[Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[Scott Howard]

This idea is from a Debian user [1].

What do you think of moving the > 2 GB db to $HOME/.cache/bitcoin and
leaving the wallet and other config files in $HOME/.bitcoin? This is
so backups can skip the .cache directory and the proposal follows the
freedesktop.org XDG Base Directory Specification [2]. Personal
info/settings stays in .bitcoin/ and everything that can be rebuilt
goes to .cache/bitcoin/ I know users can do a work around and set it
up themselves with symlinks, but interested in what you guys think.

Cheers,
Scott (Debian Developer but new to bitcoin)



[1] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=660286
[2] http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html

Re: [Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[grarpamp]

I mentioned this somewhere a while ago.
It is enough of a sysadmin problem to warrant a feature ticket.
Open one on github for it.
XDGBDS is not canon. So don't hardcode said paths.
All paths should be specifiable in bitcoin the config file, whose
location should itself be specifiable on the command line.

Re: [Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[Peter Vessenes]

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I like this idea, although I would say the blockchain should go in
/var/lib/bitcoin by default, right? I'm just a longtime LInux guy, not a
formal sysadmin, though.

Peter

On Fri, Sep 14, 2012 at 11:15 AM, grarpamp <grarpamp@gmail.com> wrote:

> I mentioned this somewhere a while ago.
> It is enough of a sysadmin problem to warrant a feature ticket.
> Open one on github for it.
> XDGBDS is not canon. So don't hardcode said paths.
> All paths should be specifiable in bitcoin the config file, whose
> location should itself be specifiable on the command line.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Got visibility?
> Most devs has no idea what their production app looks like.
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> _______________________________________________
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> Bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bitcoin-development
>



-- 
------------------------------

[image: CoinLab Logo]PETER VESSENES
CEO

*peter@coinlab.com * /  206.486.6856  / SKYPE: vessenes
811 FIRST AVENUE  /  SUITE 480  /  SEATTLE, WA 98104

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Re: [Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[grarpamp]

> I like this idea, although I would say the blockchain should go in /var/lib/bitcoin
> by default, right? I'm just a longtime LInux guy, not a formal sysadmin, though.

Further, bitcoin doesn't allow easy separation of the files without
detachdb (off by default), nor does it supply a user agnostic system
daemon to do the block processing separately from user wallet ops.
So I would suggest until then it remain split up somewhere under
.bitcoin rather than in /var or anywhere else.

Re: [Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[grarpamp]

Linux typically uses the FHS, which various distros often bastardize:
 http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/lsb/fhs
BSD typically uses the traditional hierarchy, for which admins
 often add /home and /opt:
 http://svnweb.freebsd.org/base/head/share/man/man7/hier.7?revision=HEAD&view=markup

You'd have to read them both and decide which camp you're in.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard

Since bitcoin isn't really an X app at it's core, XDG doesn't really
apply.
 http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html

Further, bitcoin doesn't allow easy separation of the files without
detachdb (off by default), nor does it supply a user agnostic system
daemon to do the block processing separately from user wallet ops.
So I would suggest until then it remain split up somewhere under
.bitcoin rather than in /var or anywhere else.

And when you figure out where I should place my messages in
full the first time, please let me know because I obviously need help.

Re: [Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[Wladimir]

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On Fri, Sep 14, 2012 at 3:57 AM, Scott Howard <showard314@gmail.com> wrote:

> This idea is from a Debian user [1].
>
> What do you think of moving the > 2 GB db to $HOME/.cache/bitcoin and
> leaving the wallet and other config files in $HOME/.bitcoin? This is
> so backups can skip the .cache directory and the proposal follows the
> freedesktop.org XDG Base Directory Specification [2]. Personal
> info/settings stays in .bitcoin/ and everything that can be rebuilt
> goes to .cache/bitcoin/ I know users can do a work around and set it
> up themselves with symlinks, but interested in what you guys think.
>

This is currently not feasible due to BerkelyDB limitations. All the
databases are within one 'environment', which is necessarily one directory
(it can probably be hacked around, but obviously we're really careful).

When LevelDB for the block chain and the custom format for the wallets is
introduces, various new configurations will be possible: Multiple wallets,
wallet in block chain in separate dirs, etc.

Wladimir

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Re: [Bitcoin-development] separate out blockchain db and wallet to two dirs?

[Jeff Garzik]

On Fri, Sep 14, 2012 at 1:27 AM, Wladimir <laanwj@gmail.com> wrote:
> This is currently not feasible due to BerkelyDB limitations. All the
> databases are within one 'environment', which is necessarily one directory
> (it can probably be hacked around, but obviously we're really careful).
>
> When LevelDB for the block chain and the custom format for the wallets is
> introduces, various new configurations will be possible: Multiple wallets,
> wallet in block chain in separate dirs, etc.

Indeed.  See many threads on the forum discussing this...  a
frequently requested feature.

As Wladimir says, it's a database constraint at the moment.

-- 
Jeff Garzik
exMULTI, Inc.
jgarzik@exmulti.com