New .eth registrations would pause for hours during the transition, while existing domain holders could renew their names without migrating.

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is seeking approval from its decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to activate an upgraded naming protocol on the Ethereum mainnet.

ENS founder Nick Johnson submitted an executable draft proposal to activate ENSv2, the next version of the protocol. If approved, the upgrade would freeze new registrations on the original ENS registrar while allowing existing domain holders to continue renewing their names.

The upgrade introduces a redesigned registry architecture with more flexible domain management and permissions. After the activation, ENS Labs plans to transfer its remaining administrative control over the upgraded contracts to the DAO.

New .eth registrations would move to the upgraded system once domain records have been synchronized. Johnson warned that new registrations would be temporarily unavailable on either version for several hours during the transition.

Existing domain holders are not required to migrate, and their names would continue functioning normally, according to the proposal. ENS Labs also reserved existing .eth names for their current owners on the upgraded system, allowing users to migrate when ready.

The activation proposal remains in draft stage and must advance to an onchain DAO vote before implementation.

Under ENS governance rules, executable proposals require at least 1% voter participation, representing 1 million ENS votes, and majority approval during a seven-day voting period. If approved, the upgrade would be subject to a minimum two-day timelock before execution. A voting date has not yet been announced.

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