I am interested in running in a first step a Kusama validator and have a question regarding the following rule as defined on the “Decentralized Nodes Rules” page (Decentralized Nodes - Rules):
* Each validator must have a minimum self-stake of 7500 DOT on Polkadot and 150 KSM on Kusama.
Does this rule mean that in order to run a Kusama validator I have to actually run a Polkadot and a Kusama validator at the same time?
If so, I would probably run both validators on the same server which leads me to the next questions of the amount of number of CPU cores as defined in the hardware requirements (Run a Validator (Polkadot) · Polkadot Wiki):
In case I run a Polkadot and Kusama validator on the same server, do I need 16 CPU cores or are 8 CPU cores enough to run both validators?
From my understanding, you do not have to run nodes on both networks to qualify for inclusion in the DN programme. The rule you highlighted is simply stating the minimum amount of stake for a node on each network.
Thank you so much for your answer. I will then probably setup a Kusama node before round three (May 2025) and apply then for the DN program.
Now another question popped-up into my mind reading the list of preferable setups (Decentralized Nodes - Avoidable/Preferrable Setups): Why is actually Intel CPUs preferred? For instance AMD EPYC server CPUs have fantastic performance and have made great experience with them. Is it maybe simply because there are already too many validator nodes with AMD CPUs compared to Intel?
Yes. Exactly. The programme is minimizing risk by ensuring nodes in the programme are using a variety of hardware / software setups, location, hosting providers, etc. Another example is Debian vs Ubuntu. Most nodes are running Ubuntu, so it seems they will give added incentive for acceptance into the programme if you’re running Debian as opposed to Ubuntu.