THE $XRP Ledger’s new server software, v3.2.0, designed to make the network easier to manage, more stable and more attractive for institutional use, is gaining widespread adoption. However, it has not yet surpassed the previous version (3.1.3) network-wide, and the major security fixes that accompany it remain under vote.
Of the approximately 833 active nodes on the $XRP Ledger, the machines that store and relay the ledger, about 43% are running version 3.2.0 and 51% are still on version 3.1.3, according to XRPSCAN data.
Although overall node adoption appears relatively slow, validators, or entities most important to the network, have already been largely upgraded.
THE $XRP Ledger runs on a set of trusted validators called the Unique Node List (UNL). For a new version or software amendment to be activated, it needs the sustained support of more than 80% of the validators on this list for two consecutive weeks.
Of the default UNL of 35 validators, 31 are running version 3.2.0, or about 89%, clearing the threshold that the network considers sufficiently updated. This number, not the raw percentages of nodes or all validators, is what determines whether the upgrade is complete.
The lagging amendment
The software comes with a separate issue that sits well behind it.