In order to split the network definitely, version of Bitcoin ABC post fork need to be able to use a different magic. It would also be profitable to use a different folder than the current one as to not step over non cash version of bitcoin.
The deployment will occur in 3 steps:
- Initially, while using a new magic internally, the client must continue to accept and use the legacy magic for network communication. It needs to be accepting the new magic in for network communications, and will the new magic internally.
- The client will use a new folder for it data and use the new magic in its serialized files.
- The client need to be able to reconstruct its new DB based on the content of the legacy folder rather that doing a full chain resync.
- It is an opportunity to cleanup some legacy flat file formats, such as storing version 0 in UTXOs.
- Once the previous patch is deployed on the majority of the network, the client will be updated to use the new magic by default for its network communication.
- After most node upgraded, the client will be updated a last time to reject uses of the old magic.
- This will split the network definitively.