48 posts tagged with "weekly"

This week marked a significant milestone with the formal publication of the Ouroboros Leios CIP proposal, complemented by the release of the second comprehensive technical report and extensive network performance analysis. The team successfully delivered the definitive protocol specification and supporting evidence to the Cardano Foundation for formal review.

Major milestone achievement​

CIP proposal publication​

The team published the Ouroboros Leios CIP proposal to the Cardano Foundation CIPs repository, representing the culmination of extensive research, analysis, and specification development. The proposal has been submitted for formal review and is pending assignment of a CIP number at the next CIP meeting. This submission provides the definitive technical specification for the proposed Leios protocol implementation, establishing the foundation for community review and potential integration into the Cardano ecosystem.

Second technical report release​

The team completed and released the second technical report, capturing comprehensive modeling, simulation, and analysis findings from March to August 2025. This substantial document covers network protocols, threat model analysis, simulation experiments, test network topologies, empirical Cardano network measurements, analytic studies of proposed Leios behavior and performance, and extensive technical observations. The report provides provisional findings and conclusions acknowledging the evolving nature of the protocol design during the study period.

Network infrastructure analysis​

Inter-datacenter bandwidth measurements​

The team conducted extensive inter-datacenter bandwidth measurements using iperf3 for bidirectional testing between locations across North America and Europe. The comprehensive analysis examined bandwidth between OVH, AWS, and CenturyLink infrastructure across multiple geographic regions, establishing empirical baselines for network performance expectations in distributed deployment scenarios.

Key findings from the bandwidth analysis indicate that 100 Mbps represents a conservative lower bound for inter-datacenter connectivity, with significant variation based on geographic distance and infrastructure provider combinations. The measurements revealed bandwidth ranges from 95 Mbps (CenturyLink Colorado to OVH Canada) to 973 Mbps (AWS Oregon to OVH Oregon), providing critical input for proposed Leios deployment planning and parameter optimization.

Network degradation resilience analysis​

The team completed comprehensive network degradation experiments, examining proposed Leios behavior under severely constrained network topologies. The analysis systematically reduced network connections by up to 87% from original mainnet-like topology configurations, testing protocol resilience under extreme network degradation scenarios.

The degradation experiments demonstrated that the proposed Leios protocol continues to operate correctly even when 87% of network connections are lost, with the network diameter increasing from 5 to 8 hops and the average connections per node dropping from 23.5 to 6.0. The protocol maintained functionality under both honest scenarios and adversarial conditions where attackers delay transaction and EB releases, indicating robust operation under degraded network conditions.

Validation performance analysis​

Quantile regression analysis​

The team extended ledger operation analysis with comprehensive quantile regressions at 50th, 95th, and 99th percentiles for ledger 'apply' and 'reapply' operations. This analysis addressed concerns about validation time interference between EB reapplication and Praos block release timing.

The quantile analysis provides predictions for full EBs with varying Plutus script intensities, demonstrating that 'apply' operations occur distributed across multiple slots and computational threads. At the same time, 'reapply' operations must complete before new reference blocks (RBs) and EBs can build upon newly certified EBs.

CIP documentation enhancements​

Updated figures and regression validation​

The team regenerated comprehensive figures for CIP inclusion using the upgraded sim-cli version 1.3.0, which included updated diffusion and voting duration configurations. The regression experiment analysis compared performance across simulator versions, revealing minimal discrepancies but slightly reduced performance with version 1.3.0 compared to previous versions.

Next steps​

• Monitor CIP review process and respond to community feedback
• Continue protocol parameter refinement based on ongoing analysis
• Extend network analysis to additional deployment scenarios
• Develop implementation guidelines based on technical report findings.

This week, the Leios team refined attack analysis methodologies, conducted critical bandwidth limitation experiments, and updated simulation components for CIP documentation. The team successfully demonstrated proposed Leios behavior under constrained network conditions and validated attack experiment findings with improved simulation models.

Attack analysis refinement​

Late-release attack validation​

The team completed validation of the late-release attack experiment using the latest version of the Rust simulation infrastructure. The rerun confirmed previous findings regarding adversarial impact on proposed Leios throughput, strengthening confidence in the protocol's characterized attack resistance properties under the tested scenarios.

Enhanced CIP simulation experiments​

The simulation experiment for CIP figures received comprehensive updates with the latest Rust simulation version, incorporating several critical improvements. The enhanced experiments feature semi-optimal protocol parameter settings, improved assumptions for validation costs, and expanded exploration of increased Plutus execution step effects. These refinements provide more accurate performance predictions for CIP documentation.

Network performance analysis​

Bandwidth limitation experiments​

The team conducted comprehensive bandwidth constraint analysis examining proposed Leios operation under severely constrained network conditions. The experiments systematically reduced inter-node bandwidth to values as low as 1 Mb/s to determine minimum network requirements for protocol viability.

Key findings demonstrate that proposed Leios operates successfully at 0.250 TxkB/s throughput even with constrained 2 Mb/s bandwidth between nodes. However, the protocol experiences breakdown at 1 Mb/s bandwidth limitations, establishing critical minimum network requirements for deployment scenarios. These results provide essential constraints for infrastructure planning and protocol parameter optimization.

Simulation infrastructure enhancements​

Cross-simulation validation framework​

The team expanded the regression analysis framework to systematically compare all tagged versions of the Rust simulator against consistent network topology and configuration parameters. This approach accelerates detection of behavioral changes across simulator versions and ensures consistent experimental foundations for protocol analysis.

Updated validation models​

Simulation infrastructure received updated transaction validation CPU models that improve accuracy of computational cost predictions. These enhanced models provide more reliable estimates for proposed Leios performance under various workload scenarios and support more precise parameter optimization for different deployment environments.

Next steps​

• Conduct comprehensive network topology degradation experiments
• Extend bandwidth analysis to examine intermediate constraint levels
• Integrate improved validation models into CIP performance projections
• Finalize attack resistance documentation for formal CIP submission.

This week, the Leios team conducted comprehensive attack parameter analysis, released updated simulation tools, and performed detailed analysis of Cardano mainnet validation performance. The team successfully characterized the effectiveness of late-release attacks across different parameter ranges and established baseline performance metrics for ledger operations critical to proposed Leios implementation.

Attack analysis and parameter optimization​

Parameter-sweep experiment for late-EB attacks​

The team conducted a comprehensive parameter-sweep experiment to determine optimal adversarial strategies for late Endorser Block (EB) attacks. The experiment systematically varied EB delay timing from six to eight seconds with adversaries controlling 33% of stake, examining both diffusion parameter configurations (L_diff on/off) under the txs-received propagation scheme.

Critical findings from the parameter sweep analysis demonstrate that efficiency degradation begins when EBs and transactions are delayed 6.5 seconds, with minimal additional impact beyond 7-second delays. The analysis revealed that L_diff = 0s configurations perform better than L_diff = 7s under adversarial conditions. Importantly, none of the tested scenarios using txs-received propagation resulted in transaction loss or protocol breakdown, indicating robust behavior under these attack conditions.

Simulation infrastructure improvements​

Rust simulation releases​

The team released versions 1.1.0 and 1.2.0 of the Rust simulation infrastructure, incorporating updated transaction validation CPU models that improve accuracy of performance predictions. These releases enhance the fidelity of proposed Leios simulations and provide more reliable computational cost estimates for protocol analysis.

Regression analysis framework​

The team implemented a comprehensive regression analysis framework comparing behavior across all tagged versions of the Rust simulator sim-cli. This systematic approach enables rapid detection of behavioral changes in the simulator across development iterations, ensuring consistency and reliability in experimental results.

Mainnet performance analysis​

Cardano mainnet validation timing analysis​

The team extended the analysis of ledger operations with comprehensive linear statistical models predicting Apply and Reapply phases of ledger updates. These regressions provide crucial input for proposed Leios performance studies, particularly scenarios involving higher Plutus execution limits.

Empty block diffusion analysis​

The team completed analysis of empty block diffusion on Cardano mainnet using data from pooltool.io. This analysis establishes empirical estimates for the Δ_hdr parameter required by the proposed Leios protocol. The findings demonstrate that 94.0% of empty Praos blocks arrive at nodes within one second of their slot start time, providing critical timing constraints for protocol parameter selection.

Next steps​

• Continue refinement of attack resistance analysis based on parameter sweep findings
• Integrate updated CPU models into comprehensive protocol performance evaluations
• Extend mainnet analysis to inform proposed Leios parameter optimization
• Prepare comprehensive attack analysis documentation for CIP inclusion.

This week, the Leios team advanced the Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP) documentation, conducted comprehensive attack analysis experiments, and continued cross-validation between simulation implementations. The team successfully demonstrated resilience characteristics of proposed Leios under adversarial conditions and refined protocol specification components for the formal CIP submission.

CIP development progress​

The team made substantial progress on the Ouroboros Leios CIP proposal. The draft specification section is now complete except for the network and incentives components. The motivation and abstract sections have been refined for clarity, enhancing the document's accessibility and technical precision. The first of four main rationale subsections has been fully drafted, providing evidence-based arguments for the necessity and viability of the proposed Leios protocol enhancement.

Attack resistance analysis​

Initial adversarial simulation experiments​

The team conducted the first simulation experiment for attacks, examining late Endorser Block (EB) and transaction diffusion scenarios where adversaries control timing of critical protocol messages. The experiment varied the diffusion parameter L_diff and EB propagation schemes to assess protocol robustness under different adversarial strategies.

Key findings from the initial attack analysis include successful demonstration that late-release attacks can impact proposed Leios throughput under specific conditions. The analysis revealed that transaction loss occurred in some scenarios due to memory pool rule formulations in the simulator, leading to important insights for protocol hardening and implementation requirements.

Cross-simulation validation​

Haskell versus Rust comparison​

The team completed another comprehensive comparison between Haskell and Rust simulation implementations at analysis/sims/202532b. Results indicate successful resolution of previous discrepancies in vote diffusion behavior between the two simulation environments. This validation ensures both implementations produce consistent results for protocol analysis and strengthens confidence in the simulation-based evidence supporting the CIP.

CIP figure preparation​

The experiment for draft figures for CIP progressed with updated simulation runs designed to generate publication-quality performance charts and protocol behavior visualizations for inclusion in the formal CIP documentation.

Next steps​

• Complete the remaining network and incentives sections of the CIP specification
• Conduct follow-up analysis on attack experiment findings to refine protocol parameters
• Continue refinement of memory pool rules based on adversarial scenario insights
• Finalize CIP figures and supporting analysis for submission preparation.

This week, the Leios team made significant progress on the Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP) documentation, conducted extensive Plutus validation experiments, and resolved outstanding discrepancies between simulation implementations. The team successfully demonstrated Linear Leios performance under various Plutus workloads and completed comprehensive protocol parameter analysis for CIP inclusion.

CIP development progress​

The team completed substantial portions of the Leios CIP draft, bringing it closer to submission readiness. The specification section is now complete except for network and incentives components, with the motivation and abstract refined for clarity. The first of four main rationale subsections has been fully drafted, providing evidence-based arguments for Leios necessity and viability.

Plutus validation experiments​

The team conducted comprehensive experiments examining Linear Leios performance under varying Plutus computation loads using 6-vCPU nodes at 100 TPS. Key findings from the Plutus validation analysis include:

• Linear Leios successfully supported doubling the Plutus per-transaction budget
• Protocol breakdown occurred at sixfold increases in Plutus budgets due to validation bottlenecks
• Endorser blocks could handle approximately 5,000 execution steps of Plutus computation, representing 250 times the current Praos per-block budget
• This capacity could support either a handful of transactions with 20x greater Plutus budgets or increasing every Plutus transaction budget by 50%
• Late diffusion of Plutus-heavy transactions poses potential risks to EB adoption timing.

The analysis revealed significant variability in CPU time requirements for Plutus scripts relative to their execution steps, highlighting the need for careful resource planning in high-throughput scenarios.

Simulation improvements and comparisons​

Cross-simulation validation​

The team completed another comprehensive comparison between Haskell and Rust simulations at analysis/sims/202532b, successfully resolving previous discrepancies in vote diffusion behavior. This validation ensures both simulation implementations produce consistent results for protocol analysis.

Protocol parameter optimization​

The 2025w32 experiment established a comprehensive set of protocol parameters and throughput scenarios for inclusion in the CIP Evidence section:

• Protocol variant: Linear Leios with conservative resource allocation
• Resource requirements: 4 vCPU per node, 10 Mb/s bandwidth
• Stage configuration: 7 slots each for voting and diffusion stages
• Block limits: Maximum 12 MB transaction references per EB
• Transaction size: 1,500 bytes per transaction with normal Plutus frequency

Key performance findings demonstrate that modest computational resources adequately support throughput up to 0.3 TxMB/s, with 7-slot stages providing sufficient diffusion time while minimizing EB discard probability. The 12 MB EB limit allows occasional peak utilization to compensate for unlucky sortition periods.

Implementation enhancements​

Haskell simulation​

The team addressed head-of-line blocking issues in Linear Leios by implementing message slicing capabilities in the mini-protocol multiplexer, eliminating unexpected delays in vote diffusion. Additional work focused on developing new mini-protocols for enhanced Linear Leios simulation fidelity, with ongoing refinements to balance protocol granularity and sophistication.

Rust simulation​

Implementation of transaction withholding attack scenarios for Linear Leios, where EB producers delay transaction publication until EB release. The simulation also received updates to improve handling of late transactions, EBs, and RBs in Linear Leios scenarios.

Next steps​

• Complete remaining network and incentives sections of the CIP specification
• Finalize mini-protocol designs for enhanced simulation accuracy
• Continue investigation of mempool rule adequacy for high-throughput scenarios
• Expand Plutus validation analysis to cover additional execution budget scenarios.

This week, the Leios team focused on comparative analysis between simulation implementations and conducted experiments examining the impact of protocol parameters and network topology on Linear Leios performance. The team made progress in cross-validation between Haskell and Rust simulations while investigating protocol behavior under different network conditions.

Cross-simulation analysis​

Haskell vs Rust Linear Leios comparison​

The team completed a comprehensive comparison between the early draft Haskell simulator and the more mature Rust simulator for Linear Leios. Key findings from the analysis documented in analysis/sims/2025w31b/analysis.ipynb revealed several discrepancies requiring investigation:

• CPU usage patterns differed between implementations
• Network usage showed variations across simulators
• Vote diffusion behavior exhibited inconsistencies
• Active investigation underway to resolve implementation differences.

Protocol parameter experiments​

Stage length analysis for "No IBs" Leios​

The team conducted experiments varying the stage-length protocol parameter from 5 to 12 slots per stage in "No IBs" Leios. Results documented in analysis/sims/2025w31/analysis.ipynb showed:

• Settlement time remains relatively stable across the tested parameter range
• Stage length has minimal impact on transaction processing times within 5-12 slot range
• Larger stage lengths result in less frequent voting periods
• Protocol performance appears robust to moderate stage length variations.

Network topology validation​

Mini-mainnet vs pseudo-mainnet comparison​

The team completed a comparative analysis of Linear Leios performance across different network topologies using the Rust simulator. Key findings from analysis/sims/2025w30b/analysis.ipynb include:

• The 750-node mini-mainnet network proved slightly more stressful to the protocol than the 10,000-node pseudo-mainnet
• No substantial differences in simulation results between the two network configurations
• Both networks produce equivalent findings and conclusions for protocol analysis
• Validation confirms the mini-mainnet topology as a suitable proxy for larger-scale analysis.

Rust simulation enhancements​

Linear Leios attack modeling​

• Added equivocation voting delay functionality to Linear Leios implementation
• Implemented attack scenario modeling where endorser block (EB) diffusion is deliberately delayed until the last moment
• Enhanced simulation capabilities for security analysis and adversarial behavior testing.

Next steps​

• Continue investigation of discrepancies between Haskell and Rust Linear Leios implementations
• Expand parameter sensitivity analysis for additional protocol variants
• Refine attack modeling capabilities for comprehensive security assessment
• Apply lessons from network topology comparison to future experimental design.

This week, the Leios team made significant progress on CIP development, refined validation timing analysis with improved methodologies, and achieved high-throughput validation milestones. The team completed major components of the CIP specification, proposed improved throughput metrics for better comparability, and demonstrated a 1,000 TPS capability with specific protocol variants.

CIP development progress​

Protocol specification completion​

• Completed a comprehensive review of the protocol overview, component flow, and parameters
• Integrated vote and certificate specifications into the CIP documentation
• Drafted node behavior and network specifications, including mini-protocol definitions
• Progressed the CIP towards completion, with all core protocol components now fully specified.

Throughput metrics standardization​

Improved measurement methodology​

• Proposed transition from transaction-per-second (Tx/s) to transaction-bytes-per-second (TxB/s) metrics for enhanced comparability
• Recommended using Tx/s only in introductory statements with transaction size context (eg, '100 Tx/s with 1,400 B transactions')
• Established TxkB/s and TxMB/s as primary throughput metrics for analysis
• Benefits include:
  • Direct comparability across different transaction sizes
  • Clear nominal storage and network demand calculations
  • Example: 100 Tx/s with 1,400 B transactions = 140 TxkB/s = ~12 GB/day storage
  • Network overhead calculation: 140 TxkB/s × 10 peers = 11.2 Mb/s.

Enhanced validation analysis​

Revised Cardano validation timing study​

• Completed a refined analysis of Cardano mainnet validation times using a clean dataset on an idle machine
• Significantly improved accuracy over preliminary results by eliminating CPU contention effects
• Updated findings for transaction signature verification and Plutus script execution:
  • Median times: 428.4 μs/tx and 211.5 μs/kB
  • Linear model: 148.1 μs/tx plus 114.1 μs/kB
  • Enhanced model: 137.5 μs/tx plus 60.2 μs/kB plus 585.2 μs/Gstep with Laplace error distribution
• Results are suitable for bulk block estimates despite individual transaction prediction limitations
• Findings support reducing CPU-timing parameters in default Leios simulation configurations
• A comprehensive analysis is available in the validation timing documentation.

High-throughput protocol validation​

1,000 TPS Linear Leios demonstration​

• Successfully demonstrated Linear Leios with transaction references supporting 1,000 tx/s at 300 B/tx
• Validated Stracciatella variant capability at 1,000 TPS throughput levels
• Confirmed that Linear Leios with embedded transactions cannot sustain such throughput
• Results provide clear protocol variant performance boundaries for high-throughput scenarios
• Detailed evidence and analysis are available in the 1,000 TPS study notebook.

Simulation infrastructure improvements​

Rust simulation documentation​

• Enhanced the documentation of the current Rust simulation implementation
• Documented available protocol variants and their implementation status
• Improved accessibility and usability of the simulation framework for protocol development.

Next steps​

• Finalize CIP documentation for community review and feedback
• Implement standardized throughput metrics across analysis frameworks
• Apply revised validation timing parameters to simulation configurations
• Expand high-throughput testing to additional protocol variants and scenarios.

This week, the Leios team focused on improving simulation analysis, conducting validation time studies, and working on comprehensive protocol variant experiments. The team developed new analysis tools, conducted fundamental performance studies of Cardano validation times, and completed extensive mapping of Linear Leios protocol performance under various conditions.

Analysis tools and infrastructure​

Generic trace analysis framework​

• Developed a generic analysis script for processing Leios simulator output
• Created a comprehensive R-based analysis pipeline generating diagnostic plots from leios-simulation-trace-processor output
• Enhanced analysis capabilities for systematic evaluation of simulation results
• Documentation and usage instructions are available in the trace processor README.

Validation performance analysis​

Cardano mainnet validation timing study​

• Completed a preliminary analysis of block and transaction validation times for Cardano mainnet since epoch 350
• Key findings using the db-analyser tool include:
  • Median transaction signature verification: 0.53 ms/tx
  • Median validation time per kilobyte: 0.29 ms/kB
  • Joint linear model estimate: 0.066 ms/tx plus 0.221 ms/kB
  • Data suitable for bulk estimates but too noisy for individual transaction predictions
• Identified missing explanatory variables (UTXO set size, input/output counts) extractable from the ledger or cardano-db-sync
• Results provide a foundation for more accurate simulator validation time modeling
• Detailed analysis is available in the validation timing notebook.

Simulation optimization studies​

Timestep resolution analysis​

• Conducted a comparative study of simulation timestep effects at 1,000 TPS Full Leios scenarios
• Compared 0.100 ms and 0.025 ms time resolutions with no significant differences in results
• Validated the use of coarser timesteps for improved parallelism and reduced simulation runtime
• Supporting analysis and evidence are available in the timestep study notebook.

Protocol variant experiments​

Mid-throughput protocol validation​

• Completed 100 TPS experiments for Stracciatella and Linear Leios variants using 1,400 B/tx over 900 seconds
• Key findings include:
  • 5 slots/stages are insufficient for Linear Leios at 100 tx/s
  • Including transactions in EBs causes congestion compared to transaction references
  • 10 MB/EB is required for 100 tx/s performance (5 MB/EB is insufficient)
  • EB-sortition unluckiness in Stracciatella extends the transaction lifecycle but can be mitigated
  • CPU and network peaks occur when transactions are embedded in EBs
• Analysis artifacts are available in 100 TPS experiment documentation and the analysis notebook.

Comprehensive Linear Leios performance mapping​

• Completed an extensive simulation study mapping Linear Leios performance under various loads and configurations
• Compared multiple Linear Leios variants against the Stracciatella baseline
• Generated comprehensive performance characterizations across different throughput scenarios
• Results are documented in the Linear Leios summary with variant-specific analysis:
  • Linear Leios with embedded transactions
  • Linear Leios with transaction references
  • Linear Leios without transactions
  • Stracciatella baseline comparison.

Simulation model refinements​

• Revised the Linear Leios model based on analysis findings, particularly regarding partial EB validation before peer propagation
• Reimplemented Stracciatella as a separate simulation to identify specification deviations
• Identified and resolved multiple implementation inconsistencies during the specification verification process.

Next steps​

• Continue developing analysis infrastructure for systematic protocol evaluation
• Integrate improved validation timing models into simulation configurations
• Expand protocol variant testing based on performance mapping results
• Refine simulation models for enhanced accuracy and specification compliance.

This week, the Leios team achieved significant milestones in protocol development and analysis, successfully demonstrating high-throughput capabilities and exploring new protocol variants. The team conducted comprehensive experiments with the Stracciatella variant, analyzed the Linear Leios throughput efficiency, and implemented new simulation capabilities.

High-throughput demonstration​

• Completed experiments demonstrating over 1,000 TPS capability with the Stracciatella variant of Leios
• Achieved spatial efficiency above 95% with transaction lifecycle times under two minutes
• Validated protocol performance under extreme throughput conditions well beyond the current Cardano capacity
• Documented detailed findings in the Stracciatella analysis notebook.

Protocol variants analysis​

Stracciatella variant​

• Completed a comprehensive analysis of the Stracciatella variant (no IBs, transaction references in EBs, two-stage pipeline)
• Key findings:
  • 5-slot/stage performs less well but scales better than 8-slot/stage
  • Only a minimal fraction of transactions fail to reach the ledger, likely due to EB expiration
  • Network usage is slightly heavy, while CPU usage appears suspiciously light
  • Congestion begins to appear at throughput levels above 1,000 TPS.

Linear Leios throughput efficiency​

• Conducted an analysis of the Linear Leios variant's probability of including certified EBs on-chain
• Results show Linear Leios could achieve approximately 500 times the throughput of Praos at over 50% network resource efficiency
• 500 times Praos throughput would exceed 1,000 historically typical transactions per second
• Generated comprehensive throughput and efficiency visualizations available in the analysis repository.

CDDL specifications​

• Added CDDL specifications for Linear and Stracciatella protocol variants.

Simulation improvements​

Rust simulation​

• Implemented a first pass of the Linear Leios variant in the Rust simulation
• Enhanced simulation capabilities to support protocol variant testing and analysis
• Continued optimizing simulation performance for high-throughput scenarios.

Small transaction experiments​

• Completed the analysis of small-transaction, high-throughput experiments with 300-byte non-Plutus transactions
• Key findings:
  • 1,000 tx/s with 300 B/tx is feasible in Leios variants
  • Clear time–space tradeoff between variants
  • full-with-ib-references uses space more efficiently than full-without-ibs
  • full-without-ibs has a shorter transaction lifecycle than full-with-ib-references
  • 2 CPU cores are sufficient for high-throughput operation
  • Network usage remains modest under high load
• Supporting materials are available in analysis documentation and analysis notebook.

Next steps​

• Continue investigation of protocol variants for CIP convergence
• Expand simulation capabilities for additional protocol variants
• Refine performance optimization strategies for high-throughput scenarios
• Complete documentation of protocol variant comparisons and recommendations.

This week, the Leios team achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating protocol viability at 1,000 TPS. They also completed a comprehensive attack surface analysis and made substantial improvements to simulation and verification tools.

High-throughput demonstration​

• Successfully completed a 1,000 TPS experiment using basic 300-byte non-Plutus transactions
• Demonstrated the viability of Leios protocol operation at extremely high throughput levels
• Validated protocol performance under stress conditions significantly beyond current Cardano capacity
• Documented detailed findings in the 1,000 TPS analysis.

Security analysis​

• Completed a comprehensive attack surface analysis for the second technical report
• Defined terminology and taxonomy for potential Leios attack vectors
• Categorized major attack types and their potential impacts on protocol security
• Enhanced understanding of protocol vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies.

Rust simulation enhancements​

• Finished implementing support for input block (IB) equivocations in the simulation
• Added capability to model and analyze protocol behavior under adversarial conditions
• Enhanced simulation fidelity for security-related protocol testing.

Trace verifier performance optimization​

• Achieved 3x performance improvement by configuring minimum heap size to 1GB
• Reduced garbage collection overhead from 75% to 2% of execution time
• Enhanced profiling capabilities with detailed performance analysis tools
• Improved verification efficiency for large-scale simulation trace analysis.

Protocol convergence for CIP​

• Intensified efforts to converge on a specific Leios variant for the Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP)
• Applied systematic evaluation methodology to rank protocol candidates from multiple angles
• Evaluated efficiency metrics, including temporal efficiency versus storage optimization trade-offs
• Assessed attack surface and security vectors across different protocol variants
• Analyzed utility factors, including quality of service, developer friendliness, user experience, and downstream ecosystem impacts
• Focused on eliminating candidates through evidence-based assessment of valuable protocol characteristics.