Operator Node Architecture & DePIN Proof Flow

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An Operator Node in NØN-OS is a sovereign execution environment that participates in the mesh-native Proof-of-Infrastructure economy. Its responsibilities include:

Running Capsules (.mod packages) in a deterministic, isolated runtime.

Producing zkProofs of execution correctness.

Contributing compute, bandwidth, and storage capacity to the mesh.

Maintaining a local ledger of micro-fee revenues.

Relaying and verifying proofs for other nodes.

Operator Nodes are not dependent on centralized schedulers, DNS, or clearnet APIs — they bootstrap entirely through peer discovery (mesh.rs), meaning they remain operational even in fully partitioned networks.

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Node Initialization

The first time a NØN-OS node boots as an operator:

1. Hardware Profiling (state.rs)

   CPU cores, memory, storage, network throughput are measured.

   Hash snapshot is generated for Proof-of-Infrastructure.

2. Keypair Provisioning (trust.rs)

   If missing, an ed25519 node keypair is generated locally.

   Keys are stored in encrypted, offline-capable storage.

3. Mesh Bootstrap (mesh.rs / gossip.rs)

   Peer discovery initiated via onion layer.

   Node announces presence and capabilities (hashed & signed).

4. Ledger Initialization (depin.rs)

   Local .mod micro-fee ledger created.

   Tracks seeding, execution, verification income without blockchain dependency.

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Node Roles

An Operator Node can perform one or more roles dynamically:

Role	Trigger Condition	Core Function
Seeder	Capsule request from mesh peer	Sends .mod package from cache
Executor	Capsule scheduled locally	Runs capsule in deterministic runtime & generates proof
Verifier	Proof relay received	Validates zkProof and updates peer trust score
Broadcaster	New proof produced	Rebroadcast proof receipt to mesh

Execution Isolation

Capsule runtime (capsule.rs) is designed for:

Zero host-OS leakage — every syscall audited & wrapped.

State hashing at checkpoints — state.rs ensures reproducibility.

Execution nonces — prevents replay attacks.

Network restriction — by default, only mesh communication allowed.

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Proof-of-Infrastructure Flow

Step-by-step:

1. Node Snapshot (state.rs)

   Measures available resources (CPU cycles, bandwidth, free storage).

   Signs snapshot with local node key.

2. Capsule Execution (capsule.rs)

   Executes .mod inside runtime.

   Collects execution trace.

3. Proof Generation (verify.rs)

   zk circuit validates trace against capsule manifest.

   Proof object is created: {capsule_hash, exec_hash, proof_bytes, timestamp}.

4. Local Ledger Update (depin.rs)

   Records micro-fee owed to operator.

5. Proof Broadcast (gossip.rs)

   Sends proof receipt to mesh for verification.

6. Peer Verification (verify.rs on other nodes)

   Independent peers verify proof.

   If valid, update operator trust score in trust.rs.

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9.6 Revenue Flow Diagram

Below is the DePIN Proof & Payment Flow at operator level:

┌───────────────┐
│ Hardware Node │
└──────┬────────┘
       │ 1. Resource Snapshot
       ▼
┌───────────────┐
│ state.rs      │
└──────┬────────┘
       │ 2. Capsule Execution
       ▼
┌───────────────┐
│ capsule.rs    │
└──────┬────────┘
       │ 3. Proof Generation
       ▼
┌───────────────┐
│ verify.rs     │
└──────┬────────┘
       │ 4. Ledger Update
       ▼
┌───────────────┐
│ depin.rs      │
└──────┬────────┘
       │ 5. Proof Broadcast
       ▼
┌───────────────┐
│ gossip.rs     │
└──────┬────────┘
       │ 6. Peer Verification
       ▼
┌───────────────┐
│ trust.rs      │
└───────────────┘

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Tokenomics Integration

Execution Fees: Paid to executors per verified .mod run.

Seeding Fees: Paid to nodes providing capsule binaries.

Verification Bounties: Paid to peers verifying others’ proofs.

• Settlement:

  • Local ledger → zkRollup batch → blockchain anchor.

  • Reduces chain fees, increases throughput.

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Scalability

zkProof verification is parallelizable — nodes can verify multiple proofs concurrently.

Mesh relays are shard-aware — proofs routed preferentially to high-trust peers.

Nodes can operate in offline-first mode — sync proofs & ledgers once reconnected.

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Security Considerations

No trusted coordinators — all scheduling is mesh-distributed.

Encrypted proofs — only manifest-compliant execution is verifiable.

Slashing conditions — trust score drops on invalid proof relay, eventually blacklisting peers.

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