<p>First of all welcome to the lightning network and keep asking excellent questions!</p>

<p>the important information is within the result of the <code>listfunds</code> command. For example here:</p>

<pre><code>"channel_sat": 500000, 
"channel_total_sat": 500000, 
</code></pre>

<p>The <code>channel_total_sat</code> says that the capacity of your channel is 500k satoshi. Whereas the <code>channel_sat</code> says that you own 500k satoshi of that capacity. </p>

<p>Since you have opened these channels and you did not spend money yet your channels cannot be used for routing or for receiving money. You would to find a person to open a channel with you that provides you with incoming capacity. </p>

<p>I wanted to open a channel with you to provide you with some inbound capacity but I cannot peer and connect with you:</p>

<pre><code>lightning-cli connect 035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6
{ "code" : -1, "message" : "220.133.223.206:9735: Connection establishment: Connection refused. " }
</code></pre>

<p>is your node behind a firewall and did you open port 9735? </p>

<p>The <code>Time lock detla</code> values can be configured by any node and do not have to match other nodes (though other nodes could decide not to use you for routing if your time lock values are too high). The meaning of those values are the time lock that is set in your HTLCs which are outputs in your commitment transactions used for routing. They technically only become relevant if the channel gets closed while a payment is routed. It is the time your node has to claim the funds with a blockchain transaction.</p>

<p>As for the 1ml payment I cannot help you. from your <code>listfunds</code> command I can only see that there is one channel (that is probably in the process of being closed right now) that suggests that you did not pay an invoice to them and something went wrong but I can't debug that with the information you have given.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-11T12:07:19.480Z
Yes, my Linux box is behind a router with static IP, forwarded ports 9735 and 8333 to the internal address. Also ufw status confirms open ports. Strange, even https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/ says my port is closed. ufw says 9735 Allow Anywhere and 9735 Allow out Anywhere.
Ronald Wiplinger
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-11T12:15:43.413Z
maybe it is a problem with your docker setup so that the docker container that runs the lightning node. Maybe the port is not forwarded or forwarded to another number. You did not link to the docker image that you are running and you did not provide the command
Rene Pickhardt
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-11T12:23:52.953Z
$ docker-compose ps
  Name                 Command               State                                      Ports                                    
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bitcoind    /entrypoint.sh bitcoind          Up      18332/tcp, 18333/tcp, 18443/tcp, 18444/tcp, 8332/tcp, 0.0.0.0:8333->8333/tcp
lightning   ./entrypoint.sh --bitcoin- ...   Up      0.0.0.0:9735->9735/tcp, 9835/tcp
Ronald Wiplinger
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-11T16:42:21.000Z
FWIW, you can open an outgoing connection to Rene, and he can then fund a channel over that connection. Channel funder direction doesn't have to be connection open direction :-)
cdecker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-26T05:15:17.510Z
I could fix the incoming connect problem. Can Rene try again, please. It should work now. I still be in the dark, how I can get my channels used. I am also trying to figure out what the commands actually show me. Is there somewhere a dictionary what I get? How should I select nodes to connect a channel to? My lightning crashed today again. When will be the updated docker available???
Ronald Wiplinger
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-26T18:08:53.650Z
similarly to your other question over at: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/84014/how-to-debug-lightning-cli-invoice/84017#84017 my connect command does not do anything when I try to connect to you.  As for connecting to nodes if you look at https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning/pull/1888 there is a pull request providing a tool for c-lightning that does it automatically. other than that I suggest to start with channels to people you want to pay
Rene Pickhardt
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-11T11:42:29.967Z
2019-01-11T11:42:29.967Z
Rene Pickhardt
<p>I have setup a docker-compose with bitcoind and clightning.</p>

<p>After 28 hours funding 5 channels I see nothing at all. I do not expect income, but at least that the channels are used.</p>

<pre><code>$ lightning-cli listfunds
{
  "outputs": [
    {
      "txid": "619571d8f0f7c356cc7cdd77f28b140f1fee9bea49bf1c25aabe17a32192310f", 
      "output": 1, 
      "value": 284232, 
      "address": "bc1q3ml5k2xx9ky8x3fcywru9l49eq0a8rw5k8f39w", 
      "status": "confirmed"
    }, 
    {
      "txid": "653a044a414d4d024e8516e576ebf03db1189fd65e0dbc6dd52927e8f1c33e6b", 
      "output": 0, 
      "value": 499710, 
      "address": "bc1qsszjrex638sxs0z40gf9yqml5ys2kv6nvr2jwa", 
      "status": "confirmed"
    }
  ], 
  "channels": [
    {
      "peer_id": "0217890e3aad8d35bc054f43acc00084b25229ecff0ab68debd82883ad65ee8266", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1140:0", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "0df805611c572682d333d20110db731def388421786c99bd716734321cab8c0d"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "032b2b3f4abda9677bb9563e226c068d3a2456fb8b036635a81c9bcaa1671d1ada", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1210:0", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "5e1ebf763dcefae3d54102acfebc6fa8f77cac52ffb4dedb445218d21af2e617"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "03f163a59b2929b4b515d9dfd558f15ce23e95eadc109de013e6f7080d24644be2", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1211:0", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "69517703573ebba263b4acee2943b91016f767d0bcf1e5c6b9364b3a325e0fdb"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "027c3abc90a51617fb9cf5162c2fedfd9832c620ef82b54e413e9ce0f892dabb0d", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1212:1", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "a80348c99aabecaa10b811efffd7bd023e1f0ef59bb311789c5775bb676e9c56"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "02986d2a01e7955583f04876f5b6219e0741e43ebaa00246232106bade5b429498", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1213:0", 
      "channel_sat": 31603, 
      "channel_total_sat": 31603, 
      "funding_txid": "619571d8f0f7c356cc7cdd77f28b140f1fee9bea49bf1c25aabe17a32192310f"
    }
  ]
}
</code></pre>

<p>log shows:
lightning             | 2019-01-11T11:13:41.880Z lightningd(6): ... feerate estimate for slow hit floor 253</p>

<p>$ lightning-cli getinfo</p>

<pre><code>{
  "id": "035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6", 
  "alias": "TWronald✅", 
  "color": "15c315", 
  "num_peers": 5, 
  "num_pending_channels": 0, 
  "num_active_channels": 4, 
  "num_inactive_channels": 1, 
  "address": [
    {
      "type": "ipv4", 
      "address": "220.133.223.206", 
      "port": 9735
    }
  ], 
  "binding": [
  ], 
  "version": "", 
  "blockheight": 558062, 
  "network": "bitcoin", 
  "msatoshi_fees_collected": 0
}
</code></pre>

<p><a href="https://1ml.com/node/035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://1ml.com/node/035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6</a>
shows </p>

<p>Time Lock Delta     Min HTLC</p>

<p>What do these values tell me, do they need to be the same as the other side of the channel?</p>

<p>I wanted to claim my node at 1ML.com but they require me to send a certain amount to the channel, but I sent before already. I tried to close the channel. Now the channel is inactive. How can I add exactly that amount required? Do I need to to get the money back first and fund again? If so how do I do that?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-13T10:06:02.293Z
Do you use a VPN ? You may have forwarded your ports but if your VPN doesn't allow it, it won't change much.
Demiurgos
<lightning-network><core-lightning><ln-channel-balance-management>
Why did my lightning node not route payments after I have funded 5 payment channels?
Ronald Wiplinger
# Why did my lightning node not route payments after I have funded 5 payment channels?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-11)

I have setup a docker-compose with bitcoind and clightning.
After 28 hours funding 5 channels I see nothing at all. I do not expect income, but at least that the channels are used.
$ lightning-cli listfunds
{
  "outputs": [
    {
      "txid": "619571d8f0f7c356cc7cdd77f28b140f1fee9bea49bf1c25aabe17a32192310f", 
      "output": 1, 
      "value": 284232, 
      "address": "bc1q3ml5k2xx9ky8x3fcywru9l49eq0a8rw5k8f39w", 
      "status": "confirmed"
    }, 
    {
      "txid": "653a044a414d4d024e8516e576ebf03db1189fd65e0dbc6dd52927e8f1c33e6b", 
      "output": 0, 
      "value": 499710, 
      "address": "bc1qsszjrex638sxs0z40gf9yqml5ys2kv6nvr2jwa", 
      "status": "confirmed"
    }
  ], 
  "channels": [
    {
      "peer_id": "0217890e3aad8d35bc054f43acc00084b25229ecff0ab68debd82883ad65ee8266", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1140:0", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "0df805611c572682d333d20110db731def388421786c99bd716734321cab8c0d"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "032b2b3f4abda9677bb9563e226c068d3a2456fb8b036635a81c9bcaa1671d1ada", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1210:0", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "5e1ebf763dcefae3d54102acfebc6fa8f77cac52ffb4dedb445218d21af2e617"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "03f163a59b2929b4b515d9dfd558f15ce23e95eadc109de013e6f7080d24644be2", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1211:0", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "69517703573ebba263b4acee2943b91016f767d0bcf1e5c6b9364b3a325e0fdb"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "027c3abc90a51617fb9cf5162c2fedfd9832c620ef82b54e413e9ce0f892dabb0d", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1212:1", 
      "channel_sat": 500000, 
      "channel_total_sat": 500000, 
      "funding_txid": "a80348c99aabecaa10b811efffd7bd023e1f0ef59bb311789c5775bb676e9c56"
    }, 
    {
      "peer_id": "02986d2a01e7955583f04876f5b6219e0741e43ebaa00246232106bade5b429498", 
      "short_channel_id": "557879:1213:0", 
      "channel_sat": 31603, 
      "channel_total_sat": 31603, 
      "funding_txid": "619571d8f0f7c356cc7cdd77f28b140f1fee9bea49bf1c25aabe17a32192310f"
    }
  ]
}

log shows:
lightning             | 2019-01-11T11:13:41.880Z lightningd(6): ... feerate estimate for slow hit floor 253
$ lightning-cli getinfo
{
  "id": "035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6", 
  "alias": "TWronald✅", 
  "color": "15c315", 
  "num_peers": 5, 
  "num_pending_channels": 0, 
  "num_active_channels": 4, 
  "num_inactive_channels": 1, 
  "address": [
    {
      "type": "ipv4", 
      "address": "220.133.223.206", 
      "port": 9735
    }
  ], 
  "binding": [
  ], 
  "version": "", 
  "blockheight": 558062, 
  "network": "bitcoin", 
  "msatoshi_fees_collected": 0
}

https://1ml.com/node/035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6
shows 
Time Lock Delta     Min HTLC
What do these values tell me, do they need to be the same as the other side of the channel?
I wanted to claim my node at 1ML.com but they require me to send a certain amount to the channel, but I sent before already. I tried to close the channel. Now the channel is inactive. How can I add exactly that amount required? Do I need to to get the money back first and fund again? If so how do I do that?

**Tags:** lightning-network, core-lightning, ln-channel-balance-management

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Do you use a VPN ? You may have forwarded your ports but if your VPN doesn't allow it, it won't change much.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-01-11. Score: 5

First of all welcome to the lightning network and keep asking excellent questions!
the important information is within the result of the listfunds command. For example here:
"channel_sat": 500000, 
"channel_total_sat": 500000, 

The channel_total_sat says that the capacity of your channel is 500k satoshi. Whereas the channel_sat says that you own 500k satoshi of that capacity. 
Since you have opened these channels and you did not spend money yet your channels cannot be used for routing or for receiving money. You would to find a person to open a channel with you that provides you with incoming capacity. 
I wanted to open a channel with you to provide you with some inbound capacity but I cannot peer and connect with you:
lightning-cli connect 035aef5661e1a6e370db60dc0455796800afd5b51fbc12a0a8b34836b15f5d7ef6
{ "code" : -1, "message" : "220.133.223.206:9735: Connection establishment: Connection refused. " }

is your node behind a firewall and did you open port 9735? 
The Time lock detla values can be configured by any node and do not have to match other nodes (though other nodes could decide not to use you for routing if your time lock values are too high). The meaning of those values are the time lock that is set in your HTLCs which are outputs in your commitment transactions used for routing. They technically only become relevant if the channel gets closed while a payment is routed. It is the time your node has to claim the funds with a blockchain transaction.
As for the 1ml payment I cannot help you. from your listfunds command I can only see that there is one channel (that is probably in the process of being closed right now) that suggests that you did not pay an invoice to them and something went wrong but I can't debug that with the information you have given.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yes, my Linux box is behind a router with static IP, forwarded ports 9735 and 8333 to the internal address. Also ufw status confirms open ports. Strange, even https://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/ says my port is closed. ufw says 9735 Allow Anywhere and 9735 Allow out Anywhere.  
> **username_2**: maybe it is a problem with your docker setup so that the docker container that runs the lightning node. Maybe the port is not forwarded or forwarded to another number. You did not link to the docker image that you are running and you did not provide the command  
> **username_0**: $ docker-compose ps   Name                 Command               State                                      Ports                                     --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- bitcoind    /entrypoint.sh bitcoind          Up      18332/tcp, 18333/tcp, 18443/tcp, 18444/tcp, 8332/tcp, 0.0.0.0:8333->8333/tcp lightning   ./entrypoint.sh --bitcoin- ...   Up      0.0.0.0:9735->9735/tcp, 9835/tcp  
> **username_3**: FWIW, you can open an outgoing connection to Rene, and he can then fund a channel over that connection. Channel funder direction doesn't have to be connection open direction :-)  
> **username_0**: I could fix the incoming connect problem. Can Rene try again, please. It should work now. I still be in the dark, how I can get my channels used. I am also trying to figure out what the commands actually show me. Is there somewhere a dictionary what I get? How should I select nodes to connect a channel to? My lightning crashed today again. When will be the updated docker available???  
> **username_2**: similarly to your other question over at: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/84014/how-to-debug-lightning-cli-invoice/84017#84017 my connect command does not do anything when I try to connect to you.  As for connecting to nodes if you look at https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning/pull/1888 there is a pull request providing a tool for c-lightning that does it automatically. other than that I suggest to start with channels to people you want to pay  

---

