Why improve the upgrade process of the Ethereum network?
Editor's Note: This article comes fromEthereum enthusiasts (ID: ethfans)Editor's Note: This article comes from
Ethereum enthusiasts (ID: ethfans)
Ethereum enthusiasts (ID: ethfans)
, Author: Pooja Ranjan, Translator & Proofreader: Min Min & A Jian, reproduced by Odaily with authorization.
The next upgrade (Berlin Upgrade) is just around the corner, for which we are planning a network upgrade process. After several brainstorms, the EIPIP team came up with several suggestions on how to improve the network upgrade process. It is my hope that the information shared in this article will be useful to the EIP authors and the community at large. Let’s take a look at what the new process looks like, and why it’s an adjustment to the network upgrade process that’s been in place since the inception of the Ethereum blockchain.
Network upgrades are how new features are added to the Ethereum protocol. Typically, these upgrades are designed to bring scalability, better user experience, and increased security to the network. Each new feature is described in detail in an EIP (Ethereum Improvement Proposal). A network upgrade occurs at a specific block height when all nodes in the network agree to activate a new feature. Since Ethereum is decentralized and no one can force others to upgrade nodes, if some participants in the network decide not to activate the upgrade program, they will stop communicating with nodes that have activated the upgrade program, resulting in a fork in the network .
Why change the network upgrade process?
In the past, the network upgrade process was linked to the EIP standardization process. The core EIP is to be deployed on the mainnet along with the standardized process.
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-Old network upgrade process-
consensus conflict
Ethereum is an open source community project. If you want to deploy the core proposal to the main network, you must first obtain the consent of the community and the core client (Ethereum node). Once an EIP is accepted by both the Ethereum core client developers and the community, it will be included in the next network upgrade.
While this proposal was not included in the network upgrade, it did go through the EIP standardization process. This highlights the importance of separating the EIP standardization and network upgrade processes.
transparency
The number of core EIPs has increased dramatically
transparency
As the adoption rate of the Ethereum blockchain increased, many contributors banded together to submit EIPs for network upgrades to strengthen the Ethereum network. Every client has to put in a lot of effort to implement the improvements proposed in the EIP. Given the man-hours required to implement each EIP, not all EIPs can be included in the next upgrade. Not knowing the process can lead to confusion. Therefore, we had to update the documentation to increase the transparency of the upgrade process.
New network upgrade process
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-New network upgrade process-
The current network upgrade process is the result of the EIPIP team after many brainstorming sessions and continuous communication with Ethereum developers and the entire community.
The current network upgrade process has been formally separated from the EIP standardization process. However, the figure above also includes the EIP recommendation status at different stages. The EIP process is broadly divided into three phases to show the status of the EIP until the next upgrade.
Consider inclusion
Consider for Inclusion (CFI) refers to a proposal that is expected to be included in the first phase of the next network upgrade. It has been suggested to have the proposed author or supporter create an issue in the Eth1.0 specification repository for official announcements.
Devnet stage
Obtained CFI approval: This bucket contains the EIP that has obtained the approximate consensus of the client. Core devs will consider PRs that comply with the rules. Clients may start implementing these proposals independently at their convenience.
CI devnet waiting room: EIPs that are explicitly approved by some (but not all) clients, or some work awaiting integration, are temporarily placed in the CI devent waiting room. This part may also include other types of proposals, but for some reason, it will not be considered for the next CI devnet version.
Deployed on CI devnet: This lists the EIPs currently deployed on the devnet. The latest version of devnet (what is included) will probably be implemented with the next upgrade.
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Mainnet phase
Public Testnet: Similar to the early network upgrade process. All EIPs that were agreed upon by the core client developers and implemented and tested on devnet are now deployed on the public (PoW) testnet. If no major issues are found within a few weeks of running on the testnet, it can be deployed to the mainnet.
Mainnet: Ethereum core developers will set a block number and estimate the date when these proposals will finally be activated on the Ethereum mainnet.
After the main network is activated, it means that the entire network upgrade process is completed. While the network upgrade promotion team is preparing for the next upgrade.
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Network Upgrade Process Tracker
In the absence of good communication, managing upgrades on a large decentralized network can be a huge challenge. We can quickly check the EIP under consideration through the network upgrade process tracker, and track the progress of the client through the Eth1.0 specification library.
