Protocol version 0.4: The First Release

[lyulka]

ParallelChain protocol version 0.4: The First Release

This is the central todo list of things we want to add/change in protocol version 0.4 before we freeze it as a release.

Chapters

Introduction (Readme.md)

• Be more explicit in what things have to be Borsh-serialized.
• Write “Conventions” section in top-level document.

Blockchain

• Specify packing of block fields into hotstuff_rs::Data.
• Specify requirements on the timing of produce_block and validate_block.
• Specify how $B_{tbt}$ relates to the minimum_view_timeout of DefaultPacemaker.
• Move $B_{netlatency}$ out of the Pacemaker section.
• Specify that the command receipt of a Next Epoch transaction notes 0 gas used.

World State

• Specify genesis state.
• Specify “Trie DB prefix”.
• Specify “visibility byte” - World state and storage keys contain extra & unnecessary "visibility" byte #4.
• Specify that MPTs shouldn’t contain an extension node - World State trie has no extension nodes #6.
• Specify Index Heap storage and operations sequence flow.
• Add missing loop/recursive call in the sequence flow of the up_heapify Index Heap operation.

Runtime

• Fix the issuance specification to note that issuance is supposed to be 8% per annum in the first year, not 8.5%.
• Specify what to do when balances, nonces, etc. overflow.
• Specify what should happen when a transaction refunds more gas than it costs (i.e., what happens when gc < sg at the end of a transaction execution).
• Clarify whether gas refunds offset single operations or offsets the cost of the entire transaction/command (it offsets the cost of a single operation in the case of Call commands, but offsets the cost of the entire command in all other commands).

Contracts

• Be more specific about ”contract validity” and how it is a requirement for Deploy and Call.
• Specify the backwards-compatibility guarantees we make about CBI versions.

P2P

• Specify P2P networking.

Gas

• Review inclusion cost.

Not yet categorized

• Be more explicit in what steps are gas metered.
• Specify expectations for PRFC writeups and the standardization process.