Parallax v1.1.0

[andrepatta]

Parallax v1.1.0

This release finalizes the migration from the legacy Bitcoin-style DAA to ASERT (Absolutely Scheduled Exponentially Rising Targets).

ASERT will activate at block height 17,560, a consensus-breaking change that provides smoother, more predictable difficulty adjustment and significantly improves network stability.

🔧 What This Upgrade Does

• Introduces the aserti3-2d difficulty algorithm used by Bitcoin Cash.
• Ensures difficulty converges consistently toward the 10-minute target, even under extreme hashrate volatility.
• Eliminates oscillations and stampede effects inherent to the old 2016-block DAA window.
• Improves miner incentives, chain reliability, and long-term economic security.

📌 Activation Details

• Activation height: 17,560
• Activation type: Hard fork (all nodes must upgrade)
• Anchor selection: Deterministic anchor derived from the ASERT activation block
• Backward compatibility: Blocks before 17,560 remain fully valid under legacy rules

🛠 Node Operators: Action Required

All miners, pools, exchanges, and full node operators must upgrade before block 17,560 to stay on the canonical chain.
Failure to upgrade will result in consensus divergence.

🌐 Community

This upgrade has been openly designed, debated, and refined through the Parallax Improvement Proposal process (PIP-0002) and represents a major milestone in aligning Parallax with Bitcoin-like monetary discipline while improving difficulty reactivity.

🕒 What Happens at Activation Height

At block 17,560, the network transitions from the Bitcoin-style DAA to the ASERT algorithm.

From the very first block after activation, difficulty moves continuously toward the 600-second target, regardless of the previous 2016-block window.

Current Situation

Parallax is currently averaging ~21,876 seconds per block (~6 hours), which indicates the difficulty is far too high relative to current hashrate.

How ASERT Responds

ASERT reacts exponentially, guided by a 2-day half-life (172,800 seconds).
This means:

• Every 2 days of real time, the imbalance between ideal block time (600s) and actual block time is cut in half.
• Difficulty decreases smoothly and continuously on every block, rather than in large discrete steps.

Expected Recovery Path

Given a current average of 21,876s, the chain is ~36.5× slower than the target.

ASERT will:

1. Immediately begin reducing difficulty at block 17,560.
2. Cut the required adjustment in half every 172,800 seconds of real time.
3. Pull block times increasingly downward toward the 600-second target.

A simplified approximation of the convergence timeline:

• Day 0 (activation): ~21,876s average
• Day 2: ~10,900s average
• Day 4: ~5,400s
• Day 6: ~2,700s
• Day 8: ~1,350s
• Day 10: ~675s
• Shortly after → stabilizes around the 600s target

This behaviour is by design: ASERT ensures stability even in extreme conditions without sharp or oscillating adjustments.

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ASERT marks a foundational step toward long-term stability and decentralization of the Parallax network.
Thank you to everyone contributing code, research, testing, and community review.

Onward.

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This discussion was created from the release Parallax v1.1.0.