How to preallocate multiple accounts with ether for geth --dev chain?

Question

I'm trying to set up a private chain with geth using --dev that has several accounts with lots of ether. It seems unclear if this is possible anymore according to this.

Here's what I tried on geth 1.4.x and 1.5:

geth --datadir data --dev --password <(echo -n foobar) account new
geth --datadir data --dev --password <(echo -n foobar) account new
geth --datadir data --dev --password <(echo -n foobar) account new

Then init like so:

geth --datadir data --dev --password <(echo -n foobar) init custom.json

Then running geth with mine:

geth --datadir data --dev --password <(echo -n foobar) \
  --unlock 0,1,2 \
  --verbosity 6 \
  --rpc --rpcaddr "0.0.0.0" --rpccorsdomain '"*"' --nodiscover \
  --rpcapi "admin,db,eth,debug,miner,net,shh,txpool,personal,web3" \
  --mine --minerthreads 1 --gasprice 0

Then I use curl to check the balance of the accounts. Result is 0x0.

If I remove the --dev option there is balance, but it takes forever as it then uses the real DAG. I don't want that as this if for testing.

How to best get multiple preallocated accounts with lots of ether for a private dev chain?

Thanks!

Answer 1

It is suppossed to be done by editing your custom genesis file of your testnet. adding something like:

//The genesis file
"alloc":{
        "address":{
                  "balance": "1000000"
                  }
        }
}

Source: https://souptacular.gitbooks.io/ethereum-tutorials-and-tips-by-hudson/content/private-chain.html

Answer 2

I did it like this:

1. Initialise geth in dev mode with the -- flag

   geth --dev --allow-insecure-unlock

   Never do this in mainnet mode.

2. Attach a web3 js console

3. Run this to create 10 unlocked accounts and fund them from the default account:

   for (i=0;i<10;i++){ a = personal.newAccount('pwd') personal.unlockAccount(a,'pwd',0) web3.eth.sendTransaction({from:eth.accounts[0],to:eth.accounts[i+1],value:1000000000000}) }