#280·Bounty Proposal: [KHALA SNAPSHOT SERVICE, RPC Endpoints, and Boot-nodes for Q4 of 2024]

Proponent: 3zxNczAUyD9GbJPCgA8AyvwKCjEsnLN5D3Wuxw34QjDYzoPV
RadiumBlock (RealWeb, LLC) (registered in the United States with EIN 87-2225143)

Date: 10.21.2024
Requested allocation: $ 7,746 / 64,550 PHA
Short description: RadiumBlock requests reimbursement for Khala snapshot services and RPC endpoints for Q4 of 2024.

A copy of the full proposal is here.

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Context of the bounty:

• RadiumBlock maintains Khala snapshots, using a cluster of two instances, for the benefit of the Khala/Phala ecosystem.
• RadiumBlock maintains high-performance RPC endpoint services using our hybrid infrastructure for the benefit of the Khala/Phala ecosystem.
• RadiumBlock maintains a reliable boot-node to enhance the network connectivity and resilience of the Khala/Phala ecosystem.

Problem statement / Enhancements:

• dApp developers and Workers will need to invest several days in syncing and activating the Khala node.
• Enhanced performance and reliability when accessing RPC endpoints on the Khala Network for dApp developers.
• Improved network connectivity and stability through the addition of a dedicated boot node, reducing the time and effort needed for node synchronization.

Proposal Objective/solution/s to Point 2 (Problem Statement / Enhancements):

• Developing a public snapshot service that provides the daily updated version of Khala DB snapshot (Rocks DB & ParityDB) to expedite the initial setup for new validator nodes. The proposal’s success is reducing node sync time from several days to a few hours upon using this DB snapshot.

Service Description:

1. Snapshots are compressed copies of the latest state of a blockchain, allowing a new node to synchronise with the network in an instant instead of downloading all the blocks.
2. A functioning infrastructure for providing blockchain database snapshots that are both usable and beneficial to node operators and validators.
3. There will be two new snapshots per week.
4. Radiumblock offers full archival snapshots in parityDB for the benefit of the community.
5. RadiumBlock snapshots are always up-to-date with relevant metadata and download links.
6. RadiumBlock's security systems are state of the art, with an emergency response team on standby 24/7.
7. RadiumBlock's incident and problem management system with continuous monitoring and quick response time ensures optimum node performance.
8. RadiumBlock’s redundant implementation setup allows for continuity, seamless upgrades and basic disaster recovery & and contingency management.
9. Node operators can quickly download and install nodes from RadiumBlock snapshots which reduces recovery times after failures.

Providing high-performance RPC endpoint services (using our hybrid infrastructure) for Khala Network, RadiumBlock’s auto-scaling setup enhances ecosystem growth by offering high-performing nodes, dependable infrastructure, essential network testing data, and efficient handling of increasing user demand.

Service Description:

• On-Prem Bare-Metal Servers
  on-prem bare-metal servers as the backbone for handling regular traffic to the Khala/Phala Network.

• AWS for Sudden Surges
  During unexpected traffic spikes, AWS services step in to effectively manage the sudden influx

• Continuous Monitoring
  Monitor traffic patterns to distinguish temporary surges from sustained increases in user activity.

• Scalability with Additional Servers
  When a sustained surge is detected, RadiumBlock swiftly integrates more bare-metal servers to accommodate the growing demand, maintaining near 100% uptime

• Cost-Effective Hybrid Model: OnPrem, Cloud, or Hybrid deployments
  This hybrid infrastructure ensures reliability, reduces operational costs, and optimizes resource utilization.

• DNS-Based Load Balancing
  Uses DNS-based load balancing to route traffic to the nearest available endpoint, reducing latency.

• Advanced Security Protocols
  Implements OCSP stapling, TCP stack tuning, and other optimizations to enhance security and performance.

• Decentralized Endpoint Service
  For secure and reliable access to blockchain networks.

• Global Availability
  Endpoints are available in 20 locations worldwide.

(An illustration of RadiumBlock's infrastructure design is in the full proposal here.)

How does this proposal change the current logic in Khala?

1. The snapshot solution runs off top-tier VMs with SSD-NVME storage, has high-network capabilities and is located for minimal latency drastically reducing initial set-up times and quickening sync-time for dApp developers and Workers. This greatly enhances Khala’s current operational framework.

2. The RPC endpoints solution utilizes on-prem bare-metal servers and AWS for traffic management, offering continuous monitoring, DNS-based load balancing, and advanced security protocols. This hybrid model ensures reliable, low-latency access, quick scalability during traffic surges, and optimized resource utilisation, significantly enhancing Khala’s current operational framework.

3. The boot node solution deploys a dedicated, high-performance boot node utilizing top-tier infrastructure to ensure robust network connectivity and resilience. This addition minimizes synchronization times for new nodes, reduces downtime, and strengthens the overall network stability, further elevating Khala's operational efficiency.

Who does this solution help?

1. The publicly accessible snapshot service, updated frequently, significantly aids participating validator nodes when setting up new nodes or performing system re-installs. Beyond its utility for validators, this solution offers substantial advantages to Workers within the Phala ecosystem and cross-chain integration networks. The availability of the latest blockchain snapshots facilitates swift onboarding processes, accelerating development initiatives and potentially creating ways for active participation and innovation within Khala's community.
2. The high-performance RPC endpoint solution aids dApp developers, users, and validators within the Khala ecosystem by providing reliable, low-latency access to the network. This setup ensures seamless scalability during traffic surges and enhances overall network performance. Additionally, it supports cross-chain integration networks and accelerates development initiatives, fostering active participation and innovation within the Khala community.
3. The dedicated boot node solution benefits the entire Khala network by enhancing connectivity and reducing synchronization times. It aids validator nodes, dApp developers, and network operators by providing a stable and efficient entry point to the network. This ensures seamless node integration, robust network stability, and supports continuous development and innovation within the Khala ecosystem.

A summary list of completed milestones, usage statistics of Khala and Phala including region-wise breakdown of requests, and a breakdown of the total costs are provided in detail in the full proposal found here.

Summary of Total Costs;

(-) What is the address of the fund recipient?
[3zxNczAUyD9GbJPCgA8AyvwKCjEsnLN5D3Wuxw34QjDYzoPV]

(-) How can we contact the manager of the funds?
Please contact us at [email protected] or
on Telegram: @RadiumBlock (https://t.me/radiumblock)

Company Background
RadiumBlock is wholly owned by RealWeb LLC. RealWeb has been in business since 2004. Every year, our team manages millions of dollars in AWS infrastructure, making us one of the industry's most dependable and trustworthy web hosting companies. In addition, our engineers have extensive experience managing data centres and business infrastructure.

We are a high-performance RPC provider in the Polkadot ecosystem and continue to harness our expertise and experience in building reliable infrastructure services for the future of WEB3.

RadiumBlock’s On-Prem Private Cloud
Our on-prem aka private cloud infrastructure uses a combination of dedicated servers and a platform called “Scale Computing Platform”, similar to VMware. Presently, we have scale computing clusters deployed on the private racks we rent out from major data centres in locations including Chicago, Sydney, London, Singapore, Amsterdam and Mumbai. The scale clusters we deploy comprise 3-6 node servers and a standby server for redundancy. The scale clusters are capable of self-healing - auto-migrating instances within the cluster should one of the servers fail. We use enterprise hardware on these nodes with Intel Gold/Silver CPUs or similar, NVMe SSDs and high-speed networking.

Ecosystem Background
RadiumBlock is an active and known participant in the Polkadot/Kusama community. We participate in the Polkadot and Kusama Thousand Validator Program, offering validator service to several other chains. We are active infrastructure providers in the DotSama ecosystem. Some of the services we provide are:

• High-performance RPC Endpoints including high-demand endpoints such as Kusama, Polkadot, Astar, Statemine, Statemint, etc. The full-supported networks list is here.
• White Label validators (Node-as-a-Service)
• Snapshot Service (validator and active snapshots)

RadiumBlock’s Team
RadiumBlock is guided by seasoned experts having 15+ years in Server/Cloud Management who manage the company's Blockchain and cryptocurrency DEV-OPS-AS-A-Service. Our dedicated team comprises 5 senior engineers and a 24/7 team of 15 support engineers who monitor, update, audit, conduct performance testing, and provide swift responses to alerts and notifications.

A copy of the full proposal is here.