# Curriculum breakdown & timeline

## Week 1

1\) Understanding Ethereum validators

* What are nodes and validators on Ethereum, and why solo-stake?
* Roles & responsibilities of a node operator 
* Rewards and penalties
* Importance of client diversity
* Distributed validator technologies (DVTs)
* Bonded validators

2\) Hardware concepts

* Setup overview
* Hardware & system requirements performance
* Procuring your hardware

#### \*1 week lead time to purchase and receive hardware

## Week 3 

3\) Hardware purchase and setup

* Inspecting and assembling your hardware - preventing supply chain attacks

4\) Installing the Linux OS

* Install & Prepare OS 
* Test on Google Cloud VM using free credits

5\) Networking & network security

* Networking basics
* Advanced networking - Port forwarding, Upnp, VPN
* How to configure your home network

6\) Security

* How to use SSH tunnelling for secure remote access
* Firewalls, automatic patching, brute force protection, automatic security updates
* Verifying checksums

## Week 4

7\) Execution client setup **(Holesky)**

* Generating JWT token
* Installing dependencies
* Downloading and installing the execution client
* Prepare execution client configuration file
* Running the execution client

8\) Consensus client setup **(Holesky)**

* Installing dependencies
* Downloading and installing the consensus client
* Prepare consensus client configuration file
* Running the consensus client

## Week 5

9\) MEV-Boost setup **(Holesky)**

* Installing dependencies
* Prepare the MEV-boost configuration file
* Running MEV-boost 

10\) Monitoring suite

* Setting up Prometheus and Grafana
* Set up beaconcha.in notifications

11\) Maintenance

* Updating your validator node
* Pruning execution clients
* Pruning consensus clients

## Week 6

12\) Validator key generation **(Holesky)**

* Setting up an air-gapped machine 
* SOPs during key generation and storage 
* Key generation process

13\) Validator client setup **(Holesky)**

* Prepare validator client configuration file
* Running the validator client

14\) Depositing ETH

* Get **Holesky ETH** from faucets
* Complete the deposit process

15\) Tips and other best practices

* Slashing prevention
* Maximising uptime
* Optimising security
* Managing your withdrawal wallet

## Week 7

16\) DVT & bonded validator setup **(Holesky)**

## Week 8 to 9 

**17) Mainnet deployment**