By the end of this month, the Ethereum 2.0 developer group will launch a new testnet called Spadina, which will allow the network to go through genesis and deposits again, before reaching the long-awaited mainnet.
Danny Ryan, one of the main developers and researchers of the update Ethereum, Ethereum 2.0, announced the launch of a test network called Spadina, which will serve as a configuration network for the mainnet. Spadina was born as an option for the Ethereum developer team to carry out a series of tests without affecting the performance of Medal, the current Ethereum 2.0 multi-client testnet.
According to Ryan's post, Spadina allows developers to have a “kind of a revamped variant” of the current testnet, where they can develop and test new components for the launch of ETH 2.0 before the end of this year. By new components, Ryan refers to testing the latest improved version of the platform Lauch Pad of Ethereum, or by rechecking the configurations made to the network clients from the beginning.
Spadina is a testnet that will handle a fairly similar setup to the mainnet, so it will have enough features and abilities for participants to perform various functions, such as managing keys and clients from different command lines.
“If you want to try the latest and improved version of LauchPad, get to work on key generation and management, and see if you can set up your favorite client from scratch once again, then yes! You should certainly participate.”
The developer also points out that this is a test network that will be in operation for 3 days, although it may remain active for a longer period of time.
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With the look set in the future
Since the launch of Ethereum 2.0 was announced, as a solution to improve the scalability problems presented by the current network, there have been many setbacks and delays that have occurred. Technical problems and a much greater difficulty than previously thought were some of the causes of the hitherto delayed launch. For this reason, the developers consider it prudent and, above all, essential to carry out a kind of dress rehearsal that allows the Ethereum 2.0 main network to be evaluated from all angles. As Ryan stated in his post, a second trial is necessary to test Ethereum 2.0 before its launch.
“We realize that both engineers and the community could use one more release of the public testnet before the mainnet to make the moves. At the same time, we want to avoid disrupting Medalla's momentum."
With these words, the developer confirms the need to have a completely controlled network, something that Spadina will precisely allow. This new network will take testing to a much more challenging environment than the migration from ETH to ETH 2.0 itself, focusing primarily on the genesis block generation process and network deposits.
Finally, according to previous statements from the developers, the launch of Ethereum 2.0 is planned between November of this year and the beginning of 2021, with the launch for January 2021 being a more logical and reasonable date considering the series of events and delays around this update.
Continue reading: Ethereum 2.0: What were the possible causes of Medalla's failures at the time of its launch?
