The Complete Guide to Becoming a Vectorlay Provider
A complete guide to setting up your GPU node on Vectorlay. Our install script handles IOMMU, VFIO, and GPU passthrough automatically—just enable virtualization in BIOS and run one command.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
Compatible GPU
RTX 3090, RTX 4080, RTX 4090, or similar. Minimum 16GB VRAM recommended, 24GB ideal.
IOMMU-Capable System
Intel VT-d or AMD-Vi support. Most modern motherboards have this—check BIOS settings.
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Our setup script is tested on Ubuntu 22.04. Other distros may work but aren't officially supported yet.
Minimum 32GB RAM
Each workload runs in a VM that needs system RAM. 64GB+ recommended for larger models.
500GB+ NVMe Storage
Container images and model weights can be large. Fast NVMe storage is strongly recommended.
Step 1: BIOS Configuration
First, enable virtualization and IOMMU in your BIOS:
Intel Systems
- • Enable
Intel VT-x(CPU virtualization) - • Enable
Intel VT-d(IOMMU) - • Disable
CSM/Legacy Bootif enabled
AMD Systems
- • Enable
SVM Mode(CPU virtualization) - • Enable
IOMMUorAMD-Vi - • Set IOMMU to
Enabled(not Auto)
Step 2: Install the Vectorlay Agent
Our install script handles everything automatically, including GPU passthrough configuration. It will:
- →Install Nomad client and WireGuard
- →Enable IOMMU in GRUB (Intel VT-d / AMD-Vi)
- →Auto-detect your NVIDIA GPUs and bind them to VFIO
- →Download the base VM image
- →Configure networking and systemd services
- →Auto-reboot if needed for IOMMU activation
Get Your Provisioning Token
First, get a provisioning token from the dashboard:
- 1.Log in at
dashboard.vectorlay.dev - 2.Go to Settings → Provider
- 3.Enable Provider Mode
- 4.Click Generate Provisioning Token
- 5.Copy the token (starts with
vtk_)
Save Your Token!
The token is only shown once. Save it securely—you'll need it for each node you add.
Run the Install Script
Run the installer with your token. The script will set up everything and start the agent automatically:
# Install with your token (replace vtk_your_token_here) curl -fsSL https://get.vectorlay.dev | sudo bash -s -- --token=vtk_your_token_here
Automatic Reboot
If IOMMU needs to be enabled, the script will automatically reboot your system after a 10-second countdown. After reboot, the agent will start automatically.
Verify Connection
# Check agent logs sudo journalctl -u vectorlay-agent -f # You should see: # ✅ Connected to control plane # 🖥️ Reporting hardware: 16 cores, 64GB RAM, 1 GPUs # ✓ containerd: 1.7.2 # ✓ nerdctl: 1.5.0 # ✓ kata-runtime: 3.2.0 # ✓ virtiofsd: 1.8.0 # ✓ vfio: 4 modules loaded # Dependencies ready: true
Step 3: Verify in Dashboard
Your node should now appear in the dashboard:
- 1.Go to Settings → Nodes
- 2.Your node should show as Online
- 3.Verify hardware specs match your system
- 4.Check that all dependencies show ✓
If your node shows as Degraded, check the logs for missing dependencies.
Troubleshooting
GPU not bound to VFIO after reboot
Verify IOMMU is enabled and GPUs are bound:
dmesg | grep -i iommulspci -nnk | grep -A3 NVIDIAYou should see "IOMMU enabled" and "Kernel driver in use: vfio-pci". If not, recheck your BIOS settings (VT-d/AMD-Vi must be enabled).
Agent shows "degraded" status
Check agent logs for errors:
sudo journalctl -u vectorlay-agent -fCan't connect to control plane
Ensure outbound connections on port 443 are allowed:
curl -I https://ws.vectorlay.comInvalid provisioning token
Tokens start with vtk_. Make sure you copied the full token and that Provider Mode is enabled in your dashboard settings.
Re-run the installer
If something went wrong, you can safely re-run with --force:
curl -fsSL https://get.vectorlay.dev | sudo bash -s -- --token=vtk_xxx --forceAdvanced: Multi-GPU Nodes
By default, the install script automatically detects and binds all NVIDIA GPUs to VFIO for maximum earning potential.
If you want to keep one GPU for personal use (gaming, local dev), you'll need to manually edit the VFIO configuration after installation:
# 1. Find your GPU device IDs lspci -nn | grep NVIDIA # 2. Edit the VFIO config to exclude the GPU you want to keep sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/vfio.conf # 3. Remove the device ID of the GPU you want to keep from the ids= line # Example: Keep 10de:2684, only pass 10de:2782 to VFIO options vfio-pci ids=10de:2782 # 4. Update initramfs and reboot sudo update-initramfs -u && sudo reboot
You're Live!
Your GPU is now part of the Vectorlay network. Here's what happens next:
- →Workloads will be automatically scheduled to your node
- →You'll earn for every minute of compute time used
- →Track earnings in real-time on your dashboard
- →Monthly payouts via bank transfer or crypto
Questions?
Join our Discord community for help with setup, optimizing earnings, and connecting with other providers.