Ethereum Developers Discuss Major Updates in ACDE Call #203

Rongchai Wang
Jan 17, 2025 07:36

Ethereum developers convened for ACDE Call #203, chaired by Tim Beiko, to discuss updates on Pectra Devnet 5, gas limit testing, and RPC standardization.

On January 16, 2025, Ethereum protocol developers gathered virtually for the All Core Developers Execution (ACDE) Call #203, chaired by Tim Beiko from the Ethereum Foundation. The bi-weekly meeting is a critical platform for developers to discuss and coordinate changes to Ethereum’s execution layer, a vital component of the blockchain ecosystem, according to galaxy.com.

Pectra Devnet 5 Launch

The meeting commenced with discussions on the Pectra Devnet 5, launched just before the call. Parithosh Jayanthi, EF Developer Operations Engineer, reported issues with gas estimation on the devnet, with plans to further investigate and address these on the Ethereum Research & Development Discord channel.

Pectra Specifications Updates

Developers reviewed updates to Pectra code specifications, focusing on five key areas. Among these, EIP 7623 and EIP 7840 were discussed, involving gas refund handling and base fee fraction adjustments, respectively. Notably, EIP 7691 was clarified to ensure excess gas calculations occur post-fork boundary using new fork rules, a change already tested in clients.

System Contract Audit and Testnet Scheduling

Fredrik Svantes, EF Protocol Security Researcher, announced the completion of third-party audits for Pectra’s system contracts, with no significant findings. Tim Beiko proposed a timeline for testnet upgrades, targeting Sepolia and Holesky testnets for February, with potential mainnet upgrades by mid-March, contingent on successful testnet performance.

Holesky Gas Limit and RPC Standardization

Discussions also covered setting Holesky’s default gas limit to 36 million, ensuring it’s higher than Ethereum’s mainnet for pre-testing gas limit increases. Geth developer Felix Lange expressed concerns over the lack of feedback on Ethereum JSON-RPC standardization efforts, suggesting further discussions and a dedicated breakout meeting to address these issues.

Specifying Node Requirements

Kevaundray Wedderburn from EF sought feedback on minimum node hardware and bandwidth requirements. The distinction between validating and full nodes was emphasized, with further discussions planned to refine these specifications.

Upcoming EIP Editors Workshop

An EIP Editors Workshop, hosted by the Ethereum Cat Herders, is scheduled for January 17, 2025. This event will provide insights into the EIP editing process, encouraging participation from the Ethereum community.

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