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- A Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD) of 50000000000000000 has been designated for the Ropsten Merge.
- Stakers and node operators are required to manually modify the TTD in both their execution and consensus layer clients prior to June 7, 2022.
- Proof-of-Work testnets can exhibit erratic hash rates and the precise occurrence of The Merge on Ropsten is challenging to forecast. Provided there are no unforeseen hash rate variations, we anticipate The Merge will occur around June 8-9, 2022.
- Please be aware that syncing an execution layer client on Ropsten may require several hours to days and is mandatory to proceed through The Merge.
Background
Earlier this week, the transition of the Ropsten testnet to proof-of-stake was revealed. Due to the variability in hash rate on proof-of-work testnets, client releases supporting the upgrade were set up using an artificially elevated Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD). This was to guarantee that The Merge could not be initiated until the Ropsten Beacon Chain was prepared.
Yesterday, at slot 24000, the Bellatrix upgrade was activated on the Ropsten Beacon Chain, setting the stage for the network to execute The Merge. A new TTD value of 50000000000000000 has been established to initiate the transition.
Node operators & stakers are required to manually adjust this TTD value on both their execution and consensus layer clients before the network attains this total difficulty. The present network total difficulty is included in the block header and can be retrieved by querying your node or utilizing a block explorer.
Assuming no unexpected alterations in network hash rate, we foresee this total difficulty value being reached, and TTD to be surpassed, around June 8-9, 2022.
Ropsten Merge Client Versions
In order to implement the Terminal Total Difficulty modification, node operators and stakers must operate the following client versions or newer editions. Note that both the consensus and execution layer clients have to be completely synced ahead of The Merge, and that execution layer clients might require several hours to days for this process.
Consensus Layer
Execution Layer
Terminal Total Difficulty Override
To activate The Merge at the correct moment, node operators and stakers must override both their execution and consensus layer clients’ Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD) value to 50000000000000000.
Here are instructions for accomplishing this with each client:
Execution Layer
Besu
- If utilizing TOML configuration files, append the following line:
override-genesis-config=[“terminalTotalDifficulty=50000000000000000”] - Alternatively, when launching the node using the CLI, add the following flag:
–override-genesis-config=”terminalTotalDifficulty=50000000000000000″
Erigon
- When launching the node using the CLI, include the following flag: –override.terminaltotaldifficulty=50000000000000000
Go-Ethereum (geth)
- When launching the node using the CLI, incorporate the following flag: –override.terminaltotaldifficulty 50000000000000000
Nethermind
- When launching the node using the CLI, insert the following flag: –Merge.TerminalTotalDifficulty 50000000000000000
- This can also be configured in your client’s configuration file or environment variables, by setting the TerminalTotalDifficulty value to 50000000000000000
Consensus Layer
Lighthouse
- When launching the node using the CLI, incorporate the following flag: –terminal-total-difficulty-override=50000000000000000
Lodestar
- When launching the node using the CLI, incorporate the following flag: –terminal-total-difficulty-override 50000000000000000
- For further details, refer to this blog article.
Nimbus
- When launching the node using the CLI, include the following flag: –terminal-total-difficulty-override=50000000000000000
Prysm
- When initializing the node via the CLI, include the following parameter: –terminal-total-difficulty-override 50000000000000000
- Alternatively, this setting can be modified in the config.yaml file by adjusting the TOTAL_TERMINAL_DIFFICULTY value in your configuration folder and rebooting your client.
Teku
- When initializing the node via the CLI, include the following parameter: –Xnetwork-total-terminal-difficulty-override=50000000000000000
FAQ
As a node operator or staker, what should be my actions?
As noted in the Ropsten Merge Announcement, node operators & stakers on Ropsten are required to upgrade their execution and consensus layer clients to the versions specified above or newer versions.
After that, node operators & stakers are obliged to manually set the Ropsten Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD) value on both their execution and consensus layer client utilizing the commands provided earlier.
Finally, ensure that both your execution and consensus layer clients are fully synchronized prior to The Merge. This synchronizing process may take several days for execution layer clients.
As an application or tooling developer, what should my course of action be?
With The Merge now active on Ropsten, it’s crucial to verify that your product operates correctly through the proof-of-stake transition and in a post-merge scenario. As detailed in a past article, The Merge will minimally affect a limited number of contracts deployed on Ethereum, with none expected to malfunction. Furthermore, the majority of user API endpoints will remain stable (unless you are using proof-of-work specific methods such as eth_getWork).
That being said, most applications on Ethereum comprise much more than just on-chain contracts. Now is the moment to confirm that your front-end code, tooling, deployment pipeline, and other off-chain elements function as intended. We strongly advise developers to conduct a full testing & deployment cycle on Ropsten (or Kiln) and report any issues with tools or dependencies to the maintainers of those projects. If you are uncertain where to raise an issue, please utilize this repository.
As an Ethereum user or Ether holder, is there any action required from me?
No. The Ethereum mainnet is unaffected by this testnet. Future announcements will be made on this blog prior to the mainnet’s transition.
As a miner, is there any course of action I need to take?
No. If you are mining on the Ethereum mainnet or Ropsten, it is important to note that both networks will function entirely under proof-of-stake after The Merge. Consequently, mining will no longer be viable on the network.
This transition is anticipated around June 8-9, 2022 on Ropsten and later in the year for the Ethereum mainnet.
wen merge?
At the time of publishing this article, the date for the Ethereum mainnet’s proof-of-stake transition has not yet been determined. Any source claiming otherwise is likely a scam. Updates will be shared on this blog. Please stay vigilant!
Assuming no problems are encountered with Ropsten, once client testing is completed, Ethereum’s other testnets will proceed with The Merge. After Goerli and Sepolia have successfully transitioned and stabilized, a slot height will be selected for the Bellatrix upgrade on the Beacon Chain and a terminal total difficulty value will be established for the mainnet transition. Following this, clients will release updates that enable The Merge on the mainnet. These announcements will be made on this blog and in other community publications. The image below depicts this procedure:
Note that this assumes every step proceeds as planned. If any issues arise at any point during the process or if test coverage is deemed insufficient, they will be addressed before continuing with the deployment process.
Only then will it be feasible to estimate the precise date for The Merge.
In other words, 🔜.
