The Solana network suffered a technical incident on Saturday, February 25, 2023. This disruption caused transaction slowdowns and halts on its blockchain. Validators and infrastructure operators quickly took action to try to rectify the situation. However, this raised concerns about the reliability and stability of the Solana blockchain.
The Forking Incident and Chain Failure
Around 12:53 a.m. New York time, the Solana blockchain began to “fork”, creating conflicting versions of its transaction history. This issue was followed by an increase in validator RAM and a drop in chain transaction throughput.
Due to these technical issues, almost all of the channel’s activity on the Solana network froze. According to data site Solana Explorer, the network was down to just 93 TPS at 02:00, well below the 5000 TPS some 15 minutes earlier.
Despite the strenuous efforts of everyone involved, the solution to the crisis remained elusive for several hours. The operators finally opted for a radical solution: restart the chain at the point immediately before the bifurcation.
A supermajority of validators have reverted to the old software in an attempt to restore Solana operations. However, this did little to resolve the still unknown issue.
“Coordinating a restart attempt means the channel will be completely offline, which is always the last resort,” SolBlaze told coindesk.
Solana’s Blockchain Management Challenges
The bifurcation incident on the Solana network highlighted the challenges inherent in its management. Indeed, the Solana blockchain is designed to be fast and secure. However, this speed can lead to stability and reliability problems, as the “Forking” incident showed.
This “forking” is reminiscent of the chain’s technological incidents in 2022, which led to reforms in the way Solana handles incoming traffic.
The situation is worrying for users of the Solana blockchain. Indeed, it calls into question once again the reliability and stability of this technology. Will this encourage the migration from Solana to Polygon?
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