Hey guys, can I still join? Would install it on a PI or NAS.
Happy to be part of the community ☺️
Topic: [CHALLENGE] Run A Bitcoin Node: 14 Days To 14 Merits - page 106. (Read 22762 times)
Quote
Contacted my isp
Try speedtest.net 
FWIW i've seen few ISP has relative slow speed, but remains fast when you perform test with speedtest.net or similar website
. Sometimes i'd just download stuff (such as video from youtube using yt-dlp) for less biased result. 
Progress:
You can join, but you won't get any merit for it obviously
Code:
Day 3:
tech30338
Ultegra134
DYING_S0UL
Screw it, I'm doing it 
You can join, but you won't get any merit for it obviously
I'm now tempted to do a full blockchain download with hourly snapshots, to see how the remaining time estimate changes.
Screw it, I'm doing it My setup:
Bitcoin Core 26.0 on Ubuntu Linux 20 LTS, with settings:
Code:
./bitcoind -dbcache=4096 -prune=550
Every hour I store the output of:
Code:
./bitcoin-cli getblockchaininfo
free # for memory usage
ifconfig # for bandwidth usage
My system:
Intel i3 laptop with 8 GB RAM, no swap, SSD, VPN and about 70 Mbit/s fibre (shared with the rest of the house).
I haven't tried this with 8 GB RAM since the Ordinal spam largely increased chainstate. If this doesn't lead to surprises, I expect it to be done on Monday. If it does lead to surprises, I'll try the same with 16 GB RAM.
Day 3:
Quote

{
"chain": "main",
"blocks": 470743,
"headers": 824629,
"bestblockhash": "000000000000000001866dbc6430f507c267cda701eb0aac8eaf385e83daad5a",
"difficulty": 678760110082.9902,
"time": 1497153878,
"mediantime": 1497146450,
"verificationprogress": 0.254143698617925,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000005f96f0b4b0e4eb705a6640",
"size_on_disk": 33094651308,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 439692,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 34999369728,
"warnings": ""
}
Forgot to keep my computer turned on overnight, still making progress though. {
"chain": "main",
"blocks": 470743,
"headers": 824629,
"bestblockhash": "000000000000000001866dbc6430f507c267cda701eb0aac8eaf385e83daad5a",
"difficulty": 678760110082.9902,
"time": 1497153878,
"mediantime": 1497146450,
"verificationprogress": 0.254143698617925,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000005f96f0b4b0e4eb705a6640",
"size_on_disk": 33094651308,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 439692,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 34999369728,
"warnings": ""
}
DAY 4 progress:
Note: Ignore the per hour. It's usually slow at this time (evening).
Last I checked it was something like 5.6+ Mbps
Note: Ignore the per hour. It's usually slow at this time (evening).
Or your disk 
Try speedtest.net
Disk is fine. It's normally below 50%. On rare cases, sometimes it's going go 60-70% but never 100% Try speedtest.net
Last I checked it was something like 5.6+ Mbps
i'd say choose depends on partial amount of free/unused RAM. Although if you use Windows, i don't expect it'll have relative small amount of free/unused RAM.
My RAM usages is 45-50% on average. And the CPU would get up to 30-50% sometimes. So we can assume my internet speed sucks.
Usually no, since it's cause by either:
1. CPU or disk bottleneck.
2. Bitcoin Core happen connect to node with slow connection speed or physically very far from where you live (which cause slower download speed).
There's a third option: your ISP may not give you the full bandwidth.1. CPU or disk bottleneck.
2. Bitcoin Core happen connect to node with slow connection speed or physically very far from where you live (which cause slower download speed).
I'm now tempted to do a full blockchain download with hourly snapshots, to see how the remaining time estimate changes.
No 1 is not the case for me, like I said above. I actually did tried that turning on & off. And it works but for a short amount of time.
A moment ago it was 0.07% per hour. Restarted the bitcoin core and now it's 3.00% per hour (eventually it will go down).
Miracle miracle miracle...
P.S: Contacted my isp, said they'll increase my speed but will have to wait a couple of days, as my current internet package still has some days left.
try also to close other applications and some who runs in your background, chrome also eats alot of memory this days.
My RAM usages is 45-50% on average. And the CPU would get up to 30-50% sometimes. So we can assume my internet speed sucks.
Or your disk Quote
Contacted my isp
Try speedtest.net i'd say choose depends on partial amount of free/unused RAM. Although if you use Windows, i don't expect it'll have relative small amount of free/unused RAM.
My RAM usages is 45-50% on average. And the CPU would get up to 30-50% sometimes. So we can assume my internet speed sucks.
Usually no, since it's cause by either:
1. CPU or disk bottleneck.
2. Bitcoin Core happen connect to node with slow connection speed or physically very far from where you live (which cause slower download speed).
There's a third option: your ISP may not give you the full bandwidth.1. CPU or disk bottleneck.
2. Bitcoin Core happen connect to node with slow connection speed or physically very far from where you live (which cause slower download speed).
I'm now tempted to do a full blockchain download with hourly snapshots, to see how the remaining time estimate changes.
No 1 is not the case for me, like I said above. I actually did tried that turning on & off. And it works but for a short amount of time.
A moment ago it was 0.07% per hour. Restarted the bitcoin core and now it's 3.00% per hour (eventually it will go down).
Miracle miracle miracle...
P.S: Contacted my isp, said they'll increase my speed but will have to wait a couple of days, as my current internet package still has some days left.
You can try close and reopen Bitcoin Core in order connect to different full nodes, but don't expect much difference.
I agree this won't make a difference, but you don't need to shut down and reopen to change peers. In the GUI, just go to "Window" -> "Peers", right click on any of your peers, and click "Disconnect". After a few seconds Core will fill the gap with a connection to a new node.That's good point, i forget such feature exist.
You can also check what kind of download speeds you are getting by going to "Window" -> "Network Traffic".
But last time i used that feature, it only record download/upload speed after you open that window. In addition, the data removed if you scroll time duration.
The only problem is my internet speed. I tried doing other internet related stuff and everything is running as usual. Not very fast not very slow. But the bitcoin core isn't running with all the bandwidth.
Usually no, since it's cause by either:1. CPU or disk bottleneck.
2. Bitcoin Core happen connect to node with slow connection speed or physically very far from where you live (which cause slower download speed).
I'm now tempted to do a full blockchain download with hourly snapshots, to see how the remaining time estimate changes.
You can try close and reopen Bitcoin Core in order connect to different full nodes, but don't expect much difference.
I agree this won't make a difference, but you don't need to shut down and reopen to change peers. In the GUI, just go to "Window" -> "Peers", right click on any of your peers, and click "Disconnect". After a few seconds Core will fill the gap with a connection to a new node.You can also check what kind of download speeds you are getting by going to "Window" -> "Network Traffic".
With 450 MB dbcache, this is going to take a long time. If you have the RAM, you should largely increase this (4096 or even 8192, but don't make it more than half your RAM).
I have 8GB RAM. How much dbcache should I choose then? Yup, it's taking a long timeeee...(Running it nonstop for 7-8 hours)While other member already suggestion, i'd say choose depends on partial amount of free/unused RAM. Although if you use Windows, i don't expect it'll have relative small amount of free/unused RAM.
--snip--
The only problem is my internet speed. I tried doing other internet related stuff and everything is running as usual. Not very fast not very slow. But the bitcoin core isn't running with all the bandwidth.
Is there any way to prioritize my bandwidth allocation to bitcoin core?
--snip--
The only problem is my internet speed. I tried doing other internet related stuff and everything is running as usual. Not very fast not very slow. But the bitcoin core isn't running with all the bandwidth.
Is there any way to prioritize my bandwidth allocation to bitcoin core?
--snip--
Usually no, since it's cause by either:
1. CPU or disk bottleneck.
2. Bitcoin Core happen connect to node with slow connection speed or physically very far from where you live (which cause slower download speed).
You can try close and reopen Bitcoin Core in order connect to different full nodes, but don't expect much difference.
Day 3 progress
11 days to go syncing really takes time
Code:
"chain": "main",
"blocks": 816806,
"headers": 824588,
"bestblockhash": "000000000000000000003e2923c0fa86fb51d66305c3259b5ae036213862238e",
"difficulty": 64678587803496.61,
"time": 1700014176,
"mediantime": 1700011867,
"verificationprogress": 0.9823025437208665,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "00000000000000000000000000000000000000005cff2cb9a692e477a6951b67",
"size_on_disk": 4717586363,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 814354,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 4999610368,
"warnings": ""
11 days to go syncing really takes time
Day 2:
We're making progress, slow but steady, almost 20% and 7 years left to fully sync.
Quote

{
"chain": "main",
"blocks": 441290,
"headers": 824497,
"bestblockhash": "0000000000000000021fd60a6858a99be7c3f444fb53b88400928fb46b3537c3",
"difficulty": 281800917193.1958,
"time": 1480523361,
"mediantime": 1480519168,
"verificationprogress": 0.19279112899749,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "00000000000000000000000000000000000000000030eef7df33b3a16e135a47",
"size_on_disk": 34759067273,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 402547,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 34999369728,
"warnings": ""
}
{
"chain": "main",
"blocks": 441290,
"headers": 824497,
"bestblockhash": "0000000000000000021fd60a6858a99be7c3f444fb53b88400928fb46b3537c3",
"difficulty": 281800917193.1958,
"time": 1480523361,
"mediantime": 1480519168,
"verificationprogress": 0.19279112899749,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "00000000000000000000000000000000000000000030eef7df33b3a16e135a47",
"size_on_disk": 34759067273,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 402547,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 34999369728,
"warnings": ""
}
We're making progress, slow but steady, almost 20% and 7 years left to fully sync.
Progress:
Where is everyone else? Guys, don't you want some free merit?
All you have to do is run a node and get it synced - no strings attached.
CLI was only because I couldn't think of a way to verify that people were running the GUI properly. But now it seems that screenshots of the GUI downloading progress seems to do the trick, and I have updated the OP accordingly with this information (yesterday).
Code:
Day 2:
tech30338
Ultegra134
DYING_S0UL
tech30338
Ultegra134
DYING_S0UL
Where is everyone else? Guys, don't you want some free merit?
All you have to do is run a node and get it synced - no strings attached.You need to download Bitcoin Core (any version from this decade) and run bitcoind, the bitcoin daemon, for at least 14 days.
I do like encouraging people to run Bitcoin Core, but why start with CLI? I wouldn't start with bitcoind, but use the GUI version (bitcoin-qt) instead. It's much easier to use.CLI was only because I couldn't think of a way to verify that people were running the GUI properly. But now it seems that screenshots of the GUI downloading progress seems to do the trick, and I have updated the OP accordingly with this information (yesterday).
DAY 2 progress:
Normally I am taking breaks at daytime after a certain amount of time. Like after 6-12 hours. To cool everything down just in case. But at night, I am running is nonstop without any breaks. I am running it on a 250GB SSD with 4096 dbcache [I have 8GB RAM]. Haven't encountered any issues, for example lag or crash or anything, everything is running smoothly.
The only problem is my internet speed. I tried doing other internet related stuff and everything is running as usual. Not very fast not very slow. But the bitcoin core isn't running with all the bandwidth.
Is there any way to prioritize my bandwidth allocation to bitcoin core?
On average my progress is 0.30-0.40% per hour. If lucky 0.60-0.70% per hour. But now it's only 0.05% per hour. If I close my bitcoin core and start it again, the progress per hour increases for some time.
With 450 MB dbcache, this is going to take a long time. If you have the RAM, you should largely increase this (4096 or even 8192, but don't make it more than half your RAM).
The only caveat to this I would mention would be for the users who are not planning on leaving their node running 24/7, but are planning to shut down their computer overnight or at other times. When you shut down Core, the chainstate cache is flushed to disk. If you set a very high dbcache, and you are using older hardware (particularly a HDD instead of a SSD), this can take a not insignificant amount of time (upwards of 20-30 minutes).Normally I am taking breaks at daytime after a certain amount of time. Like after 6-12 hours. To cool everything down just in case. But at night, I am running is nonstop without any breaks. I am running it on a 250GB SSD with 4096 dbcache [I have 8GB RAM]. Haven't encountered any issues, for example lag or crash or anything, everything is running smoothly.
The only problem is my internet speed. I tried doing other internet related stuff and everything is running as usual. Not very fast not very slow. But the bitcoin core isn't running with all the bandwidth.
Is there any way to prioritize my bandwidth allocation to bitcoin core?
On average my progress is 0.30-0.40% per hour. If lucky 0.60-0.70% per hour. But now it's only 0.05% per hour. If I close my bitcoin core and start it again, the progress per hour increases for some time.
With 450 MB dbcache, this is going to take a long time. If you have the RAM, you should largely increase this (4096 or even 8192, but don't make it more than half your RAM).
I have 8GB RAM. How much dbcache should I choose then? Yup, it's taking a long timeeee...(Running it nonstop for 7-8 hours)Currently at:
Block: 553667
Progress: 3%
Per hour: 0.50-0.60%
Time left: 6-7 days
Quote
New Bitcoin Core users: don't underestimate the hardware demands from Bitcoin Core. Considering chainstate is currently 9.6 GB in size (it grew a lot thanks to the Ordinal spam), I don't think you should attempt to run Bitcoin Core with 8 GB RAM anymore. It's going to be very slow.
So is there any risk of damaging hardware/device? Mine is 4-5 years old. I'm totally running it out of curiosity. It's my first time. In general situation the rule of thumb dbcache=1/4 RAM, i.e. in your case dbcache=2048
And, to speed up a bit the sync I would advocate blocksonly=1 entry in bitcoin.conf file (look for substantiation here). After full initial sync you may remove/comment this entry.
With 450 MB dbcache, this is going to take a long time. If you have the RAM, you should largely increase this (4096 or even 8192, but don't make it more than half your RAM).
The only caveat to this I would mention would be for the users who are not planning on leaving their node running 24/7, but are planning to shut down their computer overnight or at other times. When you shut down Core, the chainstate cache is flushed to disk. If you set a very high dbcache, and you are using older hardware (particularly a HDD instead of a SSD), this can take a not insignificant amount of time (upwards of 20-30 minutes).
day 2 progress
Code:
{
"chain": "main",
"blocks": 736551,
"headers": 824438,
"bestblockhash": "000000000000000000019c0ffe515d3da6ae35f2734667fe20eb2d3a6533b67c",
"difficulty": 31251101365711.12,
"time": 1652667914,
"mediantime": 1652665073,
"verificationprogress": 0.808112460088355,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "00000000000000000000000000000000000000002ded9907871f40b195ca6e30",
"size_on_disk": 4926763730,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 732973,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 4999610368,
"warnings": ""
}
I don't know that this takes time although I try it before and it says like a lot of years ahaha but speed before is slow, but now its faster. "chain": "main",
"blocks": 736551,
"headers": 824438,
"bestblockhash": "000000000000000000019c0ffe515d3da6ae35f2734667fe20eb2d3a6533b67c",
"difficulty": 31251101365711.12,
"time": 1652667914,
"mediantime": 1652665073,
"verificationprogress": 0.808112460088355,
"initialblockdownload": true,
"chainwork": "00000000000000000000000000000000000000002ded9907871f40b195ca6e30",
"size_on_disk": 4926763730,
"pruned": true,
"pruneheight": 732973,
"automatic_pruning": true,
"prune_target_size": 4999610368,
"warnings": ""
}
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