Update on BAM Readiness for Alpenglow on Mainnet
As Alpenglow Mainnet activation approaches in mid-October, we want to share how Jito is preparing and what users should expect during the transition.
We have tested BAM on both Testnet and the dedicated Alpenglow test cluster. This includes testing and validating behavior of transaction and bundle traffic across Jito-Solana clients during the activation. We will continue operating a BAM node on the Alpenglow test cluster for early testing and troubleshooting as Alpenglow evolves.
What to Expect During Activation
In order to ensure a safe and seamless transition to Alpenglow, Jito is planning to place all Mainnet BAM Nodes in Maintenance Mode during the days leading up to the activation on Mainnet. This means that validators connected to BAM will revert back to ordinary Jito-Agave Block Engine mode.
BAM-native features, including MPP (Maker Priority Plugin) and BAM DBI (Direct Bundle Ingest), will be unavailable during this period. Bundles from Block Engine will continue to work as usual.
After activation, we’ll gradually bring BAM nodes back online while monitoring performance. We’ll share the exact timing closer to activation. Please regularly check discord announcements for minimum supported Jito versions.
Validator Actions Before Activation
- Upgrade to a supported Jito-Solana release. We currently recommend v4.3.0-jito.0 and will confirm the minimum supported version before activation.
- Do not run a production validator built with dev-context-only-utils (DCOU), as this will lead to your node being forked off during the activation.
- Do not run FireBAM or FrankenBAM during the Alpenglow transition. After activation, operators should use version 26.10 or later; 26.09 is not Alpenglow-ready.
Actions Required During the Alpenglow Transition Window
- Validators, FullSend users, and standard Block Engine bundle users: no action required.
- MPP users: use TPU or Block Engine submission for oracle updates.
- DBI users: use the legacy Block Engine bundle-submission path.
We will publish the confirmed activation epoch, maintenance timing, minimum supported version, and restoration updates through Discord announcements: