Armory online,Node offline

[HCP]

I also searched the Task Manager while having Armory open and there is only 1 process (ArmoryDB)running .None other looked relevant, in terms of being a Zomby DB.

What do you see in Task Manager when Armory is not open? Is there still an ArmoryDB process?

The whole problem with the zombie process, is that it is "stuck" and will then prevent a "new" ArmoryDB from starting... Basically, Armory sees that there is already an ArmoryDB process running (but doesn't know that it is "stuck") and won't try and restart ArmoryDB

Then, when you shut down Armory, it'll send a message to ArmoryDB to shutdown, but because ArmoryDB is "stuck", it won't shutdown and will just hang around forever... then when you restart Armory, the same thing happens, it sees the "stuck" one so doesn't bother trying to start a new ArmoryDB etc etc etc...

[justanothernick]

When armory is closed there is no such process as ArmoryDB or alike opened. I understand what you think might be the problem here, but this would mean that Armory works smoothly after restarting the PC but that isn't the case.
For my limited understanding, there must be a problem with Bitcoin Core and this is the reason why I can't get Armory online. While watching the processes carefully I recognized that BTC Core is not opened every time Armory is running.
Keep in mind that BTC Core is not installed in the default path and I'm not sure if I have given Armory the correct guide to finding it.My "Bitcoin Install Dir" f.e. is "E:\Bitcoin\daemon" and the "Bitcoin Home dir" "E:\Bitcoin". Regarding the size
of the blockchain there are 2 folder installed by default: - "Bitcoin" which includes folders like "blocks","chainstate","daemon", "database", "doc" and various files including bitcoin-qt.The other folder is called "btc" including "blocks","chainstate","Wallets"
only but apparently the blockchain is safed into both folders.

[justanothernick]

This is what I've been able to extract from the Dblog : https://pastebin.com/tbb8vbLF .I've got no idea why it is 1,2 GB but only shows data of the last run.

[HCP]

When armory is closed there is no such process as ArmoryDB or alike opened. I understand what you think might be the problem here, but this would mean that Armory works smoothly after restarting the PC but that isn't the case.

Then I'm not sure why (according to your armorylog.txt debug log) that sometimes Armory is not spawning ArmoryDB... The only reason I can think why that happens is because it detects that ArmoryDB is already running.

I assume you clicked the "more details" button in Task Manager and that you've checked all the background tasks:


Still, as you say, a restart should fix that problem... so it's not likely that a zombie process is the issue here.

For my limited understanding, there must be a problem with Bitcoin Core and this is the reason why I can't get Armory online. While watching the processes carefully I recognized that BTC Core is not opened every time Armory is running. Keep in mind that BTC Core is not installed in the default path and I'm not sure if I have given Armory the correct guide to finding it.My "Bitcoin Install Dir" f.e. is "E:\Bitcoin\daemon" and the "Bitcoin Home dir" "E:\Bitcoin".

I think your "pathing" is fine... you can see in the debug output that it finds your bitcoind.exe ok:

2021-01-13 19:39:56 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:1891 - Setting satoshi datadir = E:\Bitcoin
2021-01-13 19:39:56 (INFO) -- SDM.pyc:171 - Found bitcoind in the following places:
2021-01-13 19:39:56 (INFO) -- SDM.pyc:173 -    E:\Bitcoin\daemon\bitcoind.exe

And ArmoryDB is finding your blocks OK:

-INFO -0 10:32:05.000: (e:\users\goat\code\armory3\cppforswig\blockutils.cpp:915) blkfile dir: E:\Bitcoin\blocks

This output is a little worrisome tho:

-INFO  -0 13:37:27.188: (e:\users\goat\code\armory3\cppforswig\databasebuilder.cpp:134) scanning new blocks from #577594 to #577593

It seems you're missing ~90000 blocks??!?

The Bitcoin blockchain is currently at block #666366... so either your node is not fully synced, or it's actually using the "btc" folder instead of "bitcoin" and Armory is looking in the wrong place, or there is some corrupt data stopping Armory from scanning the blocks properly.

Regarding the size of the blockchain there are 2 folder installed by default: - "Bitcoin" which includes folders like "blocks","chainstate","daemon", "database", "doc" and various files including bitcoin-qt.The other folder is called "btc" including "blocks","chainstate","Wallets" only but apparently the blockchain is safed into both folders.

It's possible that your Bitcoin Core GUI setup has been configured to store the blocks in "btc\blocks"? whereas, when Armory is spawning "bitcoind.exe" it is explicitly using the "Bitcoin\blocks" folder... If you run the Bitcoin Core GUI (aka BitcoinQt) and look in the "Window -> Information" screen... what are the values for "datadir" and "blocksdir"?

Either that, or it's an old datadir from a previous install? What is the highest number blkXXXXX.dat file in the "btc\blocks" directory? What is the highest number blkXXXXX.dat file in the "Bitcoin\blocks" directory?

This is what I've been able to extract from the Dblog : https://pastebin.com/tbb8vbLF .I've got no idea why it is 1,2 GB but only shows data of the last run.

You mean the dbLog file is 1.2 gigs??!? Something not right there... I'd try shutting Armory down and deleting both armorylog.txt and dbLog.txt... and then restart Armory. It'll help get rid of any old debug that isn't relevant anymore.

[justanothernick]

I did check the background processes yes, nothing odd there.Here is a screenshot of my task manager while running armory: https://imgur.com/QgkZPUa .Once again the Bitcoin core process looks strange to me and it differs from the one you posted. Armory is currently at node 577593 blocks, looks like you are on the right track here. I've uninstalled the core completely before but haven't set up any new paths.Bitcoin- blocks is currently on blk02413.dat , furthermore there are a lot of revxxx.dat which seem to match the blk data.The status at btc-blocks is blk02402.dat and rev02402.dat and was updated a week ago. When I run Bitcoin Qt without Armory it says there are 7 days in backlog.

[HCP]

Ok... I think I can see why you have two different copies of the blockchain.

In Armory settings, you have "Let Armory run Bitcoin Core/bitcoind in the background" checked don't you? If my assumption is correct, what is happening is that the "bitcoind" that you see in your task manager (grouped under the Armory process) is being spawned by Armory and is using "-datadir=E:\Bitcoin".

However, when you run BitcoinQT manually, it appears to be using "E:\Bitcoin\btc". You can confirm this by running BitcoinQT (without Armory) and in the "Window -> Information" menu, you will see "datadir" and "blockdir"... what are these set to? If my hunch is correct, is will say "E:\Bitcoin\btc" and "E:\Bitcoin\btc\blocks".

If that turns out to be true, we can reconfigure either Bitcoin Core (or Armory) so that both are pointing to the same data folder... then you'll be able to remove one of those folders and reclaim some "wasted" storage space

[justanothernick]

Yes, its checked. Looks like your assumption is spot on https://imgur.com/nImQMac .Can you help me out setting up the pathing as well?

[HCP]

Ok, which one would you prefer to change? Probably easiest to change Bitcoin Core... basically, you just start Bitcoin Core using the -choosedatadir commandline switch, and it will pop up the "first run" dialog asking where you want to store the data...


A few things to note with this dialog...

1. Make sure you select the "Use a custom data directory" option and then set the path correctly, or it will create a THIRD copy of the blockchain!
and
2. Make 110% sure that the "Discard blocks after verification" box is NOT checked! If you leave this checked, it will immediately delete all but the most recent 2 gigs of blockchain data!


Also, if you see any "free space" warning in red like in my screenshot, you can probably ignore it... you already have the full blockchain downloaded in E:\Bitcoin, so it doesn't actually need 324 GB "free" as it won't need to download them.

[justanothernick]

Couldn't find an answer, whats the "-choosedatadir commandline switch" ?

[bob123]

Couldn't find an answer, whats the "-choosedatadir commandline switch" ?

It is a startup parameter.

Either 1) start the software (in this case: core) via the command line and add -choosedatadir at the end
or 2) right-click the shortcut -> details and edit the exeuction path by adding -choosedatadir at the end. Remember to remove this after starting it using that parameter. Otherwise you will be asked each time.

[justanothernick]

I just changed the location and updated the blockchain at "E:\Bitcoin" but it only added the most recent blocks. I've deleted the whole content of "E:Bitcoin/blocks" now to download the blockchain once again.Let's see if it works, I will update if the download is completed.

[HCP]

I just changed the location and updated the blockchain at "E:\Bitcoin" but it only added the most recent blocks.

Did you make sure that "Discard blocks after verification" was "unchecked" when using -choosedatadir? And also that in Bitcoin Core GUI in "Settings -> Options -> Main" menu, that the "Prune block storage" is also unchecked?

[justanothernick]

I did uncheck "Discard blocks after verification"  but didn't know about other option. Is it necessary to uncheck "prune block storage" to get it running? Armory is currently building Databases which takes ages , maybe that's a good sign and it does run afterwards.

[HCP]

I did uncheck "Discard blocks after verification"  but didn't know about other option. Is it necessary to uncheck "prune block storage" to get it running? Armory is currently building Databases which takes ages , maybe that's a good sign and it does run afterwards.

Hopefully... but yes, you must ensure that the "prune block storage" option is UNchecked... Armory cannot function with a "Pruned" node... it needs the full blockchain available to scan all the blocks.

Is the "building databases" progressing? You might want to check the dbLog.txt file and make sure that it is actually logging the "parsed block file #xxxx" lines... if it's not, then it might be "stuck". When it gets to "scanning transactions" in Armory GUI, then you should see a bunch of lines in dbLog.txt like: "scanned from block #xxxxxx to #yyyyyy".

And yes, both of these processes can take quite a while to complete.

[justanothernick]

I got Armory running now, which gives me some hope. It seems to have the "right" amount of blocks (667530) as well. I can't send BTC though, I guess it's a matter of enabling RBF now. Can you give me a quick guide on how to do it properly?

[bob123]

I got Armory running now, which gives me some hope. It seems to have the "right" amount of blocks (667530) as well. I can't send BTC though

Why can't you send your BTC ? Any error message?

I guess it's a matter of enabling RBF now. Can you give me a quick guide on how to do it properly?

How do you come to that conclusion?
Did you already send a transaction  and now want to increase its fee afterwards? Because that's what RBF is for.

Whether RBF is enabled or not is completely irrelevant to your wallet software. It can send transactions either way. It is just an optional flag.

[justanothernick]

When I'm trying to send BTC with the "Auto fee byte"  option checked and "enable RBF" unchecked I'm receiving the message "This is lower than the suggested minimum fee rate of 200 sat/B", I can decide whether I want to continue with this low fee or not. After choosing "yes" simply nothing happens. I decided to enable RBF and up the fee rate to the suggested 200 sat/B, after pressing "Send!" it is just not reacting, seems like Armory is not "receiving" the input. My explanation for this was that RBF is not working by default like I was told earlier in this thread.

[goatpig]

When I'm trying to send BTC with the "Auto fee byte"  option checked and "enable RBF" unchecked I'm receiving the message "This is lower than the suggested minimum fee rate of 200 sat/B", I can decide whether I want to continue with this low fee or not. After choosing "yes" simply nothing happens. I decided to enable RBF and up the fee rate to the suggested 200 sat/B, after pressing "Send!" it is just not reacting, seems like Armory is not "receiving" the input. My explanation for this was that RBF is not working by default like I was told earlier in this thread.

Show me your logs.

[bob123]

When I'm trying to send BTC with the "Auto fee byte"  option checked and "enable RBF" unchecked I'm receiving the message "This is lower than the suggested minimum fee rate of 200 sat/B", I can decide whether I want to continue with this low fee or not. After choosing "yes" simply nothing happens. I decided to enable RBF and up the fee rate to the suggested 200 sat/B, after pressing "Send!" it is just not reacting, seems like Armory is not "receiving" the input. My explanation for this was that RBF is not working by default like I was told earlier in this thread.

RBF is (or at least should) be completely independent from this.

Please upload your logs to https://pastebin.com/ or any similar service and provide us the URL.
You can retrieve your logs by clicking  File -> Export Log File

[justanothernick]

Another day , another post on the Bitcoin Forum .Thanks for your help and not getting tired of my problems.Here is my most recent log https://pastebin.com/knR2cmnR