Final Countdown to Ethereum Merge Begins as Configs for the Last Public Testnet Go Live

 

Ethereum (ETH) took another step towards the Merge, when the current Ethereum Mainnet will “merge” with the beacon chain proof-of-stake (PoS) system — as configurations for Kiln, the last public testnet before switching to the PoS mining algorithm, have been published.

“The configs for the Kiln testnet are out,” said Ethereum Foundation‘s Parithosh Jayanthi.  He further added that a longer blogpost with more details and links will follow, stating: 

“The beaconchain genesis will be Friday at 14:00 UTC. The [proof-of-work, PoW] chain has already started and we expect the PoW phase to last ~a week. Deploy your smart contracts now to know how they behave pre and post merge!”
 

I think Paul made a tweet stating they released the blogpost around the time of the config release and that might have led to confusion. The Beaconchain launches at Friday 14UTC (Tomorrow). But TTD will not be hit until mid next week, so the "merge" aspect only starts next week.

— parithosh | 🐼👉👈🐼 (@parithosh_j) March 10, 2022

In a late January update, Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko said that Kiln would go live after testing deployments on Kintsugi, a “longer-lived, public testnet” launched in late 2021 and meant to allow application developers to become familiar with a post-merge Ethereum environment.

“Its next version, Kiln, will be the dress rehearsal before existing testnets transition,” Beiko said at the time, adding that if no major issues are found, Kiln would “be the last new testnet before we start looking to fork existing ones.”

Meanwhile, to ensure the network’s security along with a smooth transition, developers are asking the community to test the Kiln mainnet and help the developers find potential issues.

Developer Marius van der Wijden also shared that Kiln has been “spun up” and that it is testing time before the Merge on this testnet happens, set for mid-next week, providing information on how users can get involved. 

The network is still in PoW atm and the merge on kiln will happen most likely mid next week. So get in while the network is still in PoW and verify that your nodes/software/defi-protocol/NFTs survive the transition!

So get out there, get testing! pic.twitter.com/0IYdeXsF4z

— MariusVanDerWijden (@vdWijden) March 10, 2022

“Let me say this as plainly as possible: Kiln is THE BIG milestone for the Ethereum Merge,” said Superphiz, whose Twitter bio describes him as an “Ethereum Beacon Chain community health consultant.”

Beiko added that the data gathered through this testing may affect the date of the Merge. 

To add to this: the amount of data we gather on Kiln can directly influence how soon we are ready for The Merge… 👀!

This is the time for application, tooling, infrastructure providers & developers to test things 🛠 If there are bugs, now's when we want to find them 🐛. https://t.co/rLPdNGYMgJ

— timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) March 9, 2022

At 10:20 UTC, ETH is trading at USD 2,600. It’s down 5% in a day and 12% in a week.

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