Namada Dry Run Overview
Launch Rehearsal and Participation Overview
Hey folks! 
We are excited to announce the upcoming Namada Dry Run, a critical step towards launching the Namada network. This dry run is designed to test the network’s functionalities, engage the validator community, and ensure a smooth transition through each phase of launch. Below, you’ll find all the essential details, including prerequisites, phase progression, key activities, and participation instructions for this event.
Dry Run Overview
The Namada Dry Run is a simulated environment that mirrors production parameters and accounts but operates with shorter epochs and governance voting periods. This setup allows us to step through each phase of launch and test the network, especially around shielded actions, governance proposals, and validator coordination. This is not an incentivized event.
When It Begins
There are a few items we would like to see completed before we announce a date. We will engage the community for a roundabout date on a Tuesday/Wednesday that works. There will be at least a four day heads up regardless of the date.
- Start Date: TBD
- Time: 15:00 UTC
- Duration: 7 days (extendable as needed)
Who Is Involved
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Namada Pre-genesis Validators: A group of Namada Pre-Genesis Validators who have a submitted and merged PR to the genesis repo are encouraged to participate. We aim to have at least a 2/3 majority for effective testing. See list here: Namada Genesis files. Should we not reach a minimum of 2/3 voting power, we could increase the balance of a Knowable validator to proceed with running the netork.
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Community Testers: We will engage not only the validators, but the broader Namada community for interest in testing various functions of the protocol. Each phase of the Namada Dry Run will determine which tests and actions can be performed and we will keep an open dialogue in the proper channels as we step through each phase. There will also be a period of time towards the end while we welcome feedback from all who have participated.
Preparing for Namada Dry Run
Issue Resolution
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MASP Phase Compatibility: There are MASP client bugs related to unshielding rewards in under certain circumstances. This is a best case scenario as they are not in protocol code or cryptography. Several Heliax engineers are actively debugging and working on solutions at the moment. It is important to squash all these bugs sooner than later. We expect an update shortly from the core team.
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Ledger Support: We are on track to get the app in the Ledger store in about a week. An audit was performed on the Zondax work, they’ve responded to the audit, and they’ve sent the finalized app off to Ledger for final testing. Support for signing shielded actions with the Ledger HW is still in development and testing. The first release of the app on the Ledger Live store will not include this functionality.
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Binary Update: The next release of Namada will be v0.45.0 and will be a necessary update to address the MASP bugs.
Network Configuration
- Epoch Duration: Reduced to 2 hours (from the usual 6 hours) to expedite testing phases. Shorter epochs mean that Governance Proposals process 3x faster.
- Governance Proposals: Launch phases are gated by Namada Governance Proposals, each will transition us through the simulation of the five phases. A proposal for testing IBC and shielded set rewards will include OSMO.
- Parameter Finalization: The Namada Network Templates repo will likely house the parameters of this Namada Dry Run test network. These will be finalized before we kick things off.
Validator Coordination
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The event will require at least a 2/3 majority participation from validators.
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We will communicate in #dry-run-chatter to finalize the list of participating validators for the Namada Dry Run.
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There will be a 4-day heads-up to all participants with the start date once we are ready. This gives time for preparing both humans and machines for the run.
Activities for Namada Dry Run
The Namada Dry Run will run for a fixed length and should bear little to no surprise, as the design of each phase is clearly defined and meant to facilitate which actions can be performed.
Each step will be lead by the Dry Run coordinator, and announced as we make progress:
In a nutshell:
- Governance actions will step us through each phase.
- Testing of shielded/unshielded actions, execution of benchmarks, deployment of infrastructure can proceed as permitted by each phase.
- The Fifth Phase should demonstrate full protocol functionality and that of essential services such as the RPC, Indexer, MASP Indexer. The Namadillo Interface will be nearing full potential, but is not guaranteed by the end of the Dry Run.
- Near the end, the Community will be engaged to collect feedback and results by sharing in the #dry-run-chatter and perhaps a publicly shared document (Google Sheet).
- Bring the Dry Run to a close and clean up in preparation for the real launch.
- Plan a Community meetup over text/voice to gather consensus on the meaning of the Dry Run results and determine the readiness of Namada.
How to Participate
- Stay Tuned: Await further announcements regarding the exact launch date. We aim to be milestone-based rather than date-based to ensure all issues are resolved.
- Join the Discussion: Validators and community testers should monitor the #dry-run-chatter and Namada Validator Circle / Namada Bonfire communications for real-time updates.
- Prepare Your Nodes: Ensure your validator nodes are ready for deployment once the dry run begins.
Conclusion
The Namada Dry Run is a rehearsal to help ensure readiness for our launch, but a milestone nevertheless! Your participation and feedback are valuable. As a Community, we’ll ensure that Namada launches smoothly and is well-prepared to handle real-world functionality.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out through our community channels.
Ready ! 
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