Community Update 97

General

• Release

  • Node version 0.9.16 is the current release RNode-0.9.16 release plan

  • Testnet is being updated to rnode version 0.9.16

  • The 0.9.16 includes multisig features, Validator slashing and ejection rules, persistent last finalized block, websockets based events API to access live info about Rnode

  • Wallet Demo today by Tomislav uses this last feature

• Sprint 41 in progress

  • Once Cost accounting is complete we will likely move to a Kanban style management during bug discovery and hardening phase, because that phase will be more task based rather than feature based 

  • Main focus is on reaching Testnet 3 (a) Cost accounting  (b) Long proposal times - Fairness Constraint and other improvements (d) Additional tests for multisig features (e) ongoing work in Casper tests independent of network layer (f) Ongoing work in Planning and implementation for Network safety, reliability and hardening

  • Cost accounting

    • Design and Scope of work at https://gist.github.com/ArturGajowy/73e481767548b084a8e5d7c19bb1f70c

    • Implementation in progress for these preliminary tasks needed for implementing the main portions of cost accounting:

      • Most of the significant work for Cost Accounting is now complete.

      • We're hunting down the last few bugs in Replay. We wil be at Testnet3 once these are resolved. 

      • Waiting to be merged - Bulletproof unforgeable-name namespace uniqueness by prohibiting terms wider than Short.MAX_VALUE . Changes from the first set of reviews made.   https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2768

      • Review comments being addressed before merge  - Created first PR to secure access to protocol-private PoS methods  https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3888

    • Merged - The 'System Deploy' construct, https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3767 necessary for cost accounting, is implemented and in review.  https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2778  This is a huge PR and also contains the charging logic.  Charging logic https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3625 and https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3624 

    • Complete - In parallel, work has started on combinatorial Rholang terms in contracts, to test stability of cost accounting across such combinations. https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2788

    • Currently testing cost accounting in the sandboxnet in parallel to PR reviews. We will start with genesis ceremony and run other tests.

  • Reduce long proposal times: 

    • Fairness constraint modification to base it on block creator waiting to be merged https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2786 .

    • Additional improvements to finalization implemented, including making finalization persistent:

      • Merged -Persist last finalized block https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2780 

      • Merged - Add new termination condition for isInMainchain https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2775

      • Merged -  https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2787 to allow finalization every n blocks 

      • Disallow invalid blocks as parents https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3892

  • Feature set completed - Implementation of mult-sig vault features is ongoing as detailed in https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3392 https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3196 https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3223 and https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3773.  Additional changes are being made to the code to address a potential security issue identified in the reviews. Merged - https://github.com/rchain/rchain/pull/2774 .

  • Feature set complete - Demo today - Add ability to leverage all the wallet tools built for Ethereum (such as Metamask) https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3866  and  https://rchain.atlassian.net/browse/RCHAIN-3867

    • RNode will be able to validate Ethereum personal signature. More info at. https://medium.com/metamask/the-new-secure-way-to-sign-data-in-your-browser-6af9dd2a1527

  • Starting to capture some performance data, working with community members. 

  • Refactoring, Optimizations and bug fixes, hardening - ongoing 

Mercury requirements and acceptance criteria

• Details on the acceptance criteria: Mercury acceptance criteria

• Please see the documentation at https://github.com/rchain/rchain/blob/dev/docs/features.md. 

• Testnet status

  • Please see RChain public testnet information to learn more about public testnet as well as a FAQ.

• Community testing

  • Sept 19 at 14:00 UTC. Please see RChain community RNode testing for more information.

Blockers to testnet-3

• TBD

Risks to code completion for Mercury

• Evaluating backlog vs current velocity 

Developer website

• https://developer.rchain.coop