Recovery of Holesky Testnet
After nearly two weeks of instability, Holesky, an Ethereum testnet, has finally regained finality. This disruption had previously halted testing for the anticipated Pectra upgrade, delaying progress on the upcoming hard fork. However, with Holesky now operational, EthPandaOps, a group of Ethereum developers, has confirmed that validators can resume Pectra testing on the testnet.
Alternative Testing Environment
- Developers recommend solo stakers to use the Ephemery testnet as an alternative environment for independent testing.
Details of Holesky Testnet
On March 10, EthPandaOps confirmed that Holesky finalized at Epoch 119090, reaching a significant milestone after more than two-thirds of the validators participated, stabilizing the network. The disruption of Holesky began on Feb. 24 when it failed to finalize during Pectra testing.
Issue Identification
- Tim Beiko linked the issue to execution clients such as Geth, which used incorrect deposit contract addresses, triggering an execution layer (EL) bug.
- This bug caused chain splits and destabilized the network, leading to the disruption.
Resolution and Stability
An initial attempt to resolve the issue failed due to insufficient validator participation. However, with finality now restored, all test transactions on Holesky are permanent and irreversible. EthPandaOps noted that Holesky has remained stable since its recovery, with ongoing finalizations. Despite lower validator participation in some epochs, the network remains functional and ready for further testing.
Validator Status
The exit queue is filled with slashed validators and those below the required balance, totaling nearly one million validators. However, around 700,000 remain active, with their balances expected to rise as they continue fulfilling network duties.
Addressing Other Challenges
Holesky’s recovery occurs as Ethereum developers tackle another issue on Sepolia, another test network. Last week, Beiko reported that a custom deposit contract problem disrupted certain execution layer clients on Sepolia, affecting transactions within blocks. Despite these challenges, Ethereum developers maintain confidence in launching Pectra as scheduled in April.
