Ethereum Core developers recently held a significant meeting to discuss key details about the upcoming Pectra upgrade and other essential updates. On August 8, 2024, during the 139th All Core Developers Consensus (ACDC) call, led by Ethereum Foundation researcher Alex Stokes, developers shared critical updates on network stability, development networks, and improvements to the Beacon Chain's consensus layer.
Ethereum Pectra Devnet 2 Stability and Alpha Release
Ethereum Foundation researcher Hsiao Wei Wang announced the upcoming release of the alpha.4 version of the Pectra CL specifications, incorporating several important fixes. Developer Operations Engineer Barnabas Busa reported that Pectra Devnet 2 had achieved 85% network participation, signaling a stable environment. However, some bugs persist in execution layer (EL) clients, particularly in EthereumJS and Erigon.
Additionally, Busa mentioned a minor issue with the Prysm client that requires further investigation. Parithosh Jayanthi, another DevOps Engineer, highlighted the need for more scrutiny into issues affecting Lighthouse, Teku, and Besu nodes.
Communication and Coordination for Devnet 3
During the meeting, Prysm developer Kasey Kirkham noted a communication lapse during the launch of Devnet 2, which led to developers missing critical updates. To prevent such issues, developers agreed to hold weekly meetings focused on Pectra testing updates. These meetings, scheduled for Mondays, will last between 15 to 30 minutes and aim to keep all client teams informed about ongoing devnet activities.
Developers also confirmed that Devnet 3 would replicate the setup of Devnet 2 but include the updated EIP 7702 design. However, Gajinder Singh from Lodestar flagged issues encountered with EIP 7251, particularly around consolidating validator staked ETH deposit balances. These issues have been debugged and will undergo further testing in the upcoming devnet.
Transition from Mplex and New Protocol Testing
The meeting also covered the transition away from Mplex, a protocol used by CL clients for data stream multiplexing, which is being deprecated. Lodestar's Phil Ngo reported that their client has completed testing for yamux, a new multiplexer, and suggested transitioning fully to yamux to avoid the overhead of maintaining both protocols. However, Etan Kissling from Nimbus indicated that his team is still testing yamux, and the developers agreed to revisit the topic after further testing.
Debate Over EIP 7688 and Pectra Upgrade Scope
A significant point of discussion was the inclusion of EIP 7688 in the Pectra upgrade. This proposal introduces a forward-compatible data structure for smart contracts, ensuring compatibility as the EL transitions from RLP to SSZ. However, Alex Stokes expressed concerns about adding EIP 7688 to the already extensive Pectra upgrade. Jayanthi suggested that testing for EIP 7688 might be feasible by Devnet 5. While several client teams supported its inclusion, Stokes and Beiko recommended stabilizing the existing Pectra EIPs before considering new additions. The developers agreed to revisit EIP 7688 closer to the launch of Devnet 5.
PeerDAS Implementation and Node Distribution Insights
Updates on PeerDAS implementation were shared by the Prysm team, sparking a debate on the necessity of the "blobsidecar" Engine API request. Stokes suggested addressing these concerns in the next PeerDAS breakout call. Additionally, a proposal to remove sampling from PeerDAS was discussed, with developers agreeing to revisit this topic in a future call.
Blockchain analytics firm ProbeLab presented data on Ethereum node distribution, revealing that 42% of the 8,335 nodes are running on the Lighthouse client, with 36% of nodes based in the U.S. The data also showed that more Lighthouse nodes are hosted in data centers than are self-hosted, a trend attributed to the preferences of institutional users.
The call concluded with Prysm developer "Potuz" urging developers to review his proposed changes to the execution payload structure, emphasizing the need for a prompt decision to allow adequate time for consensus layer specification updates.
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