Tomorrow marks a major achievement for the ARK Ecosystem as we begin the migration to ARK Core v2. To alleviate any confusion, we would like to lay out the plan for migration, what you need to know to be ready, and steps to prepare everyone for the switch.

For more information on Core v2 and the changes being implemented, read our ARK Core v2 Launch announcement.

#MIGRATION

The ARK Core v2 RC (Release Candidate) will be distributed to delegates tomorrow, November 28th, 2018 starting from 4 PM UTC (16:00 UTC). This release will initiate the migration process. During this time, delegates will update to the new Core, while the team monitors performance and ensures no issues arise.

Delegates will sync from block 0 in order to validate all transactions on the blockchain and ensure the accuracy of the database and proper migration of the database to the upgraded protocol.

During this transition phase, the v1 network will continue to function as normal and users should see no interruptions. We do ask that you limit transactions and activity on the network during this migration period while we monitor the process and ensure everything is working as intended.

The migration process will take place from November 28th to December 3rd to allow all delegates in various time zones and locations the proper time necessary to download, sync, and validate the blockchain and prepare their servers for the official turnover of the ARK Network from version 1 to version 2 of the Core. This switch will occur on Monday, December 3rd, 2018 (exact time TBD and announced), at which time, once all delegates are in agreement, forging will begin on v2 and v1 servers and relays will be taken offline. At this point in time, the network will be running Core v2.

The final phase of the transition will occur at block 6,600,000 (roughly Wednesday, December 5th, 2018). This will initiate the upgrade to block size and activate the new cap of 150 transactions per block. At this point once the first block allowing more than 50 transactions (51–150) is forged, any remaining v1 servers will fork as they will not accept the new larger blocks.

#Here is a summary of the migration timeline:

• Wednesday, Nov 28th: Release Core v2.0 client to delegates.
• Wednesday, Nov 28th — Monday, Dec 3rd: Delegates Download, Sync & Validate the client and v2 database from 0 and prepare all their infrastructure.
• Monday, Dec 3rd: Core v2.0 servers begin forging & v1 servers and relays are shut down.
• Wednesday, Dec 5th: Block 6,600,000 the network upgrades to 150 transactions per block (from 50 in v1) and migration is complete. This is done in an automated manner, so no delegate intervention is needed. Remaining v1 nodes will now fork since they won’t be able to accept bigger blocks.

#What You Need to Know

In order to ensure a seamless transition, the following information should answer any remaining questions you may have about the migration process and the upgrade to Core v2.

#USERS

During the migration process, delegates will continue to forge on the network utilizing the current Core v1 nodes. This means that forging rewards will still be awarded during this time. Several delegates have already announced a temporary halt to forging reward payouts during the migration process. This does not mean they will not pay out, only that payments will be postponed until the network is successfully upgraded to ensure the safety of users funds.

If you are concerned about the process or have questions about forging rewards or any items relating to your specific delegate, please reach out to them on slack or their designated website for additional information.

The transition from v1 to v2 will be seamless for the users. Once the delegates have transitioned the network to v2, we will release the new ARK Desktop Wallet and you will be notified to update to interface with the v2 network.

Your current wallet will show a notification and we will push the download link and announcement to social media once available.

#EXCHANGES

During the migration process, the ARK Ecosystem team will be working with exchanges to ensure they are properly upgraded. We have already notified exchanges of the hard fork and subsequent upgrade and will walk them through the steps during this process. We expect exchanges to suspend deposits and withdrawals during portions of the migration process (mainly Monday) so do not be alarmed if an exchange temporarily halts activity.

Once we are confident the network has transitioned to v2 and that the delegates and exchanges have upgraded and are working as intended, deposits and withdrawals will be re-enabled as the exchanges allow. Please understand that the ARK Ecosystem team will be in direct contact and offering support to all exchanges but cannot control the speed at which deposits and withdrawals are re-enabled.

#API CLIENTS / SDKs

The initial API of Core v2 release remains backward compatible with the notable exception of using port 4003 instead of 4001 for public API. Although we urge to migrate to newly available API v2 as soon as possible.

Read more here : https://docs.ark.io/guidebook/contribution-guidelines/migrating-your-tools-from-ark-node-to-ark-core.html#introduction

#SUMMARY

Thank you to everyone for supporting the ARK Ecosystem team and for being a part of this great community. While this is a major milestone, we are even more excited about what still lies ahead. Stay tuned for updates on v2.1, AIP11, and all of the awesome new features coming to ARK in Q1/Q2 of 2019.