# Slices The fundamental unit of compute resource in the TF Marketplace Each slice has - compute e.g. 1 vcpu - memory (typically a multitude of 4 GB) - ssd storage capacity e.g. (200 GB) - min uptime (guaranteed by the provider, will lose TFP points if not achieved) - min bandiwdth (guaranteed by the provider) - passmark - reputation (as build up over time and measured by the ThreeFold system) - optional: public IP address (v6 or v4) - optional: certification flag (indicates the slice is provided by a [certified](./certified.md) farmer with ThreeFold support) - pricing in [TFP](./tfp.md) per hour/day/month/year (farmer can change the price) The farmer has lot of freedom to define these oaraneters ## Farmers (Resource Providers) * **Responsibilities:** * Register their hardware nodes (computers) with the platform. * Set pricing for their available capacity (Slices), guided by platform recommendations or within defined price bands. * Define and commit to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for bandwidth and uptime. * **Compensation:** Earn TFP based on the utilization of their registered capacity. * **Monitoring:** Access to a UI to view their node status, earnings, and utilization metrics. * **Risk:** Subject to "slashing" (loss of accrued TFP) if their nodes fail to meet committed SLAs. ## Famer defines the slices The TF Marketplace - Users acquire slices through the [Marketplace](marketplace.md) - Slices are derived from physical nodes registered by "Farmers" - Example a node with - 25,000 passmark - 16 vcores - 32GB RAM total capacity - 2 * 1 GB SSD capacity - no pub ip addresses - can deliver following slices - 32 GB with 16 cores, 2 TB, 25.000 passmark - 2 x 16 GB with 8 cores and 1 TB, 12500 passmark - 4 x 8 GB with 4 cores and 0.5 TB - 8 x 4GB with 2 cores and 0.25 TB per slice (8 slices) - farmer defined SLA - 99.8% - min 1 Mbit/sec - farmer defines price - e.g. hour price is 2x monthly price is 2x yearly price and is 10 TFP - The platform dynamically recalculates available slices on a node post-reservation - e.g. a user buys 16 GB slice, means now only 1x 16 GB left, or 2x 8GB or 4x 4GB ... ## Management Features The user can do the following with a slice: - **Lifecycle Management**: - OS deployment support for standard operating systems (Ubuntu, Alpine Linux, etc.) - Start, stop, reboot capabilities - **Data Operations**: - Backup functionality - Restore capabilities - **Portability**: - Export & import functionality e.g. to S3 or TF Quantum Safe Storage System - **Ownership & co-administration rights**: - Transferable between users - Can be shared among multiple users ## Marketplace Dynamics - **Pricing**: - Farmers set prices for their node capacity/slices - Pricing may follow platform-defined min/max brackets - Platform may provide pricing recommendations - **Discovery**: - Users browse available slices using filters: - Geographic location - Node reputation - Uptime statistics - Bandwidth availability - Price ranges - Certification status (see [Certified](./certified.md)) - **Billing Models**: - Flexible terms available: - Per hour usage - Per month subscription - Per year commitment - Discounts available for longer-term commitments - **Order System** (Future Enhancement): - Buy/sell order book - Users can place bids for VMs meeting specific criteria: - Target price - Preferred location - Minimum reputation score ## Networking - All slices are natively integrated with the "Mycelium" network - Connected to the broader TF Marketplace ## Access States - **Full Access**: - User has complete control over the slice - Direct management of all aspects - **Managed Access**: - User owns the slice - Direct access might be restricted if a platform-managed "Solution" is running on it ## Primary Use Cases - Running general-purpose VMs - Running AI workloads - Hosting specialized executors (e.g., "Heroscript executor" - planned for Phase 2) - Serving as the underlying infrastructure for "Solutions" - Supporting serverless functions