New LXC Installer - X-Cash node autoinstaller new features and fixes - Maintenance script new features and fixes

[n3me5is-git]

Description

I created a new version of the autoinstaller.sh adding the following features:

• Option 11: configure installation with binaries already installed. This permits to generate/import a wallet (and wallet password), generate/import a DPOPS key, optionally download/update the blockchain from the bootstrap file, and configure fee/threshold in case of shared delegate. This can be used in particular with the LXC X-Cash pre-built image (download&configure)
• Option 12: register or update the delegate. This option asks for the delegate name, domain/IP and optionally for all the extra info (about, team, server, ...). The public key is loaded from configuration files. The function automatically stops the rps service and interact with the cli wallet to do everything automatically.
• Firewall manual options are now 13 and 14

The code is based on the new rradu modifications, so include also the timers stuff for autostart (needed also for the X-Cash container). I fixed also some bugs and tested the features. Added also the fixes for some other known bugs (swap generation issue, switch shared/solo delegate...) and other small bugs I found myself.

I modified the script to support the installation inside a LXC container, especially a container with bind-mounted data (and service files) so if the script runs inside a lxc container ($container variable is "lxc") is uses the correct modifications (like setting autostart to YES and other things). So now there is compatibility with host install and with container (LXC) install.

I modified also the xcash-maintenance script fixing some things:

• Minor bugfixing
• Improving logs check (start showing end of file, so more recent logs)
• Adding an --overview command line option to show a full status overview (service status, BC height, wallet balance, shared delegate statistics) without selecting the single options. This can be used for example to show the status when connecting with SSH or when opening a new bash session... Just call xcash-mintenance --overview

Finally I created a LXC autoinstaller that has the following features:

• Install/Update LXC on your system, automatically configured to run a X-Cash container
• Download and Update automatically a pre-built X-Cash image (from a server with wget or using a fast download through Opacity Storage, a privacy/anonymous cloud storage powered by crypto, using a unique file/image handle)
• Configure your installation (wallet, keys, new generation or importing...)
• Start/stopping/manage the container
• Accessing to X-Cash maintenance, autoinstaller (inside the container) and logs (also with realtime DPOPS logs monitor)
• Create the X-Cash container from scratch for those who don't want to use the pre-built image or for the team, for generating a new x-cash image from scratch. This option will create an empty Ubuntu 18.04 container, initialized and configured (using cloud-init) to install/run the X-Cash node and the use the Xcash autoinstaller to start an installation as usual.
• Create an image from the container, used to backup the installation especially when you update with the autoinstaller
• Export the image in tar.gz, for example to redistribute it as pre-built image
• Setting the firewall host side (with fixes to be compatible with LXC installation)
• Purge the installation, selecting the single things you want to clean. For example image only, container only, personal data only. You can also clean P2P peers file only or blockchain lmdb only if you need to do it.

The LXC container uses bind-mounted folders to save personal data on the host (a xcash-shared-node folder will be created on your home, containing everything you have to NOT share). This is managed automatically by the autoinstaller. In the host data folder there will be the wallets, the service files (containing password and keys), the logs, the DPOPS DB and the blockchain DB. If you delete/update the container, this data will be left untouched. And if you create an image and share it (pre-built image) all your personal data and DB will remain on your system (and not inside the image).

The LXC containers uses the LXC "proxy device" for port forwarding, this doesn't use NAT but everything passes from user-land (INPUT of iptables). This has been already tested and working by @zachhildreth if I remember correctly (using this as reference: https://github.com/X-CASH-official/xcash-dpops/tree/559fdfd13d53874f509fba504e2a29c29800c051#how-to-setup-an-lxc-container).

A tutorial about how to use the LXC installer is here: https://github.com/n3me5is-git/xcash-dpops/tree/master/scripts/autoinstaller

I created/modified these main files:

• scripts/autoinstaller.sh
• scripts/lxc_autoinstaller.sh
• scripts/README.md
• management/xcash-maintenance

I also modified the templates where needed to match the ones used in the autoinstaller (systemd and firewall). So if the things are good I can create a pull request and everything should be updated in the correct way.

I tested a couple of times all the features of the LXC installer on a VM and everything should work as expected (maybe some minor bug). I tested, during beta first run, the LXC configuration, but the network stopped so I was able to test it only for a short period of time. I was the block producer 3-4 times during that interval without issues. I hope to confirm this during the next beta run. If someone want to join trying my LXC installer...

I created a pre-built image yesterday evening that should be updated and ready for the next beta run. The handle in the installer tutorial is for that image.

Type of change

Please delete options that are not relevant.

• [X] Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• [X] New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• [X] This change requires a documentation update

How Has This Been Tested?

Please describe the tests that you ran to verify your changes. Provide instructions so we can reproduce. Please also list any relevant details for your test configuration

• [X] Testing on VPS and Virtual Machine of each new feature added (menu options)
• [ ] Test during beta (ongoing)

Checklist:

• [X] My code follows the style guidelines of this project
• [X] I have performed a self-review of my own code
• [X] I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• [ ] I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
• [X] My changes generate no new warnings

[n3me5is-git]

A note: my LXC installer currently uses Opacity Storage (see Opacity project) as storage option for fast downloading the pre-built LXC image. If the X-Cash team intends to provide a pre-built "official" image (not built by a community member) can chose to to use Opacity as well (if interested) or simply disabling the feature in the scripts and using wget to download the image from a given url. The script supports both (just set DOWNLOAD_USE_OPACITY_DOWNLOADER to "NO" and provide the image url in DIRECT_DOWNLOAD_URL). I used Opacity because it's cheap and fast (even if still in development), and I like privacy projects.

[n3me5is-git]

Thanks Zach! I remembered that in my script I still have the URL pointing to my github. Now that the script in on the xcash official github it's better to point to the scripts on the official branch. I will change the url as soon as I have time (I need to check the FW too for some improvements).

There is also this note: my LXC installer currently uses Opacity Storage (see Opacity project) as storage option for fast downloading the pre-built LXC image. If the X-Cash team intends to provide a pre-built "official" image (not built by a community member) can chose to to use Opacity as well (if interested) or simply disabling the feature in the scripts and using wget to download the image from a given url. The script supports both (just set DOWNLOAD_USE_OPACITY_DOWNLOADER to "NO" and provide the image url in DIRECT_DOWNLOAD_URL). I used Opacity because it's cheap and fast (even if still in development), and I like privacy projects.

Let me know what do you prefer! If we need to keep this setting (or maybe add a selector, so the user can choose what download method and the source url)