add content

infrastructure/validators/onboarding/.pages

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 title: Onboarding
 nav:
   - index.md
+  - run-validator

infrastructure/validators/onboarding/run-validator/.pages

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+title: Running Validators
+nav:
+  - index.md
+  - using-systemd.md

infrastructure/validators/onboarding/run-validator/index.md

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+---
+title: Run a Validator
+description: TODO
+hide: 
+- feedback
+template: subsection-index-page.html
+---

infrastructure/validators/onboarding/run-validator/using-systemd.md

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+---
+title: Use Systemd
+description: Using a service manager for your validator node.
+---
+
+You can run your validator as a [systemd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemd) process so that it
+will automatically restart on server reboots or crashes (and helps to avoid getting
+[slashed](../learn/learn-offenses.md)).
+
+Before following this guide you should have already set up your validator by following the
+[How to validate](../learn/learn-validator.md) article.
+
+First create a new unit file called `polkadot-validator.service` in `/etc/systemd/system/`.
+
+```bash
+touch /etc/systemd/system/polkadot-validator.service
+```
+
+In this unit file you will write the commands that you want to run on server boot / restart.
+
+```
+[Unit]
+Description=Polkadot Validator
+
+[Service]
+ExecStart=PATH_TO_POLKADOT_BIN --validator --name SHOW_ON_TELEMETRY
+Restart=always
+RestartSec=120
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
+```
+
+!!!warning
+    It is recommended to delay the restart of a node with `RestartSec` in the case of node crashes. It's
+    possible that when a node crashes, consensus votes in GRANDPA aren't persisted to disk. In this
+    case, there is potential to equivocate when immediately restarting. What can happen is the node will
+    not recognize votes that didn't make it to disk, and will then cast conflicting votes. Delaying the
+    restart will allow the network to progress past potentially conflicting votes, at which point other
+    nodes will not accept them.
+
+To enable this to autostart on bootup run:
+
+```bash
+systemctl enable polkadot-validator.service
+```
+
+Start it manually with:
+
+```bash
+systemctl start polkadot-validator.service
+```
+
+You can check that it's working with:
+
+```bash
+systemctl status polkadot-validator.service
+```
+
+You can tail the logs with `journalctl` like so:
+
+```bash
+journalctl -f -u polkadot-validator
+```