The new class is accessed via the Params() method and holds
most things that vary between main, test and regtest networks.
The regtest mode has two purposes, one is to run the
bitcoind/bitcoinj comparison tool which compares two separate
implementations of the Bitcoin protocol looking for divergence.
The other is that when run, you get a local node which can mine
a single block instantly, which is highly convenient for testing
apps during development as there's no need to wait 10 minutes for
a block on the testnet.
It seems there were two mechanisms for assessing whether a CNode
was still in use: a refcount and a release timestamp. The latter
seems to have been there for a long time, as a safety mechanism.
However, this timer also keeps CNode objects alive for far longer
than necessary after disconnects, potentially opening up a DoS
window.
This commit removes the timestamp-based mechanism, and replaces
it with an assert(nRefCount >= 0), to verify that the refcounting
is indeed correctly working.
Mike Hearn