Node Provider Self-declaration

This page describes the Node Provider self-declaration process and provides templates. This process and templates are currently in a draft state and discussed by the community (see forum post). Once the NNS has decided on the expected format, the post and this page will be updated to reflect the NNS decision.

Motivation

In a fully decentralized network, the onboarding of a Node Provider is managed entirely by the Network Nervous Systems (NNS). This means that anybody who wants to become a Node Provider needs to submit a proposal that will be voted upon by the community. The main question for the community is: how to decide whether to accept or reject a new Node Provider into the network?

Ultimately, it’s the Node Provider's responsibility to convince the community to adopt their proposal to be added as a new Node Provider. With the self-declaration, the Node Provider shall:

• Establish their identity.
• Make a statement of good intent.

This way, the community will have sufficient information to vote on the Node Provider's onboarding proposal.

Documents and Templates

Before submitting a proposal to become a new Node Provider, the Node Provider shall prepare two kinds of documents. The documents should be delivered as a PDF file that is digitally signed.

(1) Self-declaration

(A) Statement of identity

Entity name: __________________________________________________

Representative name: __________________________________________

Position within entity: ___________________________________________

Entity address and location: ______________________________________

Country: ______________________________________________________

Chamber of Commerce Nr: _______________________________________

(B) Statement of provision of node machines

I hereby guarantee that I shall provide node machines in accordance with the required Hardware Configuration for running the IC Network, as described on the IC wiki (see Node Provider Machine Hardware Guide).

(C) Statement of good intent

I guarantee to the world that I shall honestly operate the node machines I provide, and that should I behave dishonestly, for example by deliberately interfering with my node machine(s) to prevent them correctly processing ICP protocol messages, in collusion with others or alone, that I will be liable to users of the network, and to other node providers, for any damages caused.

I further declare I am aware that any deliberate interference with a node machine, which causes it to incorrectly process ICP protocol messages, represents a misuse of that hardware, and of any hardware it interacts with, and that in some jurisdictions, that may constitute a crime.

Name and Signature of representatives

___________________

___________________

___________________

(2) Identity Proof

The Node Provider shall provide proof that the identity(ies) listed in the self-declaration exist in the real world. The proof can be any document that sufficiently proves the identity of the signers of the self-declaration to the community.

Process

Initially, the process is quite manual. Over time, it shall be automated and for convenience be incorporated into dApps running on the IC. For now:

1. Preparation: The Node Provider prepares:
   1. The two kinds of documents listed above in a format that is widely available, e.g. PDF. .zip files are not recommended.
      1. Compute the sha256 hash of each document. (Can be done online here)
2. Publication: The Node Provider uploads the documents including the sha256 hashes to the wiki page Node Provider Self Declarations.
3. Proposal submission: The Node Provider submits a proposal to the NNS asking to be accepted to the network.
   1. The technical instructions are provided on the Node Provider Onboarding page.
   2. The summary of the proposal shall point to the published file (step 2) and list the hash (step 1).
4. NNS vote: It’s now up to the NNS community to check whether the provided information matches the community’s expectations and to vote on the proposal.