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I want run an Full Bitcoin Node on Ubuntu but it takes 3 Days to download all of the Bitcoin Blocks from 2009-2017. I have 8 MB/s Internet Speed. Why does it take so long, the blockchain is only 150GB max. I have also tried to copy the Node from my old Server to the new one but I get always an error and i must download it again. Why can't I copy it to an new server? I have copied only the blocks and chainstate folders. Can i download it faster?

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  • try running with bitcoind -dbcache=<max amount of RAM you can spare>
    – rny
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:22
  • I get always this error: bash: syntax error near unexpected token with bitcoind -dbcache=<5000>
    – Jack Burn
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:40
  • sorry its --dbcache, note the double dash
    – rny
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:49
  • i get the same error..
    – Jack Burn
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:57
  • 1
    Remove the <> characters, they're just there to tell you where to substitute something. And you don't need the double dash. Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 10:42

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next time try to make it several questions, there is too much to answer...

Why takes so long ?? Its just 150GB Max the Blockchain size...

The full node verifies each transaction for its validity, so that your local copy of the blockchain is safe to be used. More information on bitcoin.org. So this is normal, it is not "just downloading".

... but i get always an error and i must downlaod it again, cant i copy it to an new server?

You didn't say s.th. on your error, we cannot guess! If you have the same software, it should be possible though. I have done it many times with core client. Need to sav wallet files before though, just to be sure!

I have copy only the blocks and chainstate folder. Can i download it faster?

See, it is not downloading a file, it is connecting to peers asking for tx to assemble "the blockchain" locally. And therefor verification process happens. You can use a pruned mode, which will not store the whole blockchain on your drive, but also this would have to read once all tx. It is faster, but again not done within minutes. Try to read about it on bitcoin.org or the online book of Andreas ("Mastering Bitcoin"). This helps to understand.

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  • Thanks for this. Its 1:1 the same what i want copy , takes also so long if i copy and paste it?
    – Jack Burn
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:52
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    I had copied my data from one SD card in a raspberryPI with SuSE Linux to another, and the copying took a while (+20 minutes), and then I could use it in my second RasPi. So the .bitcoin folder with all it's contents could easily be copied... Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 9:46
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a full synchronization for a new node not only downloads, but also validates all blocks and transactions.

if you trust the source of your blocks, you can ask the client only download and not validate the data, to speed up the process.

you could also copy over all metadata about the validation from another node to make your new node believe it has already properly verified the transactions.

another possible reason for a slow sync process is the peer selection, which may have chosen slow peers making it take longer to download (their speed might be significantly slower than yours).

it is also possible that your new node could be using its network bandwidth for other purposes and therefor nor prioritizing the blockchain download.

which of all these cases apply to you cannot be determined from your question, but might provide some good starting points when looking for the culprit.

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