I am interested in setting up a full bitcoin and lightning node on my pi. I want to open a few channels and be well connected in the network. I intend to keep this machine on permanently, but may have to unplug it if I need to move it to a different socket or maintain it. How long can my node safely be off the bitcoin network without risking loss of funds in my channels?
1 Answer
that depends on the locktime that is configured for your channels. taken from c lightning (c.f.: https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning/blob/97118c558e84e0b3a12a8cbe60528ad5cfcb2fd6/doc/lightningd-config.5.txt )
watchtime-blocks='BLOCKS':: How long we need to spot an outdated close attempt: on opening a channel we tell our peer that this is how long they'll have to wait if they perform a unilateral close.
max-locktime-blocks='BLOCKS':: The longest our funds can be delayed (ie. the longest watchtime-blocks our peer can ask for, and also the longest HTLC timeout we will accept). If our peer asks for longer, we'll refuse to create a channel, and if an HTLC asks for longer, we'll refuse it.
I believe the standard setting should be 144 blocks which statistically should be 24 hours. of course you should consider a safety window to be able to get your breach remedy tx mined in case of a unilateral close.
