Syscoin Releases PoDA, Nearing Rollux Launch

We are proud to announce Syscoin is paving the way towards mass adoption as we upgrade Syscoin Core to Version 4.4. Rollux, or the first rollup-centric ecosystem with EVM compatibility rooted in Bitcoin’s security, is a two-step process. Version 4.4 takes the first step by introducing the industry’s first Layer 1 data availability solution, PoDA, live on mainnet.

This essential upgrade is scheduled to come online on Syscoin block 1,586,000 at approximately 22:07 UTC on March 23, 2023.

 

PoDA Hits Mainnet

Syscoin’s PoDA, or Proof-of-Data Availability, is a major step forward for the industry as it will make Syscoin the first Layer 1 with this crucial scaling upgrade available on mainnet. Solving for data availability on the first layer is essential for making the most of the scalability rollups promise to offer. 

Rollux will initially be an Optimistic Rollup, and will incorporate ZK-based rollups once Validity-proving technologies mature. Likewise, PoDA is compatible with Optimistic and ZK, and provides the security necessary for critical financial applications, in addition to the DA flexibility needed for performance-intensive Web3 applications of the future that use fractal layers, for getting the most out of gaming, metaverses, emerging order book DEXes, and more. This secure, flexible data availability pushes the limits of what’s possible even further.

Aside from being the frontrunner of the industry, PoDA includes a number of traits that make it a valuable alternative to Ethereum’s work-in-progress data availability solution, Proto-Danksharding.

PoDA’s advantages can be summarized as:

  • Cheaper transactions
  • No data sharding required
  • Greater data throughput with efficient Keccak data blobs
  • Secured by Bitcoin’s own PoW plus Syscoin's finality
  • More resilient to network-based outages/censorship
  • Simpler data fee market based on Syscoin’s UTXO fee market
  • Nakamoto Assumption: Only one honest node is needed to guarantee data

PoDA is nothing short of an astounding advancement within the world of blockchain technology. Having introduced decentralized finality and EVM-compatibility in December 2021, Syscoin has been continuously exploring the frontiers of what can be achieved in this space. Now with PoDA’s arrival on mainnet, we are taking things to the next level.

PoDA has been developed and tested since early 2022, having achieved stability and retaining functionality on our public testnet under the most demanding of circumstances since November 2022. With the final building blocks of Rollux now coming into place on mainnet, the foundation for providing low-cost, performant, and scalable services as a L2 fueled by Syscoin is being set.

Taking a page from Syscoin’s approach to modularity, PoDA is a general purpose data availability solution that is open for experimentation. Modular projects are encouraged to dig in and see how they too can utilize Syscoin’s Layer 1 for their own scaling and data availability needs. SYS Labs has already successfully refactored the Optimism Bedrock code base to utilize PoDA in Rollux Alpha.

To learn more about what makes PoDA and Syscoin the modular full-stack blockchain solution, please read: Revealing the Method in the Madness & Why Syscoin is the Ideal Layer 1.


In addition to PoDA, Syscoin v4.4 includes the following upgrades:

  1. V19 BLS upgrade to the standard IETF spec
  2. Specific NEVM upgrades:
  3. This upgrade also introduces upstream changes from Bitcoin from 22.1 - 24.0.1 and tracking on the latest commit on master branch. For upstream changelog, please see the release notes from Bitcoin Core.

 

Upgrade Instructions

Only users of Syscoin Core need to upgrade. End users of Pali Wallet, Metamask, and third-party wallets, do not need to do anything. If your masternodes are operated by AllNodes, they will upgrade your masternodes for you, but you will need to upgrade your controller node (Qt wallet).

This is a mandatory upgrade for masternodes, miners and other Syscoin Core nodes. Nodes not upgraded to Syscoin Core 4.4 will not be able to sync with the network past block 1,586,000. 

Remember to always backup any Core wallets present on your host prior to performing updates or upgrades. 

Masternode operators, please upgrade your sentinel to v4.4.0 as well. The upgrade procedure for masternodes is relatively simple. Follow the 4.4 masternode upgrade guide.

For all others, Syscoin Core 4.4.1 binaries are released and available on the Syscoin GitHub. Please refer to the release notes for upgrade instructions.

Community support is available through our ticketing system in the official Syscoin Discord.

Mar 13, 2023 by Syscoin Foundation