68 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
68 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
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MMGen = Multi-Mode GENerator
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============================
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##### a Bitcoin cold storage solution for the command line
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### Description
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MMGen is a Bitcoin cold-storage system implemented as a suite of Python
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command-line scripts requiring only a bare minimum of system resources. The
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scripts work in tandem with a modified Satoshi bitcoind running on an online
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computer and a stock bitcoind running offline to provide a robust solution for
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securely storing, tracking, sending and receiving Bitcoins. "Non-MMGen"
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addresses can be tracked and spent as well, creating an easy migration path from
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other wallets.
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To track address balances, MMGen relies on a bitcoin daemon modified by
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Bitcoin's core developer team to support watch-only addresses. This feature
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is soon to be included in the mainline Satoshi build. In the meantime,
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instructions are provided below for compiling the modified bitcoind. Under
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Linux, this is a trivial task for even a casual user. Unfortunately, the same
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can't be said for Windows, but the thoroughly tested, step-by-step Windows build
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instructions provided here should guarantee success if followed carefully and
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make the process as painless as possible.
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MMGen is designed for reliability by having the reference Satoshi daemon, rather
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than less-tested third-party software, do all the "heavy lifting" of tracking
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and signing transactions. It's also designed for privacy: unlike some other
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online/offline wallet solutions, the MMGen system is completely self-contained,
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requiring no external server to do its work, which means no third party will
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know which addresses you're tracking.
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Like all deterministic wallets, MMGen can generate a virtually unlimited number
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of address/key pairs from a single seed. Your wallet never changes, so you need
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to back it up only once. Transactions are signed offline: your seed and private
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keys never touch an online computer.
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At the heart of the MMGen system is the seed, the "master key" providing access
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to all your Bitcoins. The seed can be stored in four different ways:
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1. as a password-encrypted wallet. For password hashing, the crack-resistant
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scrypt hash function is used. Scrypt's parameters can be customized on the
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command line to make your wallet's password virtually impossible to crack
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should it fall into the wrong hands. The wallet is a tiny, six-line text
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file suitable for printing or even writing out by hand;
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2. as a seed file: a one-line base-58 representation of your unencrypted seed
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with a checksum;
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3. as an Electrum-like mnemonic of 12, 18 or 24 words; or
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4. as a brainwallet password (this option is recommended for expert users
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only).
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The best part is that all these methods can be combined. If you forget your
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mnemonic, for example, you can regenerate it and your keys from the stored
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wallet or seed file. Correspondingly, a lost wallet can be regenerated from the
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mnemonic or seed or a lost seed from the wallet or mnemonic.
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### Download/Install
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> #### [Install on Microsoft Windows](doc/MMGenInstallMSWin.md)
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> #### [Install on Debian/Ubuntu Linux](doc/MMGenInstallLinux.md)
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### Using MMGen
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> #### See [Getting Started with MMGen](doc/MMGenGettingStarted.md)
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