I am trying to migrate almost all my hobby stuff over to debian. I want to install Electrum (bitcoin client) directly into debian ----- OFFLINE. That is a must since some of my wallets never will see the internet. I am going to cut and paste some notes from the electrum website but then I'll need a steer because I am missing something - and its likely easy. **First before proceeding you need to know that I have downloaded the current Electrum tar.bz and have used gpg --verify to match the signature to the package download. All is good to go. This is a critical step where a WALLET is concerned. So now lets proceed.** Using online methods, which I have played with, makes this super easy although not fully secure. Pasting from the site -- here is the easy method online: Install dependencies: sudo apt-get install python-qt4 python-pip Install Electrum: sudo pip install https://download.electrum.org/2.5.2/Electrum-2.5.2.tar.gz Done and easy! Two issues though: 1. Several machines will never be online. 2. This is not fully secure as is using gpg verified downloads. Now to my questions and the reason for this thread. I am pasting the Electrum site instructions for doing an install directly on debian/linux when offline and apparently this is using python. Download and untar Electrum-2.5.2.tar.gz In the electrum directory, run: 'python electrum' To install it on your system, run: 'sudo python setup.py install' Looking at those site instructions can one of you python guys give me sort of a step by step and how to accomplish what is being described above? When I extract the tar.gz to my debian desktop just to look through the folder contents I don't seem to see what is being described in the instructions above. I am inside debian VM's so I can practice away and have nothing to lose but a few minutes of time. Obviously I won't be using true assets until this gets tweaked. I have never worked manually with python anything. Thanks in advance.
Just get Electrum-2.5.2.tar.gz and verify the signature. Let's say that it's in ~/Downloads/. Then run: Code: sudo pip install ~/Downloads/Electrum-2.5.2.tar.gz
Well that sounds simple enough! BUT- if I am putting this on a debian system that has never seen Electrum or python beyond the normal iso install, then I would be assuming all the needed dependencies will be in the downloaded tar.gz? The electrum site's online method uses an install of needed dependencies (sudo apt-get install python-qt4 python-pip) and then a download of the tar.gz. If all the dependencies are in the tar.gz I downloaded then why go through step one with the online methods? I am pretty sure I'll need to install the dependencies separately since they have nothing to do with Electrum. I can temporarily place the system online to grab the dependencies, but I'ld rather download them elsewhere and install them directly too. I may just bring it online for everything but electrum. Do I have it straight on the dependencies?
Worked like a charm. Guess I'll just upgrade the dependencies along with Debian's updates and THEN it'll go offline for life. I then install Electrum later - for the cold wallet side of my multi-sig's. LOL! (Its important that one side of my multi-sig's never sees online - ever.) Don't know why but I went "blank" trying to visualize the dependencies and kept seeing them as part of Electrum. Thanks.
Updating offline systems is problematic. You can get foo.deb from an online system, and then do "sudo dpkg -i foo.deb". But dependencies are a hassle. And you need to be careful, because there's some risk of breaking the system.
I updated them all last night and THEN I installed Electrum from verified packages. Debian while online updates the dependencies like clockwork and apt-get is all signed, so why risk breaking something? I should not need to place those systems back online for a very long time, if ever.
I was assuming that, once you install Electrum and setup your wallets, you don't want to go online again, even to update Debian. You can update using downloaded debs, but it's a little risky.
Correct. I'll never take my Debian online that contains one side of the sig's/seeds - ever. The other side of the pair I use online all the time for "watching". That's the beauty of multi sig. Back to the point. If Electrum (or any other wallet software I may use) requires some dependency upgrade in the future I would simply backup needed wallets and blow the debian VM away. Now update a new debian clone online with all the needed new dependencies, followed by a fresh install of Electrum. Its really easy actually. I had a "brain fart" that started this thread, and it revolved around my former confusion with where the dependencies came from. My bad. This is an easy process and my dedicated desktop sits in a room with NO ethernet or wireless available to it. I can plug one in for those rarely needed update sessions. Of course its full LUKS while its sits there OFF!
