# RC63 Bootstrap — Snapshot & Peer Request

**Date:** August 16, 2026 (night)

Two things are needed to get the RC63 target node running:

1. **A current snapshot of synced chain data** — if the data directory can be exported or its hosted location shared, the target node can bootstrap directly from known-good canonical state instead of a multi-hour P2P sync from empty.

2. **A live peer address** (format `/ip4/YOUR_IP/tcp/8150/p2p/YOUR_PEER_ID`) — needed either way, as a peer for the target node to sync forward from once it has the snapshot (or from scratch if no snapshot is available).

## Context

The RC63 images have been verified and staged (signature and hash checks all passed). Before cutting over the production node, the current node's state was checked against the RC63 release's signed canonical anchors. It does not match: the block hash agrees, but the state root at order 17750631 does not. The current node is on the divergent side and needs the proper rescue path rather than an in-place swap.

The release's own `ordinaryP2PRecoveryQualified: false` flag confirms connecting to old v45 peers will not fix this. The target node needs to sync against a peer, and ideally a snapshot, that is already on the correct canonical chain. Once the target node proves it matches the canonical anchors, the pool can be cut over using the signed `cutover-pool-image-owner-safe.sh` tool while keeping the current node live for rollback.