• Prysmatic Labs has launched the first Ethereum 2.0 test network, which will run with a configuration like the mainnet in phase 0.
• Topaz is the equivalent of the Olympic testnet of Ethereum 1.0 and is not yet a multi-client test network.

After Ethereum made great progress towards the launch in early February with the formal verification (FV) of the Ethereum 2.0 deposit smart contract byte codes and in mid-March with the completion of the audit of the Ethereum 2.0 phase 0 specifications, the time has finally come. As Ethereum inventor Vitalik Buterin and Prysmatic Labs announced, the first Ethereum 2.0 test network called “Topaz” has been launched, which will have a complete configuration, like the mainnet in phase 0.

After Ruby and Sapphire, the Topaz test network is the last milestone for Prysmatic Labs before the launch of Ethereum 2.0 phase 0. In the previous test network Sapphire, Prysmatic Labs already targeted a mainnet-like configuration, but used smaller deposits of 3.2 ETH. For Topaz the validators have to deposit 32 ETHs on the Goerli ETH1 test network to participate. From now on this is possible.

From today Prysmatic Labs will also start to reject the old Sapphire validators. Anyone who wants to be a genesis validator for Topaz has to make the deposit before April 16, 2020, at 00:00 (UTC), as Prysmatic will send many deposits from that date onwards to start the test network. Prysmatic Labs also announced the further specifications of the test network.

The testnet will run on version 0.11.1 and Prysm version V1.0.0-alpha. As recommended system requirements Prysmatic Labs lists a 64-bit Linux, Mac OS X, Windows operating system, an Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-8310 or better, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB available storage SSD and a broadband internet connection.

Multi-client testnet still in the works

The inventor of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, responded to the announcement by Prysmatic Labs and explained that Topaz is the equivalent of the Olympic test network set up for Ethereum 1.0. However, Buterin also clarified that the release is not yet the start of the long awaited multi-client test network:

Mainnet-configuration eth2 testnet. Note that this is likely not quite yet “THE Multiclient Testnet™”, as we are likely going to do one or two restarts soon to have more chances to test the genesis mechanism. But still, huge progress and excellent work by @prylabs.

As Buterin explained in an interview at the end of March, the last big step for Ethereum is to start a multi-client testnet and a Phase 0 bug bounty program. Not until the multi-client testnet with a mainnet configuration has proven itself and runs without problems, the mainnet will be launched as well. According to Buterin, this is a procedure that has already proven itself for Ethereum in 2015. To that extent, however, it is not yet possible to predict when the mainnet of Ethereum 2.0 phase 0 will be launched.

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