Procure Hardware

The final list of minimal items to set up Trove is:

  • Tamper proofing equipment

  • Computer

  • 3 SD cards

  • 1 Smart Card

For redundancy, more SD cards and multiple smart cards should be used.

All hardware needs to be tamper proofed when not in view of the owner of the setup. This means that once it's brought home, if the user is not going straight into Provisioning steps, all hardware should be tamper proofed using a chosen method below (vacuum sealer or put in a vault).

1. Procure Tamper Proofing Equipment

Choose one of or a combination of:

  • Tamper proofed safe

  • Vacuum sealing with filler

Tamper Proofed Safes

Select an appropriate safe, ideally with a high TL rating and a highest tamper evident lock your budget supports (e.g FF-L-2740b).

RatingTime (Minutes)Tested AgainstTested Sides
TL-1515Tools onlyDoor Only
TL-3030Tools onlyDoor Only
TL-30X630Tools onlyAll 6 sides
TRTL-3030Tools & TorchDoor Only
TRTL-30X630Tools & TorchAll 6 sides

Vacuum Sealer Setup

Vacuum sealer and seal bags should fit the laptop being tamper proofed

To achieve the best level of randomness and difficulty of reproducing the arrangement of filler in a vacuum sealed bag, a variety of beads of different sizes and color should be used. They may be made of different materials as well but plastic is excellent because it doesn't change form when vacuum sealed - which can make it easier to reproduce patterns. Materials such as confetti and packing beans may be used, but because they can be flattened and retain the shape, arranging them in a given pattern is much easier - make them less suitable. Other options like beans or lentils have less variety in color and shapes which makes it harder to detect differences.

2. Procure Computer

Computer

Computers compatiblity (for AirgapOS) can be verified using this guide

Tested models, and computers with potentially higher levels of supply chain security:

3. Procure SD Card + Reader

If the laptop you buy doesn't have an SD card reader, you will need to buy an external SD card reader adapter.

Minimum of 5 SD cards is recommended to start.

1 GB is sufficient space for all Trove purposes.

4. Smart Cards

At least 2 smart cards are recommended. Using two different manufacturers decreases the likelihood of both having a catastrofic failure at the same time.

  • NitroKey 3

  • YubiKey 5