* feat: tree embeddings from accounts EIP-6800
* feat: updateAccount with trie
* fixes for endianness and tests for getTreeKey
* feat: tests for updateAccount EOA
* feat: code chunking and chunk key generation
* full test suite for code chunking
* feat: contract updation code + ignacio full test suite
* fix: zeroPoit eval shifted to compile time fromHex
* fix: VerkleTrie changed to VerkleTrieRef
* fix: minor fixes suggested by @jangko
* shifted to new point serialization technique as per EIP-6800
* fix: addressPoint calculation fixes
* add storage layer over accounts (#2121)
* feat: add getAccounts from the VerkleTrieRef
* feat: add getStorage
* add comments and test vector references
* fix: TODO added and comments
why:
Ignoring `nil` objects was handy for a while but eventually led to
lazy programming which in turn led to double destructor calls for
the rocks-db.
* Aristo+Kvt: Fix backend `dup()` function in api setup
why:
Backend object is subject to an inheritance cascade which was not
taken care of, before. Only the base object was duplicated.
* Kvt: Simplify DB clone/peers management
* Aristo: Simplify DB clone/peers management
* Aristo: Adjust unit test for working with memory DB only
why:
This currently causes some memory corruption persumably in the
`libc` background layer.
* CoredDb+Kvt: Simplify API for KVT
why:
Simplified storage models (was over engineered) for better performance
and code maintenance.
* CoredDb+Aristo: Simplify API for `Aristo`
why:
Only single database state needed here. Accessing a similar state will
be implemented from outside this module using a context layer. This
gives better performance and improves code maintenance.
* Fix Copyright headers
* CoreDb: Turn off API tracking
why:
CI would ot go through. Was accidentally turned on.
* Add new RocksNamespaceRef type and remove backups and readonly support from RocksDb KvStore.
* Bump nim-rocksdb to fc2ba4a836b6b47ae1b17d1c45801c7e06585e19
* Fix tests.
* Fix copyright notice.
* Aristo: Remove cruft
* Prettifying profile statistics printing & source code cosmetics
* Aristo/Kvt: API tools update
* CoreDb: Corrections, mostly API related
* CoreDb: Changed the tracer `logDb()` result
why:
Only the key-value table is used from the logger database
* CoreDb: Update legacy tracer
why:
The `contains()` directive did not correspond to `0 < get().len`
also:
Copy `CoreDb` meta settings like `trackLegaApi`, `trackNewApi`, etc. to
overlay tracer descriptor
* CoreDb: Extend/update tracer API
why:
Get ready for accommodating `Aristo` tracer
* Fix missing import
why:
Some CI compilers might have (cached?) a different NIM patch level
* Ditto
* Aristo/Kvt: Provide function hooks APIs
why:
These APIs can be used for installing tracers, profiling functoinality,
and other niceties on the databases.
* Aristo: Provide optional API profiling
details:
It basically is a re-implementation of the `CoreDb` profiling
implementation
* Kvt: Provide optional API profiling similar to `Aristo`
* CoreDb: Re-implementing profiling using `aristo_profile`
* Ledger: Re-implementing profiling using `aristo_profile`
* CoreDb: Update unit tests for maintainability
* update copyright dates
* CoreDb: Provide default db backend symbols
why:
Handy for running `Aristo` against standard tests
note:
These defaults are currently set to legacy DB types. The must be
enabled manually in `db/core_db.nim`.
* Provide `Aristo` for macro assembler related tests
caveat:
Some tests use `initStorageTrie()` which lets `Aristo` bail out. The
test need to run on `distinct_ledgers` (or something like) rather than
`distinct_tries`.
* Tests: Misc modules that can run on `Aristo` as well
* NoHive: Module that can run on `Aristo` as well
* Fix copyright year
* ditto
* Aristo: Reorg `hashify()` using different schedule algorithm
why:
Directly calculating the search tree top down from the roots turns
out to be faster than using the cached structures left over by `merge()`
and `delete()`.
Time gains is short of 20%
* Aristo: Remove `lTab[]` leaf entry object type
why:
Not used anymore. It was previously needed to build the schedule for
`hashify()`.
* Aristo: Avoid unnecessary re-org of the vertex ID recycling list
why:
This list can become quite large so a heuristic is employed whether
it makes sense to re-org.
Also, re-org check is only done by `delete()` functions.
* Aristo: Remove key/reverse lookup table from tx layers
why:
It is ignored except for handling proof nodes and costs unnecessary
run time resources.
This feature was originally needed to accommodate the mental transition
from the legacy MPT to the `Aristo` trie :).
* Fix copyright year
* CoreDb: update test suite
* Aristo: Simplify reverse key map
why:
The reverse key map `pAmk: (root,key) -> {vid,..}` as been simplified to
`pAmk: key -> {vid,..}` as the state `root` domain argument is not used,
anymore
* Aristo: Remove `HashLabel` object type and replace it by `HashKey`
why:
The `HashLabel` object attaches a root hash to a hash key. This is
nowhere used, anymore.
* Fix copyright
* Added procs to get and store block witness in db and add generate-witness cli flag.
* Completed initial implementation of block witness storage.
* Added test to verify witness is persisted to db after call to persistBlock.
* Update getBlockWitness to return witness using Result type.
* Make generate witness parameter hidden.
* CoreDb: Test module with additional sample selector cmd line options
* Aristo: Do not automatically remove a storage trie with the account
why:
This is an unnecessary side effect. Rather than using an automatism, a
a storage root must be deleted manually.
* Aristo: Can handle stale storage root vertex IDs as empty IDs.
why:
This is currently needed for the ledger API supporting both, a legacy
and the `Aristo` database backend.
This feature can be disabled at compile time by re-setting the
`LOOSE_STORAGE_TRIE_COUPLING` flag in the `aristo_constants` module.
* CoreDb+Aristo: Flush/delete storage trie when deleting account
why:
On either backend, a deleted account leave a dangling storage trie on
the database.
For consistency nn the legacy backend, storage tries must not be
deleted as they might be shared by several accounts whereas on `Aristo`
they are always unique.
* Remove custom block chain unit tests
why:
The custom block chain unit test functionality is superseded by
`test_coredb`.
All the custom block chains used here are hopelessly out of date and
the configs were never updated regarding fork and ttd settings (while
the production code has moved on.)
* CoreDb: Update unit tests suite
details:
Can accommodate non-built in network dumps. Inherited some functionality
from the now retired `test_custom_network` test.
* Update experimental rpc test to do further validation on proof responses.
* Enable zero value storage slots in the witness cache data so that proofs will be returned when a storage slot is updated to zero. Refactor and simplify implementation of getProofs endpoint.
* Improve test validation.
* Minor fixes and added test to track the changes introduced in every block using a local state.
* Refactor and cleanup test.
* Comments added to test and account cache fixes applied to account ledger.
* Return updated storage slots even when storage is empty and add test to build.
* Fix copyright and remove incorrect depth check during witness building in writeShortRlp assertion.
* Aristo: Update error return code
why:
Failing of `Aristo` function `delete()` might fail because there is
no such data item on the db. This must return a single error code
as is done with `fetch()`.
* Ledger: Better error handling
why:
The `expect()` clauses have been replaced by raising asserts indicating
the error from the database backend.
Also, `delete()` failures are legitimate if the item to delete does not
exist.
* Aristo: Delete function must always leave a label on DB for `hashify()`
why:
The `hashify()` uses the labels left bu `merge()` and `delete()` to
compile (and optimise) a scheduler for subsequent hashing.
Originally, the labels were not used for deleted entries and `delete()`
still had some edge case where the deletion label was not properly
handled.
* Aristo: Update `hashify()` scheduler, remove buggy optimisation
why:
Was left over from version without virtual state roots which did not
know about account payload leaf vertices referring to storage roots.
* Aristo: Label storage trie account in `delete()` similar to `merge()`
details;
The `delete()` function applied to a non-static state root (assumed
to be a storage root) will check the payload of an accounts leaf
and mark its Merkle keys to be re-checked when runninh `hashify()`
* Aristo: Clean up and re-org recycled vertex IDs in `hashify()`
why:
Re-organising the recycled vertex IDs list intends to reduce the size of the
list.
This list is organised as a LIFO (or stack.) By reorganising it in a way
so that the least vertex ID numbers are on top, the list will be kept
smaller as observed on some examples (less than 30%.)
* CoreDb: Accept storage trie deletion requests in non-initialised state
why:
Due to lazy initialisation, the root vertex ID might not yet exist. So
the `Aristo` database handlers would reject this call with an error and
this condition needs to be handled by the API (which realises the lazy
feature.)
* Cosmetics & code massage, prettify logging
* fix missing import
* CoreDb: Improve API and API tracking
why:
Now logs state roots where appropriate
* CoreDb: re-implement `CoreDbVidRef` => `CoreDbTrieRef`
why:
Instead of a root vertex ID wrapper, the purpose of this object type
has been upgrades to a sub-trie prototype.
caveat:
`Aristo` backend not fully functional, yet.
* CoreDb: Update `Aristo` backend
why:
Supports virtual sub-tries
* CoreDb: Account address tracking for `StorageTrie` virtual tries
details:
Supported with API tracking/logging
* CoreDb: Keep account address in payload object
why:
No need to provide extra address argument for `merge()`, also
provides tracking possibility for account debugging.
* Ledger: Update new API for `Aristo` specific storage trie handling
* CoreDb+Ledger: Update unit tests
* Fix copyright headers
* Aristo: Update unit test suite
* Aristo/Kvt: Fix iterators
why:
Generic iterators were not properly updated after backend change
* Aristo: Add sub-trie deletion functionality
why:
For storage tries linked to an account payload vertex ID, a the
whole storage trie needs to be deleted with the account.
* Aristo: Reserve vertex ID numbers for static custom state roots
why:
Static custom state roots may be controlled by an application,
e.g. for a receipt or a transaction root. The `Aristo` functions
are agnostic of what the static state roots are when different
from the internal tree vertex ID 1.
details;
The `merge()` function applied to a non-static state root (assumed
to be a storage root) will check the payload of an accounts leaf
and mark its Merkle keys to be re-checked.
* Aristo: Correct error code symbol
* Aristo: Update error code symbols
* Aristo: Code cosmetics/comments
* Aristo: Fix hashify schedule calculator
why:
Had a tendency to stop early leaving an incomplete job
* Return slots when verifying witness regardless of code length.
* Prevent AccountCache WitnessData codeTouched from being reset.
* Default to using {wfNoFlag} for witness flags in tests to allow running with data from before EIP170.
* Add additional json files to experimental JSON RPC test.
* Use HTTP RPC server in tests.
* Add test to check that block witness contains bytecode.
* Completed draft implementation of witness JSON-RPC endpoints for portal network bridge.
* Updated Nimbus RPC configuration to support enabling experimental endpoints.
* Moved witness verification tests.
* Added json test for getProof.
* Added main procs to new tests to fix test suite.
* Added getBlockWitness test to blockchain json test suite.
* Added tests for experimental RPC endpoints and improved the API to support returning state proofs from before or after block execution.
* Correctly rollback transaction in getBlockWitness proc.
* Aristo: Re-phrase `LayerDelta` and `LayerFinal` as object references
why:
Avoids copying in some cases
* Fix copyright header
* Aristo: Verify `leafTie.root` function argument for `merge()` proc
why:
Zero root will lead to inconsistent DB entry
* Aristo: Update failure condition for hash labels compiler `hashify()`
why:
Node need not be rejected as long as links are on the schedule. In
that case, `redo[]` is to become `wff.base[]` at a later stage.
This amends an earlier fix, part of #1952 by also testing against
the target nodes of the `wff.base[]` sets.
* Aristo: Add storage root glue record to `hashify()` schedule
why:
An account leaf node might refer to a non-resolvable storage root ID.
Storage root node chains will end up at the storage root. So the link
`storage-root->account-leaf` needs an extra item in the schedule.
* Aristo: fix error code returned by `fetchPayload()`
details:
Final error code is implied by the error code form the `hikeUp()`
function.
* CoreDb: Discard `createOk` argument in API `getRoot()` function
why:
Not needed for the legacy DB. For the `Arsto` DB, a lazy approach is
implemented where a stprage root node is created on-the-fly.
* CoreDb: Prevent `$$` logging in some cases
why:
Logging the function `$$` is not useful when it is used for internal
use, i.e. retrieving an an error text for logging.
* CoreDb: Add `tryHashFn()` to API for pretty printing
why:
Pretty printing must not change the hashification status for the
`Aristo` DB. So there is an independent API wrapper for getting the
node hash which never updated the hashes.
* CoreDb: Discard `update` argument in API `hash()` function
why:
When calling the API function `hash()`, the latest state is always
wanted. For a version that uses the current state as-is without checking,
the function `tryHash()` was added to the backend.
* CoreDb: Update opaque vertex ID objects for the `Aristo` backend
why:
For `Aristo`, vID objects encapsulate a numeric `VertexID`
referencing a vertex (rather than a node hash as used on the
legacy backend.) For storage sub-tries, there might be no initial
vertex known when the descriptor is created. So opaque vertex ID
objects are supported without a valid `VertexID` which will be
initalised on-the-fly when the first item is merged.
* CoreDb: Add pretty printer for opaque vertex ID objects
* Cosmetics, printing profiling data
* CoreDb: Fix segfault in `Aristo` backend when creating MPT descriptor
why:
Missing initialisation error
* CoreDb: Allow MPT to inherit shared context on `Aristo` backend
why:
Creates descriptors with different storage roots for the same
shared `Aristo` DB descriptor.
* Cosmetics, update diagnostic message items for `Aristo` backend
* Fix Copyright year
* Fix issue causing vmflags to be reset during call to processBlocks and enable witness generation in test_blockchain_json test.
* Fix copyright notice on updated files.
* Initial implementation of eth_getProof endpoint.
* Implemented generation of account and storage proofs.
* Minor fixes and additional tests.
* Refactor getBranch code into a separate file.
* Improve usage of test data.
* Fix copyright year.
* Return zero hash for codeHash and storageHash if account doesn't exist.
* Update copyright notice and moved trie key hashing to inside getBranch proc.
* Update KVT layers abstraction
details:
modelled after Aristo layers
* Simplified KVT database iterators (removed item counters)
why:
Not needed for production functions
* Simplify KVT merge function `layersCc()`
* Simplified Aristo database iterators (removed item counters)
why:
Not needed for production functions
* Update failure condition for hash labels compiler `hashify()`
why:
Node need not be rejected as long as links are on the schedule. In
that case, `redo[]` is to become `wff.base[]` at a later stage.
* Update merging layers and label update functions
why:
+ Merging a stack of layers with `layersCc()` could be simplified
+ Merging layers will optimise the reverse `kMap[]` table maps
`pAmk: label->{vid, ..}` by deleting empty mappings `label->{}` where
they are redundant.
+ Updated `layersPutLabel()` for optimising `pAmk[]` tables
* Fix kvt headers
* Provide differential layers for KVT transaction stack
why:
Significant performance improvement
* Provide abstraction layer for database top cache layer
why:
This will eventually implemented as a differential database layers
or transaction layers. The latter is needed to improve performance.
behavioural changes:
Zero vertex and keys (i.e. delete requests) are not optimised out
until the last layer is written to the database.
* Provide differential layers for Aristo transaction stack
why:
Significant performance improvement
* Activate `LedgerRef` wrapper for `AccountsCache`
details:
`accounts_cache.nim` methods are indirectly processed by the wrapper
methods from `ledger.nim`.
This works for all sources except `test_state_db.nim` where the source
`accounts_cache.nim` is included (rather than imported) in order to
access objects privy to the very source.
* Provide facility to switch to a preselected `LedgerRef` type
details:
Can be set as suggestion when initialising `CommonRef`
* Update `CoreDb` test suite for better time tracking
details:
+ Allow time logging by pre-defined block intervals
+ Print `CoreDb`/`Ledger`profiling results (if enabled)
* Explicitly use shared `Kvt` table on `Ledger` and `Clique` lookup.
why:
Speeds up lookup time with `Aristo` backend. For writing `Clique` data,
the `Companion` model allows to write `Clique` data past the database
locked by evm transactions.
* Implement `CoreDb` profiling with API tracking
why:
Chasing time spent per APT procs ...
* Implement `Ledger` profiling with API tracking
why:
Chasing time spent per APT procs ...
* Always hashify when commiting or storing
why:
A dirty cache makes no sense when committing
* Make sure that a zero key is created when adding/updating vertices
why:
This is an error fix mainly for edge cases. A typical error was
that the root key got deleted when there were only a few vertices
left on the DB.
* Need all created and changed vertices zero-keyed on the cache
why:
A zero key (i.e. empty Merkle hash) indicates that a vertex key
needs to be updated. This would not be needed immediately after
a merge as there is an actual leaf path on the cache layer. But
after subsequent merge and delete operations this information
might get blurred.
* Re-org hashing algorithm
why:
Apart from errors, the previous implementation was too slow for
two reasons:
+ some control hashes were calculated for debugging (now all
verification is done in `aristo_check` module)
+ the leaf paths stored on the cache are used to build the
labelling (aka hashing) schedule; there paths were accumulated
over successive hash sessions although it is clear that all
keys were generated, already
* Register paths for added leafs because of trie re-balancing
why:
While the payload would not change, the prefix in the leaf vertex
would. So it needs to be flagged for hash recompilation for the
`hashify()` module.
also:
Make sure that `Hike` paths which might have vertex links into the
backend filter are replaced by vertex copies before manipulating.
Otherwise the vertices on the immutable filter might be involuntarily
changed.
* Also check for paths where the leaf vertex is on the backend, already
why:
A a path can have dome vertices on the top layer cache with the
`Leaf` vertex on the backend.
* Re-define a void `HashLabel` type.
why:
A `HashLabel` type is a pair `(root-vertex-ID, Keccak-hash)`. Previously,
a valid `HashLabel` consisted of a non-empty hash and a non-zero vertex
ID. This definition leads to a non-unique representation of a void
`HashLabel` with either root-ID or has void. This has been changed to
the unique void `HashLabel` exactly if the hash entry is void.
* Update consistency checkers
* Re-org `hashify()` procedure
why:
Syncing against block chain showed serious deficiencies which produced
wrong hashes or simply bailed out with error.
So all fringe cases (mainly due to deleted entries) could be integrated
into the labelling schedule rather than handling separate fringe cases.
* Fix copyright year
* Show elapsed times with enabled `CoreDb` API tracking
* Show elapsed times with enabled `LedgerRef` API tracking
* Reorg `CoreDb` auto destructors for `Aristo` DB
why:
While `Aristo` supports some parallelism for concurrent database access,
this comes with a price of management overhead. With a naive approach,
the auto-destructor will slow down execution because the ledger and
evm treat the database in a shared mode where a DB descriptor is just
created and thrown away shortly after.
This is reflected in the `Coredb` abstraction layer above `Aristo`/`Kvt`
where a few `Shared` type descriptors are cached and a shared reference
is returned rather than a disposable new object.
* For `CoreDb` support transaction level tracking
details:
This is mainly an extra for the legacy DB as `Aristo` and `Kvt` support
this already.
Also return an error on the legacy DB backend when `persistent()` is
called while there are transactions pending (the `persistent()` call
does nothing otherwise on the legacy backend.)
* Clear compiler warnings (remove unused variables etc.)
* Using different `tmp` directories for `Kvt` and `Aristo`
why:
Closing one database would leave the other set of directories
incomplete.
* Code cosmetics, silence compiler
* Fix typo `EMPTY_ROOT_HASH` vs. `EMPTY_CODE_HASH`
* Fix copyright years
* Split off `ReadOnlyStateDB` from `AccountStateDB` from `state_db.nim`
why:
Apart from testing, applications use `ReadOnlyStateDB` as an easy
way to access the accounts ledger. This is well supported by the
`Aristo` db, but writable mode is only parially supported.
The writable AccountStateDB` object for modifying accounts is not
used by production code.
So, for lecgacy and testing apps, the full support of the previous
`AccountStateDB` is now enabled by `import db/state_db/read_write`
and the `import db/state_db` provides read-only mode.
* Encapsulate `AccountStateDB` as `GenesisLedgerRef` or genesis creation
why:
`AccountStateDB` has poor support for `Aristo` and is not widely used
in favour of `AccountsLedger` (which will be abstracted as `ledger`.)
Currently, using other than the `AccountStateDB` ledgers within the
`GenesisLedgerRef` wrapper is experimental and test only. Eventually,
the wrapper should disappear so that the `Ledger` object (which
encapsulates `AccountsCache` and `AccountsLedger`) will prevail.
* For the `Ledger`, provide access to raw accounts `MPT`
why:
This gives to the `CoreDbMptRef` descriptor from the `CoreDb` (which is
the legacy version of CoreDxMptRef`.) For the new `ledger` API, the
accounts are based on the `CoreDxMAccRef` descriptor which uses a
particular sub-system for accounts while legacy applications use the
`CoreDbPhkRef` equivalent of the `SecureHexaryTrie`.
The only place where this feature will currently be used is the
`genesis.nim` source file.
* Fix `Aristo` bugs, missing boundary checks, typos, etc.
* Verify root vertex in `MPT` and account constructors
why:
Was missing so far, in particular the accounts constructor must
verify `VertexID(1)
* Fix include file
* Disable `TransactionID` related functions from `state_db.nim`
why:
Functions `getCommittedStorage()` and `updateOriginalRoot()` from
the `state_db` module are nowhere used. The emulation of a legacy
`TransactionID` type functionality is administratively expensive to
provide by `Aristo` (the legacy DB version is only partially
implemented, anyway).
As there is no other place where `TransactionID`s are used, they will
not be provided by the `Aristo` variant of the `CoreDb`. For the
legacy DB API, nothing will change.
* Fix copyright headers in source code
* Get rid of compiler warning
* Update Aristo code, remove unused `merge()` variant, export `hashify()`
why:
Adapt to upcoming `CoreDb` wrapper
* Remove synced tx feature from `Aristo`
why:
+ This feature allowed to synchronise transaction methods like begin,
commit, and rollback for a group of descriptors.
+ The feature is over engineered and not needed for `CoreDb`, neither
is it complete (some convergence features missing.)
* Add debugging helpers to `Kvt`
also:
Update database iterator, add count variable yield argument similar
to `Aristo`.
* Provide optional destructors for `CoreDb` API
why;
For the upcoming Aristo wrapper, this allows to control when certain
smart destruction and update can take place. The auto destructor works
fine in general when the storage/cache strategy is known and acceptable
when creating descriptors.
* Add update option for `CoreDb` API function `hash()`
why;
The hash function is typically used to get the state root of the MPT.
Due to lazy hashing, this might be not available on the `Aristo` DB.
So the `update` function asks for re-hashing the gurrent state changes
if needed.
* Update API tracking log mode: `info` => `debug
* Use shared `Kvt` descriptor in new Ledger API
why:
No need to create a new descriptor all the time
* Fix debug noise in `hashify()` for perfectly normal situation
why:
Was previously considered a fixable error
* Fix test sample file names
why:
The larger test file `goerli68161.txt.gz` is already in the local
archive. So there is no need to use the smaller one from the external
repo.
* Activate `accounts_cache` module from `db/ledger`
why:
A copy of the original `accounts_cache.nim` source to be integrated
into the `Ledger` module wrapper which allows to switch between
different `accounts_cache` implementations unser tha same API.
details:
At a later state, the `db/accounts_cache.nim` wrapper will be
removed so that there is only one access to that module via
`db/ledger/accounts_cache.nim`.
* Fix copyright headers in source code
* Aristo: Provide key-value list signature calculator
detail:
Simple wrappers around `Aristo` core functionality
* Update new API for `CoreDb`
details:
+ Renamed new API functions `contains()` => `hasKey()` or `hasPath()`
which disables the `in` operator on non-boolean `contains()` functions
+ The functions `get()` and `fetch()` always return a not-found error if
there is no item, available. The new functions `getOrEmpty()` and
`mergeOrEmpty()` return an an empty `Blob` if there is no such key
found.
* Rewrite `core_apps.nim` using new API from `CoreDb`
* Use `Aristo` functionality for calculating Merkle signatures
details:
For debugging, the `VerifyAristoForMerkleRootCalc` can be set so
that `Aristo` results will be verified against the legacy versions.
* Provide general interface for Merkle signing key-value tables
details:
Export `Aristo` wrappers
* Activate `CoreDb` tests
why:
Now, API seems to be stable enough for general tests.
* Update `toHex()` usage
why:
Byteutils' `toHex()` is superior to `toSeq.mapIt(it.toHex(2)).join`
* Split `aristo_transcode` => `aristo_serialise` + `aristo_blobify`
why:
+ Different modules for different purposes
+ `aristo_serialise`: RLP encoding/decoding
+ `aristo_blobify`: Aristo database encoding/decoding
* Compacted representation of small nodes' links instead of Keccak hashes
why:
Ethereum MPTs use Keccak hashes as node links if the size of an RLP
encoded node is at least 32 bytes. Otherwise, the RLP encoded node
value is used as a pseudo node link (rather than a hash.) Such a node
is nor stored on key-value database. Rather the RLP encoded node value
is stored instead of a lode link in a parent node instead. Only for
the root hash, the top level node is always referred to by the hash.
This feature needed an abstraction of the `HashKey` object which is now
either a hash or a blob of length at most 31 bytes. This leaves two
ways of representing an empty/void `HashKey` type, either as an empty
blob of zero length, or the hash of an empty blob.
* Update `CoreDb` interface (mainly reducing logger noise)
* Fix copyright years (to make `Lint` happy)
Advaita Saha
Jordan Hrycaj
web3-developer
andri lim