts the delegation, you should see the status update to “Delegated,” and you are all set to receive rewards!!

Rewards

Viewing Rewards

You can view your total rewards in the dashboard, or see the detailed log in Activity page.

Claiming Rewards

You can claim rewards by navigating to the Claim page.
After the selected time has passed, you can withdraw rewards by navigating to the Withdraw page.

Licenses

Statuses

You can view the statuses of your licenses anytime on the License page.
You can undelegate any statuses anytime without confirmation from your Node Operators by clicking Undelegate on the License page.

Checker Client GUI/CLI

The Checker Client GUI/CLI is the software element of the Aethir Checker Node ecosystem. While node license owners use the Checker Owner Portal to manage their nodes, the Checker Client GUI/CLI software is required to run nodes.

To operate Aethir's Checker Nodes, every node operator must download and install the Checker Client GUI/CLI software. Operators can download the software here by selecting the Windows GUI or Linux CLI option in the dropdown menu under the Download Checker Client option.

By installing the Checker Client GUI/CLI software, users are able to participate in the Aethir ecosystem as Checker node operators.

Checker node license owners must delegate their license NFTs to a node operator, who must approve the license delegations through the Checker Client GUI/CLI program.

Node license owners can choose to install and run the Checker Client GUI/CLI on their own computers, thus controlling both sides of the process. However, license owners looking for a more convenient experience without personally managing their nodes' daily operations can delegate licenses to third-party node operators.

The node operating party must use the Checker Client GUI/CLI in both cases.

Checker Node Operating Sequence: Step-by-Step

Below is the Checker Node operating sequence diagram, along with the exact steps of the node setup process on the Checker Owner and Checker Client GUI/CLI side.

The above Checker Sequence Diagram details the action flows between the Checker Owner Portal and Checker Client GUI/CLI that can be summarized in the following steps:some text
‍
- - Step 1: License Owner purchases licenses (in the form of NFTs) to gain access to the Checker Owner Portal, which allows the user to access the dashboard, delegate licenses, view license statuses and activities, and claim/withdraw token rewards.
- - Step 2: The node operator creates a burner wallet or imports a previous burner wallet in the Checker Client GUI/CLI.
- - Step 3: The node operator sends the burner wallet address to the License Owner
- - Step 4: The License Owner initiates the delegation process under the Licenses tab in the Owner Portal
- - Step 5: The Node operator approves the delegation inside the Checker Client GUI/CLI program.
- -Step 6: The License Owner earns rewards, which are viewable on the Checker Owner Portal.
- - Step 7: The License Owner withdraws rewards from the portal.

Checker Client GUI/CLI: Step-by-step Guide

Here is a step-by-step guide on running the Checker Client GUI/CLI for Windows and Linux operating systems.

Windows GUI Guide

Below are the Windows GUI commands and instructions for running Aethir Checker nodes.

Quick Start

This section provides an in-depth guide on how to use the Checker Client GUI.

Here are the 6 primary steps:

Download and install the Checker Client GUI application

Create or import a wallet on the Wallet page, then copy the wallet address
Approve the delegations on the Licenses page
View/filter metrics (license ID, owner address, delegated time) on the Dashboard page
To change capacity limit, update it on the Settings page
Quit application - the user will stop earning rewards

Linux CLI Guide

Below are the Linux CLI commands and instructions for running Aethir Checker nodes.

Quick Start

Create Wallet

aethir wallet create

Give the public key to the License Owner
Once Owner initiated the delegation process, check the list of pending licenses

aethir license list --pending

Get the license IDs, and approve:

aethir license approve [License ID]

If you’d like to approve all pending licenses, use:

aethir license approve --all

Checker nodes are running automatically. You can verify by using:

aethir license list --working

aethir license summary

Running Your Aethir Checker Node

Below are three options for running your Aethir Checker nodes and earning Checker node rewards.

Running a Node by Yourself

Checker license owners can set up and run their nodes independently. To do so, they must install the Checker Client GUI/CLI software and delegate their NFT licenses to their CLI account.

The tech requirements for setting up and running Aethir Checker nodes are pretty modest, and even the lowest-end computers can smoothly run Checker nodes.

These are the minimum requirements for running Checker nodes on your computer:

- 64MB RAM
- 1 X 86 CPU Cores@2.1GHz
- 16 GB disk space (per node)
- 10Mbps internet connection

Node license owners can also choose to outsource their node operations to a VPS or a Nodes-as-a-Service provider.

Using a VPS

VPS providers allow users to run their Checker nodes on remote servers instead of installing and running the Checker Client GUI/CLI on their own devices. In this case, users utilize a third party to host their nodes and keep them operational 24/7.

However, Checker node license owners will still need to manage their nodes by themselves and operate the Checker Client GUI/CLI on the VPS provider’s server. Additionally, using a VPS incurs a monthly service fee.

Here are some reliable VPS options: AWS, Tencent Cloud, Rachnerd, Hostwinds, and Digital Ocean.

Using a Nodes-as-a-Service Provider

Another option for Aethir Checker node license holders is to use a Nodes-as-a-Service (NaaS) provider. NaaS providers handle the whole Checker node operating process instead of license owners, who just need to use the Checker Owner Portal to delegate their NFT licenses to their chosen node operators.

The NaaS provider charges a percentage fee for their service, which is deducted from the Checker node monthly rewards.

Using a NaaS is highly convenient for users looking for a simple experience in which they delegate the entire node running process to a third party and manage their nodes through the Checker Owner Portal.

Here are some reliable NaaS options: easeflow, Animoca Brands, Luganodes, Nodeops and Builder Capital.

Checker Node Rewards

Aethir Checker node operators receive $ATH rewards for ensuring the stability and optimal quality of service of the Aethir network. The $ATH token is Aethir’s upcoming utility token, which will be launched in Q2 2024.

Checker nodes earn through mining rewards, which are distributed as $vATH tokens.

10% of the Total Token Supply is allocated to these mining rewards over a 4-year timeframe, with an additional 5% reward allocation for a performance bonus to nodes that qualify. Quarterly assessments will be performed to check for eligibility for bonus rewards, including uptime, no early withdrawals, etc.

Once Aethir’s Mainnet goes live and the nodes start generating rewards, checker node license owners have two options for reward withdrawal. Users can withdraw 100% of their token rewards with an initial 120-day vesting period and a 180-day vesting period for all subsequent withdrawals.

The other option is to withdraw tokens with a 30-day vesting period and a 75% reward reduction for early withdrawals. If users choose the early withdrawal option, they get 25% of their accumulated tokens.