Operator Guide

Guides for running NCN Network infrastructure nodes.

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Overview

NCN Network has three main operator roles:

Role	Responsibility	Earnings	Requirements
Gateway Operator	Route requests, manage subnets	Routing fees	Server, wallet
Compute Operator	Execute AI models	Compute fees	GPU/CPU, models
Validator Operator	Validate requests	Validation fees	Stake, server

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Operator Guides

Gateway Operator

Run a Gateway node:

• Hardware requirements

• Setup and configuration

• Subnet creation

• Monitoring and maintenance

Compute Operator

Provide compute resources:

• Hardware requirements (GPU/CPU)

• Model preparation

• Joining subnets

• Performance optimization

Validator Operator

Participate in validation:

• Staking requirements

• Node setup

• Key management

• Slashing avoidance

Monitoring

Set up monitoring:

• Prometheus metrics

• Grafana dashboards

• Alerting

• Log aggregation

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Choosing a Role

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Which operator role is right for you?                 │
│                                                                             │
│  Do you have GPU/ML hardware?                                               │
│      │                                                                      │
│      ├── Yes ──▶ Consider: Compute Operator                                │
│      │           Earn fees by executing AI models                          │
│      │                                                                      │
│      └── No                                                                 │
│           │                                                                 │
│           ├── Do you want to curate models?                                 │
│           │       │                                                         │
│           │       ├── Yes ──▶ Consider: Gateway Operator                   │
│           │       │           Create subnets, route requests               │
│           │       │                                                         │
│           │       └── No ──▶ Consider: Validator Operator                  │
│           │                   Stake tokens, validate requests              │
│           │                                                                 │
│           └── Do you have capital to stake?                                 │
│                   │                                                         │
│                   ├── Yes ──▶ Validator Operator                           │
│                   │                                                         │
│                   └── No ──▶ Start with development/testing                │
│                                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Requirements Summary

Gateway Operator

Hardware:
├── CPU: 2+ cores
├── RAM: 4 GB
├── Storage: 50 GB
└── Network: 100 Mbps

Software:
├── Linux (recommended)
├── Rust runtime
└── Blockchain access

Capital:
├── Subnet creation fee
└── Gas for transactions

Compute Operator

Hardware:
├── CPU: 4+ cores
├── RAM: 8 GB (16 GB recommended)
├── GPU: Optional but recommended
├── Storage: 100 GB
└── Network: 100 Mbps

Software:
├── Linux (required for sandbox)
├── Rust runtime
├── Python 3.8+
└── PyTorch/ML libraries

Capital:
└── None required (optional stake for priority)

Validator Operator

Hardware:
├── CPU: 2+ cores
├── RAM: 4 GB
├── Storage: 50 GB
└── Network: 100 Mbps, low latency

Software:
├── Linux (recommended)
├── Rust runtime
└── Blockchain access

Capital:
├── Minimum stake (TBD)
└── Gas for transactions

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Earnings Potential

Role	Revenue Source	Typical Earnings*
Gateway	10% of request fee	Variable by volume
Compute	80% of request fee	Variable by usage
Validator	5% split among validators	Proportional to participation

*Actual earnings depend on network activity, pricing, and competition.

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Getting Started

Step 1: Choose Your Role

Review the requirements and choose based on your resources.

Step 2: Set Up Infrastructure

Follow the appropriate guide:

• Gateway Setup

• Compute Setup

• Validator Setup

Step 3: Configure Monitoring

Set up monitoring to track performance.

Step 4: Join the Network

• Connect to testnet first

• Test your setup

• Graduate to mainnet when ready

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Common Operations

All Operators

# Check status
curl http://localhost:PORT/health

# View logs
tail -f logs/NODE.log

# Update software
git pull && cargo build --release

Gateway Operators

# Create subnet
subnet-cli create -c subnet_config.json

# List subnets
subnet-cli list

# Check compute nodes
# (via API or logs)

Compute Operators

# Sync models
cargo run --bin compute_node -- --sync-models

# Check model status
ls -la ./models/

Validator Operators

# Check stake
cast call $REGISTRY "getValidatorStake(address)" $YOUR_ADDRESS

# Check reputation
# (via API)

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Support

• Troubleshooting - Common issues

• FAQ - Frequently asked questions

• Community channels for operator support