Well Here We Are Smokers Back-up And Running!!!
I for one am happy to be back after a little time away, it seems I was called back to uphold my promises 😉 support the community and uphold the blockchain! As all of you should be aware the blockchain "hung" causing us to be unable to do anything, all due to dwindling witness nodes which keep everything running for all of us to enjoy.
#Witness-Update
- HotFix v0.0.7 Implemented
- Blocks Replayed
- Once Again Producing Blocks
Proud to say I was one of the quicker to respond after the hang was noticed though I cannot say I did much more than follow instructions.... hell I learned something which I probably should have known already LOL how to replay blocks....
Anyways.... after a few days down what I can say with confidence is that we handled this as best we could all coming together to get the Hot-Fix implemented.... as we can see we are running again yet I will be honest some concerns remain....
My Concerns
From my understanding of chat between witnesses of the situation at hand we essentially "hung" because of an inability to get consensus based on predefined parameters. AKA we need minimum of 15+1 active witnesses and dropped below the 16 required. This was no fault of those whom remained active but fault of those whom dropped off without announcement as measures could have been implemented to counteract, E.G. initminers as short term solution as mentioned in the post above. Simply because the chain hung we are now required to orchestrate a minimum consensus of 16 witness on the new Hot-Fix within 8 hours of the blockchain firing backup to then be able to move forward. Further complication is potentially not being able to vote new witnesses into the top spots to then use them for consensus say the previously active witness owners are away and not able to update or coordinate effectively....
My concerns are that this seems to be new territory and has exposed a potential flaw in what happens in situations like these... let's say if we could not come to consensus on the Hot-Fix would we be screwed? That means getting a minimum of 16 previously active witness to update their nodes and start producing blocks within that 8 hour window mentioned....
My Idea
Now let me start with saying I am no developer and do not understand code past HTML 😅 but I had an idea that has lead me to starting this post... if I propose a concern you know I will always back it up with at least an idea for the solution whether I can make it happen or not... don't ya know I feel like it is kinda my responsibility as a witness....
Scalability Of Required Consensus
In a given situation like this, where we dropped below the required 15+1 witnesses, I believe that the blockchain should automatically adjust for the diminishing level of nodes adjusting the required amount for consensus. Some will raise concerns but honestly in a given situation like this where even breaking that barrier by 1 causes the chain to hang I see it as a better solution.
How this would be implemented or if it is even possible is completely over my head but it's an idea to hopefully give us more wiggle room in times like these where the market affects people's interests in maintaining their responsibilities as a blockchain witness.
The Real Solution
Assuming everything goes according to plan and we can get the initminers and new witnesses running maintaining the blockchain, we have but one choice Recruit More Witnesses. I assume around the 30 mark in total is the comfortable minimum based on @BBQ-Iguana's post. What this means as a user is making sure you give a nice warm welcome and vote to those new #witness's whom take on upholding the blockchain after such a situation to ensure we may all keep posting and being rewarded.
Running a witness is fairly simple but it costs, either resources at home or literal $$ for renting. I for one do not make a cent running a witness, luckily from home, simply because I am running it for the sake of supporting the community and have refused to power down anything earned. I imagine this to be the same for nearly all of us, which brings me to the point...
A Nudge To Our Users
If I can run a witness node most likely so can you!!! Honestly I don't even need to know what I am doing as the other witnesses are more than happy to point me in the right direction or walk me through any problems I may be having. The only real requirement is the hardware with an internet connection. As a matter of fact it is the easiest way of supporting the blockchain directly for allowing us all to do what we love, Smoke!
Has The Idea Of Being A Witness Crossed Your Mind? For me it started as a desire to learn if I could do it. Maybe It's Time To Run That Idea Out? I for one will be certain to support in any way I can the new witnesses in their efforts to help maintain the blockchain... hit us up in discord 👌
Join The Smoke.io Discord Here
