Author: Olaoluwa Osuntokun 2020-07-21 22:45:03
Published on: 2020-07-21T22:45:03+00:00
The Lightning Network developers have proposed a new feature called "dynamic channel updates" that would allow users to upgrade their existing channels to new, safer types without any new on-chain transactions. This would be possible by adding a new feature bit to signal the willingness to update commitments and introducing a new update message to initiate the commitment format change process. The proposal suggests modifying the protocol to include explicit channel type negotiation by adding a new `channel_type` TLV.The Lightning Network (LN) nodes can now upgrade their commitments without any on-chain transactions through a series of protocol modifications that allow dynamic commitments. The use of transport layer security message extensions carries over the channel type to the commit_sig and revoke_and_ack messages. The proposal allows for future exploration and extensibility as more types are added.The proposed dynamic channel updates feature is not too invasive but relies heavily on TLV message field extensions. Additional keys or parameters can be piggybacked on the commit_sig message in a nested TLV blob to handle more complex channel types. This feature would allow for easier and more seamless channel upgrades, while also paving the way for future commitment formats that utilize all the new tools available with schnorr and taproot.Bastien Teinturier expressed interest in experimenting with flow-control ideas, such as limiting the number of HTLC slots for new channel peers and progressively increasing them based on good behavior. It was also noted that node operators can already unilaterally decide their internal rules for accepting channels/HTLCs, but explicitly communicating these rules could reduce inefficiencies. Feedback is welcomed as lnd has committed to exploring this direction to upgrade all existing channels to the new anchor commitment format.
Updated on: 2023-05-23T14:07:19.483148+00:00