Bitcoin Forum

Bitcoin Core version 0.17.1 is now available from:

  <https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-0.17.1/>

or through BitTorrent:

    magnet:?xt=urn:btih:c56c87ccfaa8e6fbccc90d549121e61efd97cb6f&dn=bitcoin-core-0.17.1&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.openbittorrent.com%3A80&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.opentrackr.org%3A1337&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.coppersurfer.tk%3A6969&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.leechers-paradise.org%3A6969&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fzer0day.ch%3A1337&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fexplodie.org%3A6969    

This is a new minor version release, with various bugfixes
and performance improvements, as well as updated translations.

Please report bugs using the issue tracker at GitHub:

  <https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues>

To receive security and update notifications, please subscribe to:

  <https://bitcoincore.org/en/list/announcements/join/>

How to Upgrade
==============

If you are running an older version, shut it down. Wait until it has completely
shut down (which might take a few minutes for older versions), then run the
installer (on Windows) or just copy over `/Applications/Bitcoin-Qt` (on Mac)
or `bitcoind`/`bitcoin-qt` (on Linux).

If your node has a txindex, the txindex db will be migrated the first time you run 0.17.0 or newer, which may take up to a few hours. Your node will not be functional until this migration completes.

The first time you run version 0.15.0 or newer, your chainstate database will be converted to a
new format, which will take anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour,
depending on the speed of your machine.

Note that the block database format also changed in version 0.8.0 and there is no
automatic upgrade code from before version 0.8 to version 0.15.0. Upgrading
directly from 0.7.x and earlier without redownloading the blockchain is not supported.
However, as usual, old wallet versions are still supported.

Downgrading warning
-------------------

The chainstate database for this release is not compatible with previous
releases, so if you run 0.15 and then decide to switch back to any
older version, you will need to run the old release with the `-reindex-chainstate`
option to rebuild the chainstate data structures in the old format.

If your node has pruning enabled, this will entail re-downloading and
processing the entire blockchain.

Compatibility
==============

Bitcoin Core is extensively tested on multiple operating systems using
the Linux kernel, macOS 10.10+, and Windows 7 and newer (Windows XP is not supported).

Bitcoin Core should also work on most other Unix-like systems but is not
frequently tested on them.

From 0.17.0 onwards macOS <10.10 is no longer supported. 0.17.0 is built using Qt 5.9.x, which doesn't
support versions of macOS older than 10.10.

Notable changes
===============

`listtransactions` label support
--------------------------------

The `listtransactions` RPC `account` parameter which was deprecated in 0.17.0
and renamed to `dummy` has been un-deprecated and renamed again to `label`.

When bitcoin is configured with the `-deprecatedrpc=accounts` setting, specifying
a label/account/dummy argument will return both outgoing and incoming
transactions. Without the `-deprecatedrpc=accounts` setting, it will only return
incoming transactions (because it used to be possible to create transactions
spending from specific accounts, but this is no longer possible with labels).

When `-deprecatedrpc=accounts` is set, it's possible to pass the empty string ""
to list transactions that don't have any label. Without
`-deprecatedrpc=accounts`, passing the empty string is an error because returning
only non-labeled transactions is not generally useful behavior and can cause
confusion.

0.17.1 change log
=================

### P2P protocol and network code
- #14685 `9406502` Fix a deserialization overflow edge case (kazcw)
- #14728 `b901578` Fix uninitialized read when stringifying an addrLocal (kazcw)

### Wallet
- #14441 `5150acc` Restore ability to list incoming transactions by label (jnewbery)
- #13546 `91fa15a` Fix use of uninitialized value `bnb_used` in CWallet::CreateTransaction(…) (practicalswift)
- #14310 `bb90695` Ensure wallet is unlocked before signing (gustavonalle)
- #14690 `5782fdc` Throw error if CPubKey is invalid during PSBT keypath serialization (instagibbs)
- #14852 `2528443` backport: [tests] Add `wallet_balance.py` (MarcoFalke)
- #14196 `3362a95` psbt: always drop the unnecessary utxo and convert non-witness utxo to witness when necessary (achow101)
- #14588 `70ee1f8` Refactor PSBT signing logic to enforce invariant and fix signing bug (gwillen)
- #14424 `89a9a9d` Stop requiring imported pubkey to sign non-PKH schemes (sipa, MeshCollider)

### RPC and other APIs
- #14417 `fb9ad04` Fix listreceivedbyaddress not taking address as a string (etscrivner)
- #14596 `de5e48a` Bugfix: RPC: Add `address_type` named param for createmultisig (luke-jr)
- #14618 `9666dba` Make HTTP RPC debug logging more informative (practicalswift)
- #14197 `7bee414` [psbt] Convert non-witness UTXOs to witness if witness sig created (achow101)
- #14377 `a3fe125` Check that a separator is found for psbt inputs, outputs, and global map (achow101)
- #14356 `7a590d8` Fix converttopsbt permitsigdata arg, add basic test (instagibbs)
- #14453 `75b5d8c` Fix wallet unload during walletpassphrase timeout (promag)

### GUI
- #14403 `0242b5a` Revert "Force TLS1.0+ for SSL connections" (real-or-random)
- #14593 `df5131b` Explicitly disable "Dark Mode" appearance on macOS (fanquake)

### Build system
- #14647 `7edebed` Remove illegal spacing in darwin.mk (ch4ot1c)
- #14698 `ec71f06` Add bitcoin-tx.exe into Windows installer (ken2812221)

### Tests and QA
- #13965 `29899ec` Fix extended functional tests fail (ken2812221)
- #14011 `9461f98` Disable wallet and address book Qt tests on macOS minimal platform (ryanofsky)
- #14180 `86fadee` Run all tests even if wallet is not compiled (MarcoFalke)
- #14122 `8bc1bad` Test `rpc_help.py` failed: Check whether ZMQ is enabled or not (Kvaciral)
- #14101 `96dc936` Use named args in validation acceptance tests (MarcoFalke)
- #14020 `24d796a` Add tests for RPC help (promag)
- #14052 `7ff32a6` Add some actual witness in `rpc_rawtransaction` (MarcoFalke)
- #14215 `b72fbab` Use correct python index slices in example test (sdaftuar)
- #14024 `06544fa` Add `TestNode::assert_debug_log` (MarcoFalke)
- #14658 `60f7a97` Add test to ensure node can generate all rpc help texts at runtime (MarcoFalke)
- #14632 `96f15e8` Fix a comment (fridokus)
- #14700 `f9db08e` Avoid race in `p2p_invalid_block` by waiting for the block request (MarcoFalke)
- #14845 `67225e2` Add `wallet_balance.py` (jnewbery)

### Documentation
- #14161 `5f51fd6` doc/descriptors.md tweaks (ryanofsky)
- #14276 `85aacc4` Add autogen.sh in ARM Cross-compilation (walterwhite81)

Credits
=======

Thanks to everyone who directly contributed to this release:

- Andrew Chow
- Chun Kuan Lee
- David A. Harding
- Eric Scrivner
- fanquake
- fridokus
- Glenn Willen
- Gregory Sanders
- gustavonalle
- John Newbery
- Jon Layton
- Jonas Schnelli
- João Barbosa
- Kaz Wesley
- Kvaciral
- Luke Dashjr
- MarcoFalke
- MeshCollider
- Pieter Wuille
- practicalswift
- Russell Yanofsky
- Sjors Provoost
- Suhas Daftuar
- Tim Ruffing
- Walter
- Wladimir J. van der Laan

As well as everyone that helped translating on [Transifex](https://www.transifex.com/projects/p/bitcoin/).

---

 Apologize if I'm wrong. I was told that bitcoin is not controlled by anyone, but updates are coming out. As it turned out, he has no developers .  How do updates happen ?) Thanks for the reply.

These are updates for a particular software called Bitcoin Core. Bitcoin Core is descended from the original Bitcoin software that Satoshi published. It is just the most popular of the many node software that people can run. The Bitcoin Core software is constantly being updated and changed, but that does not mean that Bitcoin itself changes. While the software may change, the same consensus rules are still being enforced and those do not change.

So these changes are to the verification node used to verify BTC?  Not a hard fork of the BTC code or a new implementation of BTC such as Bitcoin Cash or Bitcoin Satoshi's Vision (or Bitcoin Gold)? Does the node work only for BTC or will it work for the hard fork versions as well?  I'm checking out the link in your original post to see if I can get a better understanding of what exactly this is for.  

[update]
It appears this is the mining node (upon further reading of the Bitcoin Core FAQ).  I do see mention of segwit in the FAQ, and Bitcoin ABC / Unlimited in the deeper documentation.  So I assume that means it will process Bitcoin Cash as well.  Since Bitcoin SV is at war with Bitcoin Cash they must have their own forked version of the node.  I would not be able to (efficiently) run this without a farm of ASIC processors and a very large power bill.  

Could you recommend what hardware we would need to run this efficiently?

This is a software called Bitcoin Core. It is a full node wallet for Bitcoin. This update contains many new features, bug fixes, and optimizations to the software. It does not change Bitcoin itself.

It is a full node, not a mining software. You cannot use Bitcoin Core to mine Bitcoin. However, you can use Bitcoin Core to send blocks that you have mined to the Bitcoin network. It is run by mining pools who need to have full nodes.

No. Bitcoin Core is for BItcoin only. It will not run on any fork coin of Bitcoin. So that means it does not work for Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold, Bitcoin SV, etc.

No. It is not mining software. It is just a full node. It does not mine.

Any consumer computer can run this just fine. You can even use a raspberry pi.

Yes, anyone can run it and it is highly recommended to do so for any serious Bitcoiner because only a full node independently verifies transactions and - with the right configuration - contributes to Bitcoin network availability & security.

But to be realistic, while you certainly can run Bitcoin Core on a Raspberry Pi, you should be aware that the initial download and verification of the entire Bitcoin blockchain will take a lot of time (literally weeks on a slow computer like a Raspi). You also need a harddrive or flash storage with at the absolute minimum 200+ GB capacity. Better have a TB drive, because the blockchain grows every day.
So running Bitcoin Core is more fun on a bit more powerful computer - perfect if you have an older notebook for example. But of cause you can do the initial download of the blockchain on a faster computer and then copy the data over (or use the drive) to your Raspi.

Another thing you can do is make smart use of the datadir and blocksdir parameters

• Set datadir to a folder on a fast SSD (but not on the SD card)
• Set blocksdir to a folder on a normal HDD

This will not only speed up syncing the blockchain, but also save the SD card from an early death (it actually speeds up sync on a regular PC too). And yes, definitely don't try to use your RasPi to sync the blockchain from zero, use a PC

perfect reply.. I have full faith on you guys..

Why can't you please increase the block size to at least 8mb, Core? A bit more on-chain capacity could REALLY help the network....

Hi, Bitcoin is a p2p network that need some software for work, the software of course need to make develop and had maintained, but the network can not be controller by any one, you need control at lest 51% of power of network if you want have the control of Bitcoin.
Regards.

Question i know what the datadir does, but what does the blocksdir do?

Second why hasn't or (maybe it has already)  bitcoin core wallet not allowed the 12 word seed phrase yet?

Thanks

Icon

Main directory = datadir. Subdirectory containing blocks = blocksdir. The blocks directory uses up probably 96-97% of the required storage (minus the chainstate; the rest is trivial) to run Bitcoin Core. The blocksdir option allows you to change its location (e.g. to a HDD as is mentioned by achow).

Lauda has it right


The idea is to put the chainstate folder on a fast disk (SSD flash), and the blocks folder on a cheap/slow/large disk (HDD mechanical).

• chainstate changes all the time, and very rapidly while the blockchain is downloading first time. So it benefits from a fast disk
• blocks do not change; Bitcoin writes a new block, then it's permanent. This only needs a slow disk, so you can use the cheap mechanical sort too

re: word seeds for wallets... don't know

i guess it's not mandatory we can skip it?

so i have the "unknown rule" msg i can ignore it i suppose

Yes. Most of the times that means you're using older version of Bitcoin Core or block mined with AsicBoost.

But IMO it's still better to update your Bitcoin Core

welp i am 17.1 and getting warning: unknown block versions being mined.. and i not mining :(

like we used to get pre segwit..



Icon

That's unrelated to whether you are mining or not.

I believe that warning is being caused by miners using asicboost which modifies the version number.

Bitcoin Core is a Bitcoin wallet. It does not support altcoins.

That is the case.

This is now the majority of the Bitcoin mining network.

Getting close to half the blocks generated have asicboost version numbers, so that implies a large % of the network is now asicboost enabled - since those miners produce both types of blocks.

Bitmain S9s have had this option in the chips for over 2.5 years and almost anyone using one has enabled it in the past few months due to Bitmain releasing new firmware to support it.
Almost any new mining hardware released will include some form of asicboost.

bitcoin core is one bitcoin client software implementation.

see also here:
https://bitcoincore.org/en/about/

You guys are doing this on your own volition as there is no official organization for BTC?

There's a handful of people (3 or 4 I think) that have merging rights to add or remove from Bitcoin's code. Then there's dozens of contributors who offer changes. The 3-4 that push the merge button only do so when they get the agreement of at least another 3 or 4 code contributors who are regulars on the project. If it's something totally trivial, like changing documentation, the mergers might not bother wasting time getting agreement first, though.

It's pretty informal overall (and typical for an open source project in that regard).

I now wonder when CORE wallet out of beta test will be released.
0,17 - the same numbering of beta soft products

What do you mean by "official" ?

BTC governance is decentralized with 3 types of constituents: devs, miners and users.
None of these groups can do things on their own without regards to what the other two are doing.

it's likely because of miners using ASIC boost. the way that warning is triggered is currently up for debate (there's also a proposal to standardise ASIC boost, which would solve the problem another way)

no need to worry