Blockchain networks rely on their validators to ensure their operability, but what happens when a large number of these validators simply fail? One such case happened at Solana, which suddenly lost 1,000 of its validators after having their access to servers blocked. More than 1,000 validators on the Solana network are currently offline, causing more than 20% of the blockchain to no longer have an important connection to the general network. According to the information, the problem happened because the cloud server company that the validators used cut off their access.
“The downtime occurs because Hetzner, a cloud service provider, has blocked all Solana network activity on its servers,” said The BLock.
More than 20% of Solana validators lost network connection
Infrastructure dashboard data RockawayX show that the index of defaulted participation of the Solana network reached 22%, the highest since May this year. The ratio refers to the percentage of Solana’s share that is currently in default, the term defaulted in this context is when a validator to which the share has been delegated goes offline. At this point, the validators and the delegator do not earn rewards, as the validator is effectively outside the blockchain, which is detrimental to both sides. The suspension of the service, of course, took many by surprise, but it’s not entirely new, as Hetzner appears to be raising its anti-cryptocurrency stance. According to information on the website, The Hetzner was already contemplating banning blockchain node operators. The Block points out that the company’s terms of service state that the activity is prohibited. At the time, the company’s attention was focused on Ethereum node operators as it hosted around 16% of all Ethereum hosting nodes. Since then, that number has dropped to 12%. Now, it appears that the company is starting to look at other blockchains that have operators using their services. The co-founder of Solana Labs, Anatoly Yakovenko, asked validators with the Hetzner service to look for alternatives to be able to change their “place stakes” and return to active participation in the blockchain.
Do you have a @solana validator at hetzner? — toly 🇺🇸 (@aeyakovenko) November 2, 2022
By all indications, the blockchain didn’t take a huge toll, with the Solana network seemingly unaffected despite having 22% of the offline network security votes. Solana status page is not showing any outages at the time of reporting.
Solana out of the air
Solana, the self-proclaimed Ethereum killer, is losing the faith of crypto investors, with Anatoly Yakovenko, the coin’s co-founder, saying that network outages are a curse.
“That’s been, I think, our curse, but it’s because the network is so cheap and fast that there are enough users and apps that are driving it.”
The coin has experienced at least eight outages since its launch in 2020, with five of them occurring in 2022 alone. One of the longest outages lasted 18 hours in September 2021. In early October, Solana’s network, which claims to be a “killer of Ethereum” was out of business once again after a single validator brought down the entire network, leaving all transactions in limbo.
