Author: Markus Hinrichs
Editor: Randall Roland
Node operators, Antelope core developers, and community members meet each week to talk about the network and its development. The primary objective of each Node Operator Roundtable is:
“…to improve the Antelope protocol (specifically) for node operators.”
Roundtables occur every Wednesday. Visit the Telegram channel for information about joining. The EOS Network Foundation provides tutorials and documentation for those who want to learn the basics of operating an EOS node.
Below is a list of the roundtables contained within this bi-monthly summary:
October 4: Leap 5 Technical Highlights, Consensus Upgrade Postponed to Leap 6
October 11: Leap 5.0 RC2, Improving Testing Process, Upgrading Challenges
Please be sure to look for additional meeting notes and comments on GitHub. Videos reside on the ENF’s YT.
October 4: Technical Highlights of Leap 5.0, Consensus Upgrade Postponed to Leap 6
During the initial roundtable discussion in October, Brian Hazzard from ENF provided an overview of several technical aspects and upcoming developments related to the impending release of Leap 5.0. Subsequently, Node Operators engaged in a Q&A session, addressing topics such as Prometheus RC1, Transaction Executions, and more.
Technical Highlights of Leap 5.0
Memory State Reduction: Achieved a 20% reduction in memory state, with potential for an additional 6% reduction. Beneficial for EOS node operators and potentially other chains.
Release Notes Preview: Brian Hazzard presented draft release notes and mentioned the forthcoming release of an upgrade guide. Further details will be shared on the Antelope Node Operator Telegram Channel.
Deferred Transaction Removal: Notable changes include the removal of deferred transactions via configuration changes. A protocol feature for their removal will also be included.
BLS Library: Added for signature aggregation and zero-knowledge proof implementation, especially within the Leap code base.
Optimizations: Improvements in memory, CPU performance, and P2P capabilities. These optimizations enhance the EOS EVM's ability to handle larger transactions and cryptographic primitives. Also, the EOS native transaction process will be positively affected.
Efficiency Enhancements
Async Block Fetching: Asynchronous block fetching is being introduced, allowing nodeos to fetch the next batch of blocks independently. This seamless process enhances synchronization efficiency while optimizing latency and bandwidth usage with new defaults.
Peer Selection: Peers now know the blocks you possess, streamlining peer selection based on block availability to reduce round trips.
Bandwidth Control: A new setting allows you to limit the maximum bandwidth allocated for block fetching, ensuring that syncing does not consume all available bandwidth resources.
State Memory Reduction: Community contribution led to the reconstruction of data structures for chain base, resulting in a 20% reduction in memory state. Further optimizations may yield an additional 6% reduction.
“I am really excited about a lot of stuff in this release. The enhancements to get blocks are really cool, like you can't fail on 5.0 you always get information back, and it's 4x faster…” Kevin Heifner, OCI
OCTOBER 11: Leap 5.0 RC2, Improving testing process, Upgrading Challenges
The meeting commenced with an update on Leap 5 RC1, which had a brief window of accessibility before being taken down due to a bug. This led to the promotion of RC2 as the official new release candidate. As discussions turned to testing procedures, Eric Passmore (ENF) introduced an early access API node for improved testing, addressing issues such as logging bugs and potential performance concerns. The pursuit of efficiency and a more effective testing process resonated among attendees, with questions arising regarding update processes for BPs and Node Operators.
Discussion on Testing
“...even simple testing is good too. Would you guys be willing to kick the tires a little bit, and what would be the best format?” Eric Passmore, ENF
Early access API node release for testing.
Focus on fixing bugs, logging, and potential performance issues.
Preference for code or development package testing?
Importance of specific, value-driven testing.
Node Operator Challenges
Challenges with state history nodes, resource management, and testing environments.
Need for an improved coordination and communication.
Roadmap and Communication
Demand for more transparency in Antelope's development roadmap.
Clear communication for developers on updates and changes.
Network Upgrades
Reasons for upgrading include new features, performance improvements, and fork avoidance.
“…there's another main reason to upgrade, which is like you don't want to be forked out to the chain…” Shaq
“…these exchanges are probably on 3.1, nice stable release, until we push a 5.0 consensus fork they probably stay on 3.1 because everything works.” Michael, EOS USA
Custom builds on various networks.
Managing custom builds and staying in line with the main codebase.
dApps and L2 Support
Importance of node compatibility and scalability for dApps.
Coordination with layer two solution providers.
Ongoing agreements for smooth transitions.
“…there are definitely some key layer two solutions that would be good to have…” Michael, EOS USA
Differences in Upgrade Processes
Unique upgrade processes due to custom-builds on different networks.
Managing diverse customizations and collaborating with developers.
Varied customizations tailored to network-specific needs.
Managing diverse customizations across different networks.
A lot of custom code on WAX, Ultra, UX etc. → these are much more complicated to upgrade.