64 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
64 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
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# Managing Forks in the Ledger
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The ledger is permitted to fork at slot boundaries. The resulting data
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structure forms a tree called a *blocktree*. When the fullnode interprets the
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blocktree, it must maintain state for each fork in the chain. We call each
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instance an *active fork*. It is the responsibility of a fullnode to weigh
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those forks, such that it may eventually select a fork.
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A fullnode selects a fork by submiting a vote to a slot leader on that fork.
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The vote commits the fullnode for a duration of time called a *lockout period*.
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The fullnode is not permitted to vote on a different fork until that lockout
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period expires. Each subsequent vote on the same fork doubles the length of the
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lockout period. After some cluster-configured number of votes (currently 32),
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the length of the lockout period reaches what's called *max lockout*. Until the
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max lockout is reached, the fullnode has the option to wait until the lockout
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period is over and then vote on another fork. When it votes on another fork, it
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performs a operation called *rollback*, whereby the state rolls back in time to
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a shared checkpoint and then jumps forward to the tip of the fork that it just
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voted on. The maximum distance that a fork may roll back is called the
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*rollback depth*. Rollback depth is the number of votes required to achieve
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max lockout. Whenever a fullnode votes, any checkpoints beyond the rollback
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depth become unreachable. That is, there is no scenario in which the fullnode
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will need to roll back beyond rollback depth. It therefore may safely *prune*
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unreachable forks and *squash* all checkpoints beyond rollback depth into the
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root checkpoint.
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## Active Forks
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An active fork is as a sequence of checkpoints that has a length at least one
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longer than the rollback depth. The shortest fork will have a length exactly
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one longer than the rollback depth. For example:
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<img alt="Forks" src="img/forks.svg" class="center"/>
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The following sequences are *active forks*:
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* {4, 2, 1}
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* {5, 2, 1}
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* {6, 3, 1}
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* {7, 3, 1}
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## Pruning and Squashing
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A fullnode may vote on any checkpoint in the tree. In the diagram above,
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that's every node except the leaves of the tree. After voting, the fullnode
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prunes nodes that fork from a distance farther than the rollback depth and then
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takes the opportunity to minimize its memory usage by squashing any nodes it
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can into the root.
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Starting from the example above, wth a rollback depth of 2, consider a vote on
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5 versus a vote on 6. First, a vote on 5:
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<img alt="Forks after pruning" src="img/forks-pruned.svg" class="center"/>
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The new root is 2, and any active forks that are not descendants from 2 are
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pruned.
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Alternatively, a vote on 6:
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<img alt="Forks" src="img/forks-pruned2.svg" class="center"/>
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The tree remains with a root of 1, since the active fork starting at 6 is only
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2 checkpoints from the root.
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