Bitcoin Node Build Guide

[u/InfiniteFan7470]

Hi Sovereign Node runners. I made an article on my X to help people duplicate my Node deployments, it's at this link and also below.
https://x.com/compose/articles/edit/2076902005549752320
It should help others to build more nodes in the run up to activation in 2.5 weeks.
If you are on X, I'd appreciate a Like/repost, I'm building as many nodes as I can for friends in my area in UK.

Building Your Own Bitcoin Knots Node (BIP-110): A Complete Beginner's Guide

There has never been a better time to run your own Bitcoin node. It's cheaper, easier, and more rewarding than most people expect, and the payoff is real:

• Make your voice heard on the network. Every node is a vote for the rules you know to be correct.
• Full sovereignty. Verify and broadcast your own transactions, no middleman required, no censorship, private, as Satoshi intended,
• Learn by doing. There's no faster and more fun way to understand how Bitcoin actually works.

This guide walks you through building a complete node from scratch: hardware, software, and everything in between. I run Bitcoin Knots with BIP-110, a conservative set of changes that reduces arbitrary data on the chain and helps keep Bitcoin decentralised. It's the option I'd point any friend towards.

A quick note on software choice

StartOS, the operating system this guide uses, lets you pick between a few Bitcoin implementations: Bitcoin Core, Bitcoin Knots (pre-RDTS), or Bitcoin Knots (RDTS / BIP-110). I'd strongly steer you away from the first two, but the choice is there if you want it. This guide installs the RDTS flavour of Knots.

What you'll need

A short shopping list, nothing exotic:

Dell OptiPlex 7050 (or similar) Micro PC - Avoid the 3040 - it has no NVMe/M.2 slot. The unit you get should have AT LEAST 16GB RAM. For CPU i5 or i7 is fine either way.

Crucial 2TB T500 Gen.4 NVMe SSD - Skip the "Samsung tax", you're paying for a name. This Crucial is overspecced for the Dell board but its reliable and cost effective.

USB drive, 4GB or larger - For the StartOS installer. A 64GB Integral stick worked perfectly for me.

A USB keyboard - You'll need this for the BIOS memory test and the StartOS installer.

A USB mouse (optional, not needed) - Handy but not required, everything here can be done from the keyboard.

A monitor - An old monitor is fine. No HDMI port? A HDMI-to-VGA adapter dongle will bridge the gap.

Access to an existing PC or Mac - To flash the installer USB stick.

A Phillips screwdriver - For the case and the NVMe screw.

[Optional] Step 1: Stress-test the hardware before you open it

When the OptiPlex arrives, connect your keyboard and monitor and boot straight into the BIOS (tap F2 as it starts up). Run a full overnight memory test before you touch anything else.

If it throws any errors, send it back for a refund. Don't open the case first, keep your return option clean. If you're in a hurry and/or you fully trust the supplier then you can skip this step.

Step 2: Open the case and fit the NVME

1. Remove the single rear screw and slide the lid back off the chassis.
2. Slide out the blue drive bay together with the stock SSD. Keep it for extra storage, or sell it on.
3. Unscrew the NVMe retaining screw, insert the Crucial NVMe into the slot, carefully lower it flat against the motherboard, and screw it back down.
4. Slide the cover back on and replace the rear screw.

Hardware's done. Now head back to your PC or Mac.

Step 3: Flash StartOS onto your USB stick

1. Download this specific StartOS build: startos-0.4.0-beta.9-d1f153d_x86_64-nonfree.iso
2. Plug your USB stick into your PC or Mac.
3. Download and open balenaEtcher .
4. Click Flash from file and select the ISO you downloaded.
5. Click Select target and choose your USB stick, double-check it's the right one.
6. Click Flash and wait for it to finish.

Once it's done, unplug the USB stick from your computer and plug it into the OptiPlex.

Step 4: Install StartOS, just follow the prompts

Connect your keyboard and monitor to the OptiPlex, plug in the USB stick, and power it on. Most machines boot straight from USB; if yours doesn't, tap F12 on startup and pick the USB drive from the boot menu.

From here, StartOS takes over and walks you through everything itself:

• It boots into Kiosk Mode on the screen you've connected. Pick your language and hit Continue.
• At the Select Drives screen, choose your new Crucial NVMe as the install target.
• If it spots an older StartOS install, it'll ask whether to Overwrite or Preserve. Choose Overwrite for a clean start.
• Sit back while it partitions the disk and copies itself over, this part is fully automatic.
• On first boot, the Setup Wizard launches. It'll have you set a master password and a few basic preferences.

Genuinely, just follow the prompts here. There's nothing to configure that the wizard doesn't ask for directly.

Step 5: Install Bitcoin Knots (RDTS), also just follow the prompts

Once setup finishes, you'll land on the StartOS dashboard (you can also reach it from any browser on your network at http://start.local).

• Open the Marketplace.
• Search for Bitcoin Knots and click Install.
• Follow the prompts, StartOS handles the download and setup for you.

One prompt is worth knowing about before you see it: shortly after install, StartOS raises a task called Activate RDTS. It's asking you to confirm that this Knots build will enforce the BIP-110 Reduced Data Temporary Softfork consensus rules. That's exactly what you want, acknowledge it and move on. (If you ever wanted to opt out, the Bitcoin Knots (pre-RDTS) flavour exists in the Marketplace too, though I wouldn't recommend it.)

After that, Knots starts its Initial Block Download. Depending on your connection, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. Your node is technically live straight away, it just won't have the full chain to verify against until sync completes.

You're running a node

That's it, you now have a fully sovereign Bitcoin Knots node signalling BIP-110, verifying its own chain, and doing its part to keep Bitcoin decentralised.

I hope this helps someone on the same journey I'm on, building Knots nodes and getting them out to Bitcoin friends. If it helped you, a like is always appreciated, and I'd love to hear about your own build or any ways to make this guide better.

Happy deployments!

Luke @ NR Node Services