How To Activate & Start Delegated Harvesting in NanoWallet

You will learn how to activate and start delegated harvesting in NanoWallet. Additionally, you will learn two ways for harvesting. These are delegated harvesting on a remote server provided by somebody else, or learning how to use delegated harvesting by running a local NIS yourself. **To activate and start delegated harvesting in NanoWallet you need a [XEM Account](https://blog.nem.io/how-do-i-get-importance-on-the-nem-blockchain/) with at least a 10'000 XEM vested balance.** To check how long it takes for you to get a vested balance of 10'000 XEM, you can use [this](http://samesake.com/xem/harvesting-calculator/) harvesting calculator. ## Activation Before you can start delegated harvesting, you need to activate it. Consider this to be the same thing as registering on the blockchain that you want to harvest. To do so go to "Services - Manage delegated account" and activate it from the left panel by entering your password and clicking "Send". Activation takes ~6 hours and will cost you 6 XEM in fees. **Activation only needs to be done one time per account.** ![activate delegated account](http://imgur.com/IjYaY2O.png) To check if delegated harvesting is active take a look at the right panel: ![inactive](http://imgur.com/WZcLKvC.png) "Remote status" will change to active after 6 hours: ![active](http://imgur.com/O30RjPB.png) Once your "Remote status" is active, you can continue with the next step. ## Start / Stop Now that the "Remote status" is active you need to wait until "Vested balance" (right next to "Remote status") shows at least 10'000 XEM. ![vested](http://imgur.com/yIPI2t2.png) If this is the case, you can start delegated harvesting from the panel below. Enter your password, choose a node and press on the "play icon" to start it. ![play](http://imgur.com/HABqSr3.png) If everything is successful, the "play" icon will change to a "stop" icon. ![play](http://imgur.com/BKvKeoS.png) If you receive an error, it is most likely because the node you selected is already full. Every node only has a certain amount of harvesting slots, and once they are full, you will need to choose another node. One way of finding another node is to open [supernodes.nem.io](http://supernodes.nem.io) and try different nodes from the provided list. Another way to find nodes with free harvesting slots is the @NemNotificationsBot on Telegram. With the command /harvestingSpace it will provide you nodes with free slots. Read more about it [here](https://blog.nem.io/nem-chain-supernode-notifications-telegram-bot/). **Check your NanoWallet from time to time to see if harvesting is still ongoing. If the node you have selected restarts, you also have to start harvesting again! Meaning, as long as the node was on, it will continue to harvest for you for free, but if it reboots, you will have to request it to harvest for you again.** ## Local NIS Above we showed how to harvest on a remote node, and it is a normal case for many that they run delegated harvesting on a remote NIS, but it is also possible to run delegated harvesting on a local NIS. The advantage of this is that you will always know that your account is being harvested on and you won't have to rely on others. **NIS needs Java 8 64 bit to run. Download it from [java.com](https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp) and install it with default values.** To run a local node, download and extract the standalone client from [nem.io](https://www.nem.io/install.html) or [the developer's repository](http://bob.nem.ninja/). In the extracted folder (nis-ncc) you will find a file called "runNis" (Windows: runNis.bat, OSX/Linux: nix.runNis.sh). ![runnis](http://imgur.com/bWxx446.png) Windows: Execute the file by double-clicking it OSX/Linux: Open a terminal, navigate to the folder "nis-ncc" and execute "nix.runNis.sh" ![NIS terminal](http://imgur.com/Kyxq1JQ.png) Once NIS runs, let it run for 1-2 minutes and stop it. We do this to let NIS create the needed folder structure. Navigate to the created folder structure. Windows: C:\users\username\nem\nis\data OSX/Linux: username/nem/nis/data ![folder location](http://imgur.com/AxmeKzJ.png) Delete both files (NIS needs to be stopped to delete the files). Navigate to [bob.nem.ninja](http://bob.nem.ninja) and download the DB file. We do this to speed up the initial sync of NIS. ![bob.nem.ninja](http://imgur.com/OgDXINY.png) After the download completes, extract the file "nis5_mainnet.h2.db" and place it in the folder from above. ![db](http://imgur.com/07BRFsT.png) Once you have done this, start NIS again with "runNis" and let it run in the background. NIS will now finish syncing. To check if it is synced, you can open [alice6.nem.ninja:7890/chain/height](http://alice6.nem.ninja:7890/chain/height) in a web browser. ![alice6 chain height](http://imgur.com/wsHNbpH.png) Open [localhost:7890/chain/height](http://localhost:7890/chain/height) in another web browser window to compare the block height to alice6 (localhost needs to be **at least** at the same block height as alice6). ![localhost chain height](http://imgur.com/tSPBSmV.png) When NIS is synced click on the "Node" option in the top bar of your NanoWallet and enter "localhost" in the "Custom node" field: ![select localhost nanowallet](http://imgur.com/FOCnNnL.png) Click "+" to select localhost. It should look like this: ![localhost selected nanowallet](http://imgur.com/bAxJYKP.png) After that close the node settings. You are now connected to your local NIS! **Remember to let NIS run in the background! To start delegated harvesting with your local NIS repeat the steps from above but select "localhost" in the "Start/Stop delegated harvesting" panel for your node.** ## Review Blocks Created You can later log in to the Dashboard of your NanoWallet and get a summary of the latest blocks and fees you have collected. ![checking your collected fees](http://i.imgur.com/JY8LbwQ.png) *The NEM Team would like to thank Patrick (Telegram: @Spizzerb) for contributing this blog.*

Another guide that is incomplete and out of date. In my Nano Wallet 1.4.13 there is no ‘play’ button and it does not change into a ‘stop’ button. There is a completely different red bar at the bottom that sometimes lets me “stop” harvesting. So again, a NEM guide that doesn’t reflect the current reality of the software. You are only what, a $2B market cap company? You can’t hire one writer and one designer to keep your guides up to date??

Here is my problem: I have a vested balance above 10,000 (it vested many months ago), I downloaded Bob’s blockchain, I let NIS catch up and confirmed that it was on the same block as Alice.

Harvesting says “active” but I do not think it is connecting to my local NIS. How do I check that it is, in fact, locally harvesting?

The bit about your “browser’s local storage” is not helpful. I found how to find Chrome’s local storage and none of the eight or so files in that director clearly, or in any way, indicates which Node NEM is mining to.

When I try to stop harvesting, I get an error message that seems to suggest that I have delegated mining to the screwy “default” account that you can’t change or get rid off in the left hand side of the harvesting screen.

When I click the “pen” icon, which is by the equally nonsensical “cloud” icon, after entering my password, I can type in “localhost.” But neither that, nor entering “localhost” into the nodes pane as you describe above gives me any confidence I am locally harvesting.

You write: "To start delegated harvesting with your local NIS repeat the stpes from above but select “localhost” in the “Start/Stop delegated harvesting’ panel for your node.**”

WTF does this mean? Could you please be so kind as to include some screenshots to illustrate so that I and others can follow you?

You write that ‘you only need to activate your account once.’ That’s a patently misleading statement. First, you have to blow more NEM when you change over from NCC/NIS to the NanoWallet. Then I read tonight in another posting that they way to solve another error message that I am getting when I try to stop harvesting is to repeat the bloody deactivate/activate sequence.

If you want to make something this complicated at least have the decency to put together accurate guides with plenty of screenshots that show what the hell you are talking about.

I’ve read and re-read this guide and other NEM harvesting guides that are even more out of date and it still makes no sense. And from other postings, I’m not the only that finds this next to incomprehensible. I’m staking 8 other coins; I mine as well; it is only NEM that is opaque and befuddling when it comes to staking/harvesting.

Why do you only want to bother to explain delegated harvesting? What is in it for the node that I delegate harvesting to? Can you explain that in clear terms?

I don’t want to remotely delegate harvesting. I want harvest locally and I’m still waiting for an official NEM guide that matches their currently released software AND which includes lots of screenshots and complete instructions.

What shows up above is not that.

My balance is about to vest over 10k XEM within the next day or so. Reading this is frankly quite confusing, especially when referring to the current iteration of the NanoWallet. I don’t understand anything underneath the Local NIS heading, which I believe won’t be applicable to my preference of harvesting.

I’m hoping to just write up a basic iteration of activating delegated harvesting, along with plenty of screenshots along the way. Given the current version of NanoWallet V1.4.13, I would like to know if it could be useful in any way. I’ve already started gathering screenshots for pre-vested balances but otherwise I hope I don’t mess up this delegated harvest. Especially with selecting nodes and ensuring that it’s actively harvesting.

thanks