I could not run Umbrel (Delay Allocation)

Support and Troubleshooting
1

Screenshot 2025-04-13 172828
Screenshot 2025-04-13 1728281324×952 168 KB

Hi everyone ! I am trying to run Umbrel for my Bitcoin node but it appears to be errors like in the picture.

Can someone help me fix this ?

Thank you a lot guys !

2

VirtualBox introduces a layer of abstraction between the virtual machine (VM) and the physical hardware, which can sometimes lead to I/O errors, especially for disk-intensive tasks like running a Bitcoin node. The EXT4 errors you’re seeing (“Delayed block allocation failed” with error 117) are often tied to I/O issues, and VirtualBox might be exacerbating or causing these problems.

Steps to Troubleshoot and Fix

  1. Check the Host System:
  • Ensure the host system’s disk (where the VDI file is stored) is healthy. Run a disk check on the host:
    • On Windows: chkdsk /f C:
    • On Linux: sudo fsck /dev/sdX (replace sdX with your host disk).
    • On macOS: Use Disk Utility to run First Aid on the host disk.
  • Check the host’s SMART data for the physical disk:

sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdX

Look for signs of failure (reallocated sectors, pending sectors, etc.).
2. Inspect VirtualBox Disk:

  • Check the integrity of the VDI file. VirtualBox has a tool to inspect and repair VDI files:

VBoxManage checkmedium /path/to/your/vm-disk.vdi

If there are issues, you might need to clone the disk to a new VDI:

VBoxManage clonemedium disk /path/to/old-disk.vdi /path/to/new-disk.vdi
3. Run Umbrel Natively (Recommended):

  • Bitcoin nodes like Umbrel are best run on bare metal (directly on hardware) rather than in a VM. VirtualBox adds overhead and potential points of failure, which can be problematic for a node that needs to run 24/7 and handle heavy disk I/O.
  • If possible, install Umbrel directly on a dedicated machine or a Raspberry Pi (Umbrel officially supports Raspberry Pi 4/5). Use a fresh SSD or HDD to avoid carrying over any corruption.
  1. Adjust VirtualBox Settings (If You Must Use a VM):
  • Increase Resources: Allocate more CPU cores, RAM, and disk space to the VM to reduce resource contention.
  • Switch Disk Controller: In VirtualBox, change the disk controller type to NVMe or SATA (instead of IDE) for better performance:
    • Go to VM Settings > Storage > Controller > Change to NVMe or SATA.
  • Use a Fixed-Size Disk: Convert your VDI to a fixed-size disk to avoid fragmentation:

VBoxManage modifymedium disk /path/to/your-disk.vdi --type fixed

  • Enable Host I/O Cache: In the VM’s storage settings, enable “Use Host I/O Cache” to improve disk performance.
  • Passthrough a Physical Disk: If you have a dedicated SSD/HDD, you can passthrough the physical disk to the VM to bypass the VDI layer. This requires careful setup in VirtualBox (you’ll need to create a raw VMDK file pointing to the physical disk).
  1. Rebuild the VM:
  • If the VDI or file system is too corrupted, create a new VM in VirtualBox, reinstall Umbrel, and start fresh. If you have a backup of your Umbrel data (e.g., wallet files, channel backups for Lightning), you can restore those after setting up the new VM.
  1. Monitor Logs: After making changes, monitor Umbrel’s logs for further errors. Inside the VM, check:

dmesg | grep -i error

This will show kernel-level errors related to disk I/O.

Recommendation

Running Umbrel in VirtualBox is not ideal for a Bitcoin node due to the heavy disk I/O requirements and the potential for virtual disk issues. If you can, switch to a bare-metal setup on a dedicated device with a reliable SSD. If you must use VirtualBox, follow the steps above to mitigate the issues, but be prepared for potential instability.