Ethereum Prepares for Major Upgrade with Public Test Network Launch
The Ethereum network is getting ready for its next major upgrade, Glamsterdam. To prepare for this change, a public test network called Platåberget has been launched by ethPandaOps. This network allows node operators to test their systems and infrastructure before the mainnet deployment.
The key architectural change in Glamsterdam is EIP-7732, which separates consensus-block validation from execution-payload validation. This will expand the critical path for validators, giving them around 9 seconds to validate a payload instead of the current 2 seconds.
Node operators need to test their systems for compatibility with both sides of an Ethereum node and ensure that they can handle the new division of duties under EIP-7732. They also need to exercise builder onboarding, payload timing, and fork-choice behavior under the new setup.