In decentralized ecosystems, the transition from one epoch to another remains a vital phase that could shape the blockchain’s network uptime and security. In the DMD Diamond ecosystem, it is not just about validator rotation during epoch transition, but also involves a technical cryptographic process natively designed to make sure only reliable validator nodes secure and govern the blockchain. That is where the Threshold Key Generation (TKG) process by validators comes in.
The Election Phase: The Pending State
Based on the DMD Diamond blockchain design, the network initiates an election approximately five minutes before the commencement of a new epoch. 25 Valid candidates are randomly moved into a Pending State, which is more or less a probationary phase where prospective validators showcase their technical readiness before they can be granted Active Status.
The major aim of this probationary Pending State for prospective validators is to collectively create a Threshold Encryption key. That serves as the cryptographic toolset that enables the chosen validators to reach consensus securely and sign blocks cooperatively.
Threshold Key Generation Mechanics: PARTs and ACKs
On the DMD Diamond network, threshold key generation is not a single validator’s responsibility but a collaborative effort by validators. This involves two unique transaction types: the Keygen PARTs and Keygen ACKs.
Keygen PARTs Submission
Each pending validator must submit their PART of the key within the defined network timeframe. These form the collective key at the end.
ACKs Validation
The Validators need to submit an ACK (Acknowledgement) once the PARTs become visible on the network. This must be done because it confirms that they have gotten and verified the cryptographic data from their peers on the network.
In a case where a pending validator could not meet the defined network timeframe for PARTs or ACKs submission, the blockchain has self-healing mechanics that set in. Such a node loses its pending state, incurs some score loss, and is ultimately replaced by a new candidate. This enables the blockchain’s final active validator set to have only nodes with absolute synchronization and uptime.
DMD Diamond Blockchain Network Resilience
Our blockchain architecture also addresses corner case instances (worst case scenarios). For example, in instances where all validators fail to provide their PARTs and ACKs transactions, and replacements remain unavailable, the DMD Diamond contract is designed in such a way that it ensures network stability. The pending validator set remains unchanged to avoid a total halt in block production. However, on normal operations, the round counter increments, and the key generation process commences again until a valid, responsive set is finalized.
Conclusion
The DMD Diamond’s architecture discourages multiple rounds of key generation by design. This offers two major advantages on the network:
Incentivization: For validators who fail to complete their responsibilities during key generation rounds, they lose score and are marked unavailable. Good-performing validators that end up being part of the epoch are incentivized for performing their responsibilities efficiently.
Database Sustainability: Indeed, Keygen transactions are large and do consume a significant portion of the blockchain database. While these transactions are only relevant for 12 hours, our innate ability to minimize keygen rounds helps to ensure database long-term efficiency and also avoids unnecessary data accumulation.
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