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Set Up a Private Network

Create a Private TealeNet (PTN) to run inference within a trusted group --- your company, team, or household --- with fixed pricing, priority routing, and known participants.

Prerequisites​

  • Teale installed on all participating Macs
  • WAN networking enabled on all nodes (teale config set wan_enabled true)
  • At least two nodes (one admin/provider, one consumer)

Overview​

A PTN is a private overlay network within TealeNet. Members are authenticated via CA-signed certificates, and PTN traffic receives 70% WFQ (Weighted Fair Queuing) priority over public traffic. See Private TealeNet for the full design.

Step 1: Create the PTN​

On the machine that will be the first admin:

teale ptn create "Acme Corp"

This returns a PTN ID (a unique identifier for your network). Save it --- you will need it for all subsequent commands.

PTN created: ptn_a1b2c3d4e5f6
You are the founding admin.
CA keypair stored in Keychain.

Step 2: Generate an invite​

Create an invite code to share with prospective members:

teale ptn invite ptn_a1b2c3d4e5f6

This outputs a single-use invite code. The invite allows a node to request membership but does not grant access on its own --- you must also issue a certificate (Step 4).

Step 3: Share the invite code​

Send the invite code to the person joining your PTN. Use a secure channel (encrypted messaging, in-person, etc.). The invite code is sensitive --- anyone who has it can request to join.

Step 4: Member requests to join​

On the member's machine, they use the invite code to request membership:

teale ptn join <invite-code>

This registers the node with the PTN and generates a certificate signing request. The admin is notified of the pending request.

Step 5: Issue a certificate​

Back on the admin's machine, issue a signed certificate to the new member:

teale ptn issue-cert ptn_a1b2c3d4e5f6 <nodeID> --role provider

Available roles:

RoleDescription
adminCan issue/revoke certs, manage membership, promote other admins
providerServes inference requests within the PTN
consumerSends inference requests to PTN providers

A node can hold multiple roles. Most members will be both provider and consumer.

Step 6: Promote another admin (optional)​

For redundancy, promote a trusted member to admin:

teale ptn promote-admin ptn_a1b2c3d4e5f6 <nodeID>

The new admin needs the CA key to issue certificates. Export and share it securely:

Step 7: Import CA key (new admin)​

On the newly promoted admin's machine:

teale ptn import-ca-key ptn_a1b2c3d4e5f6 <caKeyHex>

The CA key is stored in the system Keychain. With it, the new admin can issue and revoke certificates independently.

Benefits of a PTN​

  • 70% WFQ priority. PTN traffic is prioritized over public network requests on shared nodes.
  • Fixed pricing. Set predictable per-token rates instead of market-driven pricing.
  • Known participants. Every member is authenticated by certificate. No anonymous traffic.
  • Data isolation. Inference requests stay within your PTN members. No data touches public nodes.

Recovery​

If an admin loses access or leaves, the remaining admin(s) can continue operating normally. If all admins are lost, any existing member can initiate recovery:

teale ptn recover ptn_a1b2c3d4e5f6

This creates a new CA from the existing membership roster, requiring consensus from a majority of active members.

Next steps​