Virtualizing Bitcoin Full Nodes

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Little post about my second attempt at virtualizing Bitcoin Full Nodes.  The first attempt went just like you would expect but then ended in failure with each node eventually getting a corrupted database.

So, did things change on my second go around?  Well, TL:DR, it didn't work out at all.  I wanted to make a real and worthwhile attempt at making a second video about it but, I could not for anything in the world, get a Bitcoin Full Node to work.

I tried using Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Desktop, and Windows 10.  I tried using unRAID and Windows Server 2012 R2 as the hosts.  I had zero success and wasted 2 weeks of time.

Trying to install on Ubuntu Server and Desktop was so bad, that I didn't even bother to capture screenshots.  Ubuntu Server wouldn't even install Bitcoin Core via Command Line or GUI.  Ubuntu Desktop would run the core application via command line but would not download the blockchain.  Eventually, I tried installing the core with the GUI and poof it worked.... Well for a little while at least.  While downloading the blockchain Ubuntu would complain that I didn't have enough hard drive space, when in reality I had 4 TB's of free space.

So on to Windows right, where it should be way easier for someone like me, right??  Well, no.  Here is my first attempt at running the core after installation...

 

btc1.png

No big deal right, maybe the EXE got corrupted and I had a bad install.  So I re-downloaded the application, installed it, and it launched with a different error.

btc2.png

Okay, so let us try again by rebuilding the VM and not troubling ourselves with uninstallation and any saved data/directories.  On attempt three, the application installed and started to download the blockchain.  Several hours later and ....

btc3.png

Fine, screw it.  I will rebuild the VM again and try one last time.  Perfect now I can't even install the application without it crashing!

btc4.png

Well, maybe I will give this one last go in the future.  Third time is the charm right?  If you are still reading here then let me drop some version information on you.

  • unRAID Version 6.2.2

  • Windows Server 2012 R2 Build 1709

  • Ubuntu Server 16.04.3

  • Ubuntu Desktop 16.04.3

  • Windows 10 Build 1607

  • Bitcoin Core 0.15.1

To be continued!!!