eXch.cc,
After researching everything you mentioned I have a question I hope you can answer. What motherboard model in your opinion is the least complicated to disable the IME on using Coreboot? I ask because the IPMI on my Supermicro X11 series motherboard complicates things a lot for a newbie like me. Therefore, I would really appreciate it a lot if you can recommend a motherboard that comes close to matching the specifications listed below and which you think provides the most straight forward approach to installing Coreboot:

• Micro-ATX form factor or ITX form Factor
• Core i5 or i7 performance
• Supports a minimum of 32GB of RAM
• Supports Ubuntu Server OS
• Open to AMD alternative motherboard if the PSP is less complicated to disable compared to IME.

Thank you for your time.

ETFbitcoin,
Thank you for correcting my mistake. It is great to see Bitcoin Core offers a RISC-V version for download. Additionally, I have been looking into the Debian on RISC-V option you mention. The most robust RISC-V board I could find is the Lichee Pi 4A board which is reviewed in the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1apoFXZ9ad8

Unlike the Raspberry Pi 4 with its closed-source components this Lichee Pi 4A board has open-source components. So that may be in line with my back door security concerns I have for Intel, AMD, and ARM motherboards. If it could support a 4TB SSD drive that will be icing on the cake because the Raspberry Pi 4 is only capable of supporting an SSD up to a 2TB capacity.

Lastly, I am thinking a possible work around to the problem with not having all the apps I need in a RISC-V format could possibly be resolved by using Docker and Portainer. From the little I know about Docker the apps are containerized so they are capable of running on any CPU platform. I would have to research this Docker option some more to confirm if it will actually work or not on a RISC-V board.  Thanks again for correcting my mistake.

Thank you to everybody for your excellent postings.  Below I have replied to each post organized alphabetically by username:

AF_newbie:
Thank you for the machine vendor links which by the way I already contacted before creating this forum post.  After researching System76 I learned they only specialize in laptops with IME disabled. Additionally, I learned they are considering developing a Mini PC that could be used as a server because their laptop has heating issues when used as a server that is on 24/7.  Same thing with Novacustom. They only specialize in Corebooted laptops and offer no mini-PCs.  I also researched Purism, which do offer a Librebooted mini-PC but it is currently in back order and very pricey at close to $3,000 fully spec’d out.   Nevertheless, thanks for the pfSense/OPNsense,  wireshark  advice which I plan to look into because it is the first time I hear about these network related apps. Maybe installing such apps on my Bitcoin Node server may help out in making it that much more secure.  As for the link you provided, I did manage to watch the Brian Milliron video. The method he shows on how to disable the IME using a Raspberry Pi is the complicated way of doing it. Below I have included some YouTube video links that show a less complicated approach using NeoProgrammer software and a CH341a v1.6 programmer.

DaveF:
To answer your question the reason I avoid the Raspberry PI is due to the closed-source components it uses. If this SBC was open source I would have it at top of the list for the purpose of running a Bitcoin Node server 24/7. Especially now that the Raspberry PI 5 has been released which I hear is more robust compared to the Raspberry 4.  Additionally, I learned the MEDS-5000 PC does not have the IME disabled. What it does offer is a way to disable the ATM which is a system that is subordinate to the IME on this motherboard.   I also spent some time researching the 3.5" SBC IAD70 motherboard but I couldn’t find anybody that sells it.  It would be fantastic if somebody in this forum could post a micro-ATX / ITX motherboard by model name that already has the IME disabled or non-existent. I am certain a lot of people in this forum would be interested in such information.

ETFbitcoin:
To echo your ARM TrustZone comment, I have the following analogy. Setting up a Bitcoin Node server on a motherboard with a PSP or IME back door on it is tantamount to buying a hardware wallet with a back door integrated into the circuit board.  It would be foolish to trust that storing a bunch of Bitcoin on such a hardware wallet is secure.  And the same reasoning applies to building a Bitcoin Node server built on top of a motherboard foundation that includes an IME or PSP back door. That makes for a real substandard foundation in my opinion. In short, I do not trust ARM TrustZone due to how it cannot be verified. 

eXch.cc:
As you mentioned, I took a look at RISC-V by first visiting the Ubuntu Server download page at the link below:
https://ubuntu.com/download/risc-v
It seems like currently there are only seven boards compatible to the Ubuntu Server OS. And outside of the OS, I also need a variety of apps such as Fulcrum, Sparrow Wallet, Mempool, Bitcoin Core, etc. to also be available in a downloadable RISC-V format which currently are not.  In short, I think it is too early to consider a RISC-V motherboard as a viable option to run a Bitcoin Node on. Additionally, thank you very much for all of the links you provided relating to Corebooting my Supermicro X11SSH-F motherboard. I found the links you provided to be very helpful. You obviously have a lot of experience relating to disabling IME. In contrast, I am a newbie at it who does not have all of the jigsaw puzzle pieces together associated to disabling the IME.  Nevertheless, listed below is some of the instructional material I have assembled to guide me through my “IME Neutering” task. Please feel free to recommend any additional instructional material you think may be helpful: 
Phase 1:
Practice on an old AsRock motherboard to get familiar using the NeoProgrammer Software and CH341a  v1.6 programmer covered in links below:
https://khandishnetwork.com/dl/neoprogrammer-software-2021-v2-2-0-8-22-06-2021/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_mnuuXyPiI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmYXiE2fQ6E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8f-3syiFSc
Phase 2:
Download Supermicro X11SSH-F Coreboot 4.13 Source TAR file and BLOB files from the link below and GPG authenticate them followed by performing the IME Neutering procedure on my Supermicro X11SSH-F motherboard:
https://www.coreboot.org/downloads.html

NotATether:
Thanks for opening my eyes to High-Assurance Platform (HAP) mode with the link you provided.  I was not aware of this HAP feature on some motherboards.  It would be great if there was some way to actually verify for yourself if the High-Assurance Platform mode completely switches off the IME. Because otherwise it is no different than the ARM TrustZone technology mentioned above.

Xtests:
Your opinion on High-Assurance Platform mode is a valid point. One must trust Intel actually switches off completely the IME using HAP. I guess it comes down to whether you trust Intel telling you “Trust Me Bro”. Personally, I think it would be great if HAP was configured in such a way that enabled one to actually verify the IME is completely switched off.  In my opinion, "trust but verify" is a good motto to follow when setting up a Bitcoin node server.

In closing, as I mentioned I am new at Corebooting a motherboard. Therefore, the possibility exists I may brick my Supermicro X11SSH-F motherboard by taking on this task myself. In short, I would appreciate a lot if anybody in this forum could recommend a solid micro-ATX or ITX motherboard by model name and manufacturer to serve as a backup motherboard just in case I end up bricking my Supermicro X11SSH-F motherboard. :-)  Any good motherboard recommendations with the IME already neutered or non-existent will be greatly welcome.  Thank you for your time.

I am researching setting up a Bitcoin Node that includes software tools to explore the bitcoin blockchain, store bitcoin, earn bitcoin, spend bitcoin, Bisq to buy Bitcoin and Lightning network software. However, a bump in the road I have encountered relates to disabling the Intel Management Engine (IME) on my Supermicro X11SSH-F motherboard using Coreboot. Listed below are some questions I have:

• Has anybody out there disabled the IME and if yes what motherboard model did you apply the Coreboot to? I ask just in case I end up bricking my Supermicro motherboard.
• Does disabling the IME with Coreboot really make a Bitcoin Hub more secure? Or are there tradeoffs that actually make the Bitcoin Hub less secure after installing Coreboot?
• What Intel chip generation is the correct one to buy so IME is no longer a factor to consider which means no longer having to mess with Coreboot?
• Is buying an Intel motherboard manufactured before 2006 the only way to 100% totally avoid IME? If yes doesn't such an old motherboard lack the required horsepower needed to operate a robust Bitcoin hub?
• Is an AMD motherboard a better foundation level security alternative to building a Bitcoin Node? If yes what particular AMD CPU generation / motherboard manufactured year should I be looking at?

As I mentioned, I am researching the task of disabling the IME on a motherboard and not 100% certain if I should continue down this path.  I would appreciated any opinions that will help me figure out the best approach to building a secure Bitcoin node at the motherboard foundation level .  Thank you for your time.

Thank you Goatpig and HCP for very informative postings. I learned a lot by reading them. Also, it is great to learn that Linux Mint was not at fault for my Armory install not working. The problem is my old laptop. I'm using a Dell M90 laptop. It dates back to around 2007. The processor is an Intel Core 2 CPU. It has 4GB of RAM installed but for some reason Mint is telling me 3.2GB is what I have for RAM. It also has an NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500 and I recently  installed a 2TB SSD hard drive on it because my 500GB hard drive ran out of space. I hope this old laptop can keep my Armory ONLINE version running for the next  5 years.

Nevertheless, I want to thank Goatpig and his entire team for offering a "No ASM" version of Armory for those of us using old laptops. The "No ASM" version is a blessing because it means I do not have to spend a lot of money on buying new modern laptops. I can report my "No ASM" install of Armory is working nicely on my ONLINE Mint laptop. It has successfully showed me my transaction history and wallet info which is impressive.

I also have a second M90 Dell laptop. My next project is to install the OFFLINE version of Armory on this second laptop so it can become my OFFLINE laptop for Armory.

Lastly, I'm curious to know if the yet to be released Armory version 0.97 is going to have a "No ASM" version designed to run on old laptops? It will be great if the "No ASM" version is kept alive for this future release as well so that old laptops can remain in use.

Again, thank you to this entire community for the support and to Goatpig for keeping Armory moving forward.

Goatpig,
Thank you for your post. I removed the "armory_0.96.5_amd64_gcc7.2.deb" installation from my Linux Mint laptop setup and installed the "noasm" version you mentioned. The result is my Armory now launches correctly!!!  Thanks for the help because now I am able to stick with using Linux Mint on my laptop. In my opinion, Linux Mint is a much nicer Linux Distro compared to Ubuntu Bionic Beaver.

Can anyone in the community clarify for me the following:

How does one correctly decide if a computer is compatible with gcc7.2 or gcc4.9? In my case, my Intel486 Laptop works great with gcc4.9. However, it does not work with gcc7.2.  In contrast, my Ubuntu desktop PC works great with gcc7.2. 

Also what does the acronym "NOASM" represent? I understand GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages. However, Google could not identify for me what is the meaning of "NOASM".

Thank you again to Goatpig and Carlton for the help.

Carlton,
Thank you for your post.

Sorry I forgot to mention I already installed the needed Python dependency for my Mint install. The code below shows my version check on my laptop running Linux Mint.  In short, it is the same version of Python  I'm running on my Ubuntu setup:


Nevertheless, I tried to find the ArmoryQT.py using the "locate" command in the terminal. I got no hits.

The text below is copied from my /usr/bin folder location in my Mint setup. It shows armory files installed:


My Home .armory folder location in my Mint setup is empty. Including the "database" folder:


My question to anybody in the community. In the Windows world you have an Executable (exe) file which launches the app. In the Linux world what is the EXE file for Armory?  I would  like to know so I can try launching Armory directly from the terminal. I tried typing "armory" in the terminal and this did not launch the app. The code below shows the result I got:


Any advice that will be greatly appreciated that can help me figure out why my Armory setup in Mint laptop setup does not launch but works perfectly on my desktop Ubuntu setup.  Thanks in advance.

Fellow Forum Members,
I had success installing Armory 0.96.5 on my Ubuntu Bionic Beaver which applies to my desktop online PC. For my online laptop I decided to use Linux Mint 19.2 Cinnamon Tina because I like how the GUI is designed to look like Microsoft Windows. I followed the same Armory installation procedures I performed for my desktop PC.

Nevertheless, in my Linux Mint setup  I can't get my Armory to launch when I click on the Armory Icon. Nothing happens. I also tried the terminal.  I typed in "armory" and nothing happens.

The first time I installed Armory in Mint  I used the "dpkg -i" command in the Terminal. At the end it the message said "Armory Installed Successfully".  But it does not launch using either a terminal or GUI approach.

For the second try I uninstalled Armory using Synaptic and then re-installed it using a GUI install approach by double clicking on the Armory deb file. This launched a GUI installer and it installed Armory a second time. The problem still remains. Armory still does not launch.

I would be very grateful if anybody in the community can post any opinions of what the problem can possibly be. Additionally, is anybody in this community running Armory using Linux Mint 19.2? If yes can you please post how you got it to work. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Carlton,
Thank you for your post. Your terminal command was great help. I used it and it installed Python Version 2.7. I followed this by installing the latest Armory version which ended with a message displaying "Armory Successfully Installed" !

My next step is to figure out what are the important files I need from my old Armory v93.1. 500GB hard drive setup so I can migrate them over to my new 2TB hard drive which has the latest Armory version installed. In short, I  would be very grateful if anybody in the community can identify what are the file extensions I need to target for migration?  Obviously, I realize the wallet files need to be migrated, but I would like to know if any other files besides wallet files require migration from the old Armory setup over to the new Armory setup. Any advice regarding this subject will be greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advance.   

Fellow Forum Members,
I would be very thankful if anybody in the community can give me some advice for my ONLINE PC Armory 96.5 installation. Listed below is  what I'm working with:

• I have a new install of Unbuntu 18.04 setup as my ONLINE PC for Armory.
• The deb file I'm trying to install is named, "armory_0.96.5_amd64_gcc7.2.deb"
• I'm using gcc 7.2 and not the gcc 4.9 deb package.
• I have my Bitcoin Core 18.1 installed and the entire blockchain downloaded. It seems to be working correctly.
• The terminal commands I'm using to install my Armory 0.96.5 are the two commands shown below:

Running the first command generated the message below and I seem to be having a Python dependency problem. It wants Python (Version >= 2.6), python-qt4, and python-psutil installed onto my Ubuntu 18.04 OS.   I would appreciate a lot if anyone can give me some Python dependency installation advice. What is the best way to install all needed Python dependencies so Armory can install correctly?  In other words, what is the correct Terminal command to use for installing all needed Python dependencies?  Also does anybody have a link to some good  Armory 0.96.5 installation instructions?  That will help me a lot.  Thank you very much in advance for any advice.

Thank you to all for your posts regarding this Bitcoin Core matter. I followed the given advice and downloaded the entire blockchain without setting up a "bitcoin.conf" file. Great to know Armory does not require this be done so it can operate correctly.

In closing, I am sharing the link below for those in the community wanting to know more about this subject. Two minutes into the video the "bitcoin.conf" subject matter begins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_9Sbrvj7qA&list=PLmoQ11MXEmag9I2ibHnubzJdjDqypujCk&index=2

Again, thanks to all for your help.

Fellow Forum Members,
I would be very grateful if someone in this community can confirm the following. Does the latest release of Armory need the Bitcoin Core Client to be configured with a "bitcoin.conf" file containing this line of code  "txindex=1" inside the file? Or is it okay for the Bitcoin Core Client to just download the blocks without no need for re-indexing the headers which is what the "txindex=1" inside the "bitcoin.conf" file is designed to do?  Any clarification will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Carlton,
Thank you for your post. I think the title thread, "Evaluating Various Bitcoin Core Installation Options" would have been a better title choice for this thread, but changing it now is something I think only the Forum Admin can do. I agree with you this thread has become confusing, but I believe much of the confusion apparent in this thread can be avoided if Bitcoin Core releases included a built-in installer.  As for myself I have decided to use the manual tarball installation method. But due to my inquisitive nature I also wanted to get familiarized with the various other Bitcoin Core installation methods available. In hindsight, maybe that was not a good idea because it has created a confusing thread. Nevertheless, thank you to everybody who has contributed to this thread.

Carlton,
Thanks for your post. I had to revisit how I am verifying release signatures because you point out I am doing it wrong. I thought the code I shared in the fourth posting from the top was adequate but apparently there is more to it. Fortunately, I found a great YouTube video that shows how to correctly verify release signatures. Below I am sharing the link to it so it may help those in this community having a difficult time with this task:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbBzEy385LI

Between the 2:00 minute and 2:40 minute mark is where the video covers the subject at hand and it made me realize what I am doing wrong.

Moreover, I hope someone can clarify Terminal code below:


Do I need to compile my Bitcoin Core tarball file and therefore by default need to use the commands shown above? Or does the command shown below take care of compiling as well?



Lastly, I hope somebody in this community can provide an opinion on yet one more way on how to install Bitcoin Core. The YouTuber below shows how to convert a tarball file to a DEB using an application called Alien. Once converted to a DEB he installs Bitcoin Core using the Ubuntu Software Center application. Is this installation method better compared to manually installing the tarball file? I'm curious to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt44bAP2rMg

I look forward to any feedback from members in this community.

Fellow Forum Members,
I believe the jigsaw puzzle pieces are coming together. All I need is a few more questions answered. I would be very grateful if anyone in the community can clarify the following:

The two YouTubers below cover what I am guessing is a manual tarball installation method. However, I do not understand this variant method and would like to know if it is yet another way one can install Bitcoin Core:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PPsRowfJKA   (1:16 minute into the video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQnAsn-Ib6Y   (7:21 minute into the video)

From what I gather both YouTuber's installation method involve using the Terminal commands shown below for the purpose of compiling tarball source files:

Below is my rough outline of the 14 steps (as I understand it) for installing a Bitcoin Core 0.18.1 tarball file manually. As Step 2 mentions I am using a x86 tarball file because my laptop has an Intel X86 CPU. Since the two conform to X86 architecture does that mean I do not need to concern myself with any installation method involving the need to compile source tarball files? In other words, do the three Terminal commands shown above apply to my installation scenario?

Or does correctly installing Bitcoin Core 0.18.1 require I use the three Terminal commands shown above?

Or am I correct to think the Terminal command shown below in Step 8 does the same thing the three Terminal commands shown above do? In other words, is the Terminal command shown in Step 8 also doing compiling of the source Bitcoin Core 0.18.1 tarball file?


************************************************************************************************************************

1. Go to either https://bitcoin.org/en/download or https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/ to download tarball file.

2. Download "bitcoin-0.18.1-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz" package if using an Intel x86 Dell laptop with Ubuntu 18 LTS installed.

3. Verify the downloaded tarball file for release signatures. The tarball file is valid if this message: "gpg: Good signature from "Wladimir J. van der Laan" appears in the Terminal as output.

4. Move the tarball file out of the Download folder and over to the desktop.
 
5. Right mouse click on the tarball file icon and select "Extract Here" command. The command delivers the same result the "Extract Here" command delivers. However, using the menu command is easier for Ubuntu newbies.

6. New folder appears on Desktop named: "bitcoin-0.18.1-x86_64-linux-gnu". Open it and drill down to the BIN folder where inside this folder you will see the six files bulleted below:

• bitcoin-cli
• bitcoind
• bitcoin-qt
• bitcoin-tx
• bitcoin-wallet
• test_bitcoin

7. Open Terminal window inside the BIN folder.

8. Use sudo to run commands as ROOT, use the following command line: 

9. In order to use Bitcoin Core GUI, you will need several libraries installed. All of them should be available in all major recently-released Linux distributions, but they may not be installed on your computer yet. To determine whether you’re missing any libraries, open a terminal (if you haven’t already) and run the command to start Bitcoin Core GUI.

10. If all the required libraries are installed, Bitcoin Core will start. If a required library is missing, an error message similar to the following message will be displayed:

11. Search your distribution’s package database for the missing file missing and install package containing that file. Then re-run to see if it’s missing another file. Repeat until Bitcoin Core GUI starts.

12. You will be prompted to choose a directory to store the Bitcoin block chain and your wallet. Unless you have a separate partition or drive you want to use, click Ok to use the default.

13. Bitcoin Core GUI will begin to download the block chain. This step will take at least several days, and it may take much more time on a slow Internet connection or with a slow computer. During the download, Bitcoin Core will use a significant part of your connection bandwidth. You can stop Bitcoin Core at any time by closing it; it will resume from the point where it stopped the next time you start it.

14. After download is complete, you may use Bitcoin Core as your wallet or you can just let it run to help support the Bitcoin network.

************************************************************************************************************************

Additionally, I would be very grateful if anybody in this community can review the 14 steps (as I understand them) shown above. Please let me know if I need to make any corrections to any of the steps. As for now, I have these questions:

Step 7 - I mention the Terminal window needs to be opened in the BIN folder. Is that correct? I ask because Step 8 mentions to run the command as ROOT. Does that mean having the Terminal window pointing to the BIN folder the wrong location? In other words, what does the ROOT path look like and doesn't the command correctly work from a BIN folder location in the Terminal window?  In short, please clarify what is meant by "ROOT".

Step 10 & 11 are about required libraries. Can anyone let me know if I should expect my Ubuntu 18.04 LTS installation to be missing any dependent files Bitcoin Core needs to install correctly? Should I expect any of the problems mentioned in Steps 10 and 11?

As for the PPA installation method I agree with what Colton says about it. I want to learn what is going on. However, I am glad I have learned the three Terminal commands shown below are the ones associated to the PPA installation method:

Thank you very much in advance for any postings. As I mentioned, in the beginning I feel the jigsaw puzzle pieces coming together. My hope is the postings that follow this posting of mine will help me in see the big picture.

Fellow forum members,
Thank you to all for your postings. I am still trying to figure out how to correctly install Bitcoin Core 0.18.1 onto a new Ubuntu 18 LTS installation. In an effort to understand, I have watched the "How to install Bitcoin Core wallet in any Linux distribution" YouTube video in the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw-L5hsoUes&app=desktop

The instructor in the video does the following steps:

1. Extracts the tarball file onto the desktop.
2. From the BIN folder he drags the Bitcoin.qt file over to the desktop.
3. He creates a new Bitcoin folder on desktop.
4. He moves the Bitcoin.qt file inside to the Bitcoin folder.
5. He moves the Bitcoin folder to the Home folder.
6. He opens the Terminal and uses the "cd" command to move to where the Bitcoin.qt file is at.
7. He uses the "ls" command to confirm the "bitcoin.qt" file is there.
8. He makes it executable by using this command: "chmod +x bitcoin.qt"
9. Then he launches the wallet by using this command: "./bitcoin.qt"

Can anyone in this community please help me with the following:

a). I followed these steps to the letter on my new Ubuntu 18 LTS system and it does not work.
    Is this installation method the YouTube video covers compatible on Ubuntu 18? Is it suppose to work?
b). Why does the YouTube instructor use the command below:
and not the command below mentioned in: https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node#linux-instructions and shown below:

c). I do not understand why the YouTube instructor does not move the other files in the BIN folder to the newly created Bitcoin folder mentioned in Step 3? Why does only the "bitcoin.qt" get moved to the HOME folder inside a folder named "bitcoin" and the other files in the BIN folder get left behind?  I find this confusing and I hope somebody can clarify it.

d). Can anyone please post the correct steps everyone needs to follow if the goal is to correctly install Bitcoin Core 0.18.1 onto a new Ubuntu 18 LTS installation. I just need it explained as steps because that will help me a lot. Therefore, I hope somebody can post numbered steps so everyone needing to perform this task can benefit. 

e). Lastly, from what I have learned so far there are three ways to install Bitcoin Core:
For example:
#1 You can download a source tarball and install it manually.
#2 You can download a .deb file and install it manually, using dpkg or the Software Centre.
#3 You can find a PPA or a third-party repository, and install it from there.
Which of the three methods listed above is the YouTube instructor using? 


Thank you very much in advance for any postings.

TryNinja,
Thank you for your post. I have reviewed the link. I have the tarball file located on my Ubuntu 18 desktop. When I select it and right mouse click there is an "Extract File" command which extracts the tarball file content. Am I correct to assume this eliminates the need to use the command shown below?



Also in the instruction from your link I do you understand the purpose of the "-m 0755" text included in the command shown below?


Lastly, if I remember correctly there is a BIN folder and inside that BIN folder there are six files. Where is the DEB file located? I compare the DEB file to the EXE file used in Windows10 world to install an application. Shouldn't I be using a DEB file to install this application? This is one aspect that has me confused.  Lastly, can you share any knowledge you may have regarding dependency files Bitcoin Core needs to install correctly?  Or does Ubuntu 18 already have all dependent files Bitcoin Core needs?  Thanks for your help with this matter. 

Bob123,
Thank you for your post. To answer your question below is the Terminal output I got when I went through the verification process with two changes I made included. The "john@mylaptop" differs and also the "90xxxxxxxxxxxxxx" differs because I don't know if such keys should be posted for the public to see. The 01EA 5486 DE18 A882 D4C2  6845 90C8 019E 36C2 E964 key seems to be posted all over the place so I left that key unchanged. 



Am I correct to assume the tarball file I downloaded has not failed the hash matching test based on the line I read below?


In short, do I have an authentic legitimate tarball file?  If yes, what line from the Terminal output is that decision based on?

Additionally, does my tarball file not failing this hash matching mean using the PPA installation method is now risk free?

Fellow Forum Members,
I have a new Ubuntu 18 LTS installation on my Intel x86 Dell Laptop and my goal is to install Bitcoin Core 0.18.1. Below in BOLD is the X86 64bit tarball file I downloaded from this site: https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/ . Unfortunately, this tarball file includes no Installation README file which would have been very helpful to somebody with weak Ubuntu skills:

bitcoin-0.18.1-x86_64-linux-gnu.tar.gz

What is confusing me is how Ubuntu has various methods available to install applications. Therefore, my question is what is the best method to use for installing Bitcoin Core 0.18.1 onto a new Ubuntu LTS system?

Google tells me the command below is used in the Ubuntu Terminal to install an application:


However, I am not sure what follows after the "install" part. What is the rest of the text I need to include with the command? Do I need to add "bitcoin.qt" somewhere in the command? And what other commands follow the apt-get install command?

Also I am not clear what dependencies Bitcoin Core needs so it installs correctly?

I hope someone in this community can clarify for me correct Bitcoin Core installation with a brief post that outlines the steps on how to do it. I would be very grateful because my Google searches have all resulted in dead ends due to how none of the searches explain it as a Bitcoin Core version 0.18.1 installation onto an Ubuntu 18 LTS system. Thanks in advance.

Additionally, I learned the PPA installation method poses a security risk. So I want to avoid installing Bitcoin Core using the PPA installation method.  Lastly, I have already successfully verified the tarball file keys using the SHA256SUM.asc file and it checks out correctly.

Thank you to all for all of the postings. The link below is the reason why I created this new topic:

https://itsfoss.com/ppa-guide/

Abhishek Prakash wrote this tutorial and according to the author PPA stands for "Personal Package Archive". Additionally, the author in his section titled, "Why PPA? Why not DEB packages?" writes the following:

"If you install a software using a DEB package, there is no guarantee that the installed software will be updated to a newer version when you run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade."

I do not claim to be an Ubuntu expert, however after reading that I couldn't help wondering if installing Bitcoin Core and Armory using PPA related terminal commands instead of using the traditional DEB install method was the smarter way to go. I may be wrong but the way I understand is using the PPA install method makes it easier to update your Bitcoin Core and Armory apps in the future.

Colton advises I don't do any of that and just go through the gpg --verify SHA256SUM.asc command process and then install the apps. I'm still trying to figure out that verification process because as I said I am not an Ubuntu expert.

Nevertheless, I was just seeking clarification on this Ubuntu software installation matter because I'm not clear if using the PPA method is supported by Bitcoin Core and Armory.  Any posts that can clarify this for me will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.