Core Ethereum developer Tim Beiko unveiled the “Ropsten Merge” on June 8 to transit the oldest Proof of Work (PoW) testnet with the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.
As per the announcement, the “first dress rehearsal” for the PoS will be executed into two different categories: The first one is Beacon Chain’s merge compatible protocol rules Bellatrix upgrade, which is scheduled for June 2. The second task will be the determination of the Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD) value.
In order to avoid the mess with the transition, TTD would be completed by June 3, according to Tim Beiko. The final TTD will be the expected value that would be hit on June 8 to trigger the transition from PoW to PoS.
After this, a TTD will be chosen to turn on The Merge on the proof-of-work chain.
The Beacon Chain for Ropsten testnet has already been deployed on May 30. After the Ropsten transition, two more testnets, Goerli and Sepolia will be transitioned to proof-of-stake before focus shifts to mainnet.
The rehearsal will depict the post-merge scenario on the Ethereum mainnet. Whatever results fetch out from the testnet, it will give an idea to developers to comprehend the pros and cons of the actual Ethereum Merge.
For successful testing, all node operators and miners must have the latest upgrade in the time leading up to the Ropsten Merge date. The merge will bring two critical changes in the consensus:
- The consensus layer will be changed under the Bellatrix directory
- The execution layer will be changed under the Paris Specification
Ethereum Merge was expected to arrive in August, which could be delayed now. Ethereum is currently facing obstacles as recently it has suffered reorg on its network, which was the largest in years.
Also Read: Ethereum Beacon Chain Faces Longest 7 Block Reorganization
