Published on: 2015-08-07T07:14:49+00:00
The discussion on the Bitcoin-dev mailing list revolved around the BlueMatt relay network. Tom Harding asked about updated documentation on the relay network and its block compression. He also inquired if the relay network relayed an invalid post-softfork block and if it contributed to the growth of a specific fork. Additionally, he asked if the relay network would validate block version numbers in the future.Gregory Maxwell and Sergio Demian Lerner responded to the discussion. Maxwell clarified that the relay network already validates block version numbers and relays valid transactions. Lerner asked for up-to-date documentation on the relay network's block compression. Maxwell explained that the network doesn't perform compression but relays transactions verified by a local node using a FIFO method. He also mentioned resource management and transaction priority for spam attacks. However, he acknowledged that there is room for improvement in managing queues and transmitting membership sets efficiently.The discussion then shifted to larger blocks and the technical implications. Maxwell emphasized the importance of efficient relay protocols and stated that the security implications of larger blocks are related to other factors besides propagation time. He also mentioned SPV mining as a fix for high orphan rates and practical issues faced by miners. The conversation concluded with the need for good monitoring and effective communication in the industry.Arnoud Kouwenhoven from Pukaki Corp discussed feedback on Bitcoin block size optimization in an email exchange. They discussed Bitcoin Core's cached validation and the security implications of larger blocks. The concept of SPV mining, which involves blinding mining on top of other pools' stratum work, was explained. The term "VFSSP" (validation free stratum subpooling) was introduced to describe this practice. Practical issues faced by miners, such as distant colocation and slow functions, were also mentioned. The email highlighted the need for better solutions and monitoring in the industry.The relay network transmission protocol was investigated to understand its workings. The network aims to solve speed of transmission, block size, and block validation issues. It includes an optimized transmission protocol that can send the entire block using only a few packets. Trust is not required in this scheme, and small improvements could greatly enhance its efficiency. The network was deployed to prevent complete centralization in response to larger blocks.Arnoud Kouwenhoven's understanding of the bitcoin relay network was discussed on the bitcoin-dev mailing list. The current version of the relay network features an optimized transmission protocol that can send the entire block in just a small number of bytes. No trust is needed in this scheme as the whole block is communicated using only a couple of packets. The efficiency of the current scheme could be improved with small enhancements or if miners created blocks in an aware manner. However, with the current maximum block size setup, there is little reason to do so. Ultimately, communication about a block can be accomplished with a small constant amount of data, regardless of the block's size. The relay network was implemented to prevent complete centralization due to larger blocks.Another proposed solution for near-instantaneous block propagation on the bitcoin network is the introduction of bitcoin-backed guarantees between miners. This would allow miners to mine on blocks that are not fully transmitted yet, leveling the playing field for miners with slower internet connections. It also enhances the network's strength by providing a mechanism to prove the order of events. However, this proposal is only suitable for a centralized trusted party and not for a decentralized system like bitcoin.The Bitcoin Relay Network (BRN) is currently used by the majority of large miners and is accessible to anyone. It has a simple protocol that can be easily modified to relay only essential information such as headers, coinbase transactions, and small amounts of other data. This method is less complex compared to a proposed solution that would introduce bitcoin-backed guarantees between miners.Arnoud Kouwenhoven of Pukaki Corp suggests implementing "Guarantee Messages" in a proposal. This would allow miners to mine on blocks that are not fully transmitted yet, reducing the impact of slow internet connections and leveling the playing field for all miners. They believe that this approach will increase mining efficiency, decrease transaction confirmation times, and strengthen the distributed nature of bitcoin.The implementation of this idea can be done as a fork of bitcoind or as a layer between the standard bitcoind and mining equipment. It could potentially be incorporated into the bitcoin core in the future if it becomes a priority. The current version of the proposal is v.0.2 and is available in both PDF and HTML formats.The proposed solution aims to introduce bitcoin-backed guarantees between miners to enhance block propagation speed on the network, even with slow internet connections or when dealing with large block sizes. This approach allows miners to start mining on blocks that are not yet fully transmitted, thereby reducing confirmation times and strengthening the decentralized nature of bitcoin.Although there may be certain nuances that need to be addressed, the authors of the proposal welcome friendly and constructive criticism.
Updated on: 2023-08-01T14:57:27.575394+00:00