Guide: Define the difference between Subnet and L1 Validators

content/guide/etna-changes.mdx

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ This guide outlines the operational impact on existing network participants expe
 
 ## Vocabulary, New and Old
 
-- **L1**: An Avalanche Layer 1 Network, previously called an Avalanche “Subnet”. An L1 is a sovereign network that has its own dynamic set of validators, rules for network participation, and defines its own validator rewards incentives.
-- **L1-only-validator**: A validator that only validates an Avalanche layer 1 blockchain (Previously called a Subnet-only-validator in ACP-77). These validators are not required to stake 2000 AVAX, or validate the Avalanche Primary Network. They instead pay a continuous fee in order to participate in L1 validation.
+- **L1**: An Avalanche Layer 1 Network. An L1 is a sovereign network that has its own dynamic set of validators, rules for network participation, and defines its own validator rewards incentives.
+- **L1-validator**: A validator that only validates an Avalanche layer 1 blockchain. These validators are not required to stake 2000 AVAX, or validate the Avalanche Primary Network. They instead pay a continuous fee in order to participate in L1 validation.
 - **ACP-77**: The Avalanche Community Proposal that outlines a new framework for creating low-cost, independent blockchains that can _easily_ interoperate with each other. You can read the full proposal [here](https://github.com/avalanche-foundation/ACPs/blob/main/ACPs/77-reinventing-subnets/README.md).
 - **The Primary Network**: The Avalanche X,P, and C-Chains, a.k.a. the 3 primary blockchains that most validators currently sync on Avalanche Mainnet.
 

content/guide/subnet-vs-l1-validators.mdx

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+---
+title: Subnet & L1 Validators, What's the Difference?
+description: This guide defines the difference between Subnet and L1 validators, differentiating the roles and responsibilities of each.
+date: 2024-12-04
+authors: [meagfitzgerald]
+topics: [Avalanche Network Upgrade, Etna Upgrade, Validators, Layer 1, L1, L1 Validators, Subnet Validators]
+comments: true
+---
+
+The Etna Upgrade introduced L1s to the Avalanche network, providing an enhanced sovereign network design to the original Subnet model. 
+
+**L1 Validators**, introduced with ACP-77, represent a departure from this model, enabling the creation of sovereign L1 networks with minimal dependency on the Primary Network. 
+Unlike Subnet validators, L1 validators do not stake AVAX but instead pay a dynamic monthly fee, initially set at approximately 1.3 AVAX. 
+They are exempt from validating the Primary Network, reducing their resource requirements and making L1 validation more accessible. 
+This approach fosters economic inclusivity and sovereignty, allowing developers to define custom validation logic via smart contracts and operate independent networks without staking the Primary Network.  
+
+## Primary Network Validators
+
+Primary Network validators are responsible for processing transactions, securing the network, and participating in consensus and governance decisions. They must stake a minimum of 2,000 AVAX and validate all three primary network chains: the X, P, and C-Chain. 
+These validators earn rewards in exchange for enhancing the security of the network. Their role is crucial for the seamless operation of the broader Avalanche ecosystem. 
+
+As far as it relates to ACP-77 and the Etna Upgrade, the requirements for Primary Network validation **are not changing** with the Etna Upgrade. 
+
+## Subnet Validators
+
+Subnet validators are essentially Primary Network validators with additional permissions. They must:
+
+- Stake 2,000 AVAX on the Primary Network
+- Specify an "end time" for their validation period
+- Sync and validate the Primary Network (X, P, and C-Chains)
+- Sync and validate a specific Subnet 
+
+For context, the creation of a Subnet involves issuing a `CreateSubnetTx` on the P-Chain, assigning an Owner Key to manage its validator set. 
+After this, the holder(s) of the Owner Key can add and remove validators from the Subnet's validator set using the P-Chain transactions `AddSubnetValidatorTx` and `RemoveSubnetValidatorTx`. 
+These transactions were created pre-Etna for Subnet management and are still valid post-Etna.
+
+## L1 Validators
+
+L1 validators are a new addition to the Avalanche ecosystem, introduced with ACP-77 and the Etna Upgrade. A Subnet can be converted 
+by the Owner to a sovereign L1 with `ConvertSubnetToL1Tx`, a new P-Chain transaction introduced in this upgrade. This transaction revokes the authority to add and remove Subnet validators from the original Owner Key, and sets the validator
+set management to the `address` specified. After a successful `ConvertSubnetToL1Tx`, `AddSubnetValidatorTx` is permanently disabled, and any validator set additions must be coordinated through a `RegisterL1ValidatorTx` (also introduced in ACP-77) which can only add **L1 validators**. 
+
+L1 validators are required to:
+- Pay a continuous dynamic fee, initially set at approximately 1.33 AVAX per month
+- Sync and validate a specific L1
+- Sync the latest P-Chain state
+
+L1 validators do not need to:
+- Stake 2,000 AVAX
+- Validate or participate in consensus on the Primary Network (X, P, and C-Chains)
+
+Unless removed by the Owner Key, any Subnet validator added to the network before `ConvertSubnetToL1Tx` will continue to validate the network until its "end time" is reached.