Server requirements & optimal configuration for Testnet

[s.matthew.english]

My friend and I are interested in running some experiments using a blockchain and accordingly we're interested in setting up our own Testnet [1].

We're a bit light on experience, i.e. we've never set up or configured a Testnet environment before, so we're looking for any advice or recommendations on the proper procedure or important implementation details that anyone might be able to offer.

From our university we have the ability to have allocated to our project a server, and we've been asked what are the requirements that our project would need- does anyone know what are the necessary specifications?

I've found some documentation [2], would the server requirements be the same as for a normal node, or would this constitute a "Special Case"[3]?




1. https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Testnet
2. https://geraldkaszuba.com/creating-your-own-experimental-bitcoin-network/
3. https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node#special-cases

[cr1776]

Have you taken a look at this in addition to the links you provided? (https://bitcoin.org/en/developer-examples#regtest-mode) As you mentioned both regtest and testnet, do you know which you are going to use?

Depending on what the experiments are and whether you are using regtest or testnet, you may not need much in the way of requirements for with regtest or testnet itself.  It is difficult to give server advice without knowing a bit more, such as what you are looking at experimenting with, OS to be used (Linux/Windows/Mac...), which way you are going to do the testing etc. But probably 2GB of RAM would be sufficient and 4GB RAM should be fine.  Nothing high end for 2016.  I doubt it would be a special case, no.