diff --git a/docs/safety.md b/docs/safety.md index 6f3d74cc8..644cefcc5 100644 --- a/docs/safety.md +++ b/docs/safety.md @@ -284,17 +284,23 @@ fallback way to do it. **Option 1: Move the whole data directory to the new device** This option works very well if the new device runs the same operating system on -the same architecture. If that is the case, the whole `/home//.lnd` -directory in Linux (or `$HOME/Library/Application Support/lnd` in MacOS, -`%LOCALAPPDATA%\lnd` in Windows) can be moved to the new device and `lnd` -started there. It is important to shut down `lnd` on the old device before -moving the directory! +the same (or at least very similar) architecture. If that is the case, the whole +`/home//.lnd` directory in Linux (or +`$HOME/Library/Application Support/lnd` in MacOS, `%LOCALAPPDATA%\lnd` in +Windows) can be moved to the new device and `lnd` started there. It is important +to shut down `lnd` on the old device before moving the directory! **Not supported/untested** is moving the data directory between different -operating systems (for example `MacOS` -> `Linux`) or different system -architectures (for example `32bit` -> `64bit` or `ARM` -> `amd64`). Data +operating systems (for example `MacOS` <-> `Linux` or `Windows` <-> `Linux`) or +different system architectures (for example `ARM` -> `amd64`). Data corruption or unexpected behavior can be the result. Users switching between operating systems or architectures should always use Option 2! +Migrating between 32bit and 64bit of the same architecture (e.g. `ARM32` -> +`ARM64`) is known to be safe. To avoid issues with the main channel database +(`channel.db`) becoming too large for 32bit systems, it is in fact recommended +for Raspberry Pi users (for example RaspiBlitz or myNode) to migrate to the +latest version that supports running 64bit `lnd`. + **Option 2: Start from scratch** If option 1 does not work or is too risky, the safest course of action is to initialize the existing node again from scratch. Unfortunately this incurs some