Cardano Node 11.2.1 Reduce Memory Use During Ledger Snapshots

Intersect publish Cardano Node 11.2.1 on November 10 as maintenance pre-release for the 11.2 series. The release notes talk about fix wey stop temporary memory spikes when the node dey save ledger snapshots. Dem also report say the disk-backed LSM configuration meet Ouroboros Praos performance requirements for block production.

Ledger Snapshots Use Less Memory

Cardano node dey periodically save copy of the ledger state to disk so e fit resume from that point after restart. Before, to write snapshot fit temporarily increase memory use by about the size of the snapshot itself. According to the release notes, 11.2.1 remove that spike. The chain database also no dey keep the initial ledger state for memory again, and this fit save several hundred MiB for networks wey get large initial sets of unspent transaction outputs or delegations.

The release also change when dem dey write snapshots. During initial synchronization, the node dey write snapshots as soon as dem request am. After e catch up reach chain tip, e go apply randomized delay. For mainnet and Preprod, the maximum delay don drop from six hours to one.

Intersect don earlier identify memory regression for the 11.1.x series and dem outline plan to bring usage close to 11.0 levels. The snapshot fix address specific source of peak memory use during disk write. How much e save during that operation go depend on the size of the snapshot.

What Disk-Backed Storage Mean for Stake Pools

Cardano UTxO-HD design allow node to keep part of im unspent transaction output data for disk. The release notes report say im LSM storage backend meet the performance requirements of Ouroboros Praos, the protocol wey Cardano dey use produce blocks. The hardware table list 24 GB of RAM for the in-memory configuration and 8 GB for the disk-backed configuration, and dem still dey validate the lower minimum.

For stake pool operator, the practical question be whether the node fit use less RAM and still meet the protocol deadlines to produce blocks. To move part of the ledger state go disk make storage performance join the calculation. Relay fit help operator evaluate the configuration, and test for the hardware wey dem intend for block production fit show how e go behave under that workload. Intersect recommend make people test the LSM configuration before dem deploy am for block-producing node.

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Wetin Go Change for Operators We Dey Move From 11.1.x

The 11.2 series introduce versioned format for published network configuration files. Existing flat configurations still dey work with 11.2 and you fit convert dem with cardano-node config migrate. Nodes wey older than 11.2 no fit read the newly published files.

Wallets, explorers, and API services get separate compatibility change when dem dey connect to node for the 11.2 series. The series remove versions 16 through 22 of the node-to-client protocol, together with queries wey depend only on those versions.