Neo has announced the release of Neo-CLI v3.2.1, bringing new optimizations and features. Developers will find a new non-cryptographic hash function in the CryptoLib for use in their smart contracts, while other changes address out-of-memory issues caused during JSON processing.

Other improvements include a reduction to the max execution system fee per block to 1,500, a 10x increase to the max block size, and a 10x increase to the max number of transactions per block. While the former changes are finalized, adjusting the protocol to the current fee ratios, the latter is experimental and will be heavily monitored and evaluated prior to inclusion on MainNet.

Due to modifications of native contracts in v3.2.1, some data on the existing N3 TestNet will become incompatible. For this reason, the new version will be deployed to a newly launched TestNet, dubbed T5, on April 22. The current TestNet, T4, will not be upgraded, and will instead be maintained until the end of August then deprecated.

The decision to run the two TestNets in parallel was made in part due to the Neo Polaris Launchpad, where developers are currently participating in the hackathon stage. Community-developed infrastructure such as N3 wallets, explorers, and tooling will roll out for T5 at its own pace over the coming weeks. Keeping the existing T4 network online ensures Polaris participants will not be affected by this delay, and can continue working on their projects using available tooling.

As in previous upgrades, N3 MainNet deployment will commence following a testing period. If the T5 TestNet proves stable for two weeks, the MainNet update is expected to follow.

Node runners on the T5 TestNet will need to perform a full chain resync. V3.2.1 can be downloaded at the following link:
https://github.com/neo-project/neo-node/releases/tag/v3.2.1