The Ropsten testnet on the Ethereum network is ready to lay the groundwork for Merge’s “first dress rehearsal” using a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.
Core Ethereum Developer Tim Beiko Announce On May 31st, Ropsten launched its new beacon chain. It will serve as a precursor to the final test Merge, which is expected to take place “around June 8.”
Ropstone Merger Announcement
Ethereum’s longest-lived PoW testnet is moving to Proof of Stake! A new beacon chain was launched today, with The Merge expected to appear on the network around June 8th.
Node Operator: This is the first dress rehearsalhttps://t.co/0fDHObLOmn
– Tim Beiko | timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) May 30, 2022
The Ropsten testnet is one of many testing grounds for Ethereum clients. It mimics aspects of the Ethereum mainnet, including the use of worthless ether (Ethereum) to execute the transaction and coding environment, but changes made there will not affect the mainnet.
Ropsten is also the longest-lived in Ethereum Proof of employment (PoW) testnet, launched in 2016.
The Ropsten Beacon Chain was successfully created!
Few validators are offline and expected due to testing,
Anyone can follow the progress here: https://t.co/ukRaNFpyzP pic.twitter.com/TU61t5lC78— terence.eth (@terencechain) May 30, 2022
When Ropsten finally does his own Merge, it will be the first look at what a real Merge might look like on the Ethereum mainnet. The resulting impact on the testnet, its applications, and clients will give developers a first look at what they can expect from a mainnet merger, and how to prevent issues.
Beiko said there are still several things developers and node runners have to prepare ahead of the Ropsten merger date. The Beacon Chain must launch the latest upgrade and must determine the mining difficulty on the PoW side, which is TTD.
Beiko added that the upgrade will appear first after TTD and “should be selected by June 2/3”.
related: Ethereum Beacon Chain Goes Through 7 Block Reorganizations: What Happened?
The merger is one of the most anticipated events in the history of the Ethereum network, as it will accomplish several goals.It converts Ethereum’s PoW consensus algorithm to PoS, which will enable the network more energy efficient, and changed the network name to Consensus Layer (formerly known as Eth 2.0).This is expected to happen this August.
Despite the high hopes of thousands of Ethereum users, the merger is not expected to lower gas fees on the network.