Configuration

Node Configuration Guidelines for BitNet Validators

Proper configuration of validator nodes is critical for stability and performance on the BitNet network. This section outlines required settings for time synchronization, consensus behavior, peer management, and transaction security.

Server Timezone

Validators must configure their server timezone to UTC. Misconfigured timezones can cause a LastResultsHash mismatch during consensus, which will halt your node.

To check your current timezone setting:

timedatectl

Block Time and Consensus Delay

BitNet’s consensus engine uses a timeout_commit parameter to define the delay between block commits. This delay helps the network collect additional pre-commits before moving to the next block height.

In your config.toml:

[consensus]
timeout_commit = "3s"

From version 6 onward, this setting is managed automatically during node initialization. However, validators should ensure their configurations are optimized for achieving ~4-second block times.

Peer Configuration

Validator nodes must connect to reliable peers to maintain block synchronization. Set your persistent peers in:

$HOME/.bitnetd/config/config.toml

The persistent_peers field is a comma-separated list using this format:

node-id@ip:port

Example:

persistent_peers = "ac29d21d0a6885465048a4481d16c12f59b2e58b@143.198.224.124:26656"

To find and share your own peer ID, run:

bitnetd tendermint show-node-id

Additional peer-related parameters:

max_num_inbound_peers = 120
max_num_outbound_peers = 60

If you rely on a seed node or have limited persistent peers, increasing the above limits can improve synchronization reliability.

EIP-155 Replay Protection

BitNet enables EIP-155 replay protection by default to secure transactions across multiple chains. If globally disabled, validators can still opt to disallow unprotected transactions via their local configuration.

In config.toml:

[evm]
allow-unprotected-txs = false

Disabling unprotected transactions ensures compliance with modern Ethereum-based standards and protects users against cross-chain replay attacks.