This brief tutorial is a help-guide on running VIDPOOL on Windows via the Docker container. This help guide assumes that the user has already successfully installed VIDPOOL on their machines per this developer documentation:
https://docs.videocoin.network/videocoin-pool-software
A few things to understand conceptually before we start.
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VIDPOOL is run PER WORKER NODE! This assumes you run an instance of VIDPOOL for 1 worker and many delegators. If you have multiple workers, each with their own delegators, you will have to run VIDPOOL with a seperate configuration file. You can use scripts to automate that process but that is outside the scope of this tutorial.
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You only need to run VIDPOOL periodically, it’s not a continuous process. We’ve chosen to have our payment scheduler to Delegators as monthly, so we run VIDPOOL automatically at the end of the month at 11:59 PM via an preprogrammed task scheduler.
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CAUTION: VIDPOOL can be run in (2) two modes: Dry-Run & Normal. The Dry-Run mode will simply collect data from the respective blockchains (Ethereum, VideoCoin) to calculate how much a Delegator is entitled from work performed during a period of time since the last time VIDPOOL was run. The Normal mode actually MAKES automated payments!!! This means funds will irreversibly be moved from your account (be it VID from your wallet or fiat from your Public Mint) to the Delegator’s wallet, so tread carefully!
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In addition to the two modes that VIDPOOL can be run in there are two types of payments that can be made, the first is a fiat payment for sharing worker proceeds from completed transcoding (this is called “PAYOUT” mode) and the second is paying out VID from the worker address (this is called “FLAT” mode). This is because VIDPOOL was designed originally for managing the Genesis VideoCoin pool that pays out VID to delegators). The difference betwee PAYOUT and FLAT isn’t just the type of payment being made (fiat vs. VID) it’s also whether or not an APR is being calculated over a period of time of Delegation. Very important!
The first thing I will discuss in detail is the configuration file (config.json) needed to run VIDPOOL because some of the details are important. Here’s what the internals of the config.json file look like, you can use a standard text editor like Notepad++ on Windows to edit it:
{
"DataDir": "/tmp/vidpooldata/",
"KeyFile": "worker-key.json",
"Password": "",
"StreamManagerAddress": "0xee714E6f2686929AE33614aAA332D67EaC9f5ede",
"StakingManagerAddress": "0xe535420fD393C202c5F47aAfDc210fF36f697584",
"WorkerChainURL": "https://symphony.dev.videocoin.net/",
"PaymentsChainURL": "https://rpc.tst.publicmint.io:8545/",
"LogLevel": "debug",
"PaymentURLSpec": "https://explorer.tst.publicmint.io/tx/%s/token_transfers"
"Auth": {
"ClientID": "69cf5e81-5301-414f-9cd9-a39bbe06c0ff",
"AuthURL": "d.dev.videocoin.network:5008"
}
}
A few things to note above.
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The configuration file, we’ll call it config.json, doesn’t need to be in the same relative path that you’ve given folder permissions to in the Docker environment but we chose to do so for simplicity. For example, in my case I gave Docker read/write privileges to the following directory on Windows: C:\Users\Santiago\VideoCoin. This is the same directory that I have the config.json file. It can be done other ways but this was simplest for me.
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The parameter KeyFile is the same Ethereum keyfile that the worker users when running the worker. I happened to name it UTC.json in this example which will become important in the run command.
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The parameter DataDir I named as “/state/” for simplicity to the directory structure I decided to use for where my config.json and UTC.json keyfile are stored relative to where I run Docker instance of VIDPOOL. I hope that makes sense!
Here’s what my config.json looks like for running VIDPOOL in DRY-RUN mode with the .json files in the same Data directory:
{
"DataDir": "/state/",
"StreamManagerAddress": "0xA412ba6e9f341aA438E0551102713e583d9F8e8e",
"StakingManagerAddress": "0xaDAE0F8b1cf953C79F8A397cC8D0A209EAF00944",
"TokenAddress": "0x2c9023bbc572ff8dc1228c7858a280046ea8c9e5",
"EscrowAddress": "0x314847CF2F4911c73E9E86005bdD901520C522B9",
"WorkerChainURL": "https://symphony.videocoin.net/",
"PaymentsChainURL": "https://rpc.publicmint.io:8545/",
"LogLevel": "debug",
"PaymentURLSpec": "https://etherscan.io/tx/%s",
"EthereumChainURL": "https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/(YOUR INFURA PROJECT KEY)",
"Rate": {
"Decimal": 0.20,
"Unit": "year"
},
"Safety": 7
}
Please note in the above I’ve hidden my INFURA PROJECT KEY but I’ve specified 0.20 for the “DECIMAL” field, to denote the intent to pay delegators on my Worker 20% at the time of the run. If this is run for a monthly fiat payment the VIDPOOL program will ignore the parameter “UNIT” or “Year” since it just calculates amounts to be transferred from the LAST time it was run, so there’s no need to calculate an APR paid monthly. This thing can do a lot!
Okay, brass tacks time. Let’s run VIDPOOL, first in DRY-RUN mode with a “FLAT” payment scheme, this means no payments will be initiated and your working on distributing fiat $ to your delegators via Public Mint:
Open up the CMD prompt on Windows and run the following command (please note the relative path structure for your .json files):
`C:\Users\Santiago> docker run -t -v C:\Users\Santiago\VideoCoin:/state -w /state videocoinnetwork/vidpool:v0.2.5 -c /state/config.json flat -a 0x5ca10ec3f005BaEE952Ff80fdFc8CA1C80912C9d --dry-run --csv test.csv`
Please note the wallet address specified in the command, the syntax needs to be perfect including differentiating forward and backslashes, and the version needs to be the latest VIDPOOL version. This command will yield a “CSV” file that can be opened in excel. You can name it whatever you want but I named it Test. This is what the output looks like:
| delegator | tx | start | end | rate | duration | rate per second | duration (seconds) | stake | amount | cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0x1874989cCb31eEf7ED4ac1ac000EB3D476263B16 | 0x216cc47925eb90c6d19ddaec8258551ab45076bfe5ff8b457472d50de2c6e2b2 | 10339814 | 10342583 | 0.2/year | 10h7m23s | 6.34196E-09 | 36443 | 3E+18 | 6.9336E+14 | 6.9336E+14 |
| 0x1874989cCb31eEf7ED4ac1ac000EB3D476263B16 | 0x216cc47925eb90c6d19ddaec8258551ab45076bfe5ff8b457472d50de2c6e2b2 | 10342583 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 2497h35m45s | 6.34196E-09 | 8.99E+06 | 0 | 0 | 6.9336E+14 |
| 0x2F01b5dbB27173663Bb3a6eBB4E4FC503f6fC257 | 0xee373eed5939e9acf6c1b6baa5f338398aaac06ec7976655b186ea687375c11f | 10391408 | 10738190 | 0.2/year | 1285h16m21s | 6.34196E-09 | 4.63E+06 | 1.35E+22 | 3.96146E+20 | 3.96146E+20 |
| 0x2F01b5dbB27173663Bb3a6eBB4E4FC503f6fC257 | 0xee373eed5939e9acf6c1b6baa5f338398aaac06ec7976655b186ea687375c11f | 10738190 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 1030h15m36s | 6.34196E-09 | 3.71E+06 | 0 | 0 | 3.96146E+20 |
| 0x4B1FDe356E2D5eF91d2Eb1aA03C2724092FcB11B | 0x3dd26f68d0ef838f7412719adeed371af6585da75f293c2f2804f65d52871110 | 10348322 | 10351237 | 0.2/year | 11h1m28s | 6.34196E-09 | 39688 | 5E+22 | 1.2585E+19 | 1.2585E+19 |
| 0x4B1FDe356E2D5eF91d2Eb1aA03C2724092FcB11B | 0x3dd26f68d0ef838f7412719adeed371af6585da75f293c2f2804f65d52871110 | 10351237 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 2465h1m53s | 6.34196E-09 | 8.87E+06 | 0 | 0 | 1.2585E+19 |
| 0x859942147a9f109cB4207Dcb030783D1fF7dea4C | 0x61058679993aff7e65343cea2e082b001a9798a303f6e5713e1302309970dad7 | 10341149 | 10566634 | 0.2/year | 838h15m26s | 6.34196E-09 | 3.02E+06 | 5.10546E+22 | 9.77097E+20 | 9.77097E+20 |
| 0x859942147a9f109cB4207Dcb030783D1fF7dea4C | 0x61058679993aff7e65343cea2e082b001a9798a303f6e5713e1302309970dad7 | 10566634 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 1664h26m51s | 6.34196E-09 | 5.99E+06 | 0 | 0 | 9.77097E+20 |
| 0x8d2d6b523db4d84025D4b963E93462C1c0e39D47 | 0x751183bd7778ffea22a653cb2c982a84f00153f786c3b6e1d57ace907ab59675 | 10401850 | 10401902 | 0.2/year | 10m54s | 6.34196E-09 | 654 | 1.25E+22 | 5.18455E+16 | 5.18455E+16 |
| 0x8d2d6b523db4d84025D4b963E93462C1c0e39D47 | 0x751183bd7778ffea22a653cb2c982a84f00153f786c3b6e1d57ace907ab59675 | 10401902 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 2276h30m47s | 6.34196E-09 | 8.20E+06 | 3.125E+21 | 1.62422E+20 | 1.62474E+20 |
| 0xA00843f36f6ab2E04a5f951D88b098Cd1bE02bc3 | 0xa10338deed1d1557b939e6e4ab6ebfb1a004fce61218fcb81ec35168f7033229 | 10341809 | 10612882 | 0.2/year | 1007h13m30s | 6.34196E-09 | 3.63E+06 | 2.32343E+21 | 5.34296E+19 | 5.34296E+19 |
| 0xA00843f36f6ab2E04a5f951D88b098Cd1bE02bc3 | 0xa10338deed1d1557b939e6e4ab6ebfb1a004fce61218fcb81ec35168f7033229 | 10612882 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 1493h6m13s | 6.34196E-09 | 5.38E+06 | 0 | 0 | 5.34296E+19 |
| 0xA6b9B90a22E71fa4D67206E2e805F6dA3BeC8E74 | 0x9ea7dd8718d9654e8dac5ec533c07b7df24887599952adb4e3f86c280b453656 | 10552049 | 10651811 | 0.2/year | 369h48m21s | 6.34196E-09 | 1.33E+06 | 4E+22 | 3.37722E+20 | 3.37722E+20 |
| 0xA6b9B90a22E71fa4D67206E2e805F6dA3BeC8E74 | 0x9ea7dd8718d9654e8dac5ec533c07b7df24887599952adb4e3f86c280b453656 | 10651811 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 1348h59m45s | 6.34196E-09 | 4.86E+06 | 0 | 0 | 3.37722E+20 |
| 0xD2E4C8A0a2848604680D7c60d60e8E099e8142c1 | 0x6423b65acbbb9e8810765c97563f2b076b599923bdee8f4419f060031958bbbe | 10383164 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 2346h9m50s | 6.34196E-09 | 8.45E+06 | 6.20096E+20 | 3.32157E+19 | 3.32157E+19 |
| 0xe682901a60bbC0D069CdbBf2306E8b798b24d320 | 0x7a2699b7d42d4ed4bd56fef2edb62379da4ec08fe6f033511be79fee2e88839e | 10415737 | 10531311 | 0.2/year | 429h37m58s | 6.34196E-09 | 1.55E+06 | 1.6E+22 | 1.56943E+20 | 1.56943E+20 |
| 0xe682901a60bbC0D069CdbBf2306E8b798b24d320 | 0x7a2699b7d42d4ed4bd56fef2edb62379da4ec08fe6f033511be79fee2e88839e | 10531311 | 11016439 | 0.2/year | 1795h39m49s | 6.34196E-09 | 6.46E+06 | 0 | 0 | 1.56943E+20 |
If you want to actually make the payments on PublicMint of fiat you need to change the run type from “FLAT” to “PAYOUT”. An example command to Dry-Run before you do it (WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND) with would look like this:
docker run -t -v C:\Users\TestUser\VideoCoin:/state -w /state videocoinnetwork/vidpool:v0.2.5 -c /state/config.json payout -a worker-address --dry-run --csv rewards-dry.csv
To make it run officially after you’ve reviewed the output file, change the command to this (Make sure to remove ‘- -dry-run’:
C:\Users\Santiago> docker run -t -v C:\Users\Santiago\VideoCoin:/state -w /state videocoinnetwork/vidpool:v0.2.5 -c /state/config.json payout -a 0x5ca10ec3f005BaEE952Ff80fdFc8CA1C80912C9d --csv test.csv
I hope this helps all, please feel free to contact me on Telegram @SantiagoVelez or over email if you need help. Santiago@blockdigitalcorp.io
@devadutta @Ram_Penke @BluBlu Gentlement, if you see an error, please correct in comments below and I’ll revise the tutorial. Thanks!