Using an USB stick to store the blockchain.

[Jet Cash]

I'm doing some preparatory work before I switch out my Windows OS for a Linux variant on my notebook. Part of this is to start a Bitcoin node, and run it over public WiFi. The SSD in my notebook is too small for the whole blockchain, and it has now become too large foor comforrtable use of the notebook. It has been running efficiently and faultlessly. I moved the Bitcoin directory onto a Sandisk USB stick, and reset the links in Core. It continued to run without fault for a day or so, but it is now giving intermittent core errors that shut down bitcoin core. This has happened over two different WiFi networks. Prior to switching to the USB stick, I performed a full format, and checked for errors. All seemed to be perfect, as one would expect from a Sandisk product. I have come to the conclusion that it is not viable to use a USB link for the blockchain, could anyone verify that this is so please?

My long term plan is to use an internal 2Tb SSD, and to run it under Bodhi. That is unless someone can persuade me that another Linux variant would be better. If this worked, then I wanted to try to run a node on an old Chromebook after replacing the OS. However without the ability to store the blockchain on an USB stick, this would not be viable.

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[LoyceV]

It continued to run without fault for a day or so, but it is now giving intermittent core errors that shut down bitcoin core.

What errors?

Prior to switching to the USB stick, I performed a full format, and checked for errors. All seemed to be perfect, as one would expect from a Sandisk product.

Can you check the stick for errors again? Are you sure it's a real one? I've seen countless fake USB sticks.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not viable to use a USB link for the blockchain, could anyone verify that this is so please?

I see no reason why it couldn't work. After all, it's just data. But: I wouldn't put chainstate on the USB stick, it writes far too much and will quickly wear out the stick.
I would create a normal .bitcoin directory in your home directory, and from there symlink blocks to the external device.

[Mia Chloe]

What errors?

Exactly if you are still making use of windows, it is common that if Bitcoin core encounters an error while running on you computer you will get a message with a specific error code. If this happens you can easily use the code to trace the cause of the problem making easier to get a solution.
Besides that, how did you get the USB stick, is it an original one because just like Loycev mentioned, I myself have come across a lot of fake SanDisk USB sticks in the market. Most time after a short period of usage it begins to return a lot of error codes and even ends up corrupting some of your files.
Alternatively, you could upgrade you PC internal SSD storage capacity by changing to a comfortable hard drive to run core without slowing down the PC. Although it would be a more expensive option.

[Jet Cash]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't bother to check the error, as I am upgradeing the ssd and replacing Windows with Bodhi. I managed to get one of the last of these drives on Ebay. - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386457321368  They gave me 15% off as it is Easter, and everyone else is selling them for around £170, so I'm pleased I managed to grab one.

I really started this thread, as I hoped to run another wallet on my netbook, and that has really limited upgrade potential. I'm running Ubuntu on that. The drive is due to arrive on Tuesday, so I'll start a new thread about running a node on the upgraded notebook.

I'm doing this as part of my inchoate project to help vanlifers with limited resources.  In theory Bitcoin should be a significant asset and savings medium for them.

[LoyceV]

I really started this thread, as I hoped to run another wallet on my netbook, and that has really limited upgrade potential. I'm running Ubuntu on that. The drive is due to arrive on Tuesday, so I'll start a new thread about running a node on the upgraded notebook.

Does it have enough RAM? At the moment, I consider 8 GB to be the absolute minimum to comfortably run Bitcoin Core. It can be done with less, but at the cost of very heavy disk activity. More is better

I'm doing this as part of my inchoate project to help vanlifers with limited resources.  In theory Bitcoin should be a significant asset and savings medium for them.

Why not just go for Electrum (on Tor)? Light wallets were designed for situations with limited resources.

[ABCbits]

I'm doing this as part of my inchoate project to help vanlifers with limited resources.  In theory Bitcoin should be a significant asset and savings medium for them.

Why not just go for Electrum (on Tor)? Light wallets were designed for situations with limited resources.

Sparrow Wallet is also decent choice due to it's rich feature and configuration. If they decide to run full node in the future, they also can simply connect Sparrow Wallet only to their full node to take privacy and security advantage easily. For comparison, with Electrum you need to run both full node and Electrum server.

[Jet Cash]

RAM is a limitation on both machines. Unfortunately it is not possible to upgrade it, as both have the RAM hard soldered on the motherboard.
I had a look at Electrum, and it would seem I need to do some serious reading. It may be a better idea to install that on the netbook.

[LoyceV]

I had a look at Electrum, and it would seem I need to do some serious reading.

Have you never used it? There's not much to read, just download it from the official website electrum.org (there are phishing sites out there), install it, create a new wallet, safely write down the seed phrase, set a password and you're done. If you want to be thorough: create a new wallet, and restore the seed phrase to confirm it produces the same addresses.

[NeuroticFish]

I have come to the conclusion that it is not viable to use a USB link for the blockchain, could anyone verify that this is so please?

I don't know if this is helpful because it's not 100% the same situation, but my Bitcoin Core has its blockchain on an external HDD connected via USB.
And I can tell you that during the last ~3 years my HDD got corrupted twice (and interestingly, it seems it was during shutdown/restart, not when power went down suddenly), last time I had to re-format the drive (and no bad sectors found).

[LoyceV]

And I can tell you that during the last ~3 years my HDD got corrupted twice (and interestingly, it seems it was during shutdown/restart, not when power went down suddenly), last time I had to re-format the drive (and no bad sectors found).

I've had my fair share of problems with USB connections. Sometimes a small push to the cable makes it disconnect, which leads to file corruption. It hasn't happened with all cables, so it must be a quality thing.

[DaveF]

I did a post a while ago about doing things like this:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5399730.

Yes you can run core and store the blockchain on limited low power hardware.
But, unless you want it more for a learning experience then for actually doing things then it's just not worth it.

You just spent money on a drive that was according to the eBay seller

Our new branded products sourced from clearance, returns and insurance write-offs.

So now you have to figure out was it returned with issue? Is it a counterfeit? Did it come out of a batch that failed QC and was written off by insurance? And so on.

You can get a 12th gen N100 mini PC with 16GB of ram for under £175, it comes with a 500GB m.2 that you can repurpose and then get a NEW 1TB m.2 for under £90

And it will work great. I have setup several nodes on this and similar hardware. YES, you need a keyboard, and mouse and monitor but only to set it up after that you just have to SSH into it to do things.

The right tool for the job you need to do.

-Dave

[Jet Cash]

You just spent money on a drive that was according to the eBay seller

I missed spotting that. However, they do state that is is brand new, and in a manufacturer's sealed package, so if there is a problem, then it can go straight back for a full refunsd. It would be annoying, as it would delay the start of my project.

I really like this Huawei notebook. It has a great screen, and USB charging. The battery life seems good, and the case id pretty robust. The downsides are the Windows operating system, but I can replace that, and the small ssd that I am replacing. The i5 processor is powerful enough for my current tasks. The greatest problem is the size of the ram, which is under 1Gb, and that is hardwired and thus nut upgradeable. I'll need to delve into the core internals to see if I can optimise chainstate activity.

[LoyceV]

I really like this Huawei notebook. It has a great screen, and USB charging. The battery life seems good, and the case id pretty robust. The downsides are the Windows operating system, but I can replace that, and the small ssd that I am replacing. The i5 processor is powerful enough for my current tasks. The greatest problem is the size of the ram, which is under 1Gb, and that is hardwired and thus nut upgradeable.

An i5, USB charging and less than 1 GB RAM? How did that happen?

I'll need to delve into the core internals to see if I can optimise chainstate activity.

I'm pretty sure someone did that already. It's just big

[Jet Cash]

An i5, USB charging and less than 1 GB RAM? How did that happen?

Just testing my readers. Actually I think it was what is referred to as a "senior moment". Bios reports it as 8192Mb. This is what happens when you start programming Micros on an ADDS system 70 - Intel 8080 processor and 8" floppies. I must have been pre-coffee, and read it as 892Mb when I looked the other day. Well that is good news, and I guess it means I don't have to worry about the chainstate.I've also  received the Hynix, and I  think I have been lucky. The seals are intact, and it all looks brand new as advertised. I was tempted to buy both of the drives available, and see if I could turn a quick £50 profit, but I need to stay focused.



btw Loyce, I gave you 25 merits for being diplomatic and polite.

[LoyceV]

I guess it means I don't have to worry about the chainstate.

It just means you'll write several TB of data to sync Bitcoin Core, but it's less than 0.5% of what your NVMe can handle.

I checked: It's 14 times faster than the SSD in my laptop. I really need to upgrade some day.

[Jet Cash]

So far I'm pleased. I had a bit of a panic when I opened the box, as it looked as if someone had removed the ssd, but it was doubled sesled for protection, but it wasn't obvious. I then decided it was too small, and opened u the pc. I must be going senile, as it was the perfect size, and when I fitted it, the bios recognised 2Tb. I re-installed the Windows drive, and I was going to do the upgrade today, but all the supermarkets with cafes are closed. I was tempted to go to a friend and use his WiFi, but his dog loves me, and tries to sit on my lap. It gets difficult to use the computer when you have a Rottweiler sitting on your lap trying to use the keyboard. I've had to resort to a Costa coffee shop with coffee at £3.10 for an Americano, and not so comfortable tables. t least I've got Wifi and power. I'm going to use Bodhi, and I'll prepare a boot stick when I've decided which one to use.

I really ought to make a video, and post it on Youtube. I'm going to start the blockchain from scratch, as there is nothing in the Windows wallet. All my Bitcoin is stored elsewhere. Once that is running without problems, I'll set up Lightning for micro-payments, and install Electrum on the Netbook, as I have been advised. I hope you guys will help me if I hit any problems. From memory, I don't think the Netbook is upgradeable, as it's an old HP with just an Intel inside sticker. I'm trying to get into the BIOS as we speak, to try to get some more info. The RAM and drive contain no errors, that's the F2 boot up.

OK. It's a Celeron N3060 1.60 GHz, with 2GB of RAM ( yes, I've checked that ) Born on 30/01/2017. The BIOS doesn't seem to give me the drive info, so I'll open the box.

[promise444c5]

OK. It's a Celeron N3060 1.60 GHz, with 2GB of RAM ( yes, I've checked that ) Born on 30/01/2017. The BIOS doesn't seem to give me the drive info, so I'll open the box.

Don't  know what I've  missed from the replies but  Celeron are quite unimpressive  to me.
The RAM will be too small if you are planning to run with it plus celeron isn't a good idea  for the sync process entirely.
If the spec is for something  else then pardon me for the intrusion 

[Jet Cash]

The Core i5 with the new 2Tb drive and Bodhi is for an archiving node. The Celeron netbook with very limited resources running under Ubuntu is for me to experiment with Lightning and Electrum.

[ABCbits]

I'll need to delve into the core internals to see if I can optimise chainstate activity.

That would be tall task when Bitcoin Core is already most performant software[1]. Gocoin also have fast performance, but it loads all UTXO to RAM while Bitcoin Knots is just modification of Bitcoin Core.

I checked: It's 14 times faster than the SSD in my laptop. I really need to upgrade some day.

"Up to" is misleading though. And with your laptop, you're limited by speed of the storage port. SATA III only offer speed up to 500MB/s.

[1] https://blog.lopp.net/2023-bitcoin-node-performance-tests/

[Jet Cash]

OK, I'm on a roll now. I've installed the new drive, and I'm booting under Bodhi. Windows is consigned to the delivery box. I'm posting this using Chromium as a test. Now I need to put the cover on, and set up the BIOS for the new drive. It was a real nightmare getting the Bodhi ISO to boot. Microsoft had got at the bios to block any upgrades that weren't perfomed under Windows. The Internet wasn't helpful either, as most people seem to have given up trying USB booting, and all the advice didn't seem to work on this Matebook. I'm loving my initial impression of Bodhi, it seems to be quite quick, and I haven't encountered any difficulties once I had managed to start the installation. The text is minute though, and it's a good job I eat lots of carrots - I'll be enlarging that after I have replaced the cover on the computer. I'll buy an enclosure for the old ssd, and that will enable me to access all my files. The screen is pin sharp, and I think that this is going to be a great setup after I have customised it.

I may leave the installation of Bitcoin core until tomorrow.