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Ethereum Berlin upgrade highlights: First deployed to the Ropsten test network, the mainnetwork is scheduled to be upgraded on April 14th

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Ethereum nodes should be upgraded to the Berlin-compatible version for the test network as soon as possible, and to the version for the main network by April 7.

Title: Ethereum Berlin Upgrade Announcement

Original article by Tim Beiko

Translated by: ETH Chinese

The main points of quick reference

The Berlin upgrade is ready for deployment.

We're moving fast: the first test network upgrade is Ropsten, which is scheduled for March 10. The main-network upgrade is scheduled for April 14.

If you are running an Ethereum node, you should upgrade to the Berlin-compatible version for the test network as soon as possible, and to the version for the main network by April 7th.

See below for details on the Berlin-compatible client version and the EIP included in this upgrade.

Berlin Upgrade Time

After months of planning, the Berlin upgrade is finally coming! Following the upgrade of Istanbul (IStanBP) and Muir Glacier, the Berlin upgrade is planned to be deployed at the Ethereum mainnet block height of 12,244,000. We expect it to go live around Wednesday, April 14, 2021, but since block times are variable, the exact date may change.

The upgrade will run on the Ropsten, Goerp, and Rinkeby test networks before being deployed to the main network. The whole on-line arrangement is as follows:

以太坊柏林升级要点速览：首先部署到 Ropsten 测试网，主网计划 4 月 14 日升级

Ethereum node operators need to upgrade their nodes in advance of the forked block of the network they want to participate in. Given the variability of block times, it is recommended to upgrade several days ahead of the expected date. Check out the updated versions of each client below.

Client version

To be compatible with the Berlin upgrade, node runners need to upgrade the version of the client they are running. The following table lists the various client versions of the Ethereum network that support the Berlin upgrade, including the test network and the main network.

以太坊柏林升级要点速览：首先部署到 Ropsten 测试网，主网计划 4 月 14 日升级

Note that Turbogeth and EthereumJS will not release versions for the first test net, but they will release versions before the main net. We will update this post when their version is released. Trinity disagrees and will not support the Berlin upgrade.

EIP included in the Berlin upgrade

The Berlin upgrade will introduce the following EIPs into the Ethereum network:

➤ EIP-2565: Modexp Gas Cost ➤ Modexp Gas Cost

Lower ModExp (0 x00.. 05) Cost of precompilation

➤ EIP-2929: Increases gas consumption for state access opcodes

Increases the gas consumption of the SLOAD, CALL, BALANCE, EXT* and SELFEDESTRUCT opcodes used for the first time in a transaction

➤ EIP-2718: The containing type of transaction envelope

Introducing a new transaction type, which is a wrapper that provides support for multiple transaction types.

➤ EIP-2930: An optional access list

Add a transaction type that contains an access list of addresses and store keys to be accessed by the transaction. This reduces the increase in gas consumption caused by the EIP-2929.

To learn more about these EIPs, see Ethereum Cat Herder's Berlin Upgrade Overview article.

FAQ

Q: Why "Berlin"?

A: After the Istanbul upgrade, we ran out of network upgrade names. Someone suggested we name the city where DevCon was being held, so we did. Berlin was the host city for Devcon 0, and the next upgrade will be London, the host city for Devcon 1.

Q: As an Ethereum user or ETH holder, is there anything I can do?

A: If you use an exchange (such as Coinbase, Kraken or Binance), a web Wallet service (such as MetaMask, MyCrypto, or MytherWallet), a mobile Wallet service (such as Coinbase Wallet, status.im, or Trust Wallet), or a hardware Wallet (such as Ledger, Trezor, or KeepKey), you don't need to do anything. Unless your exchange or wallet provider tells you to take additional steps.

Q: What do I need to do as a node runner or miner?

A: Download the latest version of the Ethereum client listed above.

Q: What if I am a miner or node runner and do not participate in the upgrade?

A: If you are using an Ethereum client but are not updating to the latest version (listed above), your client will be synchronizing the pre-fork blockchain data after the upgrade. You'd be stuck on an incompatible chain that followed the old rules and wouldn't be able to send ETH or operate on the upgraded Ethereum network.

Q: What does the network upgrade mean on Ethereum?

A: The network upgrade means A change to the underlying protocol of Ethereum, creating new rules to improve the system. The decentralized nature of blockchain systems makes it harder to upgrade networks. The smooth progress of the blockchain network upgrade requires collaboration and communication with the community and various Ethereum client developers.

Q: What happens during the network upgrade process?

A: When the community reaches A consensus on what changes need to be included in the upgrade, these changes to the protocol are written to various Ethereum clients, such as Geth, Open Ethereum, Besu and Nethermind. Protocol changes are initiated at a specific block height. Any nodes that have not been upgraded to the new rules will be abandoned on the old chain, which will continue to hold the previous rules.