Prepare Node

Now that the P-Chain records are set up, you can start the nodes tracking the Subnet. These nodes will no be validators yet, but we will promote them to validators in the following conversion step.

We will use Docker to run the node. Docker is a containerization platform that allows you to run applications in isolated environments called containers. This makes it easy to deploy and manage applications, as well as to ensure that they run consistently across different environments.

Ideally you would run the node on a cloud linux server. You can use any cloud provider you like, like AWS, GCP, Azure, or Digital Ocean. When creating the server, make sure that the ports 9650 and 9651 are open.

You can also run the node on your local machine, but this is not recommended, because the ports should not be open to the public. You can complete most of the steps without opening the ports, but your L1 will not be be able to use the interoperability features of the Avalanche network.

If you want to run the node on your local machine, you can use Docker Desktop, which is a free application that allows you to run Docker containers on your local machine. You can download Docker Desktop from the Docker website.