New Node Initialization & Storage Optimization.md

🚀 New Node Initialization & Storage Optimization

This guide ensures that new VMs (Ubuntu/Debian) are optimized for Blockchain/AI workloads by limiting log bloat and clearing unnecessary system data.

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1. System Log Optimization (Journald)

By default, Ubuntu allows logs to take up to 4GB. This caps it at 500MB.

Commands:

# Set limits in journald.conf
sudo sed -i 's/#SystemMaxUse=/SystemMaxUse=500M/' /etc/systemd/journald.conf
sudo sed -i 's/#RuntimeMaxUse=/RuntimeMaxUse=100M/' /etc/systemd/journald.conf

# Restart service to apply
sudo systemctl restart systemd-journald

# Vacuum existing logs older than 2 days
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=2d

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2. APT Cleanup & Automation

Prevent the .deb installer cache from growing every time you update.

Commands:

# Clear current cache
sudo apt-get clean

# Remove unused dependencies and old kernels
sudo apt-get autoremove --purge -y

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3. LVM Partition Expansion

Ubuntu often only allocates 50% of the disk. Use 100% of the available physical space.

Commands:

# Extend the Logical Volume to use 100% of Free PE
sudo lvextend -l +100%FREE /dev/ubuntu-vg/ubuntu-lv

# Resize the filesystem to match
sudo resize2fs /dev/mapper/ubuntu--vg-ubuntu--lv

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4. Docker Optimization (If used)

Docker logs and dangling images are the #1 cause of disk failure in nodes.

Config (/etc/docker/daemon.json): Create or edit this file to limit container log sizes:

{
  "log-driver": "json-file",
  "log-opts": {
    "max-size": "10m",
    "max-file": "3"
  }
}

Maintenance Command:

# Periodically run this to clear unused build layers
docker system prune -f

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5. Developer Cache Management

Clean these monthly or when switching between projects.

Tool	Clean Command	Purpose
Go	go clean -modcache	Clears all downloaded modules.
Rust	cargo cache -a	Requires cargo-cache crate. Clears old builds.
Foundry	forge clean	Clears out/ and cache/ artifacts.
Python	find . -name "__pycache__" -exec rm -rf {} +	Removes AI/Python temp files.

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6. Quick Health Check Script

Save this as check.sh for a 1-second status update:

#!/bin/bash
echo "--- DISK USAGE ---"
df -h | grep -E '^Filesystem|/dev/mapper/'
echo -e "\n--- LOG USAGE ---"
journalctl --disk-usage
echo -e "\n--- SWAP STATUS ---"
swapon --show