iExec V3.1 — iExec TEE Solution Upgraded Features & Worker Update
Today, we’re happy to announce that iExec V3.1 has been successfully deployed.
iExec is a decentralized marketplace for cloud computing resources. As part of the latest product release in May, iExec V3, iExec Workers (individual computing power providers) were able to join the network. Since then, we’ve had the first-ever machines in the public iExec worker pool, executing tasks and earning RLC tokens.
Today, we’re happy to announce that iExec V3.1 has been successfully deployed. This update includes a more efficient computing middleware, and a new feature in the iExec TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) Solution: the choice to compute using a TEE public worker pool (for individual workers with Intel® SGX machines).
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The iExec TEE solution (with Intel® SGX) can now be run on a public worker pool
In October 2018, iExec released a full TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) solution, a first in the blockchain industry. The iExec TEE solution offers end-to-end encryption of all application and user data inside an Intel® SGX enclave, protecting it during off-chain computation. Previously, you could only carry out TEE computation on specific worker pools. iExec teamed up with collaborators IBM, Alibaba Cloud and TF Cloud to provide worker pools for TEE.
With iExec 3.1, such computations, where privacy and ownership of sensitive data need to be maintained, can now be performed by a public worker pool. A public worker pool is made up of individual ‘untrusted’ machines. With iExec, computations can be run on these untrusted machines, as long as the machines are enabled with Intel® SGX enclaves. The iExec TEE solution ensures the protection of all user and application data involved.
Testing and updating the iExec computing middleware
To test the new and updated middleware and familiarise workers with the process of providing computing power, a special event was held for iExec Workers. Around 7,000 RLC worth of orders were placed over 24 hours on the iExec Marketplace. On the day of the event, 151 (62.91%) of the workers were rewarded, with the average reward being 43 RLC.
For iExec V3.1, as a result of what we learned from the tests, the updated worker patch has now been released. Workers have been disconnected, and will simply need to start their workers for the update to be activated.
What has been updated for V3.1 public workers?
- We made communication between iExec Core (computing middleware) and the worker more reliable.
- We added latency-tolerance for communications between the scheduler and the blockchain so workers that contributed on-chain would not lose their contribution if there is any lag.
- We implemented a formula for the calculation of task replication (how many workers are needed) in low trust level requests.
- We fixed an issue that caused the entire worker pool to try to perform a task that has already been computed by someone else.
240 machines connected, executing computational tasks for RLC tokens, live on Ethereum main net.
Since opening the Public Worker Pool, over 1680 tasks have been executed with over 14,000 RLC earned.
iExec saw a huge increase in network activity since the public worker pool opened, with an increased score during the time period of activity on Ethereum main net. Seeing over 1000% increase in use on State of the Dapps.
The FCAS rating of (using transactions, accounts and smart contracts from nodes to analyze the actual utility of a project vs speculation) increased by over 72%. This is the standard fundamental ranking system used by CoinMarketCap and other project listing sites.
FCAS is a comparative metric used to assess the fundamentals of crypto projects. The score is derived from: User Activity, Developer Behavior, and Market Maturity.
Further improvements to expect:
During the worker drop event, certain user workflow issues were identified. For example, the first issue to be addressed was that workers were unsure of the difference between funds in their own wallet and funds in the iExec Account (a smart contract, not owned by iExec) that need to be withdrawn into the user’s wallet.
Improved user experience and user interface design is a major focus before the release of the next iExec version. Products in the crypto world are notorious for having barriers to entry for usability and with complex interfaces. But ideally, we want iExec to be just as simple to use as a click of a button.
Want to join the public worker pool?
To connect your machine and start executing computational tasks for RLC tokens, simply download and start the VM provided by iExec. Nothing special is required: you need a standard machine (Linux, MacOS, Windows), about 0.1 ETH and also 5 RLC to stake as a worker.
Then, simply follow our step-by-step guide to join the public worker pool and becoming an iExec Worker:
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