Shelley Testnet - New Releases (Week of Oct 14)

We’ll have two significant updates this week that will involve changes to how we implement the network protocol and the blockchain protocol. For more effective testing and QA processes, we are releasing these a few days apart this week but wanted to inform you about both ahead of time.

The first release, Jormungandr 0.6.0 replaces the 0.5.6 build will drop today.

This release targets a number of issues related to item 860 which has been causing problems for a high number of users. The new release will improve the performance of nodes sitting behind firewalls and adds some tooling to further improve the reliability of node connections.

These breaking changes are not compatible with previous versions of Jormungandr. Users still on 0.5.6 will experience network outages and errors if they do not update.

Please ensure you update to Jormungandr 0.6.0 as soon as possible to minimise your network downtime and overall network reach.

The second release – scheduled for the end of this week – is our most significant update in the program so far, and will reset the genesis hash. It will be addressing a number of major bugs and issues. It is important to note that this release will be incompatible with version 0.6.0, and a new version will be made available.

At several stages during the testnet program, we anticipate full resets from time to time. Fixing issues can sometimes require us to introduce new code which is incompatible with previous versions. This is the first of these and is – effectively – a new blockchain.

You’ll find the latest builds over on the GitHub release page and we recommend you set an email alert so you will be the first to hear whenever any new build drops.

We shall maintain the current testnet for just a few days to allow time for migration. To build the new network, and ensure you remain part of it, please ensure you update as soon as possible after we release the code. We expect to see a significant drop in the number of active nodes for a while, but these will come back online as users update.

To ensure you remain part of the main testnet network - and to avoid forking off to a separate P2P network - you’ll need to re-configure your node and pull new test ada from the faucet.

Remember, for community support and troubleshooting, the Stakepool Best Practice Telegram is a great resource.

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