🔗Technical Redundancy

Our quantum safe storage ystem, coupled with replication, and web gateways, presents a pathway to achieve technical redundancy already. While these capabilities exist, we admit that at this time it is too complex for a starting user. Making this easier through refined tooling and a strong user experience will be imperative in order to allow a wide audience to take advantage here.

🔗ThreeFold Cloud

Our upcoming commercial offering, TF Cloud, will bolster reliability and trustworthiness. Through TF Cloud, we will need to provide comprehensive service, robust support, service level agreements (SLAs), and streamlined payment methods, including credit card options. The development of user-friendly tooling will significantly simplify and easen the process as well, enabling users to deploy and maintain reliable workloads effortlessly.

🔗Farming Pools

The introduction of farming pools in TF Grid 4.x will play an important role in fostering reliability as well. These pools not only contribute to resource pooling but also offer visibility into the network’s participants. This transparency enhances trust and aids in identifying reliable contributors within a decentralized framework.

🔗Establishing Reputation and Transparency

Building a system that emphasizes reputation and complete visibility regarding service levels and uptimes is pivotal. By offering insights into each participant’s performance metrics, Grid users will be able to more effectively choose a trusted provider.

In essence, through a combination of technical and strategic advancements, our journey towards a dependable and trustworthy decentralized Internet infrastructure is underway, setting the stage for the next phase of ThreeFold.

🔗Breaking the Distance Barrier

In many regions, the internet economy remains anchored in distant lands due to reliance on long cables to Europe, North America, or China, where colossal data centers reside. This scenario keeps data, jobs, and economic benefits outside developing regions. But what if connectivity was local, decentralized, and efficient?

🔗The East Africa Example

Picture our technology in action. Instead of relying on data centers thousands of miles away, our decentralized infrastructure brings the connection closer. Those friends in East Africa can communicate peer-to-peer, reducing bandwidth needs by up to 10 times while boosting security. This isn’t just about video calls; it’s about revolutionizing every digital interaction.

🔗Streamlining Complexity

The tech world often gets tangled in layers of abstraction, favoring integration over innovation. While layers aid compatibility and incremental progress, they hinder true change. Excessive abstraction results in inefficiencies, performance lags, increased costs, and scalability woes.

🔗The Education Gap

Innovation takes a back seat when education leans heavily on commercial technologies. The push for quick-fix solutions neglects long-term innovation. It’s like opting for a painkiller instead of addressing the root cause of the problem.

🔗Local, Secure, Reliable

Our vision? A decentralized internet where compute, storage, and network are local, sovereign, and secure. Storage becomes more reliable with less overhead, doubling up as a global content delivery network. The network stays resilient, routes around issues, encrypts end-to-end, and knows precisely where data originates and ends.

🔗Tackling the Root Issues

By constructing a decentralized, autonomous internet infrastructure from scratch, we’re tackling these issues head-on. Minimizing complexity while solving problems at their core is our mantra. It’s not just about a tech revolution; it’s about reshaping connectivity to be inclusive, efficient, and empowering for everyone, everywhere.

The digital world stands at a crossroads. We can either perpetuate the status quo, or we can pave a new path—one that’s decentralized, efficient, and equitable. The time for a decentralized internet that solves problems at their roots is now. It’s time for connectivity that knows no boundaries.

The power to transform connectivity is in our hands. Let’s reimagine the internet not as a distant entity but as a network that thrives locally, serves globally, and empowers universally. Together, let’s build a decentralized internet that propels us into a future where connectivity is a right, not a privilege.

At ThreeFold, we believe that everything we do should benefit people and our planet. The emergence of a decentralized Internet grid not only reshapes the digital landscape but helps to pioneer a more sustainable future. At the core of this evolution lies a series of innovative strategies poised to revolutionize the way we perceive and utilize digital infrastructure.

🔗Zero OS

Traditionally, operating systems have been laden with an array of features, consuming substantial hardware resources. However, with Zero OS, our paradigm shifts towards a lightweight, autonomous design. By getting rid of unnecessary complexities, this design not only optimizes hardware space but also fosters an environment conducive to enhanced IT workloads.

🔗Quantum-Safe Storage

One of the most staggering inefficiencies within the industry has been the substantial overhead of storage systems. Our quantum-safe storage system marks a monumental departure from the norm, slashing the overhead from a staggering 400% to a mere fraction, 20%. This unprecedented leap in efficiency heralds a new era of streamlined storage practices, ensuring optimal utilization of resources.

🔗Efficient Node Management

Energy conservation takes center stage with our node management tool, Farmerbot. Embracing the principle of ‘on-demand’ functionality, nodes remain dormant when idle, conserving energy resources. Through the implementation of Farmerbot, these nodes seamlessly power on and off as required, minimizing unnecessary consumption without compromising accessibility.

🔗Automated Autonomy

We’re saying goodbye to human intermediaries and centralized control centers. Our system operates autonomously, governed by smart contracts that orchestrate every facet of its functionality. This automated ecosystem not only eradicates the need for constant human intervention but also ensures streamlined operations, optimizing efficiency at every turn.

🔗Peer-to-Peer Advancement

The conventional route from sender to recipient often travels extensive distances, bouncing through data centers and intermediaries. Our peer-to-peer network revolutionizes this process by forging direct connections, seeking the shortest path between sender and recipient. By circumventing unnecessary detours, this approach minimizes energy expenditure and data latency, elevating both speed and efficiency.

🔗Final Thoughts

The dawn of ThreeFold’s decentralized Internet grid beckons a transformative era in digital infrastructure. Through the combination of a lightweight operating system, quantum-safe storage, energy-conscious node management, automated autonomy, and a peer-to-peer network, the paradigm of efficiency in the digital realm has been redefined. The aggregated result is up-to 90% energy savings depending on workloads. This evolution not only champions sustainability but also propels us towards a future where connectivity thrives in harmony with resource conservation.

🔗Yggdrasil’s Limitations

To start, it should be noted that Yggdrasil is an experimental routing protocol (based on DHT’s), which is currently still in an alpha stage. We very much admire the fact that they have been able to create a standalone network with worldwide participants from scratch. Over time, the network has grown, in part due to the grid, but also because a lot of individual participants joined and started running a node.

After investigating, we reached the conclusion that the current architecture has some scalability issues. While we have no doubt that these will eventually be solved, the importance of the planetary network in the grid is unfortunately too big to be able to wait for this. Additionally, Yggdrasil uses a technique called crypto key routing, and uses a tree structure for its routing info. This means data follows the “shortest path” in the tree, rather than the physical shortest path, which might deviate from this. As such, we have decided to implement our own Ipv6 overlay network, Mycelium.

🔗Implementing Mycelium

As previously pointed out, the main goal of our network is to be efficient, and end-to-end encrypted. Every node in the network is identified by a key pair. The address of a node is derived from this key pair, and data traffic between 2 nodes is encrypted using a secret derived from the key pair of both these nodes. As a result, every 2 nodes in the system use a different secret for encryption, and we can verify that the address used by a node is indeed owned by it (i.e. it has the corresponding private key). We have based our initial implementation (loosely) on the babel routing protocol.

Therefore, sending data to a remote node will follow the shortest path in terms of latency (i.e. the fastest route). The network adjusts itself in case nodes disappear or join, and multiple paths to a given destination are possible.

We are also considering implementing more advanced use cases in the future, though this remains to be seen at this stage. We are gearing up for some larger scale testing on the grid in the near future (after all, we do have multiple thousand nodes at our disposal to verify scalability), and will adjust as needed once these are done.

🔗Rising Energy Prices

Energy prices have been on steady rise globally because of increasing costs of energy production, high demand, and the depletion of traditional energy sources such as oil and natural gas as primary drivers. However, the Russian-Western standoff due to the invasion of Ukraine has produced an unprecedented increase in energy prices, especially in Europe.

Some statistics:

• UK - Household energy bills increased by 54% in April 2022, and a further increase of 20% is expected in April 2023.
• USA - Consumers paid 14.3% more for electricity last year on average.
• France - As of February 2023, electricity prices may rise by 15%.

These rising energy costs have a significant impact on the economy, affecting inflation and driving up the cost of goods and services.

🔗Reducing Our Bills & Our Impact on the Environment

Given the increasing cost of energy, it is more important than ever to adopt responsible energy use practices. Simple measures like turning off lights and electronics when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, and properly insulating homes can make a big difference in reducing energy consumption and lowering bills.

By reducing energy waste, individuals and businesses can not only save money, but also help protect the environment and preserve natural resources for future generations. The world’s energy resources are finite, and the increasing demand for energy is putting pressure on the environment. By adopting responsible energy use practices, we can reduce our carbon footprint, decrease our dependence on non-renewable energy sources, and preserve the planet for future generations.

Saving energy is important for the planet as it can have a positive impact on the environment and the economy. Some of the key benefits of energy conservation are:

• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions:
  • By reducing the amount of energy we consume, we also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by power plants, which are a major contributor to climate change.
• Saves natural resources:
  • Conserving energy helps to conserve our limited natural resources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which are used to generate electricity.
• Lowers energy costs:
  • By using energy more efficiently, we can lower our energy bills, saving money and reducing our overall energy costs.
• Improves energy security:
  • By reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy, we can improve our energy security and reduce the risks associated with energy shortages and price spikes.
• Creates jobs:
  • The development and implementation of energy-efficient technologies and practices can create jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors.

While it has been known for a long time that consuming less energy meant a smaller ecological footprint, most people weren’t very motivated to do so. However, once their wallets started feeling the price increase, people became increasingly aware & careful of their energy consumption. So, in a way, while it is not a great thing for our economies, the rising energy prices are doing a good thing for the planet.

🔗Energy Usage of Nodes

The energy usage of a node in a network depends on various factors such as the type of node, its hardware specifications, and the workload it is handling. Generally, nodes that perform more intensive computations and have more advanced hardware specifications will consume more energy compared to basic nodes.

For example, nodes used in cryptocurrency mining operations are known to consume large amounts of energy due to the intensive computations they perform. On the other hand, simple nodes used for basic network functions such as routing or data storage may consume less energy.

It is important to note that the energy consumption of a node can also be influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, network congestion, and power supply efficiency. By optimizing these factors, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of a node and minimize its environmental impact.

🔗ThreeFold 3Node Servers

ThreeFold is a decentralized internet infrastructure that utilizes a network of nodes (referred to 3Nodes on our grid) to provide computing resources and data storage. Farmers can farm capacity for the ThreeFold Grid by building their own server and hosting Zero-OS on it, or by buying and running a preconfigured device.

In general, a 3Node cluster is expected to consume less energy compared to traditional server clusters, due to its focus on energy efficiency and sustainability. However, the exact energy usage will depend on the hardware specifications of the nodes, the workload they are handling, and the energy-saving measures implemented. It’s important to note that even a machine with nothing running on top of it consumes energy and brings a cost to farmers.

🔗ThreeFold WOL Feature Comes as Part of Our Farmerbot

Wake-on-LAN (WOL) is a feature in computer hardware that allows a network administrator to power on a computer remotely. The feature works by sending a special “magic packet” to the target computer, which contains the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the network adapter. The network adapter is programmed to recognize the magic packet and use it to initiate the power-on process.

Wake-on-LAN is useful for remotely accessing a computer that is turned off, as it allows the computer to be powered on without physically pressing the power button. This feature is commonly used for remote administration and maintenance tasks, as well as for remotely accessing a computer for work or entertainment purposes.

Wake-on-LAN requires specific hardware and software support, including a network adapter that supports the feature, a motherboard that enables the feature in the BIOS, and an operating system that supports WOL. Additionally, the computer must be connected to a network that supports WOL, and the feature must be enabled in the network adapter’s settings.

The community has been asking for an energy-saving solution for quite a while and we had been looking for one. It took some time, as this was not the only topic that needed our team’s attention, and we had obstacles along the route to designing this solution, including limited funding and needful adjustments.

We had been working on a WOL feature for power-saving set up directly on the chain, but it turned out to be a dead end. Instead of an independent WOL feature, our dev team started from scratch with a new idea! We are now very close to delivering a solution: A Farmerbot that uses WOL to switch nodes on and off when needed!

Farmers will be able to define their configuration in an easy markdown format. The Farmerbot will check which nodes can be turned off or not. Farmers will be able to personalize this feature according to their farm’s own needs and preferences.

🔗Conclusion

Saving energy is crucial for the planet and has numerous positive impacts on the environment, economy, and society. By taking steps to conserve energy, we can help to reduce our environmental impact, lower energy costs, improve energy security, and create jobs in the clean energy sector.

Having a power-saving feature for ThreeFold nodes is one of our priorities. Together with the community, we agree that this is a pressing issue we need to solve. Our main incentive is to respect our engagement to be a sustainable network that puts the planet first. Supporting our farmers to get through difficult times financially is an extra one.

You also learn new skills and get to know some innovative technology that enables you to build and test pretty cool applications and solutions – like deploying a Subsquid instance on the ThreeFold Playground or checking out the different decentralized alternatives to solutions we use every day like WhatsApp, YouTube, Chrome or Zoom with FreeFlow Twin. Our open, friendly and skilled community can offer you support and advice as you start testing and building. Let’s help each other and build cool stuff together!

The ThreeFold Community – Where ideas come to life

Curious about what fellow community members are building on ThreeFold? Here are a few recent examples:

• Teisie has been working on a few great tools to make things easier for his fellow ThreeFolders like an iOS app for node monitoring and a geo explorer. Moreover, he’s been working on an uptime tool and deployment calculator – hosted on the Grid and using Drew’s gateway node for public access. Learn more here. Well done, Teisie!
• Another skilled community member building on the Grid is Drew. With his community project for a Cockpit management interface, he provides a web-based interface for managing a VM that allows users to do a lot of maintenance tasks without ssh – even including full remote desktop capabilities from the browser. Pretty cool, right?

So what are you waiting for? Start exploring and using the many solutions on the ThreeFold Grid today – whether by deploying a weblet, testing the FreeFlow Twin or simply joining our testing group!

How to get started?

There are many ways to get started with ThreeFold. If you’re new to ThreeFold in general, I recommend starting with “Building a New Internet From the Ground Up” – an approachable blog series on the inner workings of the Grid.

A great way to learn more is also by checking out the ThreeFold Litepaper and by exploring the knowledge base. The ThreeFold Grid manual has everything you need to dive right into ThreeFold’s open-source infrastructure and technology.

Key resources to get started:

• Find out what you can do on Threefold Grid
• Dive into the manual to get started
• Learn more about testing the Grid
• Join our testing community
• Watch helpful tutorials from the community in the ThreeFold Video Gallery
• Learn how to contribute to ThreeFold wikis and websites