Valion Digital Services is requesting $10,000 (with an additional $5,000 personally invested) to design, build, and deploy a two-node failover Rocket Pool validator cluster in the United States, paired with zkProver infrastructure and ISO 27001/SOC 2-ready configuration. This project will deliver commercial-grade uptime, public performance dashboards, and fully open-source failover deployment documentation — strengthening Rocket Pool’s resilience, decentralization, and readiness for institutional adoption.
Valion Digital Services: U.S.-Based Institutional-Grade Two-Node Failover Rocket Pool + zkProver Deployment
What is the work being proposed?
Valion Digital Services will design, build, and deploy a two-node failover architecture for Rocket Pool, paired with zero-knowledge (zk) proving infrastructure. The system will be ISO 27001/SOC 2-ready, run on commercial-grade hardware, and operate from the United States.
The primary goal is to strengthen Rocket Pool’s uptime, security, and decentralization while positioning rETH for the coming wave of institutional staking demand. Both nodes will operate in a live failover configuration, ensuring uninterrupted service during outages or maintenance windows.
Is there any related work this builds off of?
Yes. This proposal builds on:
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Rocket Pool decentralization and onboarding initiatives funded in prior GMC rounds.
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Existing Valion Digital Services infrastructure blueprints for zkProver + Ethereum validator deployments.
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Community best practices for security, monitoring, and failover deployment.
Will the results of this project be entirely open source?
Yes. All operational playbooks, failover configurations, architecture diagrams, and monitoring dashboards will be published under the MIT License for full transparency and reuse by the Rocket Pool community. Sensitive security credentials will be excluded, but all tooling, processes, and monitoring setups will be documented for replication.
Benefits:
Potential rETH holders
Increased staking security due to node redundancy - minimizing downtime risk.
rETH holders
Failover setup ensures consistent performance and reduces exposure to slashing events.
Potential Node Operators
Provides a replicable, open-source commercial-grade failover deployment guide.
Node Operators
Offers reusable monitoring and failover templates to harden their existing infrastructure.
Community
Strengthens network resilience against outages or localized disruptions.
RPL holders
Higher reliability improves Rocket Pool’s appeal, indirectly supporting RPL demand.
Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals would stand to benefit?
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Ethereum Mainnet — greater validator diversity and reliability.
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Arc Network — zk proving integration on robust infrastructure.
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U.S.-based DAOs and DeFi protocols — access to compliant, high-uptime partners.
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Rocket Pool node operator community -through reusable failover and monitoring documentation.
Who is doing the work?
Valion Digital Services - a U.S.-based blockchain infrastructure company specializing in Ethereum validator and zk proving operations.
Owned and operated by a retired U.S. Naval Aviator with a background in mechanical engineering (B.S., Old Dominion University) and aeronautics (M.S., Embry-Riddle University). Valion applies operational discipline, redundancy planning, and precision execution to validator infrastructure. This approach ensures commercial-grade readiness and uptime reliability, benefiting both Rocket Pool and Ethereum.
Breakdown of Proposed Work
Milestones:
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Month 1 – Procure commercial-grade hardware for two-node failover cluster, install Ubuntu LTS, implement ISO 27001/SOC 2 aligned configuration.
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Month 2 – Deploy first Rocket Pool node + zkProver client, configure second node as live failover with synchronous data sync and independent uptime monitoring.
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Month 3 – Integrate Grafana/Prometheus/Loki monitoring across both nodes; launch public uptime dashboard for transparency.
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Month 4 – Conduct full failover drills to validate redundancy; publish open-source deployment + monitoring guide; final security audit before mainnet certification.
How is the work being tested?
Live performance metrics via Grafana dashboards.
• Testnet deployment before mainnet cutover.
• Simulated failover drills to validate redundancy.
• Peer review of documentation by other Rocket Pool node operators.
How will the work be maintained after delivery?
Valion will operate the infrastructure as an active Rocket Pool node pair, applying quarterly updates, security patches, and continuous monitoring. Documentation will remain publicly available and updated.
Costs
Total Project Budget: $15,000 USD
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Requested from GMC: $10,000 USD
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Applicant Contribution: $5,000 USD (self-funded)
Budget Breakdown:
Two-node Failover Architecture Hardware:
Commercial grade PSU, case, CPU, RAM, SSD, cooling, mobo, UPS, backup storage, network gear for both nodesInterface Laptop (Ubuntu-secured, monitoring) $9000
Interface Laptop (Ubuntu-secured, monitoring):
ThinkPad P14s AMD w/64GB RAM, 1TB OPAL SSD Setup, Integration & Documentation $2000
Setup, Integration & Documentation:
Ubuntu install & hardening, Rocket Pool deployment on both nodes, zkProver integration, failover sync, Grafana/Prometheus/Loki monitoring stack, ISO/SOC alignment Testing, Security Audit, & Finalization $3000
Testing, Security Audit, & Finalization:
Testnet + failover drills, post-deployment review $1000
Total: $15000 ($5,000 covered by applicant contribution).
What is the acceptance criteria?
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Mainnet Rocket Pool node pair deployed and operational.
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Public uptime dashboard showing both nodes’ performance.
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Open-source failover deployment guide published.
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Minimum 90%+ uptime for 30 days post-deployment.
Proposed payment schedule:
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40% upon GMC approval.
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40% upon successful testnet deployment and dashboard launch.
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20% upon mainnet deployment and meeting acceptance criteria.
How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?
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Public dashboards showing both nodes’ performance.
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GitHub repo with time-stamped commits of documentation and configurations.
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Recorded failover drill results.
What alternatives or options have been considered to save costs?
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Leveraging open-source monitoring tools (Grafana, Prometheus, Loki).
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Using in-house build expertise instead of outsourcing setup.
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Vendor discounts for hardware procurement.
Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?
No.
Conflicts of Interest?
None.
Contact information:
For follow-up, please contact VALION via Rocket Pool forum DM or at [email protected]
The Valion website is currently under construction and is located at valiondigitalservices.com
Thank you very much for your time.
Respectfully,
William Lawrence
President, Valion Digital Services