Purpose of the experiment
Determine the impact of increased computing power, specifically 1 TB of RAM and multi-processor servers with Xeon Platinum and GRAID, on the cost of processing transactions on the Monero network.
Description of the environment
Test platform
Reference virtual server: VMWare ESXi 8.x with provision of 1 TB RAM, 64 vCPU and 10 TB NVMe storage.
Physical server:
Processors: 4× Intel Xeon Platinum 8490H (total 224 cores, 448 threads).
RAM: 2 TB DDR5 ECC.
Storage: 12× NVMe PCIe Gen 5 SSD (using GRAID SupremeRAID SR-1000).
Interfaces: 2× CXL 2.0 and 4× PCIe 5.0 x16.
Software
Operating system: Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS (optimized for high load).
Monero node: Latest version of Monero CLI, configuration for Testnet.
Additional components: Monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana).
Experimental methodology
Preparation stages
Deploy virtual and physical infrastructure.
Configure Monero CLI to run in Full Node mode on a test network.
Activate RandomX to perform calculations.
Test scenarios
Basic performance: Measuring block processing and transaction confirmation times under standard load (~100 transactions per second).
Peak load: Simulating high activity (~10,000 transactions per second).
Comparative measurements: Conducting identical tests on virtual and physical infrastructure.
Measured parameters
Average transaction confirmation time.
Loading of CPU, RAM and disk subsystem.
Energy consumption.
The cost of processing one transaction (based on the cost of electricity and resources).
Expected results
Physical server:
Accelerate transaction confirmation due to increased throughput and parallel processing.
Lower transaction cost due to efficient use of RandomX resources and disk operations.
Virtual server:
Ease of scaling due to virtualization.
Possible increased latency due to virtual environment overhead.
Conclusions and practical application
Determine which architectural solutions provide the most effective price/performance ratio.
Recommendations for setting up Monero nodes for professional operators.
Assessing the potential for reducing the cost of Monero transactions through high-performance server configurations.
Experiment period
4–6 weeks including all stages of setup and testing.
Consider the project
- Cost of hardware and virtual environment
Designation
Quantity
Unit Price (USD)
Total Cost (USD)
Physical server:
Intel Xeon Platinum 8490H
4 pcs.
13,000
52,000
RAM modules DDR5 ECC 512 GB
4 pcs.
3,500
14,000
NVMe SSD PCIe Gen 5, 4TB
12 pcs.
1,200
14,400
GRAID SupremeRAID SR-1000 controller
1 piece
5,000
5,000
Motherboard supporting CXL
1 piece
2,000
2,000
Cooling and power systems
1 set
8,000
8,000
Server Corps
1 piece
2,500
2,500
Total (physical server):
97,900
Virtual environment:
License VMWare ESXi 8.x
1
4,000
4,000
Server rental with 1 TB RAM (3 months)
1
5,000/month
15,000
Total (virtual environment):
19,000
-
Software
Designation
Price (USD)
Notes
Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
0
For free
Monero CLI
0
For free
Monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana)
0
For free
Data Analysis Tools
1,000
If necessary
Total:
1,000
-
Infrastructure and energy costs
Designation
Quantity
Unit Price (USD)
Total Cost (USD)
Physical server energy consumption (3 months)
~4 kW
0.12/kW·h
~4,320
Data center rental (3 months)
1
1,500/month
4,500
Total:
8,820
- Personnel costs
Designation
Number of hours
Rate (USD/hour)
Total Cost (USD)
Setting up a physical server
40
50
2,000
Setting up a virtual server
20
50
1,000
Data monitoring and analysis (3 months)
120
50
6,000
Total:
9,000
General estimate of the project:
135,720 USD
Deployment time
Equipment preparation:
Hardware purchase: 2–3 weeks.
Assembly and testing of a physical server: 1 week.
Environment setup:
Virtual server (VMWare): 2–3 days.
Setting up a physical server: 3–5 days.
Testing and optimization:
Setting up Monero CLI: 2 days.
Performance monitoring: 1 week.
Conducting the experiment:
Main testing phase: 4 weeks.
Analysis of results and documentation: 1 week.
Total time to complete the project:
8–10 weeks.
Planned expected effect
The experiment aims to optimize Monero's transaction processing process and explore potential opportunities to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Expected effects:
-
Reduced transaction processing costs
Hypothesis testing: High-performance hardware such as multiprocessor servers with Xeon Platinum and GRAID can significantly reduce transaction verification latency and reduce power consumption per operation.
Expected result: Reducing energy costs and computational load by up to 20–30% per transaction.
-
Increase Monero Network Bandwidth
Scalability check: Peak load performance testing.
Expected result: Increase the number of concurrently processed transactions on a node by up to 2-3 times compared to current standards.
-
Increasing network stability
Optimization of node operation: The use of high-performance servers allows blocks to be processed faster, which improves the synchronization of nodes and reduces the likelihood of temporary network interruptions.
Expected result: Network resistance to overloads and attacks.
-
Economic efficiency of infrastructure
Target Audience: Monero miners, node operators and developers.
Expected result: Demonstrating that a single powerful node can replace multiple traditional servers, reducing overall infrastructure costs.
-
Creating a basis for further research
Data Analysis: The results obtained will become the basis for:
Improvements to transaction processing algorithms.
Development of optimal architectures for private and public Monero nodes.
Long term effect: Promoting innovation in the Monero ecosystem.
Indirect results
Increasing trust in Monero: Improved performance and affordability will attract new users.
Attracting investments: The results of the experiment may be of interest to investors in the field of cryptocurrency infrastructure.
Community stimulation: The research could be a catalyst for new projects aimed at developing the ecosystem.
The experiment is expected to create significant value for the entire Monero network and will be an important step in its technological and economic evolution.
Bibliography
Nakamoto, S. (2008).Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.
Monero Research Lab. (2023). Optimizing RandomX for High-Performance Systems.
VMware Documentation. (2024). Best Practices for High-Performance Virtualization.
Intel Corporation. (2023). Xeon Platinum Processors: Performance for the Data Center.
GRADE Technology. (2024). Next-Generation Storage Acceleration for High-Performance Servers.
Van Saberhagen, N. (2013). CryptoNote: Anonymous Crypto-Currencies.
Parker, D. (2023). In-Memory Computing for Blockchain Nodes.
Recommended Videos
"What is Monero? The King of Privacy Coins" – A concise explanation of Monero's privacy features.
"High-Performance Computing in Blockchain" – Overview of HPC systems used in cryptocurrency networks.
"Optimizing Blockchain Nodes with Advanced Hardware" – Technical insights on leveraging high-performance servers.
"In-Memory Blockchain: The Future of Fast Transactions" – Discussion of emerging trends in blockchain technology.
"VMware for Cryptocurrency Applications" – How virtualization platforms are used in blockchain infrastructures.
Hashtag
#Monero #BlockchainTechnology #HighPerformanceComputing #CryptoPrivacy #XeonPlatinum #VMware #GRAID #RandomX #CryptoOptimization #InMemoryComputing #CryptocurrencyInfrastructure #MoneroNodes #DataCenterTech #Decentralization #FutureOfBlockchain
Draft project: https://bit.ly/3WvjP5m
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https://lemmy.today/post/22138320
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