Merge pull request #564 from satwo/patch-1

Specify height/timestamp cutoff for nLockTime

ch07.asciidoc

@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ Timelocks are useful for postdating transactions and locking funds to a date in
 [[transaction_locktime_nlocktime]]
 ==== Transaction Locktime (nLocktime)
 
-((("scripting", "timelocks", "nLocktime")))((("timelocks", "nLocktime")))From the beginning, bitcoin has had a transaction-level timelock feature. Transaction locktime is a transaction-level setting (a field in the transaction data structure) that defines the earliest time that a transaction is valid and can be relayed on the network or added to the blockchain. Locktime is also known as +nLocktime+ from the variable name used in the Bitcoin Core codebase. It is set to zero in most transactions to indicate immediate propagation and execution. If +nLocktime+ is nonzero and below 500 million, it is interpreted as a block height, meaning the transaction is not valid and is not relayed or included in the blockchain prior to the specified block height. If it is above 500 million, it is interpreted as a Unix Epoch timestamp (seconds since Jan-1-1970) and the transaction is not valid prior to the specified time. Transactions with +nLocktime+ specifying a future block or time must be held by the originating system and transmitted to the bitcoin network only after they become valid. If a transaction is transmitted to the network before the specified +nLocktime+, the transaction will be rejected by the first node as invalid and will not be relayed to other nodes. The use of +nLocktime+ is equivalent to postdating a paper check.
+((("scripting", "timelocks", "nLocktime")))((("timelocks", "nLocktime")))From the beginning, bitcoin has had a transaction-level timelock feature. Transaction locktime is a transaction-level setting (a field in the transaction data structure) that defines the earliest time that a transaction is valid and can be relayed on the network or added to the blockchain. Locktime is also known as +nLocktime+ from the variable name used in the Bitcoin Core codebase. It is set to zero in most transactions to indicate immediate propagation and execution. If +nLocktime+ is nonzero and below 500 million, it is interpreted as a block height, meaning the transaction is not valid and is not relayed or included in the blockchain prior to the specified block height. If it is greater than or equal to 500 million, it is interpreted as a Unix Epoch timestamp (seconds since Jan-1-1970) and the transaction is not valid prior to the specified time. Transactions with +nLocktime+ specifying a future block or time must be held by the originating system and transmitted to the bitcoin network only after they become valid. If a transaction is transmitted to the network before the specified +nLocktime+, the transaction will be rejected by the first node as invalid and will not be relayed to other nodes. The use of +nLocktime+ is equivalent to postdating a paper check.
 
 [[locktime_limitations]]
 ===== Transaction locktime limitations