Testing Bitcoin Core 0.21 Release Candidates (tests)

Host: jarolrod

Notes

  • Major versions of Bitcoin Core are released every 6-8 months. See the Life Cycle documentation for full details.

  • When all of the PRs for a release have been merged, Release Candidate 1 (rc1) is tagged. The rc is then tested. If any issues are found, fixes are merged into the branch and a new rc is tagged. This continues until no major issues are found in an rc, and that rc is then considered to be the final release version.

  • To ensure that users don’t experience issues with the new software, it’s essential that the rcs are thoroughly tested. This special review club meeting is for people who want to help with that vital review process.

  • This Bitcoin Core Release Candidate Testing Guide has a tutorial for testing the release candidate.

Meeting Log

  118:00 <jarolrod> #startmeeting
  218:00 <jarolrod> It’s a Christmas Miracle! The Bitcoin Core PR Review Club has returned for a Special Edition on testing the upcoming 0.21 release
  318:00 <jarolrod> You have been enlisted to ensure the upcoming Bitcoin Core 0.21 Release is ready for production by going through some of its changes.
  418:00 <jarolrod> Here are your mission instructions: https://gist.github.com/jarolrod/6495932dc6b598ddef49e6374b348f4e
  518:00 <jarolrod> If you accept this mission, send a ‘hi’ in the chat. (Also so that we know who’s here)
  618:00 <hmrawal> hi
  718:00 <andozw> hi
  818:00 <michaelfolkson> hi
  918:00 <effexzi> hi
 1018:01 <anastasiia> Hi
 1118:01 <Caralie> hi
 1218:01 <jarolrod> Is anyone here for the first time?
 1318:01 <jnewbery> hi
 1418:01 <ajonas> hi
 1518:01 <anastasiia> Yes
 1618:01 <jarolrod> hello there anastasiia, welcome!
 1718:02 <jarolrod> I have linked to the guide, does everyone have it open?
 1818:02 <emzy> hi
 1918:02 <anastasiia> Yes
 2018:03 <michaelfolkson> Sure do
 2118:03 <Caralie> yes
 2218:03 <murtyjones> Yes
 2318:03 <hmrawal> yes
 2418:03 <jarolrod> Great. For all who’ve enlisted, here is a a magnifying glass, notebook, and pen. Let’s start inspecting!
 2518:04 <jarolrod> Those here for the first time: If any question pops up, just go right ahead and say it. You don’t need to ask in order to ask a question.
 2618:04 <jarolrod> We will begin with the section titled ‘Preparation’
 2718:04 <jarolrod> You have the option of grabbing the release candidate binary or compiling from source code.
 2818:05 <jarolrod> we'll wait for everyone to get there copy of the release candidate
 2918:05 <fodediop> hi
 3018:06 <Sishir> hi
 3118:06 <michaelfolkson> Any preference on the side of the core devs? I'm guessing the preference from the tester should be compile from source code
 3218:08 <jarolrod> hey there fodediop and sishir, we're just getting started. We're grabbing the rc candidate from the testing guide
 3318:08 <emzy> I downloaded the binary and checked the SHA256 hash of the binary against the gitian build.
 3418:09 <jarolrod> compiling is preferred, but compiling can take some time depending on the machine. Those who are not comfortable with compiling should grab the binary
 3518:10 <felixweis> hi
 3618:10 <jarolrod> emzy: 🎉
 3718:11 <jarolrod> welcome felixweis
 3818:11 <ajonas> emzy: did you use https://github.com/fanquake/core-review/tree/master/gitian-building to check that or the docs on bitcoin core?
 3918:13 <emzy> ajonas: I have still an old setup for the gitian builds. It is this https://github.com/bitcoin-core/docs/blob/master/gitian-building.md
 4018:14 <jonatack> hi
 4118:14 <michaelfolkson> By "old" you mean it shouldn't be followed anymore?
 4218:14 <murtyjones> For the macOS binary, how do we specify using the /tmp/21-rc-test data directory on launch?
 4318:14 <felixweis> is the apple signing bug for rc3 tracked somewhere?
 4418:15 <jarolrod> jonatack: welcome!
 4518:15 <jonatack> michaelfolkson: istm the goal is to test the binaries, as that is what most people will use...happy to be corrected on that
 4618:16 <jonatack> jarolrod: thanks ✨
 4718:17 <emzy> michaelfolkson: good question. I think the docker one from fanquake seems to be easier to set up.
 4818:17 <felixweis> nevermind
 4918:18 <jarolrod> does everyone have a copy of the current release candidate?
 5018:18 <jonatack> murtyjones: you can specify the data directory by passing -datadir=PATH on the command line or datadir=PATH in the bitcoin.conf configuration filse
 5118:18 <jonatack> file
 5218:19 <emzy> murtyjones: /Applications/Bitcoin-Qt.app/Contents/MacOS/Bitcoin-Qt -datadir=/tmp/21-rc-test
 5318:19 <murtyjones> thanks!
 5418:22 <jarolrod> The testing guide is divided into four missions: `Testing the Wallet`, `Testing Torv3`, `Signet`, and `Anchors`
 5518:22 <jarolrod> As you go through each section, please bring up any questions or problems that arise
 5618:22 <jonatack> one thought, the guide says to test the GUI or the command line per your preference, but if you can it's good to test both, as there can be issues in one and not the other
 5718:25 <jarolrod> To be inclusive, some people may not be too comfortable with the command line. If you are able to test both, then great!
 5818:26 <emzy> In the .dmg for macOS is afaik only the GUI version included. So I only tested that.
 5918:29 <jarolrod> emzy: AFAIK that is correct
 6018:30 <jonatack> the tor conf can be more minimal, e.g. no need to set onlynet=onion
 6118:31 <emzy> jonatack: I think it is important so see that you can bootstrap from tor only.
 6218:31 <jonatack> nor proxy/bind either in some cases
 6318:32 <hmrawal> I can still do the testing for 0.21 on testnet version right?
 6418:33 <jonatack> hmrawal: yep, the testnet chain is fine, and definitely try signet too
 6518:33 <hmrawal> jonatack: sure
 6618:34 <emzy> hmrawal: the tor part in the document adds some mainnet tor V3 onions. They will not work for testnet.
 6718:34 <murtyjones> should it take a while to connect to peers using tor? my node has been stuck on "Connecting to peers" for a bit and nodes keep appearing and disappearing from the "Peers" window
 6818:34 <jonatack> emzy: that's true
 6918:34 <felixweis> signet does IBD much faster
 7018:34 <jonatack> signet starts up much faster too. my go-to for quick manual testing.
 7118:34 <emzy> felixweis: because of smaller blocks ;)
 7218:35 <jarolrod> murtyjones: yes connecting to tor can take some time, we've supplied some torv3 nodes in the bitcoin.conf to try to get around this
 7318:35 <michaelfolkson> You can't see which connections are anchor in the GUI or CLI (getpeerinfo etc)?
 7418:35 <murtyjones> (y)
 7518:36 <emzy> btw. I'm running sxjbhmhob2xasx3vdsy5ke5j5jwecmh3ca4wbs7wf6sg4g2lm3mbszqd.onion
 7618:36 <felixweis> windows -> network traffic
 7718:36 <jonatack> michaelfolkson: the anchor connections will be the initial block-only peers. you can see them easily with ./src/bitcoin-cli -netinfo 4
 7818:37 <hmrawal> not sure but how much size is required in signet
 7918:37 <felixweis> emzy: which net?
 8018:38 <emzy> felixweis: mainnet
 8118:38 <felixweis> can you run a signet instance too please?
 8218:39 <jonatack> emzy: just connected to you
 8318:39 <emzy> felixweis: hm. Maybe on another host. This box is busy with the mainnet :)
 8418:39 <jonatack> if anyone wants to connect to emzy, run this on the command line:
 8518:39 <jonatack> ./src/bitcoin-cli addnode sxjbhmhob2xasx3vdsy5ke5j5jwecmh3ca4wbs7wf6sg4g2lm3mbszqd.onion onetry
 8618:39 <emzy> jonatack: I see one onion connection incomming.
 8718:40 <jonatack> emzy: the subversion should have @jon at the end
 8818:40 <jarolrod> for those on the tor section, here's some extra-credit work
 8918:40 <jarolrod> 1. Running `bitcoind` with the `-debug=tor` configuration option lets you see useful info on the onion configuration
 9018:40 <jarolrod> 2. This release includes a dashboard that lets you see useful network information. Instead of `getpeerinfo`, one can run `-netinfo 4`
 9118:40 <emzy> jonatack: yes: "70016/Satoshi:21.99.0(@jon)/"
 9218:40 <jarolrod> thanks jonatack for the tips
 9318:41 <jonatack> yes, -debug=tor is handy for seeing in the debug log if your tor setup has any issues or is working ok
 9418:42 <jonatack> it's not too noisy logging-wise so i always use it
 9518:44 <emzy> felixweis: signet: 4sk25djzsqqscnv4yfbbntiuo6xxbmddfweppmpc6p6wlt33p36iluyd.onion
 9618:45 <murtyjones> Have to drop off but thanks jarolrod!
 9718:45 <jarolrod> murtyjones: thanks for testing!
 9818:46 <jonatack> jarolrod: this idea and guide and the one by ajonas is great. taking action, testing PRs and releases, and reporting feedback are a valuable part of reviewing.
 9918:47 <hmrawal> I have started signet, says connecting to peers . Is there some config that we should do beforehand ?
10018:47 <michaelfolkson> Presumably those are temporary Tor nodes you've put up emzy. Would be good to know of a persistent Signet Tor node when doing Tor testing
10118:48 <michaelfolkson> (outside of this session)
10218:48 <jarolrod> hmrawal: the main config is to enable signet in your bitcoin.conf, one note is that for many it takes some time to connect as it is a new network
10318:48 <felixweis> emzy, thanks still trying to get tor working
10418:48 <jonatack> i have 4 tor v3 onion peers in signet ATM
10518:48 <jarolrod> hmrawal: emzy put up a signet tor node in the chat, you can addnode it
10618:49 <emzy> michaelfolkson: I could move the onions to some server. If people are interested.
10718:49 <michaelfolkson> Persistent jonatack? Can I have one? :)
10818:49 <jonatack> two testing 0.21.0 and two running master (0.21.99)
10918:49 <jonatack> qlci54ryrj6ywxgki5vvf45fwtp3yhdxxftgnhczvo37qpc2abqcjoid.onion:38333
11018:49 <michaelfolkson> Thanks
11118:49 <jonatack> v7ajjeirttkbnt32wpy3c6w3emwnfr3fkla7hpxcfokr3ysd3kqtzmqd.onion:38333
11218:49 <jarolrod> jonatack: thank you! ✨
11318:49 <jonatack> those two are 0.21
11418:49 <jonatack> hx3x3dhdxd5jbz5popeydcehuj5bpekztoya5b7ymvidlvgj6ean6pid.onion:38333
11518:49 <jonatack> lktswnpsh3b7ctsvnf7xrjfbesho5l7i3fds2kwvmzufjv7mzgrgoiid.onion:38333
11618:50 <michaelfolkson> They are running on VPS?
11718:50 <jonatack> those two are 0.21.99 (master), i think most of them are persistent, maybe run by kalle or aj
11818:52 <ajonas> With < 10 min left, are people close to being able to leave their comment on #20555?
11918:52 <hmrawal> Okay, I need a little help. I am running bitcoin qt and in another tab in terminal I entered jonatack's terminal command to add emzy's node but I get an error saying I need to start bitcoind server
12018:53 <jarolrod> hmrawal: iirc you cannot use bitcoin-cli to talk to bitcoin-qt
12118:53 <jonatack> hmrawal: try entering it on the GUI (bitcoin qt) console
12218:54 <jarolrod> as jonatack said
12318:54 <sipa> jarolrod: you can, if bitcoin-qt was started with -server option
12418:54 <ajonas> or you an add to your conf and restart
12518:54 <jarolrod> sipa: thanks, didn't know that!
12618:54 <emzy> hmrawal: on the GUI you have to use the console window (in bitcoin-qt) and type "addnode 4sk25djzsqqscnv4yfbbntiuo6xxbmddfweppmpc6p6wlt33p36iluyd.onion onetry"
12718:55 <emzy> ^^ for a signet node
12818:55 <jarolrod> We're getting close to time everyone, 5 minutes!
12918:56 <jarolrod> Thanks everyone for testing, but the mission is not done!
13018:57 <jarolrod> please report back your findings here: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/20555
13118:57 <felixweis> got tor working, was :9150 for some reason
13218:57 <hmrawal2008> are there any peers to connect for later testing ?
13318:57 <jarolrod> felixweis: are you on windows?
13418:57 <emzy> felixweis: that's the port tor-browser is using.
13518:57 <felixweis> macos tor brwoser
13618:58 <emzy> afaik Port 9150 is the default one of tor browser
13718:58 <jonatack> hmrawal2008: you have mainnet tor v3 peers in the guide, and signet ones here in the discussion
13818:58 <jarolrod> On making a comment on the issue page: list your hardware and operating system, the rc version you tested, what you were able to test, and what you found while testing
13918:58 <hmrawal2008> so will these peers be available for later use also right ?
14018:59 <jarolrod> If everything went well, that's great! let us know
14118:59 <emzy> I will have mine up for a few weeks.
14218:59 <jonatack> (i don't see any tor v3 peers in testnet ATM)
14318:59 <felixweis> testnet is just too large for IBD :( signet all the way!
14419:00 <jarolrod> That's time everyone!, thanks for participating, happy holidays!
14519:00 <jonatack> hmrawal2008: yes, worth trying to connect to them, emzy's mainnet ones are stable and i think the signet ones are stable, too
14619:00 <felixweis> thanks jarolrod for hosting :)
14719:01 <jarolrod> #endmeeting
14819:01 <jonatack> thanks jarolrod, great initiative 🍰
14919:01 <jnewbery> thanks jarolrod!
15019:01 <ajonas> thanks jarolrod
15119:01 <hmrawal2008> cool thanks, thanks jarolrod, thanks everyone and merry christmas
15219:01 <fodediop> thank you everyone! happy holidays and happy new year!
15319:01 <emzy> thanks jarolrod!
15419:01 <heisenberg_hunt> Thanks jarolrod for hosting.... Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone
15519:02 <jarolrod> 🎄
15619:03 <emzy> Thanks jarolrod for hosting.... Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas everyone. See you 2021.