Umbrel — Discussion, issues, solutions

[BlackHatCoiner]

I shall open a general thread about Umbrel, which is an implementation of an operating system that runs Bitcoin & Lightning Network node. You simply install it on your Raspberry Pi and enjoy the benefits of a personal node. Your node runs through Tor (as I've noticed it's mandatory) and can also been administrated via WAN (not just LAN!) if you enter your onion url wherever you are.

Other, similar, implementations of such OS are myNode, RaspiBolt and RaspiBlitz.


So, I'm facing a syncing problem. It takes way too long than what I expected. I set it up yesterday (24 hours must have passed) and it's still on 14.48%. Is this normal or the verification of the blocks takes more than it should? Is there any way I could speed it up? Like verifying the rest of the blocks in my PC which should be faster than with Raspberry and then plugging my external disk back to it again once it's done.

I have:

• 1 TB SSD external disk. (is this enough for both Bitcoin Core and Electrum?)
• Internet speed: ~100 Mbits/sec.
• 32GB micro SD card.

[1715108053]

1715108053

[ranochigo]

So, I'm facing a syncing problem. It takes way too long than what I expected. I set it up yesterday (24 hours must have passed) and it's still on 14.48%. Is this normal or the verification of the blocks takes more than it should?

It's normal. Raspberry Pi is notoriously slow and the record for me was 5 days with a fairly fast SSD and a RPi 4, can take up to weeks depending on which RPi you have. The CPU, the RAM and USB (again depending on your Pi) are bottlenecks.

Is there any way I could speed it up? Like verifying the rest of the blocks in my PC which should be faster than with Raspberry and then plugging my external disk back to it again once it's done.

That's what I did with my subsequent synchronization after it got corrupted a few times. Either that or just copy the entire dir of a copy that you've already fully synchronized (if you have).

[BlackHatCoiner]

It's normal. Raspberry Pi is notoriously slow and the record for me was 5 days with a fairly fast SSD and a RPi 4, can take up to weeks depending on which RPi you have.

I have RPi 4 so it'll probably take a century less.

The CPU, the RAM and USB (again depending on your Pi) are bottlenecks.

Indeed. In order to test all those OSes you'll have to wait for a month, although I may stay with Umbrel as it seems better than myNode (that I had tried). The syncing didn't take that much on that OS, though. It finished in ~2.5 days. Does this have to do with the mandate usage of Tor? (without Tor it should sync faster)

That's what I did with my subsequent synchronization after it got corrupted a few times.

It got corrupted? Why? Don't I just plug my SSD to the PC's usb port, start the daemon using bitcoind --datadir=<...> and safely shut it down with bitcoin-cli --datadir=<...> stop?

[ranochigo]

Indeed. In order to test all those OSes you'll have to wait for a month, although I may stay with Umbrel as it seems better than myNode (that I had tried). The syncing didn't take that much on that OS, though. It finished in ~2.5 days. Does this have to do with the mandate usage of Tor? (without Tor it should sync faster)

Probably not. The only way to check is by looking at the resource usage, htop should show you how much ram is getting utilized and the CPU as well. I've never really had a bottleneck while using Tor, or at least it isn't that obvious to me at all.

It got corrupted? Why? Don't I just plug my SSD to the PC's usb port, start the daemon using bitcoind --datadir=<...> and safely shut it down with bitcoin-cli --datadir=<...> stop?

As in my own RPi got corrupted due to an unclean shutdown. It has nothing to do with me synchronizing using my computer.

[BlackHatCoiner]

As in my own RPi got corrupted due to an unclean shutdown.

Like a power outage? What happens then? Will you wait for another week to sync?

[ranochigo]

Like a power outage? What happens then? Will you wait for another week to sync?

Yes. I rebuilt the block data by plugging the SSD in my computer and treating it as an external storage. It would be faster to simply copy another uncorrupted block dir onto the SSD though.

[BlackHatCoiner]

Yes. I rebuilt the block data by plugging the SSD in my computer and treating it as an external storage. It would be faster to simply copy another uncorrupted block dir onto the SSD though.

Are you sure there isn't a smarter solution in case of an unclean shutdown? Can't I just delete the last block in my data and retry with bitcoind?

[odolvlobo]

So, I'm facing a syncing problem. It takes way too long than what I expected. I set it up yesterday (24 hours must have passed) and it's still on 14.48%. Is this normal or the verification of the blocks takes more than it should? Is there any way I could speed it up? Like verifying the rest of the blocks in my PC which should be faster than with Raspberry and then plugging my external disk back to it again once it's done.

I set up a RPi node with a hard disk (not SSD) and TOR, and it took about a week to do the initial block download.

I have a UPS because power outages are common where I live.

[HCP]

So, I'm facing a syncing problem. It takes way too long than what I expected. I set it up yesterday (24 hours must have passed) and it's still on 14.48%. Is this normal or the verification of the blocks takes more than it should?

As mentioned... IBD on a Pi can be torturously slow...

Is there any way I could speed it up? Like verifying the rest of the blocks in my PC which should be faster than with Raspberry and then plugging my external disk back to it again once it's done.

If your PC is Linux based and/or can read EXT4 formatted drives... then yes. From memory I was actually able to do this using Ubuntu running under "WSL" (Windows Subsystem for Linux)... the trick is to remember to modify the directory and file permissions after you copy them to make sure Umbrel can read them. User/Group 1000:1000 from memory.


If your PC can't read EXT4 formatted drives, you can use ssh/scp and copy the blockchain data from your PC to your external drive connected to the Pi (I have also successfully transferred the blocks this way).

Are you sure there isn't a smarter solution in case of an unclean shutdown? Can't I just delete the last block in my data and retry with bitcoind?

You'd probably need to delete the corrupted block and then do a reindex... that should work.

[BlackHatCoiner]

Is there any way I can verify the blocks with my GPU instead? Both RPi's and my PC's CPUs are very slow and it'll take ages to finish. At the moment it's 18.62%. Also, in Umbrel I don't have many connections with other (possibly) Tor nodes which means that I may also have a slow downloading, too. Right now, I'm connected with one Bitcoin node and it sometimes, becomes, zero.

I set up a RPi node with a hard disk (not SSD) and TOR, and it took about a week to do the initial block download.

Hmm, that means around 14% per day. So I'm in a much worse situation. I have to do something (maybe using another Bitcoin node OS?) otherwise, it may take more than two months.

You'd probably need to delete the corrupted block and then do a reindex... that should work.

Does reindexing mean re-verifying each block?

[BlackHatCoiner]

Question: Will my electrum server be personal or public? I want to provide in the peer discovery of the electrum servers (that run over Tor).

[HCP]

Does reindexing mean re-verifying each block?

Essentially, yes... The short answer is that it starts at the beginning and verifies the block data stored on disk. If an invalid block/file is encountered, it will start syncing (downloading blocks from peers) from that point to ensure the validity of all the blocks.

Question: Will my electrum server be personal or public? I want to provide in the peer discovery of the electrum servers (that run over Tor).

I'm not sure if the .onion servers are included in peer discovery or if you have to explicitly set them. The Electrum docs regarding Tor seems to indicate that you have to either set up as connecting to 1 server (ie. .onion only) or you run the risk of actually connecting to clearnet peers for blockheader download:

Thus the two different options are, Connect to 1 server ONLY and get block headers and transaction info from that server. Or Connect to 8 block header servers and connect to 1 .onion server for the general use.

However, when I look through the list of "known" servers... I so see a couple of .onion servers listed:


So, it's possible that .onion nodes are included in peer discovery.


Note: Setting Electrum to use my Umbrel node (from a remote location)... it is connecting to my .onion address, but the other connected nodes are all clearnet.

[BlackHatCoiner]

So, I deleted Umbrel, burnt an Ubuntu OS to the SD card, synced with Bitcoin Core until ~450,000 and then, due to some issues, moved back to Umbrel. I forgot to add txindex=1, so I had to reindex it. I haven't done so far, because it requires much time. I copied, though, all my block files (directories: blocks, chainstate, indexes) to the Umbrel's bitcoin directory and I wanted from Umbrel to index them for me.

While it does read it that I'm using 151 GBs out of 1 TB, I don't understand if it resyncs or just re-indexes.

That 0.13% scares me.

However, when I look through the list of "known" servers... I so see a couple of .onion servers listed:

Umbrel runs electrs so I guess it should allow others to connect with my .onion url.

[HCP]

While it does read it that I'm using 151 GBs out of 1 TB, I don't understand if it resyncs or just re-indexes.

Have you tried connecting to the Pi using ssh/terminal and checking what the Bitcoin Core logs say?

If you make sure you're in /home/umbrel/umbrel and then use:

Code:

sudo docker-compose logs -f --tail=100 bitcoin

That'll show you the last 100 lines of the debug.log file and then continue to output new lines (ctrl+c to stop). That should hopefully give you some idea of what it is actually doing.


Alternatively you should be able to check the network usage of the device to see if it is actually downloading blocks.

[cygan]

i now also have an umbrel full node running


https://twitter.com/cryptocygan/status/1492930549861826563

the blockchain is now completely synchronized but somehow my node does not get more than 11 inbound connections (peers) ... port 8333 is enabled in my router.
or is it just the outbound connections that umbrel shows me?

[DaveF]

Mine is smaller:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5364113

Is that a RPi in there? I am on mobile and I can't tell if it's that or something else.
I do like Umbrel, but as I have pointed out the 'app store' thing allowing it to do much more then BTC makes me worry about the security of it.
We know what the security risks are for a lot of the crypto apps, but what if you installed Pi-Hole and someone found and exploited something with that....

-Dave

[cygan]

Mine is smaller:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5364113

Is that a RPi in there? I am on mobile and I can't tell if it's that or something else.
✂

yes, there are even 2 rpi 4 built in and installed
but again back to my actual question ... how can i see how many inbound connections my umbrel node has?

✂
I do like Umbrel, but as I have pointed out the 'app store' thing allowing it to do much more then BTC makes me worry about the security of it.
We know what the security risks are for a lot of the crypto apps, but what if you installed Pi-Hole and someone found and exploited something with that....

-Dave

the app thing is such a question i share with you - actually you take your own risk there if you would install additional apps here...
and then immediately another question about the apps - has anyone here already installed any apps on the umbrel node and can recommend which ones here?

[vv181]

the blockchain is now completely synchronized but somehow my node does not get more than 11 inbound connections (peers) ... port 8333 is enabled in my router.
or is it just the outbound connections that umbrel shows me?

but again back to my actual question ... how can i see how many inbound connections my umbrel node has?

I don't use Umbrel but looking at their code^[1], the number on the dashboard shows the total connection of your node received(inbound+outbound). So you have to either check on some explorer(BTC RPC explorer) or directly SSH'ing into the server. Anyway, isn't Umbrel default network are using Tor?

[cygan]

the blockchain is now completely synchronized but somehow my node does not get more than 11 inbound connections (peers) ... port 8333 is enabled in my router.
or is it just the outbound connections that umbrel shows me?

but again back to my actual question ... how can i see how many inbound connections my umbrel node has?

I don't use Umbrel but looking at their code^[1], the number on the dashboard shows the total connection of your node received(inbound+outbound). So you have to either check on some explorer(BTC RPC explorer) or directly SSH'ing into the server. Anyway, isn't Umbrel default network are using Tor?

what is the best way to do this?
i am a bit inexperienced in this respect...

[vv181]

the blockchain is now completely synchronized but somehow my node does not get more than 11 inbound connections (peers) ... port 8333 is enabled in my router.
or is it just the outbound connections that umbrel shows me?

but again back to my actual question ... how can i see how many inbound connections my umbrel node has?

I don't use Umbrel but looking at their code^[1], the number on the dashboard shows the total connection of your node received(inbound+outbound). So you have to either check on some explorer(BTC RPC explorer) or directly SSH'ing into the server. Anyway, isn't Umbrel default network are using Tor?

what is the best way to do this?
i am a bit inexperienced in this respect...

You can try SSH into the server.

Use Powershell if you are on Windows or if you are running on macOS/Linux you can directly type below command on the terminal.

Code:

ssh umbrel@umbrel.local

Then enter your password.

Password: The same password you use to log in to the Umbrel dashboard

If you haven't yet run through the setup process, the password will be set to moneyprintergobrrr.

After you've connected to the node, then proceed to see the network info by typing this on the terminal:

Code:

bitcoin-cli getnetworkinfo
#or
~/umbrel/bin/bitcoin-cli getnetworkinfo

And then, the output should show you how many connections you got.
e.g.

Code:

 ~
"connections": xx,
  "connections_in": xx,
  "connections_out": xx,
~

[cygan]

big thanks vv181!
but how can i increase my inbound connections on my umbrel node?

Code:

"connections": 11,
  "connections_in": 1,
  "connections_out": 10,

on my other full node (Bitcoin core) i have ~60 inbound connections at the moment

Code:

"connections": 72,
  "connections_in": 61,
  "connections_out": 11,

[vv181]

big thanks vv181!
but how can i increase my inbound connections on my umbrel node?

Code:

"connections": 11,
  "connections_in": 1,
  "connections_out": 10,

I suspect the only inbound connection you got is coming from Electrs, you can verify it using bitcoin-cli getpeerinfo and search "subver": "electrs",

At least, that is the issue I also encounter on my Raspibolt node, which I suppose Umbrel does only run over Tor connection. It usually happens because I got a bad internet connection, and it is usually fixed by just restarting the Tor service. After that, I leave it half an hour or just a couple of hours, and then the node usually got the inbound connections back.

I don't know for sure about your node, but you can also try to restart the Tor service if you want:

Code:

cd ~/umbrel && docker-compose restart tor

[erictan90]

Hello, I am a newbie. I am running Bitcoin Core but I can’t get the inbound connections because I can’t open port 8333.
Is this Umbrel no need to open any port and can get the inbound connections?

[cygan]

Hello, I am a newbie. I am running Bitcoin Core but I can’t get the inbound connections because I can’t open port 8333.
Is this Umbrel no need to open any port and can get the inbound connections?

to have port 8333 enabled, you need to open it in your router... which router do you have?
since the umbrel node runs over the tor network, only one inboud connection is possible here - correct me if this is not the case

[DaveF]

As @cygan said by default Umbrel is running on TOR and you cannot disable that for now.
You *do not* need to use port forwarding it all just goes through the TOR network for connections to the outside world.

However, you should have more then 1 connection.

-Dave

[erictan90]

As @cygan said by default Umbrel is running on TOR and you cannot disable that for now.
You *do not* need to use port forwarding it all just goes through the TOR network for connections to the outside world.

However, you should have more then 1 connection.

-Dave

Are you sure Umbrel with Tor will have many inbound connections?

[erictan90]

Hello, I am a newbie. I am running Bitcoin Core but I can’t get the inbound connections because I can’t open port 8333.
Is this Umbrel no need to open any port and can get the inbound connections?

to have port 8333 enabled, you need to open it in your router... which router do you have?
since the umbrel node runs over the tor network, only one inboud connection is possible here - correct me if this is not the case

I will use a new router soon. I will try to open the port again. However, it is too hard for me.
I will be happy to use Umbrel if I am sure it is receiving many inbound connections (not 1 only as you said) without open port.

[DaveF]

As @cygan said by default Umbrel is running on TOR and you cannot disable that for now.
You *do not* need to use port forwarding it all just goes through the TOR network for connections to the outside world.

However, you should have more then 1 connection.

-Dave

Are you sure Umbrel with Tor will have many inbound connections?

Not 100% sure since I have tinkered with mine a lot, all I can say is mine DID before I took it offline last month.
Take a look here: https://community.getumbrel.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-increase-the-number-of-peers/5150

You might want to post a question there too and see. The community is active and willing to help.

Side note, before opening ports make sure you understand the security implications of letting ANY inbound traffic into your network.

-Dave

[cygan]

as you have already seen and read here👉https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5356129.msg59271490#msg59271490, i have installed 2 rpi 4 in my triton case ... on the one runs the umbrel full node and what should be operated on the second rpi 4, i am still undecided and would like to read from you a few suggestions and opinions...
what would be in mind that i already run 2 full nodes on the second rpi 4 useful to install and start?

[cygan]

umbrel has released a new version today.
the 0.4.15 includes a few updates to the already available apps and also 3 new apps jam, snowflake and bleskomat

Yep, you heard it right. @joinmarket is finally here — and with a beautiful, simple UI of new the Jam app.
Increase the privacy of your Bitcoin with CoinJoin transactions, or earn a yield by making your Bitcoin available to CoinJoin with others without giving up custody.🔥

By simply running Snowflake Tor Proxy on your Umbrel, you can help Ukrainian and Russian journalists, activists, and civilians connect to an uncensored internet via @torproject and bypass Russia's Tor censorship. It's easy and extremely impactful. 💪

With the new Bleskomat Server app, you can connect a @bleskomat Bitcoin & Lightning ATM directly to the Lightning node on your Umbrel.⚡

https://twitter.com/getumbrel/status/1498665787523231744

[erictan90]

big thanks vv181!
but how can i increase my inbound connections on my umbrel node?

Code:

"connections": 11,
  "connections_in": 1,
  "connections_out": 10,

I suspect the only inbound connection you got is coming from Electrs, you can verify it using bitcoin-cli getpeerinfo and search "subver": "electrs",

At least, that is the issue I also encounter on my Raspibolt node, which I suppose Umbrel does only run over Tor connection. It usually happens because I got a bad internet connection, and it is usually fixed by just restarting the Tor service. After that, I leave it half an hour or just a couple of hours, and then the node usually got the inbound connections back.

I don't know for sure about your node, but you can also try to restart the Tor service if you want:

Code:

cd ~/umbrel && docker-compose restart tor

hi, how many inbound connections after you restart the Tor?

[vv181]

hi, how many inbound connections after you restart the Tor?

I missed your post, sorry. After I restarted my node IIRC it gradually got 10+ connections.

A further precaution note of Umbrel security disclosure.

Recently there is a known NPM package security vulnerability, node-ipc[1]. In short, the malicious package will overwrite all the files if the user's IP comes from Russia or Belarus. While the Umbrel node may or may not be affected, it is worth noting the precatory security measure from the Umbrel developers.

And while that issue is already being addressed and even if somehow the Umbrel node is affected, I believe it won't fully affect the whole system since Umbrel systems are containerized and the only thing I can see is it only may impact the umbrel-dashboard app since the nested dependencies contained the malicious package. Also, noting the node ran on Tor and the Exit relay of those IPs is few, so mostly, it will hardly get affected.

After all, since as on the security disclosure Umbrel mentioned using a bunch of 3rd party dependencies, this snipped quote is worth consideration for future Umbrel development:

While this is an attack with protest-driven motivations, it highlights a larger issue facing the software supply chain: the transitive dependencies in your code can have a huge impact on your security.

More info about the vuln: https://gist.github.com/MidSpike/f7ae3457420af78a54b38a31cc0c809c and Alert: peacenotwar module sabotages npm developers in the node-ipc package to protest the invasion of Ukraine.

[1] https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-NODEIPC-2426370

[cygan]

what do you think about all the apps that umbrel offers in its app store?
do any of you here use some of them and what about the security of the whole umbrel node? i can imagine that this might compromise the security a bit...
behaves then similarly as, if one would install on its mobile phone various apps...

[vv181]

what do you think about all the apps that umbrel offers in its app store?

I don't know too much about it, but according to their app framework repository page, each app is also containerized/isolated. Though it may doesn't make any sense considering the essential app which handles the low-level bitcoin apps or the whole system itself are built with security tradeoffs.

[cygan]

what do you think about all the apps that umbrel offers in its app store?

I don't know too much about it, but according to their app framework repository page, each app is also containerized/isolated. Though it may doesn't make any sense considering the essential app which handles the low-level bitcoin apps or the whole system itself are built with security tradeoffs.

are they now, in your opinion, safe on the umbrel node when you install them or should you have any major concerns?

[vv181]

what do you think about all the apps that umbrel offers in its app store?

I don't know too much about it, but according to their app framework repository page, each app is also containerized/isolated. Though it may doesn't make any sense considering the essential app which handles the low-level bitcoin apps or the whole system itself are built with security tradeoffs.

are they now, in your opinion, safe on the umbrel node when you install them or should you have any major concerns?

Yes, as above mentioned, Umbrel apps are going through a review and modification process by the Umbrel developers' to adjust the configuration/security concern.

And if we are referencing the vuln and somehow the apps contained the dependency, I believe as of now it won't do any major harm.

[cygan]

okay, i'll install a few apps tomorrow
can you maybe recommend a few apps from the umbrel app store that are a must have for every Bitcoin node?

[cygan]

okay, thank you.
have now decided for two apps and installed the 'mempool' and the 'tor snowflake proxy' app on my umbrel node

[cygan]

umbrel has again released a new version, which also includes two new apps.
one is the agora and the other is the sparkkiosk app.
to update your node to the new version just click on the update button in your umbrel webif.

Umbrel 0.4.17 is here with 2 brand new apps in the Umbrel App Store, updated apps, and more.

💰 Sell your files for #Bitcoin with Agora
🖨️ Create and print LNURL QR codes for your kiosk or café with sparkkiosk

Login to your Umbrel to update!

https://twitter.com/getumbrel/status/1511316135316439043

[DaveF]

Has anyone here gotten Umbrel to work on a Debian machine?
I followed their docs and had nothing but issues.
Using their pre-burned RPi image was perfect with no issues. But what should have been a quick Linux build would not start. No error, no output, no nothing....just a blinking cursor.

-Dave

[DaveF]

Has anyone here gotten Umbrel to work on a Debian machine?
I followed their docs and had nothing but issues.

I never tried it, but what docs did you follow? The GitHub page mention it's not recommended[1] to run Umbrel on anything else (besides Raspberry Pi 4).

Using their pre-burned RPi image was perfect with no issues. But what should have been a quick Linux build would not start. No error, no output, no nothing....just a blinking cursor.

You need to be specific. Does "blinking cursor" happen when you run command sudo ./scripts/start? Have you tried open localhost on your browser to check whether Umbrel running?

[1] https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel#-getting-started

Yes I know it's listed as not recommended but I had a clean VM sitting there and figured why not.
Followed the instructions, Docker, Python, etc. for the requirements.
Looked good, no issues.

Run it and nothing happens, no services start, nothing when I try to browse to it, looking at top in another terminal window it's like I did non even run the "sudo ./scripts/start" command. Will play with it again when I have time. Just wondering if anyone else here had the problem before I start opening up an issue on github or even join the telegram discussion (which I hate).

-Dave

[cygan]

does anyone know why it is not possible to disable these 3 options in the umbrel node?



especially the last option 'remote access' to the tor network would be very interesting...
is this generally not possible for the current version or is it maybe somewhere in my settings?

[vv181]

I see around 15000 listening node (https://bitnodes.io)
Is that include the electrum server node?

No, Bitnodes only lists Bitcoin nodes.

I think my Umbrel receiving 1 inbound connection from electrs:0.9.4

That comes from your own node. Electrs are using a P2P bitcoin connection, which makes it show as an inbound connection.

[vv181]

@erictan90 after I look around about Umbrel, based on this, Umbrel doesn't allow public incoming connections. Though I don't know much about how Umbrel is configured and how Docker works. But probably, that is the reason why you didn't get any inbound connections, which the node doesn't act as a listening node.

I see that @Cygan have a similar issue on the previous page, maybe Cygan could confirm whether the issue has been resolved or not.

[vv181]

@erictan90 after I look around about Umbrel, based on this, Umbrel doesn't allow public incoming connections. Though I don't know much about how Umbrel is configured and how Docker works. But probably, that is the reason why you didn't get any inbound connections, which the node doesn't act as a listening node.

do you think MyNode allow public incoming connections?

Actually, I retake my word about Umbrel didn't allow the public incoming connection. I can't be sure about that.

Bitcoind and Tor that are configured properly should allow you to accept inbound connections out of the box. And I see that Umbrel community somewhere else they did has an inbound connection. I don't know where's wrong about your issue, the fact that I didn't use Umbrel, couldn't make help me to try to figure it out. Ideally, any AIO/out of the box node solution like Umbrel, My node, etc should offer you to allow accepting incoming connections. The last thing you have to do, specifically if the node isn't using Tor, is to configure your router to allow the port forward the bitcoin port.

[cygan]

one of the reasons and advantages of an own node

[ajaxtempest]

Guys can anyone help me in this problem?
I have a bitcoin node operating in my windows 10 pc.
i want to setup 24/7 bitcoin node via raspberry pi 400. Have purchase 3.5" 2tb hdd with its own power supply

I dont want to redownload the blockchain via outside net. Knowing that the pi os is linux and other is windows 10 i simply cannot transfer the blockchain files to the pi or can i?
Can i just sync the pi blockchain from only my pc bitcoin core via internal LAN so it does not download via internet outside my network?

[DaveF]

Yes you can, but unless you are on a slow or metered internet connection it's not worth it.

Umbrel (or any of the nodes in a box) that are going to run some other things will need to index the blockchain which is going to take longer if you just copy it across then if it does it on the fly as it downloads. Remember, it's a lower power machine pushing everything through a USB connection so there is a performance issue doing it that way. Once it's up an running it's fine.

-Dave

[DaveF]

You can do it with parameter -connect=<ip> or adding connect=<ip> to bitcoin.conf file.

For now Umbrel is TOR only, will it still connect to a non TOR node even if it's local? I never tried.
Also, although it should not matter, changing the conf file for some of the preconfigured nodes may cause other issues. I know once you change any of the conf files in mynode it will not change them itself even if an update to bitcoind or other app requires it. It's the you touch it, it's yours theory.

-Dave

[hZti]

Has anyone tried to install umbrellas on an older Raspi? I have an Raspi 2 and could imagine it could work with a presynced blockchain?

[hZti]

Has anyone tried to install umbrellas on an older Raspi? I have an Raspi 2 and could imagine it could work with a presynced blockchain?

I doubt it'll work, the GitHub clearly state it only tested on ARMv8 and x64 devices. Some user also report error when they use ARMv7 device[1]. Older Pi 2B use ARMv7 while Pi 2B v1.2 use ARMv8[2]. It'll be challenge though since only Pi 4 is supported[3] with 4GB RAM as "Installation Requirements"[4].

Do you have an idea how to run an full node on the Raspi 2B that is easy to set up?

[DaveF]

Has anyone tried to install umbrellas on an older Raspi? I have an Raspi 2 and could imagine it could work with a presynced blockchain?

Nope you can't. You need a 4. You need at least 2GB Ram although that would make for a miserable experience. 4 or 8 is recommended. The 4 is also MUCH faster.
Take a look at where the 4 is terms of speed vs the 2.
Also the 2 only has USB2 to move and deal with the blockchain and other things you need USB3

If you could you somehow force it on and then possibly make it work it's going to be a disaster with many performance issues and things not working because they took too long.



-Dave

[cygan]

✂
Do you have an idea how to run an full node on the Raspi 2B that is easy to set up?

unfortunately it will not be possible and the whole thing will always crash. tried it with a friend (who also has a rpi 2) but all options/configs were unsuccessful.
i would highly recommend you to get an rpi 4 - even umbrel itself says on its own homepage that an rpi4 is needed.

[cygan]

umbrel has today introduced the new update of their software and released with version 0.5 a very comprehensive release.
the following features will be delivered with the new version, which can be easily installed via your webif: new ui, simple one-line install, realtime app updates, new Bitcoin node and lightning node apps,
app permissions and dependencies, authentication for apps and a new way to package and ship apps for umbrel

This is Umbrel 0.5. A beautiful personal server OS that makes self-hosting accessible for everyone. And our biggest update to Umbrel yet.

Umbrel 0.5 is now live. If you’re running Umbrel, just log in to update.

https://blog.getumbrel.com/introducing-umbrel-0-5-a-beautiful-personal-server-os-for-self-hosting-dcbee7e23b64

[cygan]

there are again two new apps for umbrel
with the woofbot app you can see the notifications of your Bitcoin node on telegram and with the second app lnvisualizer you can see the complete lightning network graphically and get all the information you need

https://twitter.com/umbrel/status/1542473508583837698

[cygan]

i can not access my node or log in since a few days...
when i try to access http://umbrel.local/ i get a empty page with the message: the website is not available
anyone an idea?
have not changed anything on my umbrel node

[DaveF]

i can not access my node or log in since a few days...
when i try to access http://umbrel.local/ i get a empty page with the message: the website is not available
anyone an idea?
have not changed anything on my umbrel node

Can you get the RPi plugged into video? If so there might be something on the screen that gives a hint.
Crashed process / out of memory / drive error.

If not, can you SSH to it? From the umbrel site:

Open a terminal on your computer and enter:

ssh -t umbrel@umbrel.local

in Windows 7 you can use Putty 145, a tiny program to use SSH

in Windows 10 you can use PowerShell and the command is

ssh umbrel@umbrel

Instead of umbrel.local also you can use the local IP of your node.

The default password is moneyprintergobrrr.

On version 0.3.3 or later, the password is your personal user password instead.

If you can get in with SSH a reboot might fix it

Code:

sudo reboot

to reboot the node.

How old is your oldest backup if there is an issue that requires a rebuild?

-Dave

[cygan]

a restart of the rpi helped and my umbrel node is running and reachable again

[cygan]

with plex, jellyfin, transmission, sonarr, radarr, lidarr and prowlarr 7 new apps launched in the umbrel app store yesterday

[DaveF]

Although I really like the concept of all these apps, every time you add stuff to a project like this you do compromise security and add things that can go wrong.

Also, most people are still running it on a RPi, there is a limit to what it can do. You know there are people out there that will install every app and then wonder why it's taking forever for the node to sync or why this or that is going wrong and it's just the RPi CPU screaming while trying to keep up.

It's a device that holds your finances, no reason to be doing that much more.

-Dave

[cygan]

i was thinking the same thing and actually it would be perfectly sufficient if umbrel only offers Bitcoin specific apps in their own app store ... so slowly this degenerates into another/wrong direction
the umbrel node should continue to function as its own stable Bitcoin node including lightning and run without problems

[DaveF]

with plex, jellyfin, transmission, sonarr, radarr, lidarr and prowlarr 7 new apps launched in the umbrel app store yesterday

None of them related with cryptocurrency in any way. I wonder if decent amount of Umbrel user want to make their Raspberry become more useful since those 7 apps is added in single commit[1].

It's a device that holds your finances, no reason to be doing that much more.

In first place, people shouldn't hold their Bitcoin on Umbrel. It's still on beta and not considered secure by the developer[1].

[1] https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-apps/commit/60878f278d544b204d8e7c96240c797f43a9b319
[2] https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel/blob/master/SECURITY.md

As I have always said with hot / online wallets. It comes down to the risk vs convenience amount and everyone's number is going to be different.

I have a non raided - beta software - SBC - always online - tor connected umbrel lightning node with more funds on it then the hot wallet on my phone. Because even with all the above I still think it's more secure. And I probably won't forget it on a table at a restaurant and leave it there.

Others will feel differently. Bill Gates could leave $10000s on one and not care.

But, all that aside, once it's out of beta do you really want it to be running more then just crypto apps?

-Dave

[n0nce]

But, all that aside, once it's out of beta do you really want it to be running more then just crypto apps?

I'm all for separation of privileges, sandboxing etc., but don't feel too secure by putting some (potentially insecure) web service on a different machine in the same LAN as your Bitcoin node.
As long as you don't take the right precautions like setting up VLAN or a decent firewall setup within the LAN, if you get your 'non-Bitcoin machine' infected, all your other devices are at risk, too.

Personally, I'd limit the amount of ports I open and publicly accessible services I run, in general.

[DaveF]

...Personally i would install Transmission...

https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2018-10756/
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2018-5702/

...or other available BitTorrent client....

https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-7690/Bittorrent.html
https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-6117/year-2022/Utorrent.html

The problem is that as you add more and more things there are more and more issues to keep track of and the possibility that you, the umbrel developers, the repository maintainers that umbrel uses or whoever misses something, does not add the updated packages or whatever and users are sitting there with an unpatched vulnerability. When you go to an ATM for your bank do you want it to also have some video games on it that you can play while waiting to possibly get some money out [wait I just invented the slot machine]. When you are on your online banking site do you want it to have things on it that are not related to banking / that bank?

To me it really is just about paranoid security. I have enough to worry about with me screwing up, I don't need to worry about other unrelated things screwing up.

Just a bit of paranoia on my part, not saying I am 100% correct it's just the way I look at it.

-Dave

[ABCbits]

...Personally i would install Transmission...

https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2018-10756/
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2018-5702/

First CVE require user download malicious torrent file while second CVE require user to enable remote access feature. I wouldn't worry too much when linux kernel has 194 new CVE this year[1]. Additionally, Transmission only can access config and download folder[2].

...or other available BitTorrent client....

https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-7690/Bittorrent.html
https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-6117/year-2022/Utorrent.html

I don't use those software. Last time i checked, it's closed source and show annoying ads.

The problem is that as you add more and more things there are more and more issues to keep track of and the possibility that you, the umbrel developers, the repository maintainers that umbrel uses or whoever misses something, does not add the updated packages or whatever and users are sitting there with an unpatched vulnerability.

--snip--

I get your point and actually i agree with your point. But don't forget all application is run inside Docker container[3], which reduce some security risks.

[1] https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list.php?vendor_id=33&product_id=&version_id=&page=1&hasexp=0&opdos=0&opec=0&opov=0&opcsrf=0&opgpriv=0&opsqli=0&opxss=0&opdirt=0&opmemc=0&ophttprs=0&opbyp=0&opfileinc=0&opginf=0&cvssscoremin=0&cvssscoremax=0&year=2022&month=0&cweid=0&order=3&trc=194&sha=0b4324a03d1611b238026b0d9c1402ae680bada2
[2] https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-apps/blob/master/transmission/docker-compose.yml
[3] https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-apps/#umbrel-app-framework

[vv181]

Didn't follow through with how Umbrel developed, but doesn't Umbrel since the first start already paved its way as a platform for self-hosting apps? not the one that was specifically made to run the Bitcoin ecosystem. Looking at how it will seem to continue to develop, I think if someone wants to use a platform or OS that is specifically made for Bitcoin, they should have sought an alternative.

[n0nce]

To me it really is just about paranoid security. I have enough to worry about with me screwing up, I don't need to worry about other unrelated things screwing up.

Just a bit of paranoia on my part, not saying I am 100% correct it's just the way I look at it.

I do agree, yes. Self-hosting is no trivial task, even for professionals; no wonder webhosting and email hosting businesses have been thriving for the last 20 years.
Ever since I created my full node install guide, I noticed how often it has to be updated, even with just 4 individual pieces of software on it. Maintaining a self-hosted server of any kind is not a cakewalk, especially not for unexperienced users.

Bitcoin Core is kind of unique in the way it requires as many nodes as possible to run it 24/7, but it's also unique in the high level of security it has; so it's much less critical if someone runs an outdated version for a few more months.

Didn't follow through with how Umbrel developed, but doesn't Umbrel since the first start already paved its way as a platform for self-hosting apps? not the one that was specifically made to run the Bitcoin ecosystem.

I'm 99% sure it always had self-hosting specifically Bitcoin software at its core concept since the very start. Media hosting and such, came later.

[DaveF]

I'm 99% sure it always had self-hosting specifically Bitcoin software at its core concept since the very start. Media hosting and such, came later.

They always had the app store, but IMO it's going with too many things. And since it is designed to be run on an RPi, and one again IMO there is no 'stop new users from shooting themselves in the foot' setting. You can install everything and your node WILL crash (or at least both of mine did) due to lack of resources.

Yes you can do the same with Windows, OSX, *nix, and so on. Bu and once again IMO since it's supposed to be a BTC / Lightning node having all these other things, although nice is probably going to cause more issues.

-Dave

[DireWolfM14]

Didn't follow through with how Umbrel developed, but doesn't Umbrel since the first start already paved its way as a platform for self-hosting apps? not the one that was specifically made to run the Bitcoin ecosystem.

I'm 99% sure it always had self-hosting specifically Bitcoin software at its core concept since the very start. Media hosting and such, came later.

Below is an excerpt from the ReedMe file of version 0.1.2:

Services orchestrated

- [`Umbrel Dashboard`](https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-dashboard)
- [`Umbrel Manager`](https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-manager)
- [`Umbrel Middleware`](https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel-middleware)
- [`Bitcoin Core`](https://github.com/getumbrel/docker-bitcoind)
- [`LND`](https://github.com/getumbrel/docker-lnd)
- [`Tor`](https://github.com/getumbrel/docker-tor)
- [`Nginx`](https://github.com/nginx/nginx)

It's certainly not conclusive evidence that Umbrel was a bitcoin-centric OS even back then, and that's only the oldest release I found on github.  I only just started using Umberl a couple of weeks ago, so I have no personal experience with it's history or how it's evolved over the years.

It is interesting how they've recently spread out into a more generic "self-sovereign" OS by including apps like Nextcloud and media servers.

They always had the app store, but IMO it's going with too many things. And since it is designed to be run on an RPi, and one again IMO there is no 'stop new users from shooting themselves in the foot' setting. You can install everything and your node WILL crash (or at least both of mine did) due to lack of resources.

Yes you can do the same with Windows, OSX, *nix, and so on. Bu and once again IMO since it's supposed to be a BTC / Lightning node having all these other things, although nice is probably going to cause more issues.

-Dave

Honestly I've never had good luck running bitcoind and electrumx server on a RPi, not even version 4.  I blame myself; I've never cared for Raspian, and always run them with the latest version of Ubuntu server.  I've given away all my Raspberry Pis except for one version 4 that I use as a media server.

Currently I have a Dell SFF PC with an i5 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 1tb SSD on which I've installed Umbrel over Ubuntu Server 22.04.1.  Umbrel is running Bitcoind, Electrs, LND, Mempool, and Tailscale.  I also have Lightning Terminal and Ride the Lightning installed as well.  I've had this set up running for about two weeks now without any issues.

[DaveF]

Honestly I've never had good luck running bitcoind and electrumx server on a RPi, not even version 4.  I blame myself; I've never cared for Raspian, and always run them with the latest version of Ubuntu server.  I've given away all my Raspberry Pis except for one version 4 that I use as a media server.

Currently I have a Dell SFF PC with an i5 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 1tb SSD on which I've installed Umbrel over Ubuntu Server 22.04.1.  Umbrel is running Bitcoind, Electrs, LND, Mempool, and Tailscale.  I also have Lightning Terminal and Ride the Lightning installed as well.  I've had this set up running for about two weeks now without any issues.

Just did a test with a node in a box that I was going to re-image anyway. RPi4, 4GB, SSD.

I tried to install everything in the app store and it would not. Crashed to the point that I could not even SSH into it. Did a power cycle and it came back but crashed again the same way. Could be that it's not actually crashing but taking so long to respond that both the web browser and SSH client timeout before it responds.

So yeah, you can shoot yourself in the foot quite well with it.

On the system you have. Assuming it's a 3rd gen i5 or better you could probably get away with installing everything.

-Dave

[DireWolfM14]

Just did a test with a node in a box that I was going to re-image anyway. RPi4, 4GB, SSD.

That actually brings up a good point.  I've never plugged a hard drive directly into my RPi, just mounted SSD NAS directory to use for the blockchain data.  One time I even tried mounting the NAS directory at /var/lib, but still no joy.  Every time I've tried I would allow bitdoind to fully synch the blockchain before installing ElectrumX.  Most of the time the system would become unusable while synchronizing ElectrumX.  One time I got ElectrumX fully synchronized but it crashed shortly after that.  That's when I finally gave up.

I have a couple of servers (enterprise hardware) collecting dust in my garage, which I've been planning to spin up soon.  One has two Xeon processors and 64GB of ram, which I plan to set up with three or four VMs to do do most of the stuff I've currently got running on the Dells and the RPi.  I just been dragging my feet because I don't have a rack to house them in at the moment.

[cygan]

since today there is a new update with version 0.5.2 for the umbrel node
this release also contains several bugfixes and performance improvements. the complete changelog can be found on github at the following link:
https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel/releases/tag/v0.5.2

[DaveF]

Updated mine with no problems.

I really like Umbrel, as of now it's my default recommendation for a pre-built node.
The one thing I still would prefer is the ability to connect without TOR. There are a few things that it really does lower the usefulness of with everything as TOR only but it is what it is can't have it all.

-Dave

[BlackHatCoiner]

I really like Umbrel, as of now it's my default recommendation for a pre-built node.

Since the time I began this thread, it must have upgraded. I saw an umbrel-app-store somewhere and got impressed. Definitely a recommendation for non-tech people who want to run a, mostly, Lightning node.

The one thing I still would prefer is the ability to connect without TOR.

This is pretty much the reason I uninstalled Umbrel. It didn't allow me sync fast. It takes about twice to sync that way. Also, I had very poor connectivity. There were times that it had 0 outgoing connections, and paused syncing. 

[cygan]

this - and whether this is an umbrel or another node

[cygan]

is there actually already a possibility for umbrel, where tor can be deactivated and one acts as a full-fledged network node?

[DaveF]

is there actually already a possibility for umbrel, where tor can be deactivated and one acts as a full-fledged network node?

As of now, no.
https://community.getumbrel.com/t/umbrel-clearnet/9993

There are other nodes in a box that are not forced TOR.
Check out https://runcitadel.space/
I am not sure if it's TOR or not, it's forked from Umbrel but I have not been following it.

-Dave

[n0nce]

is there actually already a possibility for umbrel, where tor can be deactivated and one acts as a full-fledged network node?

How is it not a full-fledged network node if it is configured to connect to the Bitcoin network over Tor?
In case this is an XY Problem: what are you trying to accomplish?

[mendace]

This is pretty much the reason I uninstalled Umbrel. It didn't allow me sync fast. It takes about twice to sync that way. Also, I had very poor connectivity. There were times that it had 0 outgoing connections, and paused syncing. 

It's absolutely not true that it takes so long to synchronize the node, actually with my rasp it took just 6 days which is average, but it doesn't depend on your connection or the tor network.  During block validation it is the CPU that acts as a bottleneck so if you don't have great hardware it could take a long time or if you have great hardware it will take much less.

[BlackHatCoiner]

It's absolutely not true that it takes so long to synchronize the node

There are many factors that can slow down the process. One's the CPU as you correctly pointed out. But my CPU wasn't that bad, it was a Raspberry Pi 4. Once I installed Raspibolt syncing went faster. As I've already said in this thread, the reason why it was taking weeks, was that it didn't establish connections. I barely had 1-2 connections, and sometimes even zero for a few minutes.

Downloading using Tor didn't slow down the process so much as you think it did.

[cygan]

just before the turn of the year and just in time for christmas, there is now with firefox, wikijs, n8n, audiobookshelf, remmina and snapdrop new 6 self hosted apps at the umbrel store

[cygan]

the tor network can now be deactivated in the umbrel.node as of now
after logging in to your node, just click on the 3 dots '...' in the upper right corner and then choose 'advanced settings

[cygan]

since yesterday you can run a nostr relay on umbrel.
with the damus app (which you can dl in the umbrel app store) or another nostr client your complete nostr acitivity is backed up and in real-time
https://twitter.com/umbrel/status/1622591145481236480

[cygan]

somehow i can't connect to my lightning node since a few days. when i click on the ln icon in the umbrel webif a new tab window opens as usual but the ln node can't be opened or loaded.
the website tries to build up but nothing happens...

[DaveF]

somehow i can't connect to my lightning node since a few days. when i click on the ln icon in the umbrel webif a new tab window opens as usual but the ln node can't be opened or loaded.
the website tries to build up but nothing happens...

Basic diagnostics that I know you know but....

Did you reboot the Umbrel node?
Try a different browser?

Other then that how is the node behaving?

Remember, Umbrel puts everything into docker containers more or less. One of them could just be having an issue.

-Dave

[cygan]

turned off my umbrel node for a few minutes and then started it up again. unfortunately i still can't connect into my ln-node
various browsers were also tried - without success



here the log after i started the troubleshooting - maybe someone of you can find a error...

Code:

lightning

Attaching to lightning_lnd_1, lightning_tor_server_1, lightning_app_proxy_1, lightning_app_1, lightning_tor_1
lnd_1         | 2023-02-25 17:03:02.098 [INF] RPCS: gRPC proxy started at 0.0.0.0:8080
lnd_1         | 2023-02-25 17:03:02.098 [INF] LTND: Opening the main database, this might take a few minutes...
lnd_1         | 2023-02-25 17:03:02.098 [INF] LTND: Opening bbolt database, sync_freelist=false, auto_compact=false
lnd_1         | panic: freepages: failed to get all reachable pages (page 50741: multiple references)
lnd_1         | 
lnd_1         | goroutine 196 [running]:
lnd_1         | go.etcd.io/bbolt.(*DB).freepages.func2()
lnd_1         | 	go.etcd.io/bbolt@v1.3.6/db.go:1056 +0x90
lnd_1         | created by go.etcd.io/bbolt.(*DB).freepages
lnd_1         | 	go.etcd.io/bbolt@v1.3.6/db.go:1054 +0x144
app_1         | Waiting for LND...
app_1         | Checking LND status...
app_1         | Waiting for LND...
app_1         | Checking LND status...
app_1         | Waiting for LND...
app_1         | Checking LND status...
app_1         | Waiting for LND...
app_1         | Checking LND status...
app_1         | Waiting for LND...
app_1         | Checking LND status...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
app_proxy_1   | Validating token: dab2fdf87bd9 ...
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:39.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 55% (loading_descriptors): Loading relay descriptors
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:41.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 62% (loading_descriptors): Loading relay descriptors
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:42.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 67% (loading_descriptors): Loading relay descriptors
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:43.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 75% (enough_dirinfo): Loaded enough directory info to build circuits
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:44.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 80% (ap_conn): Connecting to a relay to build circuits
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:44.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 85% (ap_conn_done): Connected to a relay to build circuits
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:44.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 89% (ap_handshake): Finishing handshake with a relay to build circuits
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:44.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 90% (ap_handshake_done): Handshake finished with a relay to build circuits
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:44.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 95% (circuit_create): Establishing a Tor circuit
tor_1         | Feb 25 16:43:44.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 100% (done): Done

[DaveF]

From what I can see and remember it looks like a corrupted database.

lnd_1         | panic: freepages: failed to get all reachable pages (page 50741: multiple references)

Did it crash and reboot that you know of?
And do you have a backup?

Reach out to the Umbrel telegram group there might be a way to rebuild but I usually just wipe and restart.
Don't know if you have any funds in there so that may change the way you deal with this.

-Dave

[cygan]

since i made a backup of all the payment channels back then, i deinstalled the ln-node and then reinstalled it.
now i can access them again and all is well

[cygan]

which mobile lightning wallet app do you use to connect to your own umbrel ln-node?
i used zeus back then but somehow the new version of zeus doesn't recognize the qr-codes of the ln-node anymore

[cygan]

yesterday umbrel introduced/released its new version. with verion 0.5.4 there is a new migration assistant to seamlessly transfer all apps and data from a rpi based umbrel to umbrel home. in addition to this improvement, there are several performance enhancements, bug fixes and subtle improvements, such as the option to update your display name via the settings.
to update your umbrel node to the new version, just log in and click on the update button - thats all

https://twitter.com/umbrel/status/1671513852570206225

[Cricktor]

My Umbrel test node (it's on Mainnet, I use it only as a node distribution test and to host a few of the Umbrel apps, no serious node business) crashed with Umbrel 0.5.3 running. It seems that there's no reliable docker stuff garbage collector. The system SSD ran full as I don't watch it daily. I observed this before that space did run low slowly, but of course faster as the blockchain grows. An Umbrel reboot always reclaimed the free space on the SSD. Frankly, I don't understand why this happens at all.

Anyway I deleted following apps from my Umbrel: Bitcoin Core, LND, Electrs, Bitcoin Explorer, Mempool.space and left Snowflage and Uptime Kuma running. Updated Umbrel to 0.5.4 and re-installed only the Bitcoin Core app for academic reasons. I want to test how fast Umbrel does an IBD with a tweaked setting to hopefully boost IBD speed.

My Raspi 4B has 8GB RAM, a 1TB SSD and is connected via LAN to my router which handles a reliably full 100MBit down stream internet connection. I set DB cache for Bitcoin Core to use 5120MB (this is my tweak for IBD). Though, Umbrel passed only the parameter dbcache="4883" to Core and doesn't show this in the Advanced Settings of Core. I don't like such kind of paternalism. Better show if you overdo something.

Now after roughly 50h IBD the Umbrel node is at ~64%. I'll report back when IBD has finished. When Bitcoin Core has fully synced I will set DB cache back to standard and throw in Electrs, Mempool Explorer and Mempool.space (no LND this time as I'm not going to use LN on Umbrel).

Maybe I will also repeat the IBD with Bitcoin Core and Electrs running concurrently, again with a high DB cache value. I want to see if and how much difference there is running it in sequence or in parallel. (I was thinking that Electrs might eat up too much of a chunk of RAM so that there's less available to max. dbcache value. To my understanding an as high as possible dbcache value helps to speed up IBD.)

My internet connection is definitely no bottleneck here as it is most of the time only utilized about 20-30% of max. bandwidth during IBD and when blocks flow in.

[Cricktor]

My followup: IBD finished after little less than 95h on a Raspi 4B with 8GB RAM and a 1TB SATA SSD (Crucial MX500). Sync of Electrs took less than a day (sorry, don't know yet how to access the relevant log file for electrs in the container; I haven't seen anything else useful mapped to the "outside" filesystem. Before I installed the Electrs app, I reduced dbcache=512 for Bitcoin Core.

Roughly 4 days for the IBD with a Raspi 4B 8GB RAM via Tor isn't bad, so far, actually I'm quite pleased.

[RickDeckard]

Has anyone seem this recent discussion about Umbrel[1] particular line of code:

Their CTO already came forward with a thread about the code[2] but some twitter users are still not happy about it. Umbrel CTO said that it is mostly used to keep track of what OS version the user is running but it still leaves a lot to be discussed about. Some users even asked why wasn't the ping being made by TOR (such as Zack[3] from Foundation Devices) but it seems that won't work[4] according to their CTO.
[1]https://nitter.lacontrevoie.fr/re_tweet/status/1682101313587363841
[2]https://nitter.lacontrevoie.fr/lukechilds/status/1682314300743118851
[3]https://nitter.lacontrevoie.fr/zachherbert/status/1682356123691630593
[4]https://nitter.lacontrevoie.fr/lukechilds/status/1682376830580588544

[RickDeckard]

Indeed it has some privacy concern. Although this concern could be solved easily if Umbrel dev add feature to opt-out/disable automatic check.

That's true and one user already opened this issue[1] on Umbrel GitHub page. So far their CTO hasn't said that they will implement that feature in the future, but the debate is still fresh. I wouldn't be surprised if they do end up implementing that feature in the future in order to not compromise their stance on being a privacy focused solution...
[1]https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel/issues/1680

[cygan]

umbrel presented the new umbrel home and umbrelOS 1.0 a few days ago.
the umbrel home is equipped with the new Intel n100 chip, a faster 16gb ram and a 2tb ssd and is also said to be 5x faster compared to the raspberry pi 4 and 2x faster compared to the raspberry pi 5 (see images below)
and the new umbrelOS 1.0 will be available from march 18, 2024 for umbrel home and rpi users. from april 2024 also for ubuntu and debian users.
https://umbrel.com/umbrel-home
https://umbrel.com/umbrelos

[ABCbits]

umbrel presented the new umbrel home and umbrelOS 1.0 a few days ago.
the umbrel home is equipped with the new Intel n100 chip, a faster 16gb ram and a 2tb ssd and is also said to be 5x faster compared to the raspberry pi 4 and 2x faster compared to the raspberry pi 5 (see images below)
and the new umbrelOS 1.0 will be available from march 18, 2024 for umbrel home and rpi users. from april 2024 also for ubuntu and debian users.
https://umbrel.com/umbrel-home
https://umbrel.com/umbrelos

So Umbrel finally follow their competitor (e.g. MyNode and Casa) by releasing their branded hardware. For ready to use hardware, it's not that expensive although it's weird it doesn't seem to have any video port (e.g. HDMI).