Ethereum price (ETH/USD) Ethereum’s most popular client updates to enable Byzantium

The most popular Ethereum client yesterday received a software upgrade designed to inforce the upcoming Byzantium hard fork, Coindesk has reported.

The code from Go Ethereum (Geth) ties Byzantium to block number 4,370,000, which is in line with a timetable previously established during an Ethereum core team discussion on September 22, Coindesk notes. Assuming that the block time remains consistent, the hard fork will officially take place on October17.

The Geth upgrade comes shortly after it was revealed that the Ropsten test network, a version of the Ethereum blockchain that is currently being used by developers to test Byzantium, had come under a spam attack. While the attack caused some disruptions to the test, some developers expressed belief that the hard fork would not be delayed.

Geth, which is operated developers employed by the Ethereum Foundation, accounts for about 69% of the all ethereum nodes. According to the release notes accompanying yesterday’s upgrade, anyone running an Ethereum node with Geth should update their software “well before” the Byzantium activation “to ensure a smooth transition”.

The Byzantium hard fork is the first part of two parts in a wider upgrade called Metropolis, which will bring a number of improvements to the Ethereum network, such as increased speeds and more secure smart contracts. At the moment it is unclear when the second phase of Metropolis, which is called Constantipole, will be released.

Having tumbled to below $290 in the early morning session, Ethereum has managed to bounce back and is currently trading above yesterday’s close of $292.66. As of 13:40 BST, the Ethereum price stood at $293.36.

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