BitShares Forum

Main => Technical Support => Topic started by: ben01ar on August 27, 2014, 12:16:24 pm

Title: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory. (RESOLVED)
Post by: ben01ar on August 27, 2014, 12:16:24 pm
Hello, I've just installed the Bitshares client inside an encrypted disk mounted on a USB drive. There was no problem with that. However, when I tried to use the client in another computer, I have noticed that something was missing, because the program asked me to create a new wallet (starting from the beginning, cause I had created a wallet running in the first computer already.). Inspecting the first computer, I could see that Bitshare software creates also a directory in the Users Program Data location in the Windows installation drive. I also could see that when the client is running, that directory grows constantly. My questions about all of that are:

1) Is it possible to migrate the data directory to the portable installation situated in the USB drive so that I would be able to run it without having to import the wallet created before?

2) The growing data folder is a blockchain of transactions that is getting synchronized? If this is so, what is the actual size of it?


Thank you,

Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: Riverhead on August 27, 2014, 12:31:03 pm
When launching the client you can use a --data=<path> to set the data directory. Currently the blockchain is about 267MB.
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: ben01ar on August 27, 2014, 01:55:09 pm
Hello Riverhead, thank you for answering. I have tried your indications the following way:

I started all over again with a new virtual drive. I installed the client on drive x in this case.
Once the installation has finished, I have created a shortcut of the file x:\BitSharesX\bin\BitSharesX.exe
at the root of x (x:\BitSharesX.lnk. I´m working with win xp pro).

I have created a folder for the data to be contained named x:\00Datadir
Then I have edited the properties of the shortcut as follows:

Destination: X:\BitSharesX\bin\BitSharesX.exe --data=x:\00Datadir
Start in: X:\BitSharesX\bin

The Client starts normally, but no data is created in x:\00Datadir.

Please help me, if it is possible, to understand what I have missed.

Thanks again.
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: ben01ar on August 27, 2014, 01:59:03 pm
p.s.: I have also tried with the parameter -data=x:\00Datadir (with one "-")
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: xeroc on August 27, 2014, 05:35:30 pm
p.s.: I have also tried with the parameter -data=x:\00Datadir (with one "-")
I am not so sure wether the GUI currently reads the parameters from the command line?

have you tried
BitSharesX --help
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: Riverhead on August 27, 2014, 06:34:53 pm
p.s.: I have also tried with the parameter -data=x:\00Datadir (with one "-")
I am not so sure wether the GUI currently reads the parameters from the command line?

have you tried
BitSharesX --help


Good question.  Also, it could be --data-dir ...
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: ben01ar on August 28, 2014, 02:41:44 pm
 Thank you Xeroc and Riverhead for your help.

 Riverhead, you were really close to the solution... . As I couldn´t finish to make it work I contacted a person involved in the development of the project.

  The final answer to the problem is:

---------------------------------------
Hi, Ben. You almost had it! To run the GUI with a custom data directory, you will need to run it with the arguments "--data-dir X:\00Datadir". The GUI does not understand the flag if you include an = between the flag and its value. Also, at present the only argument the GUI understands is the --data-dir argument.
---------------------------------------

Dear friends, thank you again for your help.

Best regards.



Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: kickky on December 02, 2014, 07:02:13 pm
Thank you Xeroc and Riverhead for your help.

 Riverhead, you were really close to the solution... . As I couldn´t finish to make it work I contacted a person involved in the development of the project.

  The final answer to the problem is:

---------------------------------------
Hi, Ben. You almost had it! To run the GUI with a custom data directory, you will need to run it with the arguments "--data-dir X:\00Datadir". The GUI does not understand the flag if you include an = between the flag and its value. Also, at present the only argument the GUI understands is the --data-dir argument.
---------------------------------------

Dear friends, thank you again for your help.

Best regards.
doesn't work for me as well

seems no one is helping resolving on this issue
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory.
Post by: xeroc on December 02, 2014, 07:06:47 pm
doesn't work for me as well

seems no one is helping resolving on this issue
what data-dir path are you using? if there are spaces you might need to add apostrophs: "path"
Title: Re: Installing Bitshares Client on USB drive and changing Data Directory. (RESOLVED)
Post by: kickky on December 02, 2014, 07:09:56 pm
Hello, I've just installed the Bitshares client inside an encrypted disk mounted on a USB drive. There was no problem with that. However, when I tried to use the client in another computer, I have noticed that something was missing, because the program asked me to create a new wallet (starting from the beginning, cause I had created a wallet running in the first computer already.). Inspecting the first computer, I could see that Bitshare software creates also a directory in the Users Program Data location in the Windows installation drive. I also could see that when the client is running, that directory grows constantly. My questions about all of that are:

1) Is it possible to migrate the data directory to the portable installation situated in the USB drive so that I would be able to run it without having to import the wallet created before?

2) The growing data folder is a blockchain of transactions that is getting synchronized? If this is so, what is the actual size of it?


Thank you,

it works