Fatal: Error starting protocol stack: listen unix <PATH_TO_DATADIR>/geth.ipc: bind: invalid argument

[tappoz]

I am trying to run a private ethereum blockchain from a genesis configuration file creating/attaching nodes within a custom network ID.

System information

Geth version: geth version

$ geth version
Geth
Version: 1.8.3-unstable
Git Commit: 62bc179bb964e8852ff33f8fcebc916bbf938424
Architecture: amd64
Protocol Versions: [63 62]
Network Id: 1
Go Version: go1.8.5
Operating System: linux
GOPATH=<MY_WORKSPACE_HERE>
GOROOT=/usr/local/go

OS & Version:

$ uname -a
Linux ag-deb-host 4.9.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.9.65-3+deb9u1 (2017-12-23) x86_64 GNU/Linux

Commit hash : 62bc179bb964e8852ff33f8fcebc916bbf938424

Expected behaviour

Setup a new private blockchain, then run a node with a custom network.

Actual behaviour

Error message: Fatal: Error starting protocol stack: listen unix <PATH_TO_DATADIR>/geth.ipc: bind: invalid argument

Steps to reproduce the behaviour

• Create a data directory: mkdir ethereum_datadir_v1
• Generate a new account: geth --datadir=./ethereum_datadir_v1 account new
• Just use empty passwords, then make note of the account ID.
• Modify genesis.json with that newly generated account ID.
• Init a new node: geth --datadir=./ethereum_datadir_v1 init genesis.json
• Start a new node: geth --datadir ethereum_datadir_v1 --nodiscover --networkid 1234

The configuration for genesis.json:

{
  "config": {
    "chainId": 0,
    "homesteadBlock": 0,
    "eip155Block": 0,
    "eip158Block": 0
  },
  "alloc": {
    "<THE_ACCOUNT_I_TOOK_NOTE_BEFORE>": {
      "balance": "42"
    }
  },
  "coinbase": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
  "difficulty": "0x400",
  "extraData": "",
  "gasLimit": "0x2fefd8",
  "nonce": "0x0000000000000069",
  "mixhash": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
  "parentHash": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
  "timestamp": "0x00"
}

Backtrace

The error shows up at the end of this log:

$ geth --datadir ethereum_datadir_v1 --nodiscover --networkid 1234 
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Maximum peer count                       ETH=25 LES=0 total=25
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Starting peer-to-peer node               instance=Geth/v1.8.3-unstable-62bc179b/linux-amd64/go1.8.5
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Allocated cache and file handles         database=<PATH_TO>/ethereum_datadir_v1/geth/chaindata cache=768 handles=512
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Initialised chain configuration          config="{ChainID: 0 Homestead: 0 DAO: <nil> DAOSupport: false EIP150: <nil> EIP155: 0 EIP158: 0 Byzantium: <nil> Constantinople: <nil> Engine: unknown}"
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Disk storage enabled for ethash caches   dir=<PATH_TO>/ethereum_datadir_v1/geth/ethash count=3
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Disk storage enabled for ethash DAGs     dir=/home/<MY_USERNAME>/.ethash                                                                                                                                count=2
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Initialising Ethereum protocol           versions="[63 62]" network=1234
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Loaded most recent local header          number=0 hash=967b8e…a03d3a td=1024
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Loaded most recent local full block      number=0 hash=967b8e…a03d3a td=1024
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Loaded most recent local fast block      number=0 hash=967b8e…a03d3a td=1024
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Loaded local transaction journal         transactions=0 dropped=0
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Regenerated local transaction journal    transactions=0 accounts=0
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Starting P2P networking 
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] RLPx listener up                         self="enode://72d30f2cff450b330f8dbbfe88a052b636441eb7d2e539623b6b013452643cca31beef780fbd157a21715f4409eb47e0e06be51e8ae7c4a2acd72dd504d8c5d4@[::]:30303?discport=0"
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Blockchain manager stopped 
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Stopping Ethereum protocol 
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Ethereum protocol stopped 
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Transaction pool stopped 
INFO [03-19|15:38:53] Database closed                          database=<PATH_TO>/ethereum_datadir_v1/geth/chaindata
Fatal: Error starting protocol stack: listen unix <PATH_TO>/ethereum_datadir_v1/geth.ipc: bind: invalid argument

That geth.ipc binding assuming is a file within the datadir, it's not there:

$ ls ethereum_datadir_v1/
geth  keystore
$ find ethereum_datadir_v1/ -name geth.ipc
$

I am not familiar with geth, so I am trying to checkout a tag or something from some sort of stable release and make it again, but I am not even sure the issue is with the unstable branch?

[tappoz]

This error is occurring even with the latest stable release, steps to reproduce it:

• Make geth like this: cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum && git checkout v1.8.2 && make geth
• Perform the same procedure mentioned before (starting from a brand new datadir).

Then I see this:

Fatal: Error starting protocol stack: listen unix <PATH_TO>/ethereum_datadir_v1/geth.ipc: bind: invalid argument

The structure of the datadir is this:

$ tree ethereum_datadir_v1/
ethereum_datadir_v1/
├── geth
│   ├── chaindata
│   │   ├── 000002.ldb
│   │   ├── 000003.log
│   │   ├── CURRENT
│   │   ├── LOCK
│   │   ├── LOG
│   │   └── MANIFEST-000004
│   ├── lightchaindata
│   │   ├── 000001.log
│   │   ├── CURRENT
│   │   ├── LOCK
│   │   ├── LOG
│   │   └── MANIFEST-000000
│   ├── LOCK
│   ├── nodekey
│   └── transactions.rlp
└── keystore
    └── UTC--2018-03-19T16-14-28.833840080Z--c01b5b5c13c96a6012b3cd546ca616868896f044

4 directories, 15 files

I think I am missing some gotchas here on how to bootstrap a new private blockchain, but in here https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum#operating-a-private-network I can not see anything I am missing while bootstrapping.

[karalabe]

What file system are you putting your data directory on? Geth creates a Unix socket inside it by defualt, so the underlying file system must support sockets. If you're mapping a network/windows filesys, that may be the issue.

[tappoz]

According to this: stat -f ./ethereum_datadir_v1/ the type is ext2/ext3.

However according to this: df -hT | awk '{print $1,$2,$NF}' | grep "^/dev" the type is:

/dev/sda1 ext4 /
/dev/sda6 ext4 /home

The directory ethereum_datadir_v1 is inside my Go workspace ($GOPATH), within my home user directory.

[jypDev]

i use to vmware

os: ubuntu

I resolved it by changing the path where the file is located to the home directory

Shared folder (window<-> ubuntu)
-> /home/ ....

[iurimatias]

This seems to be related to the path itself, I can replicate this issue in really long paths, but it goes away in shorter paths, e.g

works:

• /Users/iurimatias/Documents/TokenFactory
• /Users/iurimatias/Projects/tmp/TokenFactory

doesn't work:

• /Users/iurimatias/Documents/projects/ef/dev/src/eth/embark/TokenFactory/

[hasezoey]

Having this issue too with the Windows Linux SubSystem (Ubuntu) when using an other plate (/mnt/y/.etherum/) but ~ (home of the Subsystem works fine)

[millennium-falcon42]

I can confirm this issues occurs when the path is long.

[brannondorsey]

Confirming this on Ubuntu 16.04 as well. The below path fails with Fatal: Error starting protocol stack: listen unix /home/braxxox/Documents/Branger_Briz/xxxxxx-blockchain/xxxxxx-blockchain-poc/ethereum/data/ethereum/geth.ipc: bind: invalid argument

# private characters replaced with the same number of "x" characters
database=/home/braxxox/Documents/Branger_Briz/xxxxxx-blockchain/xxxxxx-blockchain-poc/ethereum/data/ethereum/geth/chaindata

If I instead symlink that ^ path to ~/.private-ethereum, it geth launches fine.

database=/home/braxxox/.private-ethereum/geth/chaindata

[introom]

I take a look into this issue, and it's more or less related to the operating system, not to go-ethereum.

The code that errs is: https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/blob/master/rpc/ipc_unix.go#L35

Passing in a too long endpoint will result in: EINVAL for the bind syscall.

As a remedy, use the --ipcpath switch.

[adroitperson37]

I was able to resolve creating a sym link to data folder in 18.0.4

[adamschmideg]

@tappoz I understand the problem can be considered as resolved. If I'm mistaken, please, reopen it with a description what's wrong with the proposed solution.

[tappoz]

@adamschmideg this looks like a bug. The proposed solution works around the bug using a symlink, but go-ethereum should be able to manage any valid file system path.