PSA You must use 0.95+ in order to use Bitcoin Core 0.13.1+ after Segwit deploys

[achow101]

Due to the block serialization changes introduced in Segwit, any version earlier than 0.95.0 will not work with Bitcoin Core 0.13.1+ after Segwit activates.

[gangtraet]

Will I still be able to use an old Armory on the offline machine to sign transactions?

[goatpig]

Only for legacy Tx. You will need 0.95.1/2 to sign SW tx and 0.96 for to sign with the new wallets.

[gangtraet]

So the moment I receive the first SW transaction, I will need to upgrade the offline machine.  OK, inconvenient but unavoidable, I'll do that when (if?) it looks like SW is about to activate.

[achow101]

So the moment I receive the first SW transaction, I will need to upgrade the offline machine.  OK, inconvenient but unavoidable, I'll do that when (if?) it looks like SW is about to activate.

You will only receive a segwit transaction if and only if your wallet is upgraded. Legacy wallets will not be able to receive segwit transactions because the way those transactions work is that you the receiver must tell the sender to send to a segwit script. Those segwit scripts are only created in the new wallets.

[gangtraet]

So the moment I receive the first SW transaction, I will need to upgrade the offline machine.  OK, inconvenient but unavoidable, I'll do that when (if?) it looks like SW is about to activate.

You will only receive a segwit transaction if and only if your wallet is upgraded. Legacy wallets will not be able to receive segwit transactions because the way those transactions work is that you the receiver must tell the sender to send to a segwit script. Those segwit scripts are only created in the new wallets.

Thanks!

I should have been able to work that out myself

[U2]

Is there a post {or possibly website?} I'm missing where segwit is explained? I'm still learning about all of this stuff. Thanks.

[achow101]

Is there a post {or possibly website?} I'm missing where segwit is explained? I'm still learning about all of this stuff. Thanks.

Bitcoincore.org has lots of stuff on segwit. Here's one that explains most of it: https://bitcoincore.org/en/2016/01/26/segwit-benefits/

[Rampion]

So we basically need to update to 0.95+ both in the online and offline computers if we want to avoid compatibility issues, right? Could you please ELI5 the kind of issues we could face if we do not update?

Furthermore:

Are  there offline bundles for 0.95+? I can only find offline bundles for 0.93.3.

Thanks.

[achow101]

So we basically need to update to 0.95+ both in the online and offline computers if we want to avoid compatibility issues, right? Could you please ELI5 the kind of issues we could face if we do not update?

You won't need to update the offline if you are not planning on using segwit.

If you do not update to 0.95+ but are using 0.13.1+ after segwit deploys, armory will simply not work. It will not be able to parse the blocks that 0.13.1 writes to the disk. IIRC it will simply hang at the initialization and look like it is doing something when nothing is really happening.

Furthermore:

Are  there offline bundles for 0.95+? I can only find offline bundles for 0.93.3.

Thanks.

No. There won't be any offline bundles until the release containing segwit (which should be 0.96).

[Rampion]

So we basically need to update to 0.95+ both in the online and offline computers if we want to avoid compatibility issues, right? Could you please ELI5 the kind of issues we could face if we do not update?

You won't need to update the offline if you are not planning on using segwit.

If you do not update to 0.95+ but are using 0.13.1+ after segwit deploys, armory will simply not work. It will not be able to parse the blocks that 0.13.1 writes to the disk. IIRC it will simply hang at the initialization and look like it is doing something when nothing is really happening.

Furthermore:

Are  there offline bundles for 0.95+? I can only find offline bundles for 0.93.3.

Thanks.

No. There won't be any offline bundles until the release containing segwit (which should be 0.96).

Great. Basically this means that until 0.96 I can keep my current set up: 0.92.1 on the offline computer and 0.94.1 on the online one - right?

Thank you guys for your awesome work. Been using Armory for ages!

[achow101]

Great. Basically this means that until 0.96 I can keep my current set up: 0.92.1 on the offline computer and 0.94.1 on the online one - right?

Yes.

[Ente]

I suppose 0.96 will also include compatibility with compressed keys?
I read a comment that uncompressed keys are deprecated with segwit, and will be turned off completely at some point.

Ente

[achow101]

I suppose 0.96 will also include compatibility with compressed keys?

Yes

I read a comment that uncompressed keys are deprecated with segwit, and will be turned off completely at some point.

Ente

Not quite. Uncompressed keys are still technically allowed and valid, just that local node policy for Bitcoin Core is that transactions spending segwit outputs that use uncompressed keys will not be relayed.