I. When something goes wrong
A seal or timestamp is waiting
What happened
A Sigelith seal matures in several steps. Waiting is a normal state, not an error: the backup, the archive and the disc are safe even without a complete seal.
| “Timestamps” window | Disc wizard | What the seal is waiting for |
|---|---|---|
| “waiting for a connection to Sigelith” | “The seal is still waiting to be recorded in Sigelith.” | The timestamp has not been sent yet, because there was no internet connection or the service did not respond. |
| “timestamped …” | “The seal is still waiting for the week's signature (after the week is closed in Sigelith).” | The week's signature is made after the week closes, on Monday at 00:00 UTC. |
| “signed (week …)” | “The seal is still waiting for the Bitcoin anchor (usually a few hours).” | The week's root goes into the Bitcoin blockchain, usually a few hours after the signature. |
| “signed (week …), anchored in Bitcoin” | “The seal is complete” | Nothing: the seal is complete. |
What to do
- The program fetches the missing parts by itself with later backups with timestamping. To avoid waiting, on the “Restore” page choose the backup folder, click “Timestamps…”, and then “Refresh online”. An internet connection is needed.
- You can record the disc right away: the README on the disc says where to find the full proof. You can also click “Remind me when the seal is complete” in the disc wizard (see “Recording selected files and folders”). While it is running, the program checks this by itself every few hours and reminds you with a notification once the seal is complete. A reminder about a backup version comes while the backup drive is connected.
- A file proof and the content audit need the week's signature (see “Creating a time proof for a single file” and “Checking that nobody has tampered with files in the backup”).
Good to know
A timestamp sent later confirms the moment it was sent, not the moment of the backup. If the backup was made without an internet connection and the timestamp went out two days later, the proof shows that later moment. When the date matters, make sure there is an internet connection during the backup.
If something goes wrong
- After Monday 00:00 UTC the status is still “timestamped …”: the program has not fetched the signature yet. Click “Refresh online”.
- “Refresh online” ends with an error message: check the internet connection. If the Sigelith service does not respond, try later: the timestamp and the seal will wait.