Baking with DAL

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Introduction

The Tezos Data Availability Layer (DAL) enhances network scalability by efficiently handling large volumes of data off-chain, providing essential support for rollups and other layer-2 solutions. This guide explains how to set up DAL locally alongside your TezBake baker.

For more details on DAL, see Tezos DAL Overview.

⚠️ Warning

The security implications for bakers in the DAL network are highlighted in the official Octez documentation. Since a baker’s bandwidth in the DAL is proportional to their stake, it may be relatively straightforward to identify the IP address of a DAL node—especially for bakers with substantial stakes.

To mitigate this risk, the core team advises running your DAL node on a different IP address than your L1 node. This separation helps prevent unintentional exposure of your node’s identity.

If you wish to run TezBake with DAL on a separate machine, consider using TezBake Prism Tunneling, which is designed for setups across multiple hosts.

New TezBake Setup with DAL

You can set up TezBake with DAL integration from scratch. Follow these steps:

  1. Run setup with DAL integration:
tezbake setup --with-dal

  1. Proceed with your usual setup steps (ledger integration, baker registration, etc.).

  2. Continue to the After Setup section.

Existing TezBake Setup

If you already have TezBake running without DAL, follow these steps:

  1. Install DAL:
tezbake setup --dal

After DAL Setup

  1. Inject attester profiles:

This step does not require interaction with your Ledger:

tezbake update-dal-profiles --auto

If the above command fails, specify your baker key (not consensus key):

tezbake update-dal-profiles <your-baker-key>
  1. Restart TezBake to apply changes:
tezbake stop && tezbake start

Quick Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues or require immediate help, execute these commands to revert changes and reinstall:

tezbake remove --dal
tezbake setup --node  # choose 'yes' to merge config when prompted
tezbake stop && tezbake start

Verify DAL Operation

Ensure your DAL process is correctly running by checking logs:

tezbake node log dal -f

Your logs should indicate the DAL is receiving block levels. Also, verify the TezBake baker logs are error-free regarding DAL integration:

tezbake node log baker -f

For additional DAL checks, refer to the Nomadic Labs DAL Tutorial.

Any further questions or support requests? Contact the Tez Capital team on Discord or Telegram.