Earlier this week, a pull request was submitted by an Ethereum DevOps engineer for the Ropsten testnet Merge configuration code that can be seen in the GitHub repository. For the uninitiated, the Ropsten testnet was created by Ethereum Foundation nearly five years ago and is considered one of the best replicas for the Ethereum blockchain.
Fusion
The merger, which marks the end of the PoW-style architecture, will essentially combine the two layers into a single PoS-based chain. According to Terence Tsao of Prysmatic Labs, the genesis of the Ropsten testnet Merge is scheduled for May 30.
Lead developer Tim Beiko earlier confirmed that the merge on the mainnet is likely to go live a few months after June and not anytime sooner.
But the Ropsten merger will demonstrate the actual merger between Ethereum and Beacon Chain as the network finally completes its transition. Ethereum lead developer Preston Van Loon has also recognized that this event is a huge test step towards the ETH mainnet merger that is expected to take place later this year.
However, with the merge inching closer, the devs have been deploying tests in new infrastructures to study network mechanics and client readiness.
For example, the “Shadow fork” went live in April, a mechanism to “test our assumptions about synchronization and state growth”, as Parithosh Jayanthi, a developer at the Ethereum Foundation, Explain. Testing allows developers to find critical vulnerabilities in code that might otherwise go undetected using devnets.
Ethereum Foundation Ups the Ante
In light of the recent development and the upcoming merge, Ethereum Foundation also announced merging its PoW mainnet and PoS consensus layer bug bounty programs into one. The max reward has also been bumped up to $250,000 for reporting bugs on the Ethereum protocol. Rewards can also be doubled to $500,000 during crucial events.
“As the execution layer and the consensus layer become increasingly interconnected, it is increasingly useful to combine the security efforts of these layers. Multiple efforts are already organized by customer teams and the community to further increase knowledge and expertise across both layers. Unifying the Bounty program will further increase visibility and coordination efforts to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
