docs: add consensus.md

README.md

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 This project aims to be a full port of the original C# [NEO project](https://github.com/neo-project).
 A complete toolkit for the NEO blockchain, including:
 
-- Consensus node (WIP)
+- [Consensus node](docs/consensus.md)
 - [RPC node & client](https://github.com/nspcc-dev/neo-go/tree/master/docs/rpc.md)
 - [CLI tool](https://github.com/nspcc-dev/neo-go/blob/master/docs/cli.md)
 - [Smart contract compiler](https://github.com/nspcc-dev/neo-go/blob/master/docs/compiler.md)

docs/consensus.md

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+# NEO-GO consensus node
+
+Neo-go node can act as a consensus node.
+It uses pure Go dBFT implementation from [nspcc-dev/dbft](https://github.com/nspcc-dev/dbft).
+
+## How to start your own privnet with neo-go nodes
+### Using existing Dockerfile
+#### Prerequisites
+- `docker`
+- `docker-compose`
+- `go` compiler
+#### Instructions
+You can use existing docker-compose file located in `.docker/docker-compose.yml`:
+```bash
+make env_image # build image
+make env_up    # start containers
+```
+To monitor logs:
+```bash
+docker-compose -f .docker/docker-compose.yml logs -f
+```
+
+To stop:
+```bash
+make env_down
+```
+
+To remove old blockchain state:
+```bash
+docker volume prune
+``` 
+
+### Start nodes manually
+1. Create a separate config directory for every node and
+place corresponding config named `protocol.privnet.yml` there.
+
+2. Edit configuration file for every node.
+Examples can be found at `config/protocol.privnet.docker.one.yml` (`two`, `three` etc.).
+    1. Note that it differs a bit from C# NEO node json config: our `UnlockWallet` contains
+       an encrypted WIF instead of the path to the wallet. 
+    2. Make sure that your `MinPeers` setting is equal to
+       the number of nodes participating in consensus.
+       This requirement is needed for nodes to correctly
+       start and can be weakened in future.
+    3. Set you `Address`, `Port` and `RPC.Port` to the appropriate values.
+       They must differ between nodes.
+    4. If you start binary from the same directory, you will probably want to change
+       `DataDirectoryPath` from the `LevelDBOptions`. 
+
+3. Start all nodes with `neo-go node --config-path <dir-from-step-2>`.