Greetings fellow ICONists! We’ve been in the P-Rep TestNet Phase 2 for almost 2 weeks now and I wanted to provide a quick update. My previous article described the purpose of the TestNet and provided an initial status. In case you missed it, TestNet Phase 2 is the final testing and practice of block production and transaction validation for P-Reps, prior to P-Rep elections in September (Staking for every ICONist $$$). It important to test the process, the software, the hardware, and practice producing blocks and validating transactions so we will be prepared to take the reigns of the ICON network in September as P-Reps! (For those voted in).

The first few weeks of TestNet have gone well! We are taking a crawl, walk, run approach to reduce risk and ensure everything is functioning properly. In total, about 200,000 blocks have been produced! Please enjoy the image below of the “yoonjeong” group. Our friends at ICONation are highlighted as they are the current leader node producing blocks. The algorithm rotates between leaders producing blocks, while the other nodes vote and validate transactions. You’ll also notice ICX_Station-SF is Syncing their node up. Once they are caught up, they’ll join in on the action. The “ajpr-yjprep01” and 02 are ICON, and the remaining are all P-Rep teams. Some teams have multiple nodes(e.g. Ubik Capital has a node in Europe and North America). This is to allow both Marius and myself to setup a node and run it independently so we both know exactly what to do when Mainnet comes and can have around the clock coverage and availability for our nodes.

*node goes down = no rewards for those staking or producing :(

TestNet is made up of 2 groups comprised of 32 teams (6 ICON teams + P-Rep candidates). If you are a P-Rep candidate and are not participating, please join as soon as possible (the testing continues through the end of July. Sign up here: https://medium.com/helloiconworld/p-rep-testnet-2nd-phase-announcement-9b63794fd302). I would be happy to help you setup your node and help walk you through / troubleshoot if there’s any issues. It’s imperative that all P-Reps participate in this TestNet prior to running a node the MainNet to ensure they know the process and can successfully run a node. If the node goes down, the network suffers and the ICONists who delegated to you will not receive rewards.

For ICONists who want to keep tabs on the TestNets, each group has it’s own tracker (same as the standard ICON tracker, but for each TestNet):