Bittensor Subnet Template

This repository provides a minimal template for setting up a simple Bittensor subnet with a miner and a validator. The miner and validator communicate using a custom protocol defined in protocol.py. This template serves as a starting point for developers interested in building on the Bittensor network.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Project Structure
• Prerequisites
• Setup Instructions
  • 1. Clone the Repository
  • 2. Install Dependencies
  • 3. Create Wallets
  • 4. Register Wallets
• Running the Miner and Validator
  • Running the Miner
  • Running the Validator
• Monitoring and Logging
• Customization
• Notes and Considerations
• License

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Overview

This template demonstrates how to:

• Set up a basic miner that responds to queries from validators.
• Implement a validator that sends queries to miners and adjusts their scores based on responses.
• Use a custom protocol for communication between the miner and validator.
• Update weights on the Bittensor blockchain based on miner performance.

By following this guide, you'll have a functional miner and validator interacting on a Bittensor subnet.

Project Structure

bittensor_subnet/
├── miner.py          # Miner node script
├── validator.py      # Validator node script
└── protocol.py       # Custom protocol definition

• miner.py: Implements a miner that listens for incoming requests and responds according to the protocol.
• validator.py: Implements a validator that sends requests to miners and updates their scores.
• protocol.py: Defines the custom protocol used for communication between the miner and validator.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Python 3.10 or higher
• Git
• Bittensor SDK (version 10 or higher)
• An active subnet on Bittensor testnet or local chain instance. For more information, see create a new subnet

Note: To create a local blockchain instance, see Run a Local Bittensor Blockchain Instance.

Setup Instructions

1. Fork and clone the Repository

Fork the subnet template repository to create a copy of the repository under your GitHub account.

Next, clone this repository to your local machine and change directory ask shown:

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/subnet_template.git
cd subnet_template

2. Install Dependencies

Install the required Python packages:

pip install bittensor

Note: It's recommended to use a virtual environment to manage dependencies.

3. Create Wallets

You'll need to create wallets for both the miner and validator.

Using btcli

The btcli tool is used to manage wallets and keys.

1. Create a Coldkey (shared between miner and validator):

   btcli w new_coldkey --wallet.name mywallet

2. Create Hotkeys:

   • Miner Hotkey:

     btcli w new_hotkey --wallet.name mywallet --wallet.hotkey miner_hotkey

   • Validator Hotkey:

     btcli w new_hotkey --wallet.name mywallet --wallet.hotkey validator_hotkey

4. Register Wallets

Register both the miner and validator on the active Bittensor subnet.

Note: Ensure your miner and validator wallets are sufficiently funded before attempting subnet registration.

• For local development, transfer funds from the Alice account.
• For testnet development, you can request testnet TAO from the Bittensor Discord.

• Register the Miner:

  btcli s register --wallet.name mywallet --wallet.hotkey miner_hotkey --subtensor.network NETWORK --netuid NETUID

• Register the Validator:

  btcli s register --wallet.name mywallet --wallet.hotkey validator_hotkey --subtensor.network NETWORK --netuid NETUID

Note: Replace NETWORK with the name of the network you are connecting to if different—local or test.

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Running the Miner and Validator

Start the miner process

To start the miner, run the following Python script in the subnet-template directory:

python miner.py --wallet.name WALLET_NAME --wallet.hotkey HOTKEY --netuid NETUID --axon.port 8901 --subtensor.network NETWORK

Note: Run the miner.py script in a Python environment with the Bittensor SDK installed.

The script launches an Axon server on port 8901, which the miner uses to receive incoming requests from validators.

Start the validator process

To start the validator process, run the following Python script in the subnet-template directory:

python validator.py --wallet.name WALLET_NAME --wallet.hotkey HOTKEY --netuid NETUID --subtensor.network NETWORK

Note: Run the validator.py script in a Python environment with the Bittensor SDK installed.

This script begins the process of sending inputs to the miners and setting weights based on miner responses.

Arguments:

• --wallet.name: The name of the wallet.
• --wallet.hotkey: The hotkey name for the validator.
• --netuid: The uid of the subnet in the network.
• --subtensor.network: The Bittensor network to connect to.

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Monitoring and Logging

Use the --logging.info flag to print miner and validator log messages directly to the console. This helps you monitor activity in real time. For example

python validator.py --wallet.name WALLET_NAME --wallet.hotkey HOTKEY --netuid NETUID --subtensor.network NETWORK --logging.info

You can monitor these logs to observe the interactions and performance metrics.

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Customization

Modifying the Protocol

The communication protocol is defined in protocol.py. You can modify or extend the Dummy class to implement more complex interactions.

Example:

class CustomProtocol(bt.Synapse):
    # Define your custom protocol attributes and methods
    ...

Update miner.py and validator.py to use your custom protocol.

Adjusting Scoring Logic

In validator.py, the validator adjusts miner scores based on their responses. You can modify the scoring logic in the main loop to suit your needs.

Example:

# Custom scoring logic
if resp_i == expected_value:
    score = 1
else:
    score = 0

Changing Network Parameters

You can adjust network parameters like netuid, timeouts, and other settings via command-line arguments or by modifying the code in the miner.py and validator.py.

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Notes and Considerations

• Security: This template is for educational purposes. In a production environment, ensure robust security measures are in place.
• Error Handling: The provided code includes basic error handling. Enhance it to handle edge cases and exceptions gracefully.
• Network Compatibility: Ensure that the netuid and subtensor.network values match the subnet you intend to connect to.
• Bittensor Updates: Bittensor is an evolving project. Keep your SDK updated and adjust the code as necessary to accommodate changes.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Feel free to contribute, raise issues, or suggest improvements to this template. Happy mining and validating on the Bittensor network!