Armory: System requirements?

[bitbutter]

I'm planning to buy a cheap-as-i-can-find laptop to use as an offline armory machine. Are there any particular things I should bear in mind when choosing a computer for this purpose? (eg. are there particular versions of windows I should avoid, or seek out?). Thanks!

[justusranvier]

Don't worry about the operating system it comes with - install the version of Ubuntu mentioned in the instructions.

As far as the laptop goes:

Ubuntu 10.04-32bit (Lucid Lynx) was chosen because it will work on just about any computer built in the last 10 years.

[etotheipi]

To further clarify:  the offline computer has just about NIL system requirements:  256 MB of RAM should be enough to run offline Armory.   Online Armory... needs quite a bit more (I'm working on reducing it, now!).

There is a version of Armory for each 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, and it works in both XP, and Windows 7 (not sure about Vista and Windows 8, but I don't know why not).

In Linux, I recommend what Justus mentioned:  install 10.04-32bit and download the offline bundle.  It has everything you need to install and run Armory on the first boot of a fresh 10.04 installation.  It works in most other versions of Linux, but installation usually relies on fetching dependencies from the internet, and it can be challenging to do that in an offline environment.

For reference, here is the Armory Quick Start Guide.  That has a link to the offline tutorial, too.

[bitbutter]

Thanks for the information. It's getting clearer! I'm about to buy a 2nd hand Eee pc to use as an offline armory wallet manager. It will have windows 7 running when I get it, i'm not sure whether install disks are included--ie. not sure if I'll be able to arrange a 'clean windows install' on there.

If not (and i guess it's not ideal to be using a used windows install for the offline machine) would the links on the get-armory page allow me to install Ubuntu cleanly on there instead, or do i need to look further afield for the packages/information that will allow me to do that? (I've never installed linux on a machine before).

From the http://bitcoinarmory.com/get-armory/ page

The link below is for setting up an offline system without ever touching the internet.  The zip-file contains the exact same 32-bit package as above, but also includes all dependencies needed for an Ubuntu 10.04-32bit system to run Armory in offline mode.  It can be unpacked and installed on the first boot of a fresh OS install!

Thanks again for any help!

[etotheipi]

Thanks for the information. It's getting clearer! I'm about to buy a 2nd hand Eee pc to use as an offline armory wallet manager. It will have windows 7 running when I get it, i'm not sure whether install disks are included--ie. not sure if I'll be able to arrange a 'clean windows install' on there.

If not (and i guess it's not ideal to be using a used windows install for the offline machine) would the links on the get-armory page allow me to install Ubuntu cleanly on there instead, or do i need to look further afield for the packages/information that will allow me to do that? (I've never installed linux on a machine before).

From the http://bitcoinarmory.com/get-armory/ page

The link below is for setting up an offline system without ever touching the internet.  The zip-file contains the exact same 32-bit package as above, but also includes all dependencies needed for an Ubuntu 10.04-32bit system to run Armory in offline mode.  It can be unpacked and installed on the first boot of a fresh OS install!

Thanks again for any help!

If you can figure out how to boot off the Ubuntu CD, then everything else should be a cinch.  You select all the default options for the Ubuntu installation except choosing a username, password, and computer name.  It will probably take 20 min to install Ubuntu and then ask you to reboot.  Once it's done, put the Armory offline bundle onto a USB key and copy it to your home directory or desktop on the offline computer.  You can unzip it by right clicking and selecting "Extract Here...", or something like that.  Once it's extracted, double click "Install_All.sh" and "Run in Terminal" when it asks.  You'll have to type your password.

That should be it!  You'll find Armory in the Applications menu under "Internet".  You can drag it from the menu to the top panel to make it easier to get to.  For extra credit, I'm sure someone here can explain how to auto-start it on boot...

But!  There is one major downside to an EeePC:  they usually don't have CD/DVD drives.  If yours doesn't I recommend you download the Ubuntu install disk (*.iso) from a Windows machine, and use unetbootin to install the ISO onto the USB key.  You can't just copy it, because it needs to be bootable.  I have not had good luck making bootable USB drives from Linux, which is why I recommend Windows+unetbootin.

If the system won't boot from the USB key, you'll need to go to the BIOS and make USB bootable.  You might as well force-disable the Wifi and Bluetooth while you're there.  The Wifi/Bluetooth options don't always exist, but the option for booting from USB key must exist if the system doesn't have a CD/DVD drive (otherwise there'd be no way to boot anything!).

Let me know if you have any problems.  Now that I mention it, I should probably add this info to the webpage.

[bitbutter]

If yours doesn't I recommend you download the Ubuntu install disk (*.iso) from a Windows machine,

Sorry for being a bit slow here. Could you let me know which Ubuntu install .iso this refers to (where to find it)?

Thanks again for your help!

[etotheipi]

It's the link in the "Get Armory"-->"Linux – Offline Bundle for Ubuntu 10.04-32bit" section, under "Ubuntu release page" (http://releases.ubuntu.com/lucid/).  Grab the "PC (Intel x86)" version.

If you get that one, you're guaranteed the offline bundle will work.

[bitbutter]

Thanks, I've gotten a bit further now.

I have Ubuntu 10.04 LTS installed on a DELL latitude. I've transferred the Armory_0.86.3_Offline_Ubuntu10.04-32bit.zip bundle to the DELL via a USB stick. I've unzipped the bundle.

I see a Install_All_Deps.sh script which I think i have to run(?), but double clicking opens it in gedit. I'm not sure how to proceed. Any further pointers appreciated.

EDIT: i got it going with the following.

Ctrl + Alt +t to open the terminal.

Code:

$ CD Desktop/Armory_0.86.3_Offline_Ubuntu10.04-32bit
$ sudo bash Install_All_Deps.sh

[etotheipi]

Thanks, I've gotten a bit further now.

I have Ubuntu 10.04 LTS installed on a DELL latitude. I've transferred the Armory_0.86.3_Offline_Ubuntu10.04-32bit.zip bundle to the DELL via a USB stick. I've unzipped the bundle.

I see a Install_All_Deps.sh script which I think i have to run(?), but double clicking opens it in gedit. I'm not sure how to proceed. Any further pointers appreciated.

EDIT: i got it going with the following.

Ctrl + Alt +t to open the terminal.

Code:

$ CD Desktop/Armory_0.86.3_Offline_Ubuntu10.04-32bit
$ sudo bash Install_All_Deps.sh

Oh, strange.  It should've popped up a window where it asks you how to open it.  You should select "Run in terminal."  Maybe I should rename that script to "Install_dbl_click_run_in_terminal.sh".

[bitbutter]

Thanks again for your help. I have my Armory install up and running! I've written up a walk-through here in case it's useful for other users: http://georgeoughttohelp.tumblr.com/post/46937654072/transferring-bitcoins-to-a-secure-offline-wallet-using

(of course if you see anything in here that sounds like a bad idea i'd very much like to hear about it!)