Chang upgrade #1 - Dependencies & Timeline

This page outlines high-level the dependencies and context for the Chang #1 hardfork.

Any dates or time windows provided are estimates.

These are based on factors such as velocity of development, testing outcomes, issues raised, and critical mass indicators.

Page last updated; 2024-08-15

Intersect plays the role of coordinator, as a functional servant-leader on behalf of the community and delivery teams working on hard fork activity. The functional teams within Intersect will work with the various committees, working groups, and delivery teams, relaying information here on the knowledge base. Ultimately the date for the hard fork is directly influenced by the community fulfilling the requirements detailed below.

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Chang Upgrade Release

The Chang upgrade will stagger the release of governance functionality, easing adoption and onboarding for those with new or additional roles in governance.

1. Chang Upgrade #1 will deploy governance features to Cardano and enter the technical bootstrapping phase as described in CIP-1694 Bootstrapping Phase

2. Chang Upgrade #2 moves CIP-1694 out of technical bootstrapping phase and unlocks the final features of on-chain governance including DRep participation and all governance actions

Further information on CIP-1694 and the interim bootstrapping period is available.

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Chang Upgrade #1 Events

In the lead-up to Change Upgrade #1 the following sequence of events will occur, driven by community participation and adoption.

Step	Owner	Status
Node 9.0.0 is released	IOG Core Team	Complete
Parameters & final genesis file will be prepared (required for 9.1.0)	IOG Core Team	Complete
Node 9.1.0 is released	IOG Core Team	Complete
Preview infrastructure upgraded to Node 9.1.0	Community	Complete
Preview hardforked with Node 9.1.0	Community	Complete
PreProd Infrastructure (SPOs, Exchanges, wallets, dApps, etc) upgrade to 9.1.0 and test.	Community	In Progress
Mainnet Infrastructure (SPOs, Exchanges, wallets, dApps, etc) upgrade to 9.1.0.	Community	In Progress
PreProd critical mass indicators met to enable hardfork.	Community	In Progress
Mainnet critical mass indicators met (70% SPOs and 80% Exchange liquidity upgraded and ready with 9.1.0).	Community	In Progress
PreProd hardforked with Node 9.1.0	Community	In Progress
Mainnet hardforked with Node 9.1.0	Community	In Progress

Checklist for Chang Hardfork

Steps for Chang #2 upgrade will be mapped after completion of Chang #1 harfork.

Last Updated; 2024-08-15

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Chang #1 Dependencies

These are the dependencies, as agreed by the hard fork working group, which need to be completed or at a suitable point prior to initiating the hard for combinator event for the Chang upgrades.

Item	Owner	Acceptance Criteria	Status
Node 9.1.0 genesis file preparations	Parameters Committee, ICC	ICC members have created all cold credentials, Parameters committee ratifies the parameter settings (more details)	Complete
DQuadrant Chang Testing	DQuadrant	Completion of testing for all new components, no major issues outstanding	Complete
Tweag Guardrails Script Audit	Tweag	Completion of script audit, no major issues outstanding	Complete
Tweag Constitutional Committee Identity Script Audit	Tweag	Completion of script audit, no major issues outstanding	Complete
Core Governance Tooling (GovTool, CC Portal, etc.)	In yon Networks, Bloxico, DQuadrant	Governance tools finished development, testing and deployed across environments (more details)	In Progress
Major Hardware Wallet Updates (Ledger and Trezor)	Vacuum Labs	Conway era development completed, tested, audited and included in official release (more details)	Complete

Last Updated; 2024-07-29

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Key Context

Node 9.0.0 vs Node 9.1.0

• Node 9.0.0 contains all the new Conway functionality and is fully capable of full governance.

• Node 9.0.0 will not be the final node version for Preview, PreProd or Mainnet, as it will not have the correct configuration files, known as genesis files.

  • The genesis files specify things like protocol parameters and importantly the credentials for the interim constitutional committee.

• Splitting Node 9.0.0 and Node 9.1.0 allows users to test all the new Node code across networks before having the final genesis files prepared.

Cardano Environments

Preview: Acts as a preview for newer Node versions, can be unstable.

Pre-Production: Environment that matches mainnet configuration, long-term and stable environment for final-stage integration/upgrade testing.

SanchoNet: An unstable temporary network for governance testing.

Mainnet: Our production environment – the actual network the Cardano community uses every day.

Bootstrapping vs Full Governance testing

• The plan is to maintain SanchoNet in full governance mode.

• While hardforking Preview Network into bootstrapping phase and keeping it there for the foreseeable

• To give everyone a way to test full governance on Sancho whilst testing bootstrapping on Preview.

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More information on the Major Release Process is also available. A frequently asked questions page and Ecosystem readiness page related to the Chang hard fork is also being updated on the knowledge base regularly.