The Path to Altair edition 🛣⭐️
tl;dr
Pyrmont forks, testing underway
Following a sequence of minor yet incredibly useful Altair development networks, Pyrmont — a vast public testnet — underwent an upgrade last week. The shift to Altair went smoothly, paving the way for the forthcoming series of tests and enhancements.
This week, Pyrmont is being rigorously examined as we execute a variety of testing scenarios on the soon-to-be-retired testnet. Don’t worry! At the moment of this writing, Pyrmont has already reached 482 epochs without finality, with a significant fraction of validators taken offline for several days. These evaluations assist in identifying edge cases in the consensus code while also showcasing client problems in managing load during unusual situations.
Prater on the horizon
With Pyrmont now updated, Prater — a bigger and more extended testnet — is next in line. Client teams have confirmed a September 2nd (12pm UTC) upgrade date. For the complete configuration details for the Altair Prater network, check it out here.
Stay alert for client updates that will feature the Prater fork configuration. These are expected to be released within the next week and will allow you to upgrade your testnet nodes in anticipation of the fork next Thursday.
After the Prater upgrade, it’s an excellent opportunity to initiate various activities on the network — exit a validator, get yourself slashed — enjoy!
When will mainnet Altair launch?
Despite there being much still to accomplish in the interim, the Altair mainnet fork is coming close. Assuming a relatively smooth testing of Pyrmont and a successful Prater upgrade, client teams are setting their sights on a late-September Altair mainnet launch 🚀
