Description
I compiled bitcoin from source (tag v0.15.1), created a bitcoin.conf in /home/myuser/.bitcoin and in the configuration file I unintentionally configured a datadir directory didn't exist and whose parent directory ownership was set to root:root because I previously had to mount it with sudo.
When running bitcoind -printtoconsole an error message was shown similar to #11825, basically saying that bitcoind didn't have permissions for the configured directory.
Now instead of writing the files (blocks and chainstate directories, as well as the files db.log, debug.log, fee_estimates.dat, .lock and wallet.dat) to the default data directory (/home/myuser/.bitcoin), the files were written to the current working directory.
I'd expect the files to be written to the default datadir if the configured datadir doesn't have the correct permissions.
Further info
bitcoin.conf:
rpcuser=<redacted>
rpcpassword=<redacted>
datadir=/mnt/path/to/bitcoin
txindex=1
Output when running bitcoind -printtoconsole while the configured datadir has the wrong permissions (the many newlines are part of the actual output):
myuser@myhost:~/some/path$ bitcoind -printtoconsole
2017-12-24 18:05:29
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Bitcoin version v0.15.1
2017-12-24 18:05:29 InitParameterInteraction: parameter interaction: -whitelistforcerelay=1 -> setting -whitelistrelay=1
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Assuming ancestors of block 0000000000000000003b9ce759c2a087d52abc4266f8f4ebd6d768b89defa50a have valid signatures.
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Setting nMinimumChainWork=000000000000000000000000000000000000000000723d3581fe1bd55373540a
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using the 'standard' SHA256 implementation
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using RdRand as an additional entropy source
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Default data directory /home/myuser/.bitcoin
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using data directory
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using config file bitcoin.conf
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using at most 125 automatic connections (1024 file descriptors available)
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using 16 MiB out of 32/2 requested for signature cache, able to store 524288 elements
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using 16 MiB out of 32/2 requested for script execution cache, able to store 524288 elements
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using 4 threads for script verification
2017-12-24 18:05:29 scheduler thread start
2017-12-24 18:05:29 HTTP: creating work queue of depth 16
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Config options rpcuser and rpcpassword will soon be deprecated. Locally-run instances may remove rpcuser to use cookie-based auth, or may be replaced with rpcauth. Please see share/rpcuser for rpcauth auth generation.
2017-12-24 18:05:29 HTTP: starting 4 worker threads
2017-12-24 18:05:29 init message: Verifying wallet(s)...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using BerkeleyDB version Berkeley DB 4.8.30: (April 9, 2010)
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using wallet wallet.dat
2017-12-24 18:05:29 CDBEnv::Open: LogDir=database ErrorFile=db.log
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Cache configuration:
2017-12-24 18:05:29 * Using 56.2MiB for block index database
2017-12-24 18:05:29 * Using 8.0MiB for chain state database
2017-12-24 18:05:29 * Using 385.8MiB for in-memory UTXO set (plus up to 286.1MiB of unused mempool space)
2017-12-24 18:05:29 init message: Loading block index...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Opening LevelDB in blocks/index
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Opened LevelDB successfully
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using obfuscation key for blocks/index: 0000000000000000
2017-12-24 18:05:29 LoadBlockIndexDB: last block file = 0
2017-12-24 18:05:29 LoadBlockIndexDB: last block file info: CBlockFileInfo(blocks=0, size=0, heights=0...0, time=1970-01-01...1970-01-01)
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Checking all blk files are present...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 LoadBlockIndexDB: transaction index enabled
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Initializing databases...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Opening LevelDB in chainstate
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Opened LevelDB successfully
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Using obfuscation key for chainstate: <redacted>
2017-12-24 18:05:29 init message: Rewinding blocks...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 block index 9ms
2017-12-24 18:05:29 init message: Loading wallet...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 nFileVersion = 150100
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Keys: 2002 plaintext, 0 encrypted, 2002 w/ metadata, 2002 total
2017-12-24 18:05:29 wallet 58ms
2017-12-24 18:05:29 setKeyPool.size() = 2000
2017-12-24 18:05:29 mapWallet.size() = 0
2017-12-24 18:05:29 mapAddressBook.size() = 1
2017-12-24 18:05:29
************************
EXCEPTION: N5boost10filesystem16filesystem_errorE
boost::filesystem::space: Operation not permitted
bitcoin in AppInit()
************************
EXCEPTION: N5boost10filesystem16filesystem_errorE
boost::filesystem::space: Operation not permitted
bitcoin in AppInit()
2017-12-24 18:05:29 scheduler thread interrupt
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Shutdown: In progress...
2017-12-24 18:05:29 *** System error while flushing: boost::filesystem::space: Operation not permitted
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Error: Error: A fatal internal error occurred, see debug.log for details
Error: Error: A fatal internal error occurred, see debug.log for details
2017-12-24 18:05:29 *** System error while flushing: boost::filesystem::space: Operation not permitted
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Error: Error: A fatal internal error occurred, see debug.log for details
Error: Error: A fatal internal error occurred, see debug.log for details
2017-12-24 18:05:29 Shutdown: done
