Error Slot must increase when requesting pending state

[magecnion]

Description

When requesting the "pending" state with the following command:
curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0", "method": "eth_getStorageAt", "params": ["0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000", "0x0", "pending"], "id": 1}' 127.0.0.1:9999

The node panics with the following error:

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","error":{"code":-32603,"message":"Create pending runtime api error: Failed to call runtime API, Execution failed: Runtime panicked: Slot must increase"},"id":1}

Steps to Reproduce

1. Go to https://github.com/freeverseio/laos/tree/fix/deploy-contract-using-hardhat
2. Run a local network using Zombienet
3. Wait until parachain starts producing blocks
4. Run the following command: curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0", "method": "eth_getStorageAt", "params": ["0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000", "0x0", "pending"], "id": 1}' 127.0.0.1:9999
5. See error

[boundless-forest]

If you are building a parachain, you need to ensure that the inherent can be converted to extrinsic successfully; otherwise, this error will be reported. I submitted a patch for the Darwinia chain today: darwinia-network/darwinia#1608 for your reference.

[magecnion]

Thanks for the reference @boundless-forest. Even though I have applied your patch, the error persists. It might also be worth mentioning that we haven't activated async backing yet.

[magecnion]

Actually, @boundless-forest I have run koy-dev chain locally with async backing deactivated (ie: setting type AllowMultipleBlocksPerSlot = ConstBool<false>) and it panics with Slot must increase message:

RUST_LOG=aura=debug ./target/release/darwinia --chain koi-dev --tmp --alice
...
2024-10-10 16:02:42.605 ERROR tokio-runtime-worker runtime: panicked at /home/magecnion/.cargo/git/checkouts/polkadot-sdk-38f315c8db144fd3/5811785/substrate/frame/aura/src/lib.rs:139:21:
Slot must increase 

I wonder if I can do this works without to have to activate async backing

[magecnion]

I realized that the pending API uses the DigestItem to inform the runtime about the next slot. Since the slot is calculated using the current timestamp, the resulting slot is the same as the one received from the pallet. Therefore, it makes sense that the Slot must increase error is raised.

I fixed this by sending an advanced timestamp in the inherents (freeverseio/laos#801)

cc @boundless-forest