On February 16, 2023, the Cosmos Hub will undergo a significant network update known as the Rho upgrade, which is intended to be a critical step toward the Replicated Security release, the first implementation of Interchain Security. The Rho update will be live at around 8 p.m. EST, with a block height of 14,099,412.
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The Rho upgrade Will Improve Network Security
The Rho upgrade, according to Cosmos’ development team, will result in several enhancements to Cosmos’ testing infrastructure as well as the implementation of the “global fee” software module. The module allows transaction fees to be collected from users and dispersed worldwide to improve Cosmos network security by lowering the possibility of validators collaborating or misbehaving.
Rho upgrade will build the framework for Interchain Security
The Rho upgrade will build the framework for Interchain Security, which is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2023. Individual chains on Cosmos will be able to protect themselves using the identical security validators that run Cosmos Portal, which serves as a hub for other blockchain networks and facilitates cross-chain communication and interoperability.
Cosmos Ecosystem and Its Functionality
Cosmos, an ecosystem of over 200 blockchains, enables developers to create new application-specific chains based on core technologies and frameworks such as the Tendermint consensus and the Cosmos software development kit. Individual chains such as Kava, Osmosis, Injective, Thorchain, Evmos, and Canto are built on Cosmos. These chains communicate using the Cosmos Hub and the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol.
Short Downtime Period During Upgrade
The Cosmos Hub team has warned customers that downtime may occur as the network is upgraded. The most recent Rho release contains
- several small enhancements,
- a significant upgrade to the testing infrastructure, and
- the addition of the Global Fee module.
On the Cosmos Hub website, validators may learn more about the upgrading procedure.
The Rho upgrade is a long-awaited enhancement that has been in the works for quite some time. It was planned to be published alongside Cosmos SDK v0.46, with all group and Governance changes. However, owing to various considerations, it was decided to continue with the Cosmos SDK 0.45 release line. Some Cosmos SDK v0.46 release line features may arrive in future Cosmos Hub versions.
The Rho update will pave the way for Replicated Security, bringing a slew of new consumer chains into the Cosmos Hub ecosystem. During the upgrade, the Cosmos Hub development team advises validators to monitor the #verified-validators channel on the Cosmos Discord server.
Reference: Medium Cosmos Hub
