Ethereum Wallet does not synch (downloading chain structure without end in sight)

[shalav]

Version: `0.8.10`
OS & Version: osx
Node type: `Geth 1.6.6 (Go)`
Number of blocks synchronized: 4010159

I'm not a techie but wanted to try and download and synch a wallet to start to learn. It's been three days and the wallet has not synched. The "downloading chain structure" never ends. What options do i have?

[sathishvj]

It usually does take a few hours. But if it's taking too long, you want to check other things like - is a firewall/antivirus blocking anything, are you behind a proxy and can you try on another network, any specific issues shown in the log file?

[shalav]

Hey Sathish - i read your earlier responses on the same lines. No firewall/antivirus, no proxy, tried two networks too. No log file issues that i can see. The issue is that it's been 3 days and the chain structure just keeps on growing, just never ends.

[Jex-y]

I have the same problem

[Dbabcock001]

I have the same problem and have also sent Ether to my wallet and it still reads o and have left it running for days and days

[sathishvj]

@shalav @Jex-y the best I can do is to point you to other detailed troubleshooting tips. https://theethereum.wiki/w/index.php/Ethereum_Wallet_Syncing_Problems https://github.com/ethereum/mist/wiki

@Dbabcock001 yours seem more likely because the blocks are yet to be synced. You can still check your balance on etherscan.io and transact via https://www.myetherwallet.com

[slimmer80]

I have the same problem too. Blocks 402xxxx.

[bmilesp]

same issue- chain structure is at 5,090,000 and max is ever increasing at 5,115,000.

The Downloading is endlessly chasing the chain structure max and it's been many days.

[cchuter]

Same here. It looks like this isn't a priority for fixing or they just can't repro it. It's going to be up to us to fix it or abandon MIst/Wallets in Ethereum.

I'm on my third day of trying to download the block chain for my wallet. I'm on Windows 10. I have no firewall/proxy/network issues. Here's the last entries in the log when it's stuck (nothing unusual except the retry):

INFO [08-12|12:55:12] Imported new state entries count=1 flushed=1 elapsed=0s processed=19798 pending=3054 retry=1 duplicate=0 unexpected=2 INFO [08-12|12:55:14] Imported new state entries count=384 flushed=420 elapsed=114.308ms processed=20182 pending=3124 retry=2 duplicate=0 unexpected=2 INFO [08-12|12:55:15] Imported new state entries count=384 flushed=404 elapsed=22.045ms processed=20566 pending=2876 retry=2 duplicate=0 unexpected=2 INFO [08-12|12:55:17] Imported new state entries count=384 flushed=386 elapsed=92.248ms processed=20950 pending=2919 retry=264 duplicate=0 unexpected=2

It appears to get stuck chasing the chain structure. I have chain structures in the millions as well and they appear to just go on and on (the progress bar is not helpful).

There is a workaround. Restarting. Over and Over. It will still take days. When it gets into the contemplating its navel over chain structures. Kill it and restart.

[bmilesp]

Update - Chain Structure eventually completed, block sync still having trouble- it's been over 5 days now.

[nazimran]

I have the same problems. Situation angle. The chain is in an infamous situation. deplorable.

[bmilesp]

Another Update- block sync now has over 30000 blocks to sync. Currently 4 peers connected (I've seen up to 12 over the past few days),

But block sync rate seems to be 1 block per minute!

[anat0lius]

same

I'm giving up, will try parity

[bmilesp]

after updating to the latest version of geth (1.6.7) do:

1) remame ~/.ethereum/chaindata forlder to chaindata-old 2) run geth --fast --cache=1024 in the terminal 3) run mist (latest version 0.9.0)

and this seems to download mich faster with no interuptions so far. probably will take a few hours but this seems to be the way to make mist work again.

-bp

[joe1234555]

Ethereum is broken. It's impossible to get a wallet working even with light geth the chain structure never ends =-(

[keskival]

My downloading chain structure goes at about 21,000,000 and counting. Where can I check what is the total at this time?

[wtfiwtz]

Check out this discussion: https://github.com/ethereum/mist/issues/3023

[wtfiwtz]

And this: https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/issues/15001

[evertonfraga]

Hi, we have just launched Mist v0.9.1, with Light Client integration (beta).

What does that mean?

• Sync times reduced by an order of magnitude while staying safe.
• Much smaller storage required.

How to activate?

I'm closing this issue. Should you have any trouble, please refer to this canonical issue: https://github.com/ethereum/mist/issues/3097

[toffife]

Stop giving temporary and untested solutions and fix the problem!

Saying to users to delete datafolder and syncing from start=pointless and not reliable and may cause loss of all user holdings! (make a proper tool for it atleast) anyway it does not fix the issue just redownloads and comes to same as before!

Light client # (BETA) a users are loosing contracts created in combination with "datafolder" solution.

https://pastebin.com/TbqRBYhm

[CoinKhan]

Let me add my $0.02.

We are talking about downloading some files/data. Downloading technology is prehistoric dating back to 1987 with Gopher. In 2017 a simple download cannot get done in 2 months? It is some kinda dubious guiness record.

Here I have terabytes disk, mininum 4 mb speed, 8GB RAM, Eastern timezone. Most of the time it shows connecting to 12 peers.

Block size shows around 45xxxxxxx. Downloading stops before only 65 blocks. Then it goes to downloading chain structure for 3 weeks. Restarting/deleting or any other stunt doesn't help.

This is beyond pathetic.

Note: light client only helps you if you are transacting ether. It does not help if you are working with contracts/tokens.

I don't understand the settings in Geth/Mist. Why does it stop only a few blocks before finishing? Why does it do infinite/indefinite chain structure downloading? At least it could display the progress in clear terms. Often the messages disappear and leaves one to wonder what is happening (and leading to shutting off the program). Why is it so hard to display progress without the suspense? Why is it hard to show how much is left to download in both blocks and chain str? Why can't chain structure do it like bit torrent, instead of restarting the download everytime from scratch? These are design problems. Some serious intervention is required to uplift these tools.

• pl don't suggest SSD is required for downloading. HDDs are fast enough for the present block growth. My HDD wrote 45G of data in a few hours.

• pl don't suggest parity as an option. Hackers are enjoying parity.

• why can't trusted nodes be used to support subnodes to use the interfaces?

• Pl don't suggest myetherwallet or other gateways because it involves risks.

• Mist light client is good enough for tracking money/transactions. But it is not good enough for contracts.

-At the rate the data is growing, by 2019 it would hit 1 terabyte and nobody will be able to download/sync data. Ether will be dead in water. Similar problem might exist in Bitcoin.

[bozgoren]

Wow seems people having same problem months ago. and i am having the same. So seems i will not be able to bother with ethereum.

[slimmer80]

Without end :(

p.s. wallet doesnt close. Sync 24/7.

p.p.s. 24 hours passed

[BlackhatEspeed]

I'm having the exact same problem.

[dimcoderx]

Version 0.9.3 Os Ubuntu 17.10 Same problem, it wont sync, stops downloading blocks and downloads the chain structure for hours, its been 2 hours already, i am only 169 blocks behind, seems like its an old problem.

[claus]

0.9.3, macOS High Sierra, latest iMac, 200mbps fiber connection, no proxy/firewall/av. Same problem.

[Clackamas1]

I am having a similar problem. I signed up to mine new ETH because my GFX card is really good at it and it sits idle for 20 hours a day. I thought I may as well put it to work. I can't get a wallet so I don't have an address so I can't mine. To me this looks like an exponential problem. I am block 4,648,585 of 4,648,707 with so far a chain structure of 14,*, ** and increasing. If each addtional block has an ever increasing chain structure, it would take forever to do the last block at maximum. I personally think eth is probably done. We don't have the compute or network power to do this downloading everyday. You will fall behind and never catch up. I don't understand how online wallets are able to keep up.

[justinbass]

Same problem, cannot use my ethereum at all (Win7).

Edit: I got it to work by letting the initial window (with Launch Application) run for about an hour. For some reason, it won't work in the main Ethereum window. All is well now.

[silentbogo]

I have the exact same problem. Win10, i3-6100/16GB RAM/NVME SSD/100Mbit fiber. Full node was infinitely syncing chain structure. After switching to Light mode I had to restart the client several times and delete the chain data for sync process to even start. It was stuck at peer connection stage for hours.

EDIT: So, I attempted to start the full sync one more time. 6 hours in, sitting at Downloading Chain Structure for the past 4+ hours

[silentbogo]

So, after yet another attempt I was finally able to do a full sync for my wallet. After my last screenshot was taken I've restarted the client again, downloaded about 3M more of chain structure units, downloaded the remaining few hundred blocks and got me to the wallet screen within 20 minutes. So, by my approximation, all it takes is to wait about 8+ hours on a good 100Mbps connection to get the chain structure download to 34-35M. My ethereum data folder is approximately 38GB.

[websalesabc]

Hi silentbogo, websalesabc here. Please help mate. I've had my Mist wallet for about 8 months. No issues. Well now I have a solution that people are purchasing and my chaindata folder got so big (330GB) that I had to clear it and ran geth again. I'm stuck with a fast download on the chain structure issue. it appears to be downloading without end and never catching up. I need to get access to my contracts to as a matter of urgency. How did you do that exactly?

[websalesabc]

PS I do have a cable connection that gives me about 88Mbps download.

[CoinKhan]

if you only need access to your wallet, then you can install metamask (in google chrome or firefox), or you can use myetherwallet.com to access your wallets and contracts. You can do pretty much anything you want with MEW except creating and deploying tokens/contracts. Though I am not endorsing MEW or other sources, it could be a quickfix solution for you. You must have access to your JSON files and passwords. Then you can always recover/access your funds, and other assets.

Also, you can use MIST in "light beta sync" mode and access wallets/contracts. Just enable it in the options, and restart MIST.

MIST is only problematic for some developers wanting to sync and create their own tokens/contracts. To use it as a Wallet I see no issues. It is a good product and I am surely hoping that future versions might address the sync issue.

[websalesabc]

Wonderful. Thank you so much for the information.

Sincerely.

Joh

On Sun, 3 Dec 2017 at 8:47 pm, Dr.Barani notifications@github.com wrote:

if you only need access to your wallet, then you can install metamask (in google chrome or firefox), or you can use myetherwallet.com to access your wallets and contracts. You can do pretty much anything you want with MEW except creating and deploying tokens/contracts. Though I am not endorsing MEW or other sources, it could be a quickfix solution for you. You must have access to your JSON files and passwords. Then you can always recover/access your funds, and other assets.

Also, you can use MIST in "light beta sync" mode and access wallets/contracts. Just enable it in the options, and restart MIST.

MIST is only problematic for some developers wanting to sync and create their own tokens/contracts. To use it as a Wallet I see no issues. It is a good product and I am surely hoping that future versions might address the sync issue.

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[silentbogo]

websalesabc, If you've already deleted your chain data, then the easiest way is to simply start your wallet, hit "Launch Application", then go to menu Develop > Sync with Light Client(beta), and restart again.

[slimmer80]

silentbogo, Synchronization starts from the beginning. All previously downloaded data will be irrelevant. It is important!

p.s. and I very much hope that this is synchronized during the day at a speed of 5Mb

p.p.s. with russian gui: Дополнительно > Sync with Light client (beta)

[websalesabc]

OK I've launched Mist and went to develop\ Sync with Light Client(beta)

I then quit Mist and restarted it again. But it keeps on looking for peers, with 0 found and no blocks downloaded.

Where does Geth fit into the picture? Should I install it? Run it in fast mode? Or what should I do with Geth?

Thanks Joh

On 4 December 2017 at 17:47, slimmer80 notifications@github.com wrote:

silentbogo, Synchronization starts from the beginning. All previously downloaded data will be irrelevant. It is important!

with russian gui: Дополнительно > Sync with Light client (beta)

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[CoinKhan]

-Locate Mist command in Start menu

-Right click and go to properties

-Replace the command as "C:\Program Files\Mist\Mist.exe" --swarmurl="http://swarm-gateways.net" --node-datadir="C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Ethereum" (or suitably depending on where the dir/files are)

-this will improve performance (will get peers from a gateway)

-After running Mist, click on "Launch Application" in the small screen

• it will open the regular screen

• Mist comes built with its own geth, so you don't worry about it at all

-The "fast mode" etc are depracated, forget those suggestions in the web

• Light mode will be fast (and run in background), but you can go on to use Mist for wallets

[websalesabc]

Thanks so much. Will I be able to interact with my smart contracts? I have a token and I need to mine more and transfer them to other addresses.

On 5 December 2017 at 16:53, Dr.Barani notifications@github.com wrote:

-Locate Mist command in Start menu

-Right click and go to properties

-Replace the command as "C:\Program Files\Mist\Mist.exe" --swarmurl="http://swarm-gateways.net" --node-datadir="C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Ethereum" (or suitably depending on where the dir/files are)

-this will improve performance (will get peers from a gateway)

-After running Mist, click on "Launch Application" in the small screen

-

it will open the regular screen

Mist comes built with its own geth, so you don't worry about it at all

-The "fast mode" etc are depracated, forget those suggestions in the web

• Light mode will be fast (and run in background), but you can go on to use Mist for wallets

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[Clackamas1]

I eventually did sync, it took three days, and a couple of restarts. I now leave my wallet up and running 7X24. IMO, this is a real problem right now, and in 1 year an impossibility unless you keep it online for the entire time.

[websalesabc]

OK This is just too frustrating for words. I had Mist open and syncing in light mode. It simply stopped working. When I launch it again, it tells me immediately that it needs to download 4 million blocks. I Launch the application to try and select Sync with Light Client(beta) from Developer. Now that option does not even appear in the menu. I tried three times.?????

On 5 December 2017 at 17:15, Clackamas1 notifications@github.com wrote:

I eventually did sync, it took tree days, and a couple of restarts.. I now leave my wallet up and running 7X24. Imo, this is a real problem right now, and in 3 years an impossibility unless you keep it online for the entire time.

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[CoinKhan]

Even in the light beta mode it will take some time (to download the headers) and sync... it might take an hour initially, so please give it some time to do that sync. But once it starts downloading those headers you will be able to "Launch application" (actually, it will take you to the application automatically once headers are downloaded).

You can interact with the wallets/contracts etc in light mode.

[websalesabc]

Thanks

On 5 December 2017 at 17:49, Dr.Barani notifications@github.com wrote:

Even in the light beta mode it will take some time (to download the headers) and sync... it might take an hour initially, so please give it some time to do that sync. But once it starts downloading those headers you will be able to "Launch application" (actually, it will take you to the application automatically once headers are downloaded).

You can interact with the wallets/contracts etc in light mode.

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[CoinKhan]

if your concern is only handling some tokens, I suggest you can do a quick workaround by connecting to myetherwallet.com (and load tokens option).

You can also install metamask in your Chrome/firefox browers and they will do the work for you without having to do the sync download.

[websalesabc]

Thanks a million. I will give this a go too.

On 5 December 2017 at 17:51, Dr.Barani notifications@github.com wrote:

if your concern is only handling some tokens, I suggest you can do a quick workaround by connecting to myetherwallet.com (and load tokens option).

You can also install metamask in your Chrome/firefox browers and they will do the work for you without having to do the sync download.

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[colevr1]

Well, a n billion market cap project should have at least a working wallet. I am in doubt. Issues months ago, and now that i tried again, different issues. Seems impossible to have a working wallet for Ethereum. And also light sync is not working properly. Works with mist but not with Ethereum wallet on the same VM environement!

[websalesabc]

I'm really familiar with the Mist environment. I've read quite a bit on Parity and it appears that it used to be a good alternative to geth. Is this still the case?

[slimmer80]

silentbogo, good, sync with light client is works! Thank you.

Sometimes, when you launch a wallet, this window appears with an error. Why this can be and how to fix it?

[websalesabc]

Does Parity still work ok as an alternative to Geth?

On 7 December 2017 at 05:03, slimmer80 notifications@github.com wrote:

silentbogo, good, sync with light client is works! Thank you.

Sometimes, when you launch a wallet, this window appears with an error. Why this can be and how to fix it? [image: default] https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/30024561/33679890-092e7eaa-dad1-11e7-9bcd-2970e2fe3b24.png

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[websalesabc]

I've used MyEtherWallet. Its great. I can interact with my contacts etc. Only have one problem. It appears as if I can read information from my contracts but not write anything to them.

I can read my token price, but when I change it, the changes do not take effect. I can also read the balance of my contract from where I transfer my tokens, but when I transfer them, using the same execution account as in mist, the tokens never arrive at the designated address. The token balance does not diminish either. I get no eror messages at any time.

Any idea what this is about?

On 7 December 2017 at 06:20, Johannes Breytenbach websalesabc@gmail.com wrote:

Does Parity still work ok as an alternative to Geth?

On 7 December 2017 at 05:03, slimmer80 notifications@github.com wrote:

silentbogo, good, sync with light client is works! Thank you.

Sometimes, when you launch a wallet, this window appears with an error. Why this can be and how to fix it? [image: default] https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/30024561/33679890-092e7eaa-dad1-11e7-9bcd-2970e2fe3b24.png

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[websalesabc]

Transferring tokens from one of my wallets to another works just fine.

On 7 December 2017 at 22:43, Johannes Breytenbach websalesabc@gmail.com wrote:

I've used MyEtherWallet. Its great. I can interact with my contacts etc. Only have one problem. It appears as if I can read information from my contracts but not write anything to them.

I can read my token price, but when I change it, the changes do not take effect. I can also read the balance of my contract from where I transfer my tokens, but when I transfer them, using the same execution account as in mist, the tokens never arrive at the designated address. The token balance does not diminish either. I get no eror messages at any time.

Any idea what this is about?

On 7 December 2017 at 06:20, Johannes Breytenbach websalesabc@gmail.com wrote:

Does Parity still work ok as an alternative to Geth?

On 7 December 2017 at 05:03, slimmer80 notifications@github.com wrote:

silentbogo, good, sync with light client is works! Thank you.

Sometimes, when you launch a wallet, this window appears with an error. Why this can be and how to fix it? [image: default] https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/30024561/33679890-092e7eaa-dad1-11e7-9bcd-2970e2fe3b24.png

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