Read ETC Thanos hard fork upgrade in one article
At 03:48 on November 29, 2020, ETC (that is, Ethereum Classic) finally ushered in a major change after several months of "darkest moment"-the Thanos hard fork upgrade.
So, what exactly is the Thanos hard fork? What prompted ETC to carry out this hard fork? What impact will the Thanos hard fork have on the ETC ecosystem? Can the Thanos hard fork, which is highly anticipated by the ETC lab and the ETC core development team, lead ETC out of the mud and climb to a higher peak?
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01 Thanos hard fork
ETC upgraded its nodes at block height 11,700,000, that is, at 03:48 on November 29, 2020, and the upgraded nodes were completedECIP-1099 ProposalThe code implementation in:Extended the length of the epoch。
Ethereum Classic (ETC) turns outLike Ethereum (ETH),Every 30,000 blocks is an epoch. After each update epoch, will increaseDAG filevolume of.After the upgrade, Ethereum ClassicThe epoch length is doubled,Every 60,000 blocks is an epoch。
in the ETH and ETC networksDAG file, is a data packet based on the Ethash algorithm. In ETH and ETC mining, the DAG file needs to be located in the video memory of the mining device to assist in mining. Its size will increase as the epoch increases. Before the Thanos hard fork, the ETC DAG file size has reached 4GB, which means that before the Thanos hard fork, a graphics card with 4GB of video memory cannot mine ETC.
After the upgrade is completed, the epoch length of ETC is doubled,DAG file sizegreatly reduced from the original4GB reduced to 2.47GB. At the same time, by changing the calculation method of epoch,ETC mining algorithmAlso based on the Ethash algorithmUpgrade to become the Etchash algorithm, and initially broke away from the ETH algorithm family.
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Reason 1: End the dominance of ETH computing power and get rid of the plight of computing power attacks
As a fork currency of ETH, ETC has been shrouded in the shadow of ETH while being sheltered by the big tree of ETH.
To some extent, before the Thanos hard fork, ETC and ETH were a pair of clone brothers. They used the same mining algorithm and almost the same code. All technological innovations on the ETH network can basically be found in The ETC network is realized, and ETC enjoys the huge technical dividend of ETH.
In addition, since ETC mining and ETH mining use the same mining algorithm, it is very easy to switch between each other. Only a small part of the millions of mining machines participating in ETH mining around the world need to flow into the ranks of ETC mining to be able to form a strong scale effect.
However, due to the high reliance on ETH mining, the mining ecology and network security of ETCextremely fragile：1% of the ETH computing power can carry out a computing power attack on the ETC network, or even a 51% attack.And 1% of the ETH computing power can be purchased from Nicehash by billing by the second at a very low cost; it can also be obtained by paying and renting from large miners, because there are not a few large ETH miners with more than 1% of the computing power. that's the truth:
In January 2019, the ETC network suffered multiple consecutive 51% computing power attacks, Coinbase, Binance, Gate.io and other mainstream exchanges suffered heavy losses;
On August 1, 2020, the ETC network suffered a 51% computing power attack.The attacker double-spends more than 800,000 ETCs by reorganizing ETC blocks, directly causing economic losses of USD 5.6 million to the victim. At the same time, the miners who participated in ETC mining at that time also suffered economic losses of tens of thousands of USD. It is reported that the attacker purchased Ethash computing power in Nicehash to attack the ETC network at a cost of 17.5 BTC, which is about 200,000 US dollars;
On August 5, 2020, the ETC network suffered another 51% attack, more than 4,000 ETC blocks were reorganized;
On August 29, 2020, the ETC network suffered another 51% attack, This time as many as 7,000 ETC blocks were reorganized, and related transactions were affected.
Several consecutive attacks have caused ETC's "darkest moment" and exposed the major security risks of the ETC network. Various exchanges have begun to extend the time for entering ETC (from half an hour to more than 2 weeks), and even several The exchange directly delisted ETC.
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Reason 2: Attract the computing power abandoned by ETH and strengthen the ETC ecosystem
The mining algorithm used by ETH and ETC, through the ever-increasingThe size of the DAG fileTo improve mining requirements for mining machine video memory, thereby enhancing its anti-ASIC ability.
ETH's DAG file will reach 4GB in December 2020, by thenAll graphics cards with 4GB and below video memory will be eliminated by ETH mining. This means that AMD 470/480/570/580 4GB memory graphics cards, one of the mainstays of ETH mining, will withdraw from the ETH mining market in December.
This part of graphics card was once widely loved by miners because of its high quality and low price and super high cost performance, and it has a very high proportion in ETH mining equipment. When the DAG file of ETH reaches 4GB, the computing power of a large number of 4GB graphics cards will be cleared, and the ETH network will inevitably be greatly shaken. However, the ETH team has been trying to get rid of the influence of the mining industry and promote the PoS consensus. Therefore, it is very suitable to significantly reduce the computing power of the entire network without harming network security.ETH officialappealing, theyThere won't be any move to salvage the 4GB VRAM card。
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Figure 2 A large number of mining machines with 3GB and 4GB video memory will flood into the ETC mining market
ETC chose to carry out this Thanos upgrade at this time, which just solved the urgent needs of miners with 4GB video memory graphics cards. By receiving the computing power eliminated by ETH,first level title。
03 Impact of Thanos hard fork
The Thanos hard fork mainly upgrades and changes the ETC mining field. The main impacts are as follows.
ETC's DAG file size is reduced to less than 3GB,3GB, 4GB video memory graphics card can participate in ETC mining againimage description
Figure 3 After the Thanos hard fork, the computing power of the ETC network has increased to a certain extent
ETC algorithm is upgraded to Etchash, ETC and ETH no longer use the same algorithm,Graphics card miners need to update and use mining software that supports the new ETC algorithmTo mine ETC.
The Ethash algorithm computing power on Nicehash will no longer support ETC mining. Perhaps Nicehash will support the computing power trading of ETC's new algorithm in the future, but at that timeIt is difficult for attackers to buy enough ETC computing power on Nicehash to attack the ETC network(Because the computing power sold by almost all currencies on Nicehash only accounts for a very small share of its total computing power, it is difficult to pose a threat to the original currency network).
E3, A10 (4GB memory) and other low-memory ASIC mining machines are waiting for the upgrade to continue to mine ETC's dream:E3 and A10 mining machines cannot mine ETC temporarily, Now they seem to have only one way to save themselves by upgrading the video memory. It is estimated that the company that provides A10 video memory upgrade services will become popular again.
The Thanos hard fork is an answer sheet submitted by the ETC team to the problem of repeated computing power attacks in August: by changing the algorithm, it is separated from ETH mining, preventing attackers from using low-cost purchased ETH computing power to attack ETC , to improve network security; by reducing the demand for DAG files, fully absorbing the computing power eliminated by ETH, and even activating the 3GB video memory graphics card that has been eliminated for nearly a year, greatly improving the computing power of the ETC network and enhancing the ecological vitality of ETC.
Its design concept and timing are quite exquisite, and a lot of thought has been spent. At present, the upgrade has just been completed. Except that the computing power of the ETC network has improved after the upgrade of the Thanos hard fork, there is no other feedback from the market for the time being. Whether this Thanos hard fork can bring ETC back to life, or even move to a higher level, it will take time to verify, let us wait and see. Finally, readers and friends are welcome to search and pay attention to the official account "mining_club". The author will occasionally share consultation on digital currency mining in the official account.
