diff --git a/node/src/database.rs b/node/src/database.rs
index 5ca7413113..65a031b016 100644
--- a/node/src/database.rs
+++ b/node/src/database.rs
@@ -142,19 +142,16 @@ pub struct Register {
 
 impl Serializable for Register {
     fn write<W: Write>(&self, w: &mut W) -> io::Result<()> {
-        w.write_all(&self.mrb_hash[..])?;
-        w.write_all(&self.state_hash[..])
+        w.write_all(&self.mrb_hash)?;
+        w.write_all(&self.state_hash)
     }
 
     fn read<R: Read>(r: &mut R) -> io::Result<Self>
     where
         Self: Sized,
     {
-        let mut mrb_hash = [0u8; 32];
-        r.read_exact(&mut mrb_hash[..])?;
-
-        let mut state_hash = [0u8; 32];
-        r.read_exact(&mut state_hash[..])?;
+        let mrb_hash = Self::read_bytes(r)?;
+        let state_hash = Self::read_bytes(r)?;
 
         Ok(Self {
             mrb_hash,
diff --git a/node/src/network/frame.rs b/node/src/network/frame.rs
index 820633c3ec..342cf817b9 100644
--- a/node/src/network/frame.rs
+++ b/node/src/network/frame.rs
@@ -38,21 +38,13 @@ impl Pdu {
         }
         .write(&mut header_buf)?;
 
-        let frame_size = (header_buf.len() + payload_buf.len()) as u64;
-
-        Ok(
-            [Vec::from(frame_size.to_le_bytes()), header_buf, payload_buf]
-                .concat(),
-        )
+        Ok([header_buf, payload_buf].concat())
     }
 
     pub fn decode<R: Read>(r: &mut R) -> io::Result<Self>
     where
         Self: Sized,
     {
-        let mut buf = [0u8; 8];
-        r.read_exact(&mut buf)?;
-
         let header = Header::read(r)?;
         let payload = Message::read(r)?;
 
@@ -62,9 +54,9 @@ impl Pdu {
 
 impl Serializable for Header {
     fn write<W: Write>(&self, w: &mut W) -> io::Result<()> {
-        w.write_all(&self.version[..])?;
+        w.write_all(&self.version)?;
         w.write_all(&self.reserved.to_le_bytes())?;
-        w.write_all(&self.checksum[..])?;
+        w.write_all(&self.checksum)?;
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -73,15 +65,9 @@ impl Serializable for Header {
     where
         Self: Sized,
     {
-        let mut version = [0u8; 8];
-        r.read_exact(&mut version)?;
-
-        let mut buf = [0u8; 8];
-        r.read_exact(&mut buf)?;
-        let reserved = u64::from_le_bytes(buf);
-
-        let mut checksum = [0u8; 4];
-        r.read_exact(&mut checksum)?;
+        let version = Self::read_bytes(r)?;
+        let reserved = Self::read_u64_le(r)?;
+        let checksum = Self::read_bytes(r)?;
 
         Ok(Header {
             version,
@@ -102,16 +88,3 @@ fn calc_checksum(buf: &[u8]) -> [u8; 4] {
     v.clone_from_slice(&res[0..4]);
     v
 }
-
-#[cfg(test)]
-mod tests {
-    use super::*;
-
-    #[ignore = "We are incompatible with `dusk-blockchain`'s protocol, which is what this was meant to test"]
-    #[test]
-    fn test_block() {
-        let hexdata = "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";
-        let data = hex::decode(hexdata).unwrap();
-        let _data = Pdu::decode(&mut &data[..]).unwrap();
-    }
-}
diff --git a/node/testbed.sh b/node/testbed.sh
index dd3041745d..8dc5da859b 100755
--- a/node/testbed.sh
+++ b/node/testbed.sh
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ do
   #delay=$(($i))
   #sleep 20
 
-  run_node "$BOOTSTRAP_ADDR" "127.0.0.1:$PORT" "debug" "$DUSK_WALLET_DIR" "$i" "$TEMPD" "127.0.0.1:$WS_PORT" &
+  run_node "$BOOTSTRAP_ADDR" "127.0.0.1:$PORT" "info" "$DUSK_WALLET_DIR" "$i" "$TEMPD" "127.0.0.1:$WS_PORT" &
 
   # wait for bootstrappers 
   # TODO