The safest way of running a master node is using the hot/cold method described in this great tutorial:
<can't post links yet will fill this in later>
However, you may want to choose a more simple method of running a Master Node directly on a Windows platform, if you have enough confidence that your coins are safe. With this method, you will be using your wallet directly as a Master Node, keeping it open 24/7. Please note that if someone gains access to your server, and also obtains your wallet password, you may lose all your DASH. So if you want to follow this method, good security of your Windows server is paramount.
There are basically two steps, first configuring your DASH wallet, then configuring your DASH wallet to be a Master Node.
1) Download and install DASH wallet
Get the latest version of the Core wallet here: <can't post links yet will fill this in later>
Select Download Installer for the version of the OS you are using, 32 or 64 bits. Don’t use Electrum Dash, as this wallet cannot be a Master Node. Run the installer and start the wallet.
You will get a choice where you want to store the data, including the blockchain. This is 1.6 GB at the time of writing. If you choose a different location then the standard location and want to create a new directory, click the button with the dots …. next to where the path is listed. A Windows Explorer will open, allowing you to browse to the desired location and create a new directory by right-clicking in the empty space. Please note that the location you choose, will be the location where we will make a dash.conf file in step 2.
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Run the wallet, allow it access to the internet via the Windows firewall when prompted and allow it to sync the entire blockchain. This will take several hours. You can monitor the progress in the wallet.
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Transfer at least 1000 DASH to your wallet using the preconfigured receiving address you already have (in the wallet: File -> Receiving Addresses).
Set a password on your wallet, go to Settings -> Encrypt Wallet. This will take a while and you will have to restart the wallet after the encrypting is done.
Do not lose this password, as you will lose access to your funds if you forget it.
Make a backup of your wallet, go to File -> Backup Wallet. Please do this. Save the backup in a physically different place then the computer the wallet is on. Preferably more than one place. Make backups on a regular basis.
2) Configure your wallet to be a Master Node
There are three steps: you will need 1000 DASH in a special Master Node address, a configuration file telling the wallet it is a Master Node, and starting the wallet in Master Node mode.
a) 1000 DASH in a Master Node address
In the wallet, click Tools -> Debug console. This will open a command prompt allowing you to interact with the wallet.
Enter the following command: "masternode genkey" and press ENTER. You will see a long string of numbers and letters. Please copy/paste this string to a notepad file. You will need this string in the dash.conf file we will be creating in the next step.
Enter the following command: "getaccountaddress 0" and press ENTER. This will generate your new Master Node’s receiving address, or public key. This address, labeled "0", can be found in the wallet when you go to File -> Receiving Addresses. This address will be the one that you will send your 1000 DASH to, and the one where all future payments for running a Master Node will go. You will also be able to find your Master Node by this public address in the list of all Master Nodes.
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Copy this address and transfer exactly 1000 DASH to it using the Send option of the wallet. The 1000 DASH will stay in your wallet, they will just be in a different address of your wallet, associated with your private key. You will only lose the transaction costs. You will need this transaction to be confirmed at least 15 times. You can check the progress of the confirmations in your wallet by using the tab Transactions and then double-clicking the transaction labeled "Payment to yourself".
Make another backup of your wallet.
b) Generate a configuration file
There are different ways to do this, in the end a dash.conf file containing the correct parameters must be in the root of the folder that contains your DASH data.
In your wallet, go to Tools -> Open Configuration File. Windows will ask you what program you wish to use to open this file, choose More apps -> notepad, and keep the checkbox at “Always use this program to open .conf files”.
Copy and paste the following contents to the Notepad window that opened, replacing the text in capital letters and using the Master Node key you generated in the step before (not the receiving address or public key, but the key you got when you used “masternode genkey”).
rpcuser=RANDOMLETTERSANDNUMBERS
rpcpassword=MORERANDOMLETTERSANDNUMBERS
rpcallowip=127.0.0.1
listen=1
server=1
daemon=1
logtimestamps=1
maxconnections=256
masternode=1
masternodeprivkey=THEMASTERNODEKEYYOUGENERATED
addnode=23.23.186.131
Press control-S to save this file, then close Notepad. Please note that if you use “File -> Save as” instead of control-S, you might save the file as dash.conf.txt instead of dash.conf. This will lead to an error in the console later when you try to start the Master Node, stating that masternode=1 should be in the dash.conf file.
c) Start the Master Node
Close the wallet.
Restart the wallet, allowing it to pick up the dash.conf file (the wallet will not behave differently yet, but this is a necessary step).
Open the console via Tools -> Debug console. Type in the command: “masternode start YOURWALLETPASSWORD”, using the password you set earlier to encrypt your wallet. If all is well, you will get the message: “Successfully started master node”. Please note that you will have to do this after each restart of the wallet, so e.g. after a reboot for a Windows update or after an update of the wallet.
Now, you can check the status of your Master Node by going to this webpage: <can't post links yet will fill this in later>
And entering your public key in the search box.
Happy Master Nodeing!
