XRP Ledger Operations sets Dec. 3 for XRPL 3.5.0 release targeting slow ledger closes
In brief
- XRPL version 3.5.0 is planned for a Dec. 3 release, XRP Ledger Operations said.
- The release contains only improvements and bug fixes, including a "long-lasting fix" for slow closes, the team said.
- Some ledgers took much longer than the usual three to five seconds to close in October.
- A recommended xrpld configuration change had stopped the slowdowns by Oct. 22, the team said.
What went wrong in October
The XRP Ledger usually closes a new ledger every three to five seconds. In October, some ledgers took much longer than that. U.Today describes the XRPL as a network widely used for crypto payments, tokenization and stablecoin transactions.
XRP Ledger Operations acknowledged the intermittent sluggishness on Oct. 21 and later confirmed that developers were working on the problem. The team then began sharing a recommended configuration update for xrpld (the node software) with network operators, including validators and infrastructure providers. On Oct. 22 it said the slower closures had stopped after operators made that change.
That was a stopgap, not the fix itself.
What 3.5.0 is meant to do
According to the team's posts, developers have been working on a software fix as a longer-term answer, one that doesn't rely only on temporary configuration tweaks. That work is slated to arrive in version 3.5.0.
"XRPL version 3.5.0 will be on Dec 3. Just improvements/fixes, including a long-lasting fix for the occasional slow ledger close times," XRP Ledger Operations said.
The team said the interim fixes have already improved close times and that it's watching the network very closely. The announcement doesn't list anything else in the release. Dec. 3 is the planned date the team gave, and it hasn't published anything about what happens if that date slips.
A validator on monitoring
XRP Ledger validator Vet said in a post on X that a great deal of work has gone into network monitoring, information security and engineering. He added that engineers are always on call to handle possible incidents. Those comments were his own and separate from the XRP Ledger Operations announcement about 3.5.0.
Until Dec. 3, the network is running on the interim configuration change that the team said ended the slow closes in late October.
Frequently asked questions
What is in XRPL version 3.5.0?
XRP Ledger Operations said version 3.5.0 contains only technical improvements and bug fixes. That includes what the team called a "long-lasting fix" for occasional slow ledger close times. The team said the release is planned for Dec. 3.
What happened to XRP Ledger close times in October?
The XRP Ledger usually closes ledgers every three to five seconds, but in October some closed much more slowly. XRP Ledger Operations acknowledged the sluggishness on Oct. 21 and shared a recommended xrpld configuration update with operators. On Oct. 22 it said the slower closures had stopped after that change.
