Author: Pindar Wong 2015-07-23 17:41:33
Published on: 2015-07-23T17:41:33+00:00
The email thread discusses the results of a test run on the Bitcoin network to determine if it can safely support a faster block rate. The testing methodology involved randomly selecting nodes from a peers.dat file and downloading a random selection of blocks from each peer. The connecting node was in Amsterdam with a 1GB NIC, and there was some bias towards higher connection speeds, with very slow connections being excluded. The results showed that 37% of connected nodes failed to upload blocks faster than 1MB/s, and only 16% of connected nodes uploaded blocks faster than 10MB/s. Raw data for each connected node can be found at http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=6b4NuiVQ. This data does not support the theory that the network has the available bandwidth for increased block sizes, as in its current state, 37% of nodes would fail to upload a 20MB block to a single peer in under 20 seconds. Additionally, if the bar for suitability is placed at taking only 1% of the block time (6 seconds) to upload one block to one peer, then 69% of the network fails for 20MB blocks. For comparison, only 10% fail this metric for 1MB blocks. Peter suggests running the test(s) on a simulated network with worst-case network failure(s) to determine the safety margin needed. He also mentioned having potential access to hardware resources that would be available for running such tests at the necessary scales.
Updated on: 2023-06-10T03:33:29.114366+00:00