Skydoge 0.45.3b - mandatory hard fork upgrade (block 1,976,112)

Skydoge 0.45.3b - mandatory upgrade before block 1,976,112

This release is a hard fork. From mainnet block 1,976,112 (expected around
31 October 2026, ~01:00 UTC - the block height decides, the date is an estimate) the
consensus rules change. Every node, pool, exchange, explorer and wallet that runs a full
node must run 0.45.3b before that block. Nodes on 0.44.08 or older end up on a dead chain.

What changes at the fork

• Blocks are limited to 50,000 bytes.
• Every coinbase must carry the SCDB state commitment computed by the node (pools: build the
  coinbase from getblocktemplate's coinbasetxn).
• Timewarp guard on the first block of each difficulty period.
• BIP300 escrow rules: zero-value M6 fee output, no takeover of a funded sidechain slot.
• From block 1,980,144: the deposit-chain (treasury) anchor.

Drivechain (BIP300/301) has been live on Skydoge mainnet, with real sidechain deposits and
withdrawals voted by miners and paid out on-chain. As in BIP300, a miner majority decides
withdrawals - in public, over a long voting window.

Download - https://skydoge.net (section "02_DOWNLOAD") or directly
https://skydoge.net/dl/0.45.3/ - Linux, Windows and macOS. The files are named
mainchain-0.45.3-*; the node reports v0.45.3b.

Verify before you run. SHA256SUMS is signed by the Skydoge release key:

915D 0BAA 47E6 056B 5E02  FDAE 2DE1 360A 2AE8 EC88

gpg --import skydoge-release-key.asc
gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS
sha256sum --ignore-missing -c SHA256SUMS

The binaries are reproducible with Gitian from tag v0.45.3b (two independent builds,
identical output).

After installing: start the node once with -reindex (a full reindex, not
-reindex-chainstate), well before the fork height. Keep a copy of your old data directory
until the fork has passed.

Read before upgrading

• Release notes: doc/release-notes/release-notes-0.45.3.md
  (the commit message says doc/release-notes.md; the notes for this release are in the file above)
• Pools: doc/pool-integration.md
  and the signed pool notice https://skydoge.net/dl/0.45.3/POOL-NOTICE.txt.asc
• Wallet users: the old "Create New Wallet" / "Restore My Wallet" twelve words were never a
  backup of your wallet. Back up with File -> Backup Wallet... or skydoge-cli backupwallet.

Use 0.45.3b only: 0.45.1 and 0.45.2 follow different rules from block 1,976,112.
The 2023 code remains on the skydogehash branch.

skydoge.net is the only official site. Nobody from Skydoge will ever ask for your seed or
private keys.