> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://covalenthq.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Block Specimen Producer

Essential to the Covalent Network is the *Block Specimen* and the *Block Specimen Producer* (BSP), a bulk export method that ultimately leads to generating a canonical representation of a blockchain's historical state. Currently implemented on existing blockchain clients running Geth.

<img height="200" src="https://www.datocms-assets.com/86369/1719953990-bsp-overview-desktop-2x.svg" />

It currently functions as a:

* Blockchain data extractor
* Blockchain data normalizer

What is ultimately created is a Block Specimen, a universal canonical representation of a blockchain’s historical state.

There are two further considerations regarding the Block Specimen.

* The BSP is completely standalone on the forks of Geth.
* The separation of data storage layer from the block execution and distributed consensus functionality leads to better segregation and upgrades of functionality in the blockchain data processing pipeline.

As a result, anyone can run full tracing on the block specimen and accurately recreate the blockchain without access to blockchain client software.

### Hardware Requirements

The recommended configurations will make sure the sync is not lag-prone and the node is able to keep up with the Ethereum network.

#### Minimum Requirements:

* CPU with 4+ cores
* 16GB RAM
* 1.5TB free storage space to sync the Ethereum Mainnet
* 8 MBit/sec download Internet service

#### Recommended:

* Fast CPU with 8+ cores
* 32 GB+ RAM
* Fast SSD with >= 1.5TB storage space
* 25+ MBit/sec download Internet service

### Software Requirements

Install the given versions of the following software:

* 64-bit Linux, Mac OS
* SSL certificates
* Git
* BSP-geth v1.8.0-bsp ships with - Geth v1.13.14-stable
* Go v1.20
* Redis v7, Redis-cli 7.\*
* Listener TCP and UDP discovery port 30303
* ICMP IPv4 should not be closed by an external firewall

#### Resources

<CardGroup>
  <Card href="https://github.com/covalenthq/bsp-geth" title="BSP Build specifications" />

  <Card href="/resources/block-specimen-whitepaper" title="Block Specimen Producer Whitepaper" />

  <Card href="/nodes/block-specimen-producer-onboarding/" title="Block Specimen Producer Onboarding" />
</CardGroup>