Armory - Discussion Thread

[OpenYourEyes]

I'm having a few issues:
I've had 8 transactions comes through since I started using Armory yesterday, on each occasion the transaction was instantly displayed within the ledger window, but after a few minutes it just disappeared, and "unconfirmed balance" went back to zero; at this point blockchain.info reported them as having between 2-5 confirmations, and they did come back after a good number of hours and some restarts of the client, but even as unconfirmed they should still be displayed.

Think I may switch back to bitcoin-qt at this point, as it's taking hours to even see if someone has sent me anything, and I'm having to rely upon looking everything up manually.

[etotheipi]

I'm having a few issues:
I've had 8 transactions comes through since I started using Armory yesterday, on each occasion the transaction was instantly displayed within the ledger window, but after a few minutes it just disappeared, and "unconfirmed balance" went back to zero; at this point blockchain.info reported them as having between 2-5 confirmations, and they did come back after a good number of hours and some restarts of the client, but even as unconfirmed they should still be displayed.

Think I may switch back to bitcoin-qt at this point, as it's taking hours to even see if someone has sent me anything, and I'm having to rely upon looking everything up manually.

Something is awry if the data is in the blockchain and a restart doesn't show the coins.  It means that Armory is having difficulty accessing the blk000X.dat files maintained by Bitcoin-Qt.  Transactions disappearing is concerning, too. 

Could you do me a favor before going back to Bitcoin-Qt and export the log file for me?  It should have record of any errors triggered in the last couple times you opened the client.  There is no private key data in there (you can empty the wallets first, if it makes you feel better).  I just want to see what kinds of errors were showing up when you were having this difficulty...  (File->Export Log File)

[OpenYourEyes]

Sure, give me a few mintues just starting the client.

Really nice program though, apart from those issues it's a fantastic program. Only "feature" I'm missing is being able to delete non-imported addresses: just to be able to organise a wallet more effectively.

[etotheipi]

Sure, give me a few mintues just starting the client.

Really nice program though, apart from those issues it's a fantastic program. Only "feature" I'm missing is being able to delete non-imported addresses: my OCD kicks in when I make my wallet slim and pretty.

Please email the log file to etotheipi@gmail.com.  Thanks for your patience.

I already have it on my list to add a checkbox to hide change addresses... perhaps I should make it possible to hide empty addresses, too.  However, they can't exactly be "removed"... they are an intrinsic part of your deterministic wallet.

[OpenYourEyes]

PM'd you. Sorry don't have access to my two step auth. for my email.

Edit: I'm thinking it is because Amory is loosing connection to bitcoind. I've just woke up and started Armory, and it show 30 less blocks the "bitcoind getblockcount" does.

I do have restrictive iptables in places, but this has never effected bitcoind/qt in the past, however, it seems disabling my firewall stop Amory from moaning about disconnects/reconnects for the first few seconds on startup and it displayed the correct block count.
Not sure if this is the issue (I'm struggling to see how it would), just a bit of a coincidence.

[HorseRider]

@etotheipi,

If I use the off-line wallet feature correctly, 2 kinds of people will be able to spend the coin:

1. people access to the physical computer AND know the wallet password.
2. people access to the paper back-up. (without need to know any password at all)

can you add a feature of encrypted paper back-up? So that more places will be "safe" for us to store the back-ups. What I want is that if someone get my paper back-up, they will have to know the password (it could be different with the wallet password) to restore the wallet.

Now I will have to encrypt the private key by other tools and print it.

[etotheipi]

PM'd you. Sorry don't have access to my two step auth. for my email.

Edit: I'm thinking it is because Armory is loosing connection to bitcoind. I've just woke up and started Armory, and it show 30 less blocks the "bitcoind getblockcount" does.

I do have restrictive iptables in places, but this has never effected bitcoind/qt in the past, however, it seems disabling my firewall stop Amory from moaning about disconnects/reconnects for the first few seconds on startup and it displayed the correct block count.
Not sure if this is the issue (I'm struggling to see how it would), just a bit of a coincidence.

FYI, Armory connects to bitcoin-qt/d via sockets (via python-twisted) on localhost over port 8333.  Is that potentially an issue?

I just looked through the log file you sent me, and I see the most interesting thing:

...
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:10 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:11 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:11 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:11 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:11 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:11 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:11 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:12 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:15 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:22 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:29 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:32 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:51 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 15:52 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 16:06 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 16:09 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
2012-10-30 16:21 (INFO) -- ArmoryQt.py:2339 - New Block! : 205678
...

I have no idea what could be causing that (it's the first time I've ever seen that).  But it looks like a good explanation for why nothing is being updated.

The logic in the code goes like this:
(1) Check the blk000X.dat file for updates
(2) If there are updates, read in the new data, add the header to the header map
(3) Re-calculate the longest header chain (which may involve a re-org)
(4) Write "New Block! : <TopBlockHeight>" to log file

So, for some reason, Armory is detecting new blockfile updates, but after the blockchain update, it thinks that the main chain was not extended.  Unfortunately, when there are re-orgs or errors in the underlying C++ code, that doesn't get written to the log file (it's too difficult to capture it from python).

I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about how this could possibly be happening (difficulty-bits conversion-to-float error?).  Thanks for the log-file... maybe I'll figure out what's so special about your system!  By the way, if you don't mind re-downloading the blockchain in Bitcoin-Qt, I would appreciate you trying that.  Go to your ~/.bitcoin directory and delete all the blk000*.dat files, then restart Bitcoin-Qt.  In the past, I've seen bizarre Armory behavior when something unusual showed up in the stored blockchain data (I don't know what, but I know that many people who reported bizarre behavior saw it go away when they re-built their block files this way).

Thanks for your patience!

[HorseRider]

Armory's cold storage solution is really impressive, but it needs to be more stable.

win7 system.

The error:

The logfile 'C:\Program Files\Armory\Armory Bitcoin Client\Armory.exe.log' could not be opened: [Errno 13] Permission denied:  'C:\\Program Files\\Armory\\Armory Bitcoin Client\\Armory.exe.log'

So, I cannot use Armory anymore.

Besides that, it always tells me that I don't have an internet connection. that is not true.

[etotheipi]

Armory's cold storage solution is really impressive, but it needs to be more stable.

win7 system.

The error:

The logfile 'C:\Program Files\Armory\Armory Bitcoin Client\Armory.exe.log' could not be opened: [Errno 13] Permission denied:  'C:\\Program Files\\Armory\\Armory Bitcoin Client\\Armory.exe.log'

So, I cannot use Armory anymore.

Besides that, it always tells me that I don't have an internet connection. that is not true.

I've witnessed this issue once before on a Windows machine, and I actually don't know why it only happens on some machines.  It appears that Armory is trying to write out a log file that it has no access to.  Can you please go to C:\\Program Files\\Armory and delete the Armory.exe.log file and try again?  Is your Win7 account an admin account?  Or an unprivileged user account? 

I just stumbled on an article about disabling Armory.exe.log... which I don't need anyway, but it hadn't been an issue so I didn't bother figuring it out.  I'll see what I can do.

Also, I just started the testing process for the next version of Armory (0.84).  This version has a new flag that allows you to override the internet detection.  Frequently, the false non-detection of internet can be due to VPNs, non-standard network settings (i.e. proxy/Tor).  I am not familiar enough with these things to know how to accommodate all of them, but 0.84 will have a way to tell Armory to use online mode even if you don't detect internet.

Thanks for your patience.  My goal is to get it stable on all systems, but there are inevitably lots of system configurations that break my best efforts 

[chrisrico]

Shouldn't armory be writing the log to the User Data folder, not the Program Files folder? On Windows7 Program Files need administrator access.

[etotheipi]

Shouldn't armory be writing the log to the User Data folder, not the Program Files folder? On Windows7 Program Files need administrator access.

I do write my log file to the user AppData directory, but py2exe has a mind of its own (the program that converts python scripts into Windows executables).  It injects its own logging system into the exe, and if there are errors in the app, it writes them to the same dir as the .exe.  I don't actually use that log file for anything, and don't need it, but I haven't figured out how to disable it without disabling other stuff I want to keep.  And until now, I guess most users were priveleged users that could create the .exe.log file without problem...

[flipperfish]

Hmm, usually most users should have UAC enabled, which takes the priviliges away, even if they are in the Administrators-Group. But in that case, the logfile should end up in virtual store.

[MysteryMiner]

There are idiots out there that still disables UAC on WinVI or Win7 computers. The UAC actually is good security feature, with UAC disabled the malware can more easily Goatse the computer and data.

Can Armory be rewritten in proper programming language like C/C++ ? This will help a lot avoiding such stupid behavior like py2exe does. TorChat had similar problems with permissions in past.

[etotheipi]

There are idiots out there that still disables UAC on WinVI or Win7 computers. The UAC actually is good security feature, with UAC disabled the malware can more easily Goatse the computer and data.

Can Armory be rewritten in proper programming language like C/C++ ? This will help a lot avoiding such stupid behavior like py2exe does. TorChat had similar problems with permissions in past.

Sorry, part of the reason Armory exists and is [generally] robust is because of the fluidity of python.  The flexibility of passing data around, catching errors, accommodating corner cases, and networking... gives at least a 100% boost to development speed.  And keeps me sane.

FYI, all the Blockchain utilities are written in C++.  10,000 lines of C++.  But you couldn't pay me any amount of money to convert the 15k-20k lines of python to C++...

[etotheipi]

Testing call for Armory version 0.84-alpha-almost-beta!


I ironed out enough bugs that I think it's ready for other people to try it.  Unfortunately, Armory now has so many features, that it's overwhelming to even try to test every condition myself.  So, sometimes it seems like stupid things slip by me, but I have no other way.  I really need people to just install and use it, and report when abnormal behavior occurs!

I have 64-bit builds available:
     Windows 64-bit Installer
     Debian/Ubuntu 64-bit .deb Package

This update has full multi-threading support, allowing you to do wallet management and generate addresses, etc, while the blockchain is being scanned.  It even handles bizarre situations like when you initiate a key import, and then try to restore a paper backup before the import rescan is done.  It got really complicated, but I think I ironed out the bulk of the details, and not many more to go!

While people help me test, I'll work on getting some kind of progress bar or animation for display while the blockchain is scanning.  Although, even without it, this is a pretty dramatic improvement!

And if it does work, please let me know that too.  I usually only hear bug reports, but it's good to know if people have good experiences with it, too

The screenshots are essentially the same as before... but I think it actually works, now  

[etotheipi]

BUMP!

Seriously, has no one tried the new version!?  I'm anxious to find out if it works for everyone else as well as it's working for me!  (which is pretty good)

Also, if there are any other small/aesthetic things you'd like to see, please let me know.  I just added a "busy" icon that spins while the blockchain is scanning, and added some checkboxes to filter addresses on the wallet window ("Hide Change Addresses", "Hide Unused", and "Hide Empty Addresses").  That seems to be a popular request these days...

I also tweaked the menus so it's a little easier to find the "Import" and "Sweep" functions (mainly just directions for what to do).

Lastly, a caveat about the aesthetics of the new version on Windows:  apparently there is a Qt (PyQt?) bug in Windows such that the QTabWidget -- as used on the main window to separate "Dashboard" from "Transactions" -- does not follow the color scheme for the rest of the application.  In fact, the bug is stupid enough that I can't even manually set the background color without causing all sorts of other problems.  I don't know what the solution is, but I'm afraid I'll have to leave the dashboard as that ugly white for now     (Windows only)

[Morranr]

Normally I'd be trying out the new version on my Ubuntu machine at home and reporting back that it's awesome - but I'm not at home this weekend, so I'm stuck on Win7 on this laptop, which I hadn't had bitcoin run on before.  I downloaded the official bitcoin client and started syncing the blockchain, then downloaded and started up the new Armory.  It pretty quickly said "Online" and I was wondering if it would realize that the current block data wasn't synced to the blockchain (it didn't) but it seemed to be adding the blocks to its count at the bottom right of the window pretty close to how fast it was being downloaded by the bitcoin client.  It ran like that for a little while (10 minutes probably) but eventually crashed.  I'm assuming it just couldn't handle that amount of new blocks.  That was last night, and I haven't tried it again since then (the block chain is still ~12k blocks from fully synced), but I'll go start it up again now and see how it handles, will report again when the chain is synced and mention whether it was able to handle the last 12k blocks updating while it was open or if I waited for the full sync before re-opening again.

(and yes, I know that Armory asks for the chain to be synced before being opened, but I figured I'd try it this way and see how/if it could handle it. )

[etotheipi]

(and yes, I know that Armory asks for the chain to be synced before being opened, but I figured I'd try it this way and see how/if it could handle it. )

I had thought about adding a way to detect if Bitcoin-Qt itself is not synchronized... I just hadn't considered it worth the effort, yet.  But maybe it is, especially now that I'm in "polish" mode and that's a common situation for users to get themselves confused.

[Kluge]

0.84 will have a way to tell Armory to use online mode even if you don't detect internet.

yaaaay! I have a slow, intermittent connection at home, anymore, and would have to boot Armory 3-10 times before it'd recognize the connection.

Looking forward to having the updated client finished downloading by the time .85 is out!

[etotheipi]

0.84 will have a way to tell Armory to use online mode even if you don't detect internet.

yaaaay! I have a slow, intermittent connection at home, anymore, and would have to boot Armory 3-10 times before it'd recognize the connection.

Oh, please test it for me (the 0.84 downloads from above).  Run with " --skip-online-check".