Ethereum Developers Confirm EIP 7742 Will Be Included in Pectra Upgrade

Latest Developments in Ethereum: Pectra Upgrade and EIP Discussions

In a recent report by Odaily, Christine Kim, Vice President of Galaxy Research, summarized the 199th Ethereum Core Developers Execution (ACDE) call. During this meeting, developers reaffirmed the inclusion of EIP 7742 in the upcoming Pectra upgrade. This significant upgrade is set to increase blob capacity, which is a crucial development for the Ethereum blockchain.

Doubling the Block Gas Limit

In addition to discussing EIP 7742, developers explored the potential benefits of doubling the block gas limit within two years following the Pectra upgrade. This adjustment could facilitate smoother transaction processing and overall network efficiency. Notably, this proposed change will be executed by adjusting the default settings of the client software and will not necessitate a hard fork, although a final decision is still pending.

Launch of Pectra Devnet 4

On October 18, 2024, the developers launched Pectra Devnet 4. Barnabas Busa, EF Developer Operations Engineer, reported encountering issues with the Erigon, EthereumJS, and Grandine clients on the new development network. In response to these challenges, Pectra Devnet 3 has been closed to allow the team to focus on resolving the issues in Devnet 4, with further testing planned for the upcoming weeks.

Specifications Changes and Future Upgrades

During the developers' discussion, several specification changes for Pectra were proposed for inclusion in Pectra Devnet 5. Key among these changes are the adjustments to gas costs for EIP 2537, which focuses on precompiles for BLS12-381 curve operations. Furthermore, Geth developer Felix Lange introduced a specification update for EIP 7685, a general execution layer request, alongside changes to the engine API.

Support and Opposition from Client Teams

The proposed changes received considerable support from most developers. However, Lange anticipated some pushback from the consensus layer (CL) client teams, echoing concerns over how these changes might affect their EIP deployment strategies. Developer Tim Beiko emphasized that since the proposed changes have garnered substantial approval, they should be integrated into Pectra Devnet 5. Busa confirmed that these EIPs are already in the pipeline.

Addressing EIP Modifications

Based on the feedback surrounding proposed changes to EIP 7702, Beiko recommended modifying the proposals that involve hardcoded return values. Once these adjustments are made and reviewed, they will be added to the specification list for Pectra Devnet 5.

Review of Additional EIPs

Developers reiterated the earlier decision from last Thursday's ACDE call to include EIP 7742 in Pectra, which aims to separate blob counts between consensus layer and execution layer. Representatives from various client teams such as EthereumJS, Lodestar, Prysm, Besu, and Nethermind reported that preparations for deploying EIP 7742 in Pectra Devnet 5 are ongoing.

Guidelines and Target Strategies for Gas Limits

Erigon developer Giulio Rebuffo provided updates on EIP 7790 that outlines guidelines for controlled gas limit increases, along with EIP 7783, which suggests a new strategy for controlled gas target increases. However, Beiko indicated a lack of consensus on EIP 7790, suggesting the need for further discussions to be conducted asynchronously in other forums.

Conclusion: The Future of Ethereum Upgrades

In conclusion, the Ethereum protocol developers face a proactive path with ongoing discussions surrounding the Pectra upgrade. With the proposed changes and EIPs under consideration, the Ethereum development community seems poised for exciting enhancements that will benefit the blockchain ecosystem. It is important to note that while changing the block gas limit is a topic of consideration, Beiko clarified that it falls outside the direct control of Ethereum protocol developers, marking it as a lower priority for the time being.