TuxChain - A Linux Distro for build and deploy Cardano Nodes in a easy way

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Antônio Marcelo

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

8

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Build a Linux distribution with a quick and easy GUI configuration environment, which can be installed on a USB drive or embedded in a mini-PC, simplifying the deployment of a Cardano node.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

The central idea of this project is to develop a fully open-source Linux distribution aimed at the quick installation and configuration of a Cardano blockchain node. The distribution will be designed with a simple configuration environment, allowing anyone, regardless of technical skill level, to easily set up and run a node.

The solution can be installed directly on a USB drive or embedded in mini-PCs, offering flexibility for users who want to use dedicated hardware or prefer a portable solution. The goal is to ensure accessibility and decentralization of the network, enabling more people to actively participate in the Cardano ecosystem without complex technical barriers.

Moreover, the project will be fully open-source, with a permissive license similar to MIT or GPL, ensuring that anyone can download the system directly from a public repository, such as GitHub. This will allow the community full freedom to study, modify, and distribute the distribution according to their needs, promoting continuous collaboration and innovation.

This simplified and accessible environment will boost participation in the Cardano network while offering a robust and secure solution for running blockchain nodes, promoting decentralization and strengthening the network.

[METADATA] Horizons

Infrastructure

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

The proposal of this project is to develop a fully open-source Linux distribution aimed at facilitating the installation, configuration, and operation of Cardano blockchain nodes. The distribution will be designed with a focus on simplicity and efficiency, offering an accessible user experience for both beginners and more experienced users. The goal is to create a solution that can be installed and configured quickly through an intuitive graphical interface, without requiring advanced technical knowledge.

Installation via Graphical Interface

One of the key features of this distribution will be the easy installation through a user-friendly graphical interface. Instead of relying on command lines or complex processes, the user will be guided by a visual assistant that simplifies each step of the installation. This graphical environment will allow users to set up their Cardano node in just a few clicks, eliminating the need for deep technical expertise. This will help democratize access to the network, enabling anyone, regardless of their technical skills, to actively participate in the decentralization of the blockchain.

Choice Between Testnet and Mainnet

Another highlight of this solution is the flexibility to choose the type of Cardano node the user wishes to configure. During the installation process, the graphical interface will allow the user to select whether to run a node on the testnet (test network) or the mainnet (main network). This will enable developers, validators, or those curious to safely experiment on a test network before committing to the main network. Additionally, users will be able to choose different roles for the node (validator, relay, etc.), depending on their needs and objectives.

Integration with Monitoring Tools

The distribution will also be designed to facilitate integration with monitoring tools such as Grafana. This integration will allow users to access detailed visual dashboards to monitor the performance and functioning of their node in real-time. Grafana will offer metrics such as CPU usage, memory, network traffic, response time, and more, ensuring that operators can track system health accurately and make informed decisions to optimize node operations.

These monitoring tools will be automatically configured during installation, eliminating the need for complex manual setup. This ensures that even users new to the blockchain ecosystem can have full visibility of their node's performance and contribute to the stability and security of the Cardano network.

Open Source and Customizable

As with the rest of the project, all these features will be distributed under an open-source license, ensuring that the community has full freedom to download, modify, and redistribute the solution. The source code will be available in public repositories such as GitHub, allowing developers to contribute with improvements, bug fixes, and new features. Additionally, the project's modular architecture will enable advanced users to customize the environment according to their specific needs, whether by integrating other monitoring tools, adjusting node performance, or experimenting with new technologies.

Final Words

This Linux distribution for Cardano nodes seeks to transform the installation and operation experience, making it more accessible, secure, and flexible. By enabling installation through an intuitive graphical interface, the choice between testnet and mainnet, and native integration with monitoring tools like Grafana, the solution aims to not only simplify the process but also contribute to the decentralization and security of the Cardano network. All of this comes with the guarantee of being a completely open-source and collaborative platform available to the global community.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

This project can positively impact the Cardano community in several ways, strengthening the network, promoting adoption, and creating a more inclusive and accessible ecosystem. Here are some specific ways this impact could occur:

Increased Decentralization

By offering an easy-to-install and configure Linux distribution, more users will be able to operate Cardano nodes, which will directly contribute to the decentralization of the network. The more people running nodes in different locations and configurations, the more resistant the network will be to failures and attacks, making it more secure and robust.

Accessibility and Inclusion

One of the biggest barriers for new participants in blockchain is the technical complexity of node configuration. By simplifying this process with a user-friendly graphical interface, this project will make node operation accessible to a wider range of users, including those without advanced technical skills. This could significantly increase the network's participant base, from small investors to developers and enthusiasts.

Facilitation for Developers and Startups

The ability to choose between testnet and mainnet will allow developers and startups to test their solutions in a safe environment before implementing them on the main network. This reduces the risk of errors and encourages the creation of new decentralized applications (dApps) and innovations within the Cardano ecosystem. Simplifying installation and monitoring also speeds up the development and launch process, fostering experimentation and innovation.

Community Engagement

With an open-source solution, the Cardano community will have the freedom to modify and adapt the distribution to their needs, creating new functionalities and improving existing ones. This encourages collaborative engagement, with developers from around the world contributing to the project and enriching the Cardano ecosystem with new ideas and continuous improvements.

Improved Security and Monitoring

The integration of monitoring tools like Grafana will allow node operators to more efficiently track the performance of their machines and resolve issues quickly. This improves the overall security of the network, ensuring that nodes operate stably and efficiently. Accessible and visual monitoring will help prevent issues such as node malfunction, downtime, and connectivity failures.

Ecosystem Growth

By making node configuration easier and encouraging more participants to operate them, this project can expand the reach of the Cardano blockchain, helping the network grow in scalability and robustness. This can attract new users and investors, as well as strengthen Cardano's position as one of the leading blockchains in the global market.

Education and Capacity Building

The project can also have a positive impact by providing a practical educational platform for new users who want to learn about blockchain, nodes, and the Cardano ecosystem. With an intuitive and easy-to-use tool, learning how to operate nodes and contribute to the network will become more accessible, fostering the training of new validators and developers.

Conclusion

In summary, this project has the potential to positively impact the Cardano community by increasing decentralization, facilitating access for new participants, promoting innovation and the development of new projects, improving network security, and expanding Cardano's global adoption. By democratizing node operation and creating a collaborative open-source environment, this project could significantly strengthen the Cardano ecosystem in the long term.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Antônio is the founder of Node Hub (https://nodehubweb3.xyz) , an innovation hub focused on Web3, with the goal of bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 markets. He is also the CEO of Código Brazuca (https://www.codigobrazuca.com.br), an educational Web3 project that currently supports Polkadot in Brazil.

Our Technical Coordinator, Antônio Marcelo, has extensive experience with Linux, starting his career in 1996. He was one of the founders of the Slackware Brazil group and played a key role in the free software movement. He has provided numerous Linux consulting services to Brazilian government agencies and helped build Brazil’s Linux ecosyfor Polkadot and Kusama. Today, he leads the Akash Latam Providers project, aiming to bring the Akash Depin project to Brazil, where he already has a community of DevOps professionals and Linux specialists. He is also involved in the Diode project , where he operates a node on the network and coordinates a study group in Brazil.

We already have experience in setting up and maintaining nodes for several blockchains. Some examples are listed below:

Diode Node - https://diode.io/network/#/network

Polkadot - https://telemetry.polkadot.io/#map/0x91b171bb158e2d3848fa23a9f1c25182fb8e20313b2c1eb49219da7a70ce90c3

Some books published in Brazil by our project coordinator

Linux Firewalls (2001)

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8574520829
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8574520827

Apache Server (2006)

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8574522538
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8574522531

Linux Intranets (2001)

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8574520470
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8574520476

Linux Anti-Hackers Tools (2000)

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8574520462
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8574520469
• 
  

Projects carried out in Brazil that I participated in as part of Código Brazuca and Node Hub web3:

2023 - Selarón Pedaços do Mundo (https://selaronpedacosdomundo.com.br)  

2023 - Arcology Brazil - Metaverse Game with The Sandbox (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sTVmiMJ46k)  

2023 - 4 Metaverses in Spatial for projects and companies (2 under NDA)  

Código Brazuca Space - https://www.spatial.io/s/Space-Codigo-Brazuca-640029353aa2f200e9720e72?share=248998534784895085  

Brazuca Gallery - https://www.spatial.io/s/Brazuca-Gallery-640fc247f40f414f260387e1?share=4390257892464318142  

Praça Paris - https://www.spatial.io/s/Praca-Paris-Gloria-RJ-Codigo-Brazuca-643b3aa107adc62740c4bc1d?share=6499233989676524379  

2023 - Código Brazuca Academy - Solidity training lasting 8 months with a KPI of 85% of students employed after the course, sponsored by Transfero Group  

2023 - Numerous lectures on blockchain technology at the largest events in the Brazilian market  

2023 - Extension courses for universities on blockchain technology and new markets  

2024 - Creation of the Node Hub Web3 by Código Brazuca to promote the Brazilian ecosystem around blockchain technology and innovation, reaching not only new entrants but also companies looking to provide blockchain technology solutions  

2024 - 15 events on blockchain technology with entrepreneurs and business owners, fostering the web3 ecosystem and introducing new entrants to blockchains monthly  

2024 - Numerous lectures at web3 and web2 events across Brazil  

2024 - Node Summit at the Rio Innovation Week, the largest innovation and technology event in LATAM with 185,000 attendees, where we brought blockchain technology to direct contact with the public, entrepreneurs, and companies with an exclusive stage for 2 days  

2024 - Código Brazuca Academy with active classes and a community of 850 developers, always introducing new opportunities for blockchain projects  

2024 - Liga Carioca de Blockchain, representing the league of students in Rio de Janeiro at each college and university, promoting blockchain technology within educational institutions  

2024 - Partnerships with traditional companies seeking blockchain solutions and web3 companies

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Phase 1: Kickoff & Program Start (Month 1)

Objective:

Deploy two nodes on the testnet for testing and validation and generate project documentation in both Portuguese and English.

Activities:

• Purchase of equipment (2) for node setup
• Team assembly
• Launch of the project webpage
• Creation of the community on Discord

Deliverable: By the end of this milestone, we will have 2 nodes running on the Cardano testnet and the configuration documentation available in both Portuguese and English.

Acceptance Criteria: Nodes running and documentation available in Portuguese/English.

Phase 2: Tuxchain Design (Month 2)

Objective:

Design the Linux distribution with management software and generate a first alpha test image for installation via USB drive, featuring the distro’s initial functionalities.

Activities:

• Technical design of the project, outlining UI, functionalities, and proposals
• Creation and testing of an alpha version for USB installation without a GUI, but with basic startup scripts and no personalized options

Deliverable: By the end of this milestone, we will have 2 alpha versions of Tuxchain for a more complex installation process, featuring basic startup scripts. Documentation of the distro will also be presented.

Acceptance Criteria:

• ISOs available for download and installation of Cardano node versions and delivery of the distro documentation design.
• Monthly Documentation and website updated.

Phase 3: Distro and Software Development (Month 3 to 6)

Objective:

Development of the Linux distribution and system management software.

Activities:

• Development of the distro
• Development of the configuration and system customization interface
• Adaptation of node monitoring tools

Deliverable:

• Beta versions will be generated monthly for download from the project website for public testing.
• Documentation and the website will be updated regularly.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Monthly ISOs available for download
• Monthly Documentation and website updated.

Final Milestone: Final Version (Months 7 and 8)

Objective:

Development of the final version of the Tuxchain distribution with all customization features.

Activities:

• Development of the final version of the distro, including complete installation and configuration structure
• QA and testing
• Creation of documentation (manual and video tutorial)
• Adaptation of the hardware purchased in Milestone 1 with the distro for potential commercial production
• Launch on the website
• Release event at Node HUB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Deliverable:

• Final version in English and Portuguese
• Documentation in both languages (Portuguese and English) and a video tutorial (in Portuguese with English subtitles).
• Launch event to the market

Acceptance Criteria:

• Final version delivered and completed with full documentation
• Final event for the market

Post-Program Support:

• Presentation to the Brazilian market and the Brazilian Cardano community
• Discord channel for support
• Updates for 1 year

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Antônio Marcelo - Technical Coordinator - https://www.linkedin.com/in/antfonseca/

CEO of Código Brazuca and Node Hub Web3. He has been working with Linux since 1996, focusing on infrastructure and education. He is the author of approximately 11 books on Linux, Apache, Linux Security, Squid, Postfix, and System Administration in Brazil. He worked in information security from 1999 to 2006.

He has been involved in various web3 projects since 2022, serving as an advisor on metaverse projects, tokenization, and setting up infrastructure for Blockchain. He ran two nodes for 10 months on Kusama and Polkadot. He is a speaker and biz dev at the Blockchain Festival.

He is responsible for Código Brazuca, an education project that has been operating since 2021, training developers and devops in web3 technologies. He is currently an ambassador for CESS (a project based on Polkadot technology) and Akash Insider project from Cosmos Ecosystem.

Priscilla Baeta - Operations Coordinator - https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscillabaeta/

COO of Código Brazuca, COO of Node Hub Web3 and a project development specialist. She has worked in project development, education, and research for over 10 years for YouTube Brazil and Ubisoft (in various game franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, and Tom Clancy). She has been giving lectures and classes on the Web 3 and Blockchain market since 2021.

She is the lead Voxel artist and research manager for Arcology Brazil, launched by The Sandbox in September 2023, and several metaverses on SPATIAL for business, networking, and gaming purposes. She also works with NFTs and Blockchain games since 2021. She serves as a BizDevOps in Blockchain and web 3 projects in the Brazilian ecosystem. She got a bachelor's degree in Design and Fashion at Veiga de Almeida University. She is a Cripto Researcher and specialist in cripto market.

Rafael Castaneda - Educational Coordinator - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-castaneda-66776829/

Cryptologist and Techno-philosopher; Castaneda graduated with a Master's degree in Systems and Computing from IME-RJ and has more than 20 years of experience as a software engineer, technical leader, and teacher/researcher at various educational levels. He dedicated 15 years of service to the public sector as a tenured professor at CEFET/RJ, where he published more than 30 papers and supervised several student projects.

His crypto journey began in 2021, since then, he has been active in the market as a crypto asset analyst and content producer in the form of videos, news, articles, reports, podcasts, and workshops. Today, besides offering consultancy in the sector, he founded his own channel "Casta Crypto," where he works on a new way to understand the blockchain phenomenon, by integrating crypto technology with philosophical, sociological, and economic concepts.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Costs 8 Months fo Project

Technical Coordinator – Responsible for technical aspects , DEVOPS and Linux implementation. They will act as a technical liaison between the program and Cardano specialists. They will oversee the technical progress of the project and the professionals involved. Total Funds : 34064 ADAS

Operations Coordinator – Responsible for the entire operation, execution, and troubleshooting of the project . They will coordinate schedules, professionals involved, resources, and activities related. Total Funds : 34064 ADAS

Devops – In the project the DevOps professional plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth development, deployment, and operation of the Linux distribution for Cardano nodes.

Total Funds : 22720 ADAS

Programmer – Responsible for create GUI, UX/UI automate processes, design CI/CD pipelines for distro updates, integrate monitoring tools, and optimize the system based on real-time data. Work together with devops and techinical coordinator

Total Funds : 17100 ADAS

Educational Coordinator– Will develop the educational material (manuals and video) necessary for the program, in collaboration with the Technical Coordinator and devops.

Total Funds : 11360 ADAS

Hardware – 2 machines with the follow configuration

Intel I5 - 4th Generation , 8 Gbytes Ram, 480 SSD

Intel Processor I7 - 6th Generation, 32 Gbytes RAM, 1 Terabyte SSD

Both Mini PCS

Total Funds : 7098 ADAS

Internet and Website - Creatian and maintenance of internet website.

Total Funds : 4069 ADAS

Final Event : Event open for the public

Total Funds : 2565 ADAS

Contingency Fund – Due to the volatility of the crypto market, this fund was created to accommodate potential devaluations of currencies or unforeseen issues during the course of the program. Total Funds : 18445 ADAS

Administration – Handles all accounting tasks, including the issuance of invoices, certificates, support materials, and service quotations such as catering, etc.

Total Funds : 11360

Manuals and Video - Manual editing, Video Production

Total Funds : 9932 ADAS

Brazilian Taxes – Taxes charged by the Brazilian government for financial and business operations in the country.Total Funds : 26051,5 ADAS

Total Costs: 199728,50

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The cost of the project represents significant value for money for the Cardano ecosystem due to its focus on accessibility, decentralization, and long-term community engagement. Here's why:

1. Decentralization and Network Growth: By developing a Linux distribution that simplifies the deployment and operation of Cardano nodes, the project directly contributes to increasing the number of participants in the network

1. Accessibility and Inclusivity: The project aims to make the installation of Cardano nodes accessible to a broader audience, including users with limited technical expertise

1. Commercial Potential and Scalability: The project includes a focus on adapting hardware for commercial deployment, which opens the possibility for further scaling

1. Continuous Support and Community Growth: The project's post-launch support, including a dedicated Discord channel and updates for one year, ensures continuous community engagement and assistance for new node operator

1. Educational and Documentation Value: With detailed documentation and video tutorials available in multiple languages, the project not only serves immediate technical needs but also contributes to long-term educational valu

Conclusion: The cost of this project is justified as it provides critical infrastructure improvements, increases accessibility and decentralization, enhances educational resources, and lays the foundation for commercial scalability. All these factors combined make it a high-value investment for the Cardano ecosystem, aligning with its long-term goals of growth, security, and global adoption.