In this case, one could also encrypt the wallet.dat with a random key and immediately destroy it forever (so even you don't know it) with a single key pair inside and print out the private key as a paper wallet which can be kept somewhere safe (e.g. not in your house and/or next to the server hardware).
When you decide to shut the node down and spend your coins, you simply delete your wallet.dat and import the private key from the paper wallet to a freshly generated wallet.dat
That's not really going to work. Upon starting the masternode up, it's going to need to sign the input with the 1000DRK to show you own it. After that all messages will use a separate key, so the wallet can be encrypted until the next restart.
What do you mean?
1: darkcoind can't become a masternode without unlocking the wallet with the original passphrase to sign a message?
2: the original private key on the paper wallet won't unlock all of it's coins after a darkcoind have used the encrypted wallet.dat to become a masternode and got shutdown in the mean time?
I don't think it's case 1 because as much as I can tell, I successfully started a masternode already without ever unlocking my wallet with the wallet passphrase. However, case 2 sounds way too risky.
I think what he means is that when you start up your masternode, before it gets encrypted, it has to prove it has 1000 dark in it and is awarded a key that says he can be a master node. Then, right after it's started, and proved itself, it locks down the coin, engages the encryption and uses the key it was awarded to perform his duties.....
I have turned the wallet into a him, no idea why, LOL. Son is talking about Master and Commander next to me with his father, prob. why....