Ethereum Istanbul hard fork will be carried out in two parts, and 6 code changes have been confirmed

Ethereum’s core developers finalized a list of six different code changes on Thursday that will be activated and implemented in Ethereum’s next system upgrade, Istanbul, Coindesk reported on August 17.

Ethereum coin with forks on motherboard

(Image source: flickr)

In previous meetings, Ethereum developers have agreed that Istanbul will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will include changes to all six codes or Ethereum Improvement Protocols (EIPs), and is initially expected to be implemented on the Ethereum mainnet in October this year.

The second phase, scheduled to be implemented on the mainnet in the first quarter of next year, involves several Ethereum improvement protocols that require further testing and consideration by core developers, including an improvement to the mining algorithm known as “ProgPoW.”

Speaking about the two-phase rollout of Istanbul, Ethereum core developer Péter Szilágyi said in a Thursday conference call:

We are splitting Istanbul into two phases. The first phase will be executed in a few weeks. The second phase includes two very significant Ethereum Improvement Protocols, so it may take us longer to complete.

The first phase of the Istanbul hard fork will be the eighth hard fork upgrade on Ethereum. It is expected to improve Ethereum’s interoperability with privacy coin Zcash, protect the network from replay attacks, and further improve the efficiency of the network.

Developers of major Ethereum clients such as Geth and Parity will have a week to integrate the upgrade’s six Ethereum Improvement Protocols into their software and be ready to implement the full code on Ethereum’s test network.

Code activation on testnet is crucial

While the initial agreed date for Istanbul’s activation on ethereum’s test network Ropsten was Wednesday, August 14, Szilagyi noted in a call on Thursday that they needed to push the date back another two weeks to give developers more time to determine which ethereum improvement protocols would be upgraded in the first phase of Istanbul.

Since ethereum’s core developers have just agreed to the Ethereum Improvement Protocol that requires an upgrade, Szilagyi said the hard fork activation scheduled for September 4 on the Ropsten testnet could be delayed again.

Szilagyi said by phone:

In the past, after users upgraded their clients, we would test the network for several months before launching it. Now, we have just listed the final Ethereum Improvement Agreement, and it is still a bit difficult for us to complete the activation of the test network within two weeks.

Other core developers agreed with him and said that the specific activation date of the test network will be decided at the meeting next week.

In the first phase of the Istanbul upgrade, the testnet activation will be the last step before the mainnet activation. As with any previous hard fork upgrade, Ethereum miners must upgrade to the latest software at the same time, otherwise it may lead to a network split.

Speaking about the importance of testing versions for hard fork upgrades, Hudson Jameson, community manager at the Ethereum Foundation, said:

When performing a hard fork on the mainnet, the security and stability of the network are our main concerns, so the release of the testnet is an important step to ensure a smooth release of the mainnet.

Jameson then said that although the launch of the test network was delayed, all Ethereum core developers hoped to successfully activate the first phase of the Istanbul upgrade on the test network.

Jameson says:

Ethereum’s core developers are excited about the successful activation of the hard fork on the Ropsten testnet.