Electrum server discussion thread

[EagleTM]

Electrum won't start O_O

You're probably referring to the client and not the server. Please use the other thread for discussing this, make sure you run the latest stable version and feel free to join us on IRC #electrum on freenode to try and help you fix this.

[1713475933]

1713475933

[1713475933]

1713475933

[1713475933]

1713475933

[ThomasV]

bad news for pruning servers:

I had to make modifications to the database structure of pruning servers.
The goal of this change is to handle p2sh addresses.

If you git pull, you'll see a message telling you that your database is deprecated.
you will need to create a new database and reimport the blockchain.

sorry about that.

note that this change is indicated by a new version number (0.7)

[tnkflx]

bad news for pruning servers:

I had to make modifications to the database structure of pruning servers.
The goal of this change is to handle p2sh addresses.

If you git pull, you'll see a message telling you that your database is deprecated.
you will need to create a new database and reimport the blockchain.

sorry about that.

note that this change is indicated by a new version number (0.7)

So there will be 2 electrum-server versions running (0.6 for full & 0.7 for pruning)?

[ThomasV]

bad news for pruning servers:

I had to make modifications to the database structure of pruning servers.
The goal of this change is to handle p2sh addresses.

If you git pull, you'll see a message telling you that your database is deprecated.
you will need to create a new database and reimport the blockchain.

sorry about that.

note that this change is indicated by a new version number (0.7)

So there will be 2 electrum-server versions running (0.6 for full & 0.7 for pruning)?

the full servers will have the same version number.
however, a full server using 0.7 code will not support p2sh addresses, afaik (unless they were added to ABE recently, I don't know)

[barrymac]

I've added this question to the stackexchange site which is asking what the security considerations are for running an electrum server.

http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/8214/what-are-the-security-considerations-for-hosting-your-own-electrum-server

I'm also curious whether anyone has run this code on a JVM in say Jython or something like that? I'm interested in a Java based implementation.

[Tachikoma]

I don't think anybody tried to run a JVM implementation. There is a ruby port of the electrum code which could in theory be ran as JRuby though. Please let us know your findings if you are going to experiment

[barrymac]

Well for that matter there's also Javascript implementations ! :-P

[stepkrav]

I'm thinking about setting up an electrum server in order to help users. Any documentation on that?

[ThomasV]

I'm thinking about setting up an electrum server in order to help users. Any documentation on that?

there are documentation files in the repo.
I suggest that you start with a pruning server, it is easier

[stepkrav]

I'm half the way of setting this server up. I must say that compiling bitcoind was fun.  But bicoind needs a lot of resources, my little 512 RAM vps can't do it i guess? Opinions?

[eja]

It is probably close to the limit. For reference below is the resource usage on mine (1GB ram) after a couple of days running.

  PID USER      PR  NI  VIRT  RES  SHR S %CPU %MEM    TIME+  COMMAND           
 2188 bitcoin   20   0  353m 200m 3708 S    3 20.2 310:23.68 bitcoind           
 4320 bitcoin   20   0  306m 108m 2732 S   35 10.9 729:14.69 python 

[Tachikoma]

I'm half the way of setting this server up. I must say that compiling bitcoind was fun.  But bicoind needs a lot of resources, my little 512 RAM vps can't do it i guess? Opinions?

I think it should be possible if you monitor the bitcoind process and reboot it every other day.

[stepkrav]

To improve installation notes at github perhaps you could add the packages needed for debian servers :

Code:

apt-get install python make build-essential python-leveldb libboost-all-dev libdb++-dev libminiupnpc-dev python-setuptools python-openssl

Some of them already referred but perhaps it's better to have them all in one command/place.

[inaltoasinistra]

I'm half the way of setting this server up. I must say that compiling bitcoind was fun.   But bicoind needs a lot of resources, my little 512 RAM vps can't do it i guess? Opinions?

I think it should be possible if you monitor the bitcoind process and reboot it every other day.

bitcoind is using the 43% of my 1GB of RAM x.x

I have a problem lauching the server: (the bitcoin chain is updated)

Code:

[18/04/2013-16:42:33] Starting Electrum server on BlaBla
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/bitcoin/src/electrum-server/backends/bitcoind/blockchain_processor.py", line 62, in __init__
    hist = self.deserialize(self.db.Get('height'))
KeyError
[18/04/2013-16:42:34] initializing database
Exception in thread Thread-4:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/threading.py", line 810, in __bootstrap_inner
    self.run()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/threading.py", line 1082, in run
    self.function(*self.args, **self.kwargs)
  File "/home/bitcoin/src/electrum-server/backends/bitcoind/blockchain_processor.py", line 82, in <lambda>
    threading.Timer(0, lambda: self.catch_up(sync=False)).start()
  File "/home/bitcoin/src/electrum-server/backends/bitcoind/blockchain_processor.py", line 783, in catch_up
    next_block = self.bitcoind('getblock', [next_block_hash, 1])
  File "/home/bitcoin/src/electrum-server/backends/bitcoind/blockchain_processor.py", line 105, in bitcoind
    raise BaseException(r['error'])
BaseException: {u'message': u'getblock <hash>\nReturns details of a block with given block-hash.', u'code': -1}

[ThomasV]

many electrum servers became unusable tonight, because of very large transactions in the memory pool.
I figured out the mempool code was not efficient, and I fixed it.
Please upgrade your servers!

[Pontius]

[...] Please upgrade your servers!

Done (and worked for me). Thank you, Thomas.

[inaltoasinistra]

SLL/HTPPS connections increase the security?
They are needed only to hide the electrum service to the network, aren't they?
Thanks

[stepkrav]

SSL/HTTPS ecrypts the data between your client and the server. They're only "hiding" the data from a third party inspecting the connection.

[MoonShadow]

I've been thinking of an idea, but I lack the skills to follow through, so I'm going to lay it out here and let anyone who wishes take it up.

I would like to have an android client that can connect to any given electrum server, but also via TOR.  I'd also like the client to have the ability to create transactions offline using confirmed transactions for which it is already aware, and connect to other clients like itself via a shared wifi hotspot like a piratebox. (http://wiki.daviddarts.com/PirateBox_DIY)  In this fashion, the android client can develop a set of transactions in optimal amounts that would allow it to create several transactions without the need to reuse it's own change inputs for a time wherever the transacting parties have a piratebox (or any other accesspoint) with or without a live connection to an electrum server and whenever trust isn't an issue.  The use case here is like the cash you carry in your wallet.  There is only so much there, and it doesn't require live internet to work.

[sdp]

I see that bitcoin-abe and electrum/server have been updated. Should I go ahead an upgrade or should I wait until everything is stable?

Well, I went ahead and upgraded (after making a backup of the database). The server is outputting messages like those below. Should I be worried/should I restore from backup and downgrade?

Code:

block number: 184242
WARNING: missing tx_in for tx 3977349
WARNING: missing tx_out for tx 3977349
block number: 184243
WARNING: missing tx_in for tx 3977352
block number: 184244
WARNING: missing tx_in for tx 3977356
block number: 184245
WARNING: missing tx_in for tx 3977404
block number: 184246
WARNING: missing tx_in for tx 3977413
block number: 184247
WARNING: missing tx_in for tx 3977461
block number: 184248

no, don't worry. I added these warnings after the last schema change in abe, but they seem to be harmless.

Couldn't these be coin generation transactions?  They are the only transactions that do not have a tx_in.  There should be one for each block as is listed in the error there.