Ethereum has announced plans to discontinue its primary test network, Holesky, after encountering difficulties during the testing of its upcoming Pectra upgrade.

Key Points:

• Holesky is set to be retired following challenges faced during tests of the Pectra upgrade.
• The Ethereum Foundation has indicated that the winding down process will start with an expected complete shutdown by September 30.
• The newly launched Hoodi test network will replace Holesky.

This decision follows Holesky’s downtime due to a problematic test in February involving Ethereum’s forthcoming Pectra update. Recovery efforts led to Holesky being restored in March, but it subsequently faced lingering issues, including “inactivity leaks” that negatively impacted its validator system.

“[E]xited validators would take approximately one year to fully be removed from the validator set,” the Ethereum Foundation noted.

Ethereum utilizes test networks to allow developers to trial changes before implementing them on the main Ethereum blockchain. These networks simulate real mainnet conditions, granting developers and infrastructure teams the chance to safely test software before launch.

Originally designed for Ethereum’s validator community, Holesky supported up to 1.4 million validators, far exceeding its predecessor Goerli, and even the Ethereum mainnet.

Currently, while Holesky serves staking providers and validators, Hoodi has begun operations and will be crucial for testing the Pectra upgrade, set for March 26. If successful, a mainnet rollout is anticipated 30 days later.

“Stakers, this is your new testing ground,” said Tim Beiko, the protocol support lead at the Ethereum Foundation, in a recent statement.