Recently, I found that the Merkletribe/KAZAKI node in vDOT’s VBL has been running rather unstably and ranks very low in the validator rating. You can see the details here:
https://apps.turboflakes.io/#/validator/1EwUAppef3eii8rNEXM44WxVsB6y1apZkfD8ejpwH7d4nmQ?mode=history
Currently, Merkletribe/KAZAKI is rated B+, while A and A+ nodes account for 98.17%. This means Merkletribe/KAZAKI is in the bottom 1.83% of recent ratings. This completely goes against the original intention of applying for VBL. What we need are nodes that are more decentralized, more stable, and provide higher returns.
Moreover, the recent performance of Merkletribe/KAZAKI has even had some negative impact on vDOT’s yield. Therefore, I suggest removing it from the VBL list.
Server Performance Update and Response
A major patch was applied overnight. We experienced server I/O saturation issues that led to degraded performance during the last 3-4 eras. The node has now been migrated to a better and more performant environment.
I want to clarify that our performance rating dropped to B+ solely due to 3 era sessions not running at maximum capacity, with the first inefficiencies discovered on Sunday.
Regarding the statement: "This completely goes against the original intention of applying for VBL. What we need are nodes that are more decentralized, more stable, and provide higher returns." I cannot find specific reference details for this claim. However, Merkletribe has consistently demonstrated diligent work regarding decentralization and stability, which are fundamental requirements for any blockchain network.
Concerning "returns," these depend not only on session performance but also on the commission rate set by the validator. We are open to discussing a more favorable commission structure for the community.
Important Context:
I want to emphasize that our node maintains an excellent grade when considering the full 32-era period. The performance issues only emerged in the last 3 days, following years of consistent A/A+ performance ratings.
Moving Forward:
We will monitor more closely for any similar performance degradations, which should not occur with our current infrastructure. We would appreciate receiving updates about such situations through our official communication channels, rather than facing proposals for removal from the validator boost list with only 24 hours' notice.
Merkletribe