# Swarm FAQ

:::info
Cashout troubleshooting by Ralph
https://hackmd.io/95rvXRswSh-xm9Td_Xl2cg?view
NOTE: Gašper add it to FAQ
:::

[TOC]

---

## Community

### I am trying to join your discord channel but am unable to see content.

It seems that there is a problem with the verification.
Please check direct messages and find the message from Server Captcha Bot. Then complete your captcha.


If you didn't get the Server Captcha Bot DM, please go to Privacy & Safety settings and Allow direct massages form server members. Then leave Swarm server and join again.


### Who can I contact for business or other inquiries?
For business or other inquiries you can contact us at [e-mail]

## The Rise of Bee - Airdrop

### Are airdrop awards calculated based on the amount of cheques or the number of cheques?

For the airdrop, the worth/value of cashed-out cheques matter, not the number of cashed-out cheques. Cashing out your cheques once a day is more than enough.

### Other FAQs are in the blog (link below), please take it from there, they are alredy proofread.
https://medium.com/ethereum-swarm/the-rise-of-bee-airdrop-ama-839d270563c2

## Bee Node

### Where can I find Swarm Documentation:
Bee Documentation: https://docs.ethswarm.org/docs/
Book of Swarm: https://gateway.ethswarm.org/bzz/latest.bookofswarm.eth/

### Where can I report issues, errors, bugs?
You can report issues, errors and bugs in the bee-support channel on our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/GU22h2utj6). If nobody can help you should create a new issue on [Github](https://github.com/ethersphere/bee/issues/new/choose). When you create a new issue please take care of not creating duplicate issues.

### How many Bee nodes are currently running?
For the current state of Bee nodes please visit https://beenodes.live

### How do you visualize beenodes.live map?
We run a "mutant Bee" crawler that determines the multiAddresses for all known-to-be-active bee nodes. It then uses an IP-to-location geocoding service to put pushpins on the map. Nodes the crawler can connect to get one pin and ones that it fails to connect to get a different pin.

### Where can I find support for running Bee node on DAppNode?
You can find support for running Bee on DAppNode on the DappNode Discord server:
https://discord.gg/dRd5CrjF

### How to Install Bee on Linux?
Please see the guide on the link below:
https://hackmd.io/RDLDF3XiSnaVNSR9ahkaiw

### How to Install Bee on windows?
To run a bee node on Windows please visit https://github.com/ethersphere/bee/releases and download one of the Windows releases.
Unfortunately you can't run bee-clef on windows yet, so you will need to use a different checkout scripts, but it works just fine.
As an example, we offer you a very basic script, where you can manually cash out all cheques with a worth above a certain value. To use the script:
https://gist.github.com/ralph-pichler/3b5ccd7a5c5cd0500e6428752b37e975#file-cashout-sh

The other option is to build it from source with a git checkout and a working go environment.

### How-to cash out gBZZ cheques on Windows？

Try using the windows 10 powershell or install some unix terminal like cygwin. That being said we are working on a ways to make this easier and multiplatform. Stay tuned.

### How to run more than one node?
https://docs.ethswarm.org/docs/advanced/large-node-operators
Quick answer - better run many small nodes (each with default db capacity)

### Which port should I open?

See connectivity section on:
https://docs.ethswarm.org/docs/installation/connectivity

### How do I know if I am connected to other peers?

Just run `curl http://localhost:1635/peers` in your command line and see what the raw output is, as long as you see "successfully connected", then you are connecting to peers. And you would not be seeing anything from pushSync if there were no peers connected.

### What does "Failed to connect to local host port 1635: Connection refused" mean?
Your node is not listening on port 1635, either the debug-api is not enabled, or it is not executing on localhost.
Make sure your bee.yaml file has `debug-api-enable: true`

### What does "could not connect to peer" mean?

Cannot connect to peer can happen for various reasons. Most common is that you have the identifier of a peer in your address book from a previous session. When trying to connect again to this node the peer might not be online anymore.

### What does "context deadline exceeded" error mean?

The "context deadline exceeded" is a non critical warning. It means that a node took unexpectedly long to respond a request from your node. Your node will automatically try again via another node.

### How to set up the blockchain endpoint?

- If you use "bee start"
- you can set it in your bee configuration under --swap-endpoint or BEE_SWAP_ENDPOINT
- open ~/.bee.yaml
- set `swap-endpoint: https://rpc.slock.it/goerli`

- If you use bee.service
- you can set it in your bee configuration under --swap-endpoint or BEE_SWAP_ENDPOINT
- open /etc/bee/bee.yaml
- and then uncomment `swap-endpoint` configuration
- and set it to `https://rpc.slock.it/goerli`
- after that sudo systemctl restart bee

### How to export private keys from the node with bee-clef installed

If you are running Bee together with the Bee-Clef, you can type in the command line `bee-clef-keys` and that will store the .JSON file into your home folder and copy the password in your clipboard.

### I have bee-clef installed but I can't export private keys.
It happens quite a lot that bee-clef is installed, but getting the address from bee-clef-keys does not yield the same output as `:1635/addresses`

In this case, the user most likely does not have clef enabled in the configuration of the bee node.

This doesn't work for you? You get erorr -> `xclip: not found” or “Error: Can’t open display: (null)`

Try running the command below:
`sudo cat /var/lib/bee-clef/password`

You can then use that to import to Metamask or any other web3 wallet provider.

### How to export private keys from the node (without bee-clef)?

You can find insturction here in README section:
https://github.com/ethersphere/exportSwarmKey

You can also follow to the mini-guide on the link below:
https://pastebee.com/?3b2a4cecafa21a7afcdd4d4f3d74fef1d5551acd91eb2d3a5b750dc9a161fbcf

### How to import bee node address to Metamask?

1. [export your bee node private keys](https://hackmd.io/tfKVeHaIQGewlGTC4ooESg#How-to-export-private-keys-from-the-node-with-bee-claf-installed)
2. go to Metamask and click import account
3. choose select type: JSON file
4. upload exported .JSON file (which contains your keys)
5. paste the password
6. click Import

### What is bee-clef?

Bee-clef is a key manager. With the bee-clef your keys are not exposed to bee-process.

[Clef](https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/tree/master/cmd/clef) is the [Go Ethereum client](https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/)'s external signer (an external service that signs transactions).

[Bee-clef](https://github.com/ethersphere/bee-clef) starts up a custom clef instance that is preconfigured to be suitable for [bee](https://github.com/ethersphere/bee)'s automated operation.

### What are the restart commands of bee-clef?

If you use bee.service:

- Start: `sudo systemctl start bee-clef.service`
- Stop: `sudo systemctl stop bee-clef.service`
- Status: `sudo systemctl status bee-clef.service`

### What are the restart commands of bee?

If you use bee.service:

- Start: `sudo systemctl start bee.service`
- Stop: `sudo systemctl stop bee.service`
- Status: `sudo systemctl status bee.service`

If you use "bee start"

- Start: `bee start`
- Stop: `ctrl + c` or `cmd + c` or close terminal to stop process

### Is there any kind of dashboard or a user friendly way to monitor the working of a node?

We are developing bee-status. https://github.com/ethersphere/bee-status
Currently not released yet, but Alpha release will be soon.

If you using a DAppNode, there's a nice grafana dashboard.

Also you can check a few tools, created by our trusted community members.

https://github.com/doristeo/SwarmMonitoring
https://github.com/DigiDr/swarm-docker-python-tools

### Relevant endpoints and explanations

Balances: https://docs.ethswarm.org/debug-api/#tag/Balance
Chequebook: https://docs.ethswarm.org/debug-api/#tag/Chequebook
Status: https://docs.ethswarm.org/debug-api/#tag/Status
Connectivity: https://docs.ethswarm.org/debug-api/#tag/Connectivity
Settlements: https://docs.ethswarm.org/debug-api/#tag/Settlements
Chunk: https://docs.ethswarm.org/debug-api/#tag/Chunk

Most common use cases:

- `curl http://localhost:1635/peers` - Shows you the currently connected peers
- `curl http://localhost:1635/balances` - Shows balances (positive=incoming, negative=outgoing) accumulating with peers, some of which may or may not be currently connectd
- `curl http://localhost:1635/settlements` - When the balance with a given peer exceeds a threshold, a settlement will be issued, if the settlement is received, then your node should have a check from that peer.
- `curl http://localhost:1635/chequebook/address` your checkbook contract to see the gBZZ.

### How can I check how many cashed out cheques do I have?
You can look at your checkbook contract at etherscan.
Get your checkbook contract address with: `curl http://localhost:1635/chequebook/address`

### I have compared transactions between my ethereum address and my chequebook address, the number are different, which is quite weird.

Your checkbook will show OUT gBZZ transactions when your peers cash checks issued by you, but you don't pay any gas for those so they won't show up in your Ethereum address transaction list.

### How to set infura.io endpoint:

You need to sign up for a free account at infura.io, set up an Ethereum project, and get the goerli test net URL which will include your personal API key. Put that URL in your swap-endpoint and restart your node.

Be sure that you choose the right network:

### Can I connect several nodes to infura endpoint?

Yes, but their free plan has limit 100k requests per day.

### Where can I find documents about the cashout commands?

https://docs.ethswarm.org/docs/advanced/swap

### When I run http://localhost:1635/chequebook/balance I get "totalBalance" and "availableBalance" what is the difference?

`totalBalance` is the balance on the blockchain, `availableBalance` is that balance minus the outstanding (non-cashed) checks that you have issued to your peers. These latter checks do not show up on the blockchain.
It's like what the bank thinks your balance is vs what your checkbook knows is actually available because of the checks you've written that are still "in the mail" and not yet cashed.

### How can I get the gBzz to run the node?

If you are on Discord you can go to #faucet-request channel and type sprinkle "your node address", and your address will be funded.

You can also get your gBZZ over [Bzzaar](https://bzz.ethswarm.org).

### How to use the Bzzaar to get gBZZ for Bee?

For more indetailed instructions please check "fund your node on the [docs](https://docs.ethswarm.org/docs/installation/quick-start#fund-your-node)"

1) Set up a MetaMask account on the Goerli test chain
2) go to the bzzaar via the link as provided in your bee logs `https://bzz.ethswarm.org/?transaction=buy&amount=10&slippage=30&receiver=<address>
3) Connect the Bzzaar to your MetaMask wallet on the Goerli test chain (upper right)
4) Use the get g-eth button on the bzzaar to get g-eth on your node and metamask account
5) Press the Exchange button to mint gBzz into the node's account
6) Approve the transaction in your MetaMask
7) Wait a bit and the node should be able to proceed.
8) A small amount of gETH will be sent to both your connected wallet, and your Bee's wallet!

This can take a couple of minutes, check the faucet address on Etherscan and look for the transactions to your addresses.

You may need to reconnect your wallet to see your balance increase once the transaction has completed.

### What is gETH and gBZZ?
gEth is the native token on the goerli test blockchain. gBZZ is the BZZ token also on the goerli test blockchain. You get gETH from goerli faucets and it is required for deploying the chequebook contract (once only), depositing gBZZ into that chequebook, and for cashing checks later. gBZZ is the currency of Bee and is collected or paid for transferring data in the network and for storage when postage stamps get released.

### How many network traffic consumes one node per day?

Network traffic depends on your connectivity and the activity level in Swarm.

## Unconfirmed

### What determines the number of peers and how to influence their number? Why are there sometimes 300+ peers and sometimes 30?

The number of connected peers is determined by your node as it attempts to keep the distributed kademlia well connected. As nodes come and go in the network your peer count will go up and down. If you watch bee's output logs for "successfully connected", there should be a mix of (inbound) and (outbound) at the end of those messages. If you only get (outbound) then you need to get your p2p port opened through your firewall and/or forwarded by your router.

### How to Install Bee on Dappnode / Raspberry PI?
Please see the guide on the link below:
https://medium.com/ethereum-swarm/how-to-run-bee-on-a-dappnode-raspberry-pi-7b4993ff7583

### What is the difference between "systemctl" and "bee start"?

"bee start" and "systemctl start bee" actually run 2 different instances with 2 different bee.yaml files and two different data directories.

"bee start" uses ~/.bee.yaml and the ~/.bee directory for data
systemctl uses /etc/bee/bee.yaml and (IIRC) /var/lib/bee for data