Morning all, I’ve collected some of the common queries we are seeing about the migration into one place. Feel free to ask questions below.
The team have created an excellent developer resource which answers a lot of questions, so I will be referencing that where applicable. That site is tailored towards technical users, but I strongly recommend everyone takes the time to read through it. Some of it may not make sense to you, but it will help give you an idea of what this new blockchain is doing for the ETN Network.
For reference, in this FAQ the old cryptonight blockchain is referred to as the “legacy blockchain” and the new GO-ETH blockchain is referred to as the “smart chain”.
Warning: Usual reminder to not post any private, sensitive or account related information online. Any issues with accounts such as login, KYC/AML etc… please use the Electroneum Support helpdesk.
As with anything online, be vigilant to check everything you post. Do not accept help from people you don’t know and trust, especially if they contact you in private messages.
General Questions:
- What’s a “Smart Chain”?
- But if it’s a whole new blockchain, how will our ETN move to it?
- How does the bridge know which wallet to send my ETN to when its migrated?
- My ETN is currently in the my.electroneum online/mobile wallet, what do I need to do?
- My ETN is currently on a paper wallet, what do I need to do?
- My ETN is on an Exchange, what do I do?
- I’m in the middle of doing KYC/AML, when the migration happened, will my ETN be OK?
- Can I use other wallets to hold my ETN on the new smart chain?
- When will the maintenance be finished?
- Can I use paper wallets on the new smart chain?
- What are the Tokens appearing on the new Smart Chain?
Technical Questions:
- Can I use tools like MetaMask without running a smart chain local node?
- My ETN is currently in a command line wallet, what do I need to do?
- How long does it take to bridge my ETN using CLI?
What’s a “Smart Chain”?
Listen to Richard as he explains what the new smart chain is and why Electroneum is moving to it.
You can also read about some of the excellent features and opportunities that are available by using it.
Near-instant on chain transaction speeds and finality coming to Electroneum
Project Aurelius: What does it take to implement EVM into a blockchain?
Smart Contracts: What are they and how do they work?
But if it’s a whole new blockchain, how will our ETN move to it?
As part of the launch, the blockchain developers at Electroneum have created a “bridge” that allows users to migrate their ETN off the old legacy chain and onto the new smart chain.
Starting from block 1811310 (March) people will no longer be able to send ETN to other wallets on the legacy blockchain. Instead their coins will be automatically sent to a special bridge address where they are destroyed. At the same time an equal amount of ETN will be sent to a wallet on the new smart chain ready for them.
This is all done automatically by the Electroneum Command Line Tool (CLI) in version 5.0.0.3. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry, there are ways to migrate that are very simple and non-technical. Please see other questions for details.
This bridge was audited by an external 3rd party auditor called Hacken. They do audits for many large projects such as the Binance Smart Chain, and you can find out more about them by visiting https://hacken.io/.
How does the bridge know which wallet to send my ETN to when it’s migrated?
When your wallet sends its ETN to the bridge on the legacy blockchain, it includes a new address to be used on the smart chain. This address is created using the private key (spend key) from CLI thus only you can access that wallet on the new smart chain. You can see the address used (including a link to it on the new block explorer) from the bridging transaction on the old legacy blockchain.
My ETN is currently in the my.electroneum online/mobile wallet, what do I need to do?
Long story short, nothing. The team will automatically migrate your ETN over to the smart chain during maintenance started on the 5th March. Once maintenance is complete, when you open your wallet it will be looking at the new smart chain and your ETN will be there ready to use!
Please see more details on the developer resource.: https://developer.electroneum.com/migration-to-smart-chain/how-to-migrate/etn-online-wallets
My ETN is currently on a paper wallet, what do I need to do?
If your ETN is currently sat on a paper wallet you have two options to migrate it over to the smart chain:
Option 1: Once maintenance is complete, you can import the paper wallet using your my.electroneum mobile app. This will do all the work for you, automatically migrate the ETN over to the smart chain and insert it into your my.electroneum online/mobile app ready to use. This is super easy and no technical knowledge is needed beyond running the app and following the instructions. However, please note: The Electroneum my.electroneum wallet is a KYC/AML regulated wallet, so please be aware you may be required by law to do Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML) checks in order to access it.
More information on the import process is available here: https://developer.electroneum.com/migration-to-smart-chain/how-to-migrate/paper-wallets
If doing KYC/AML is an issue for you, you will need to use option 2.
Option 2: You can take control of the paper wallet using the Command Line Tool (CLI) and migrate to the Smart Chain yourself. This is the more technical option, so make sure you are comfortable with command line usage before attempting this method. The process is described here: https://developer.electroneum.com/migration-to-smart-chain/how-to-migrate/cli-wallet-users
There is also a unofficial community tutorial showing the process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKU-EJ41ZfQ
My ETN is on an Exchange, what do I do?
Firstly, let me remind everyone to not store crypto on exchanges, any crypto on any exchange, but with that out the way, your options if you have will depend on what the exchange is doing for the migration.
If your exchange has publicly said they are supporting the migration like HTX has (https://www.htx.com/support/en-us/detail/84963846675849) then they will provide you with any actions you need to do. If the exchange has not announced that they are supporting the migration, you will need to speak to them about what options you have. They will only be able to send you your ETN on the new smart chain so speak to the exchanges support to discuss.
More information can be found here: https://developer.electroneum.com/migration-to-smart-chain/how-to-migrate/exchange-holders
I’m in the middle of doing KYC/AML, when the migration happened, will my ETN be OK?
Yes, all my.electroneum online/mobile wallets will be migrated to the new smart chain automatically. Once you have successfully completed your KYC/AML the ETN will be there waiting for you ready to use.
Can I use other wallets to hold my ETN on the new smart chain?
Tools like MetaMask will be available to use from day one on the new smart chain. You will need to configure MetaMask to use the new Electroneum network. Instructions can be found as part of the guide on migrating using CLI in the developer resource: https://developer.electroneum.com/migration-to-smart-chain/how-to-migrate/cli-wallet-users
Any integrations with other 3rd party wallets or hardware wallets would be announced by the team, so keep an eye on the Electroneum social media and medium account for updates after launch.
When will the maintenance be finished?
For updates on progress please follow the team’s social media.
You can also check out this medium article they are updating as things progress.
Can I use paper wallets on the new smart chain?
Please see this post from the team recently discussing this.
What are the Tokens appearing on the new Smart Chain?
The Electroneum Smart Chain (ETN-SC) is built on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), enabling developers globally to create and deploy smart contracts. This functionality enables an entire ecosystem where a variety of digital tokens can emerge, each serving diverse purposes—from digital currencies and assets to utility tokens and unique digital collectibles known as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Given its compatibility with EVM, ETN-SC benefits from interoperability with other blockchains that support EVM, enriching its potential applications and user experiences.
It’s important for users to understand that the Electroneum team does not create, validate, check or have any say in these tokens, it can be done by anyone.
The platform’s open nature means that virtually anyone with the relevant technical skills can deploy a token on ETN-SC. While this democratizes the creation of digital assets and fosters innovation, it also introduces risks. The marketplace can quickly become populated with tokens of varying legitimacy, including those from unknown entities or projects lacking in transparency and security due to unvalidated or unaudited contract code.
Given this landscape, it is crucial for everyone in the ETN-SC ecosystem to approach new tokens with caution. Before engaging with any token, especially those not directly affiliated with the Electroneum team, conduct thorough research. Validating a token’s legitimacy involves looking for comprehensive audits by respected security firms, investigating the project’s team and their track record, understanding the token’s use case, and assessing community support.
Please watch the Electroneum CEO Richard Ells discuss token in his post fork update.
Can I use tools like MetaMask without running a smart chain local node?
Yes, the first official new public node has been released by the team. rpc.electroneum.com is the RPC URL if you are manually configuring, or you can visit https://chainlist.org or https://chainlist.wtf and click CONNECT to use the ETN Network.
Check out: https://developer.electroneum.com/electroneum-stack/metamask
My ETN is currently in a command line wallet (CLI), what do I need to do?
To bridge your ETN held in a Command Line Wallet (CLI) to the smart chain, please follow the instructions in the Developer Resource here.
You can also see the process start to finish in this community video.
How long does it take to bridge my ETN using CLI?
After your CLI creates a bridging transaction on the legacy blockchain, it will take approximately 5 confirmations (~10min) before the process will begin to migrate your ETN to the new smart chain. During high volume this may be longer so please be patient.
