U.S. patent application number 17/113574 was filed with the patent office on 2022-06-09 for minimizing the impact of malfunctioning peers on blockchain.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Nitin Gaur, Petr Novotny, Lei Yu, Qi Zhang.
Application Number | 20220182443 17/113574 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-06-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220182443 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhang; Qi ; et al. |
June 9, 2022 |
MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF MALFUNCTIONING PEERS ON BLOCKCHAIN
Abstract
A computer-implemented system and related method address
malfunctioning peers in a blockchain, the method comprising
receiving endorsement results from peers in the blockchain, where
the endorsement results are for one or more transactions in the
blockchain. The endorsement results include successful and failed
endorsements. The method further comprises distributing the
successful and failed endorsements to two or more endorsement
collectors, determining which peers are successful endorsement
peers (SEPs) that provided successful endorsements, and which peers
are failed endorsement peers (FEPs) that provided failed
endorsements. A reputation score is calculated for each peer based
on endorsement information from the endorsement collectors. The
reputation score is then sent to at least one of a client and a
system administrator. This reputation score is then used to
determine peer selection in a subsequent transaction.
Inventors: |
Zhang; Qi; (Elmsford,
NY) ; Novotny; Petr; (Mount Kisco, NY) ; Yu;
Lei; (Sleepy Hollow, NY) ; Gaur; Nitin; (Round
Rock, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/113574 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2020 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/08 20060101
H04L029/08; H04L 12/26 20060101 H04L012/26 |
Claims
1. A method to address malfunctioning peers in a blockchain, the
method comprising: receiving endorsement results from peers in the
blockchain, wherein: the endorsement results are for one or more
transactions in the blockchain; and the endorsement results include
successful and failed endorsements for the one or more transactions
in the blockchain; distributing the successful and failed
endorsements to two or more endorsement collectors; determining
which peers are successful endorsement peers (SEPs) that provided
successful endorsements of the blockchain transactions, and which
peers are failed endorsement peers (FEPs) that provided failed
endorsements of the blockchain transactions; calculating a
reputation score for each peer based on endorsement information
from the endorsement collectors; sending the reputation score to a
client and a system administrator; using the reputation score to
determine peer selection in a subsequent transaction; grouping the
peers based on their endorsement results; and sorting the groups
based on a quantity of peers in each group; wherein: a reduction in
the reputation for peers in a larger group is less than a reduction
in the reputation for peers in a smaller group; the method further
comprising: setting the reputation score at an initial value for a
new peer; adjusting any of the reputation scores in a first
direction conditioned upon a successful endorsement from the new
peer by adding one to the reputation score; and adjusting any of
the reputation scores in a second and opposite direction
conditioned upon a failed endorsement from the new peer by dividing
the reputation score in half.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting one or more
peers not used for the endorsement results; and utilizing the
selected one or more peers for the subsequent transaction in lieu
of the FEPs.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the utilizing is conditioned upon
the FEP having a reputation score below a predetermined threshold
value.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: grouping the SEPs
into a group; and refining the reputation score for each peer by
increasing the reputation score for each peer in a larger
group.
5-6. (canceled)
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the adjusting of the reputation
scores are provided by a user plugin component.
8. (canceled)
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by a
probing client, that a peer is inactive; probing the inactive peer
by the probing client; gathering information about the inactive
peer by the probing client; and dependent on the gathered
information, modifying information about the inactive peer to
provide it an opportunity to participate in a transaction
endorsement.
10. A system to address malfunctioning peers in a blockchain, the
system comprising: a memory; and a processor configured to: receive
endorsement results from peers in the blockchain, wherein: the
endorsement results are for one or more transactions in the
blockchain; and the endorsement results include successful and
failed endorsements for the one or more transactions in the
blockchain; distribute the successful and failed endorsements to
two or more endorsement collectors; determine which peers are
successful endorsement peers (SEPs) that provided successful
endorsements of the blockchain transactions, and which peers are
failed endorsement peers (FEPs) that provided failed endorsements
of the blockchain transactions; calculate a reputation score for
each peer based on endorsement information from the endorsement
collectors; send the reputation score to a client and a system
administrator; use the reputation score to determine peer selection
in a subsequent transaction; grouping the peers based on their
endorsement results; and sorting the groups based on a quantity of
peers in each group; wherein: a reduction in the reputation for
peers in a larger group is less than a reduction in the reputation
for peers in a smaller group.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further
configured to: select one or more peers not used for the
endorsement results; and utilize the selected one or more peers for
the subsequent transaction in lieu of the FEPs.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the utilization is conditioned
upon the FEP having a reputation score below a predetermined
threshold value.
13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further
configured to: group the SEPs into a group; and refine the
reputation score for each peer by increasing the reputation score
for each peer in a larger group.
14. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further
configured to: set the reputation score at an initial value for a
new peer; adjust the reputation score in a first direction
conditioned upon a successful endorsement from the new peer; and
adjust the reputation score in a second and opposite direction
conditioned upon a failed endorsement from the new peer.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein: the adjustment of the
reputation score in a first direction is an addition of one to the
reputation score; and the adjustment of the reputation score in the
second and opposite direction is a division of the reputation score
in half.
16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user plugin
component by which the adjustment of the reputation scores are
provided.
17. (canceled)
18. The system of claim 10, further comprising: a probing client
that is configured to: determine that a peer is inactive; probe the
inactive peer; gather information about the inactive peer based on
the probing; and dependent on the gathered information, modify
information about the inactive peer to provide it an opportunity to
participate in a transaction endorsement.
19. A computer program product to address malfunctioning peers in a
blockchain, the computer program product comprising: one or more
computer readable storage media, and program instructions
collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage
media, the program instructions comprising program instructions to:
receive endorsement results from peers in the blockchain, wherein:
the endorsement results are for one or more transactions in the
blockchain; and the endorsement results include successful and
failed endorsements for the one or more transactions in the
blockchain; distribute the successful and failed endorsements to
two or more endorsement collectors; determine which peers are
successful endorsement peers (SEPs) that provided successful
endorsements of the blockchain transactions, and which peers are
failed endorsement peers (FEPs) that provided failed endorsements
of the blockchain transactions; calculate a reputation score for
each peer based on endorsement information from the endorsement
collectors; send the reputation score to a client and a system
administrator; and use the reputation score to determine peer
selection in a subsequent transaction; wherein the instructions
further configure the processor to: select one or more peers not
used for the endorsement results; utilize the selected one or more
peers for the subsequent transaction in lieu of the FEPs, wherein
the utilization is conditioned upon the FEP having a reputation
score below a predetermined threshold value. group the SEPs into a
group; refine the reputation score for each peer by increasing the
reputation score for each peer in a larger group; set the
reputation score at an initial value for a new peer; adjust the
reputation score in a first direction conditioned upon a successful
endorsement from the new peer; adjust the reputation score in a
second and opposite direction conditioned upon a failed endorsement
from the new peer, wherein: the adjustment of the reputation score
in a first direction is an addition of one to the reputation score;
and the adjustment of the reputation score in the second and
opposite direction is a division of the reputation score in half;
the program instructions further configuring the processor to:
group the peers based on their endorsement results; and sort the
groups based on a quantity of peers in each group; wherein: a
reduction in the reputation for peers in a larger group is less
than a reduction in the reputation for peers in a smaller group.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Disclosed herein is a system and related method for
minimizing the impact of malfunctioning peers on a blockchain.
Blockchain guarantees the reliability of transaction processing by
having multiple peers executing the same transaction and running a
consensus algorithm among the peers. Although some number of
malfunctioning peers can be tolerated (e.g., by using techniques
such as Byzantine fault tolerance and crash fault tolerance), these
do not represent an optimal solution to the problem.
SUMMARY
[0002] According to one aspect disclosed herein, a
computer-implemented method is provided to address malfunctioning
peers in a blockchain, the method comprising receiving endorsement
results from peers in the blockchain, where the endorsement results
are for one or more transactions in the blockchain. The endorsement
results include successful and failed endorsements. The method
further comprises distributing the successful and failed
endorsements to two or more endorsement collectors, determining
which peers are successful endorsement peers (SEPs) that provided
successful endorsements and which peers are failed endorsement
peers (FEPs) that provided failed endorsements. A reputation score
is calculated for each peer based on endorsement information from
the endorsement collectors. The reputation score is then sent to at
least one of a client and a system administrator. This reputation
score is then used to determine peer selection in a subsequent
transaction.
[0003] According to another aspect disclosed herein, a system is
provided to address malfunctioning peers in a blockchain, the
system comprising a memory and a processor configured to receive
endorsement results from peers in the blockchain, where the
endorsement results are for one or more transactions in the
blockchain. The endorsement results include successful and failed
endorsements. The system distributes the successful and failed
endorsements to two or more endorsement collectors, determines
which peers are successful endorsement peers (SEPs) that provided
successful endorsements and which peers are failed endorsement
peers (FEPs) that provided failed endorsements. The system then
calculates a reputation score for each peer based on endorsement
information from the endorsement collectors, and sends the
reputation score to at least one of a client and a system
administrator. The reputation score is used to determine peer
selection in a subsequent transaction.
[0004] Furthermore, embodiments may take the form of a related
computer program product that is used to implement the system and
method described above, accessible from a computer-usable or
computer-readable medium providing program code for use, by, or in
connection, with a computer or any instruction execution system.
For the purpose of this description, a computer-usable or
computer-readable medium may be any apparatus that may contain a
mechanism for storing, communicating, propagating, or transporting
the program for use, by, or in connection, with the instruction
execution system, apparatus, or device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] Various embodiments are described herein with reference to
different subject-matter. In particular, some embodiments may be
described with reference to methods, whereas other embodiments may
be described with reference to apparatuses and systems. However, a
person skilled in the art will gather from the above and the
following description that, unless otherwise notified, in addition
to any combination of features belonging to one type of
subject-matter, also any combination between features relating to
different subject-matter, in particular, between features of the
methods, and features of the apparatuses and systems, are
considered as to be disclosed within this document.
[0006] The aspects defined above, and further aspects disclosed
herein, are apparent from the examples of one or more embodiments
to be described hereinafter and are explained with reference to the
examples of the one or more embodiments, but to which the invention
is not limited. Various embodiments are described, by way of
example only, and with reference to the following drawings:
[0007] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a data processing system (DPS)
according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein.
[0008] FIG. 1B is a pictorial diagram that depicts a cloud
computing environment according to an embodiment disclosed
herein.
[0009] FIG. 1C is a pictorial diagram that depicts abstraction
model layers according to an embodiment disclosed herein.
[0010] FIG. 1D is a block diagram that illustrates a network
diagram of a system including a database, according to an example
embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 2A is a block diagram that illustrates an example
blockchain architecture configuration, according to example
embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 2B is a flow diagram that illustrates a blockchain
transactional flow, according to example embodiments.
[0013] FIG. 3A is a block diagram that illustrates a permissioned
network, according to example embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 3B is a block diagram that illustrates another
permissioned network, according to example embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 3C is a block diagram that illustrates a permissionless
network, according to example embodiments.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a basic
blockchain sequence.
[0017] FIG. 5A is a block diagram that illustrates an example
system configured to perform one or more operations described
herein, according to example embodiments.
[0018] FIG. 5B is a block diagram that illustrates another example
system configured to perform one or more operations described
herein, according to example embodiments.
[0019] FIG. 5C is a block diagram that illustrates a further
example system configured to utilize a smart contract, according to
example embodiments.
[0020] FIG. 5D is a block diagram that illustrates yet another
example system configured to utilize a blockchain, according to
example embodiments.
[0021] FIG. 6A is a block diagram that illustrates a process for a
new block being added to a distributed ledger, according to example
embodiments.
[0022] FIG. 6B is a block diagram that illustrates contents of a
new data block, according to example embodiments.
[0023] FIG. 6C is a block diagram that illustrates a blockchain for
digital content, according to example embodiments.
[0024] FIG. 6D is a block diagram that illustrates a block which
may represent the structure of blocks in the blockchain, according
to example embodiments.
[0025] FIG. 7A is a block diagram that illustrates an example
blockchain which stores machine learning (artificial intelligence)
data, according to example embodiments.
[0026] FIG. 7B is a block diagram that illustrates an example
quantum-secure blockchain, according to example embodiments.
[0027] FIG. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates a high-level
block diagram of an example computer system that may be used in
implementing one or more of the methods, tools, and modules, and
any related functions, described herein, in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 9 is a block diagram that illustrates an ordering
service for addressing malfunctioning peers in a blockchain,
according to some embodiments.
[0029] FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates a process for
addressing malfunctioning peers in a blockchain, according to some
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] The following acronyms may be used below: [0031] API
application program interface [0032] ARM advanced RISC machine
[0033] CD-ROM compact disc ROM [0034] CMS content management system
[0035] CoD capacity on demand [0036] CPU central processing unit
[0037] CUoD capacity upgrade on demand [0038] DPS data processing
system [0039] DVD digital versatile disk [0040] EVC expiring
virtual currency (a virtual currency having an expiration date, or
subject to other virtual currency usage rules; local virtual
currencies with expiration dates) [0041] EVCU expiring virtual
currency (units) [0042] EPROM erasable programmable read-only
memory [0043] FPGA field-programmable gate arrays [0044] HA high
availability [0045] IaaS infrastructure as a service [0046] I/O
input/output [0047] IPL initial program load [0048] ISP Internet
service provider [0049] ISA instruction-set-architecture [0050] LAN
local-area network [0051] LPAR logical partition [0052] PaaS
platform as a service [0053] PDA personal digital assistant [0054]
PLA programmable logic arrays [0055] RAM random access memory
[0056] RISC reduced instruction set computer [0057] ROM read-only
memory [0058] SaaS software as a service [0059] SLA service level
agreement [0060] SRAM static random-access memory [0061] VCUR
virtual currency usage rules [0062] WAN wide-area network
Data Processing System in General
[0063] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an example DPS according to
one or more embodiments. In this illustrative example, the DPS 10
may include communications bus 12, which may provide communications
between a processor unit 14, a memory 16, persistent storage 18, a
communications unit 20, an I/O unit 22, and a display 24.
[0064] The processor unit 14 serves to execute instructions for
software that may be loaded into the memory 16. The processor unit
14 may be a number of processors, a multi-core processor, or some
other type of processor, depending on the particular
implementation. A number, as used herein with reference to an item,
means one or more items. Further, the processor unit 14 may be
implemented using a number of heterogeneous processor systems in
which a main processor is present with secondary processors on a
single chip. As another illustrative example, the processor unit 14
may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple
processors of the same type.
[0065] The memory 16 and persistent storage 18 are examples of
storage devices 26. A storage device may be any piece of hardware
that is capable of storing information, such as, for example,
without limitation, data, program code in functional form, and/or
other suitable information either on a temporary basis and/or a
permanent basis. The memory 16, in these examples, may be, for
example, a random access memory or any other suitable volatile or
non-volatile storage device. The persistent storage 18 may take
various forms depending on the particular implementation.
[0066] For example, the persistent storage 18 may contain one or
more components or devices. For example, the persistent storage 18
may be a hard drive, a flash memory, a rewritable optical disk, a
rewritable magnetic tape, or some combination of the above. The
media used by the persistent storage 18 also may be removable. For
example, a removable hard drive may be used for the persistent
storage 18.
[0067] The communications unit 20 in these examples may provide for
communications with other DPSs or devices. In these examples, the
communications unit 20 is a network interface card. The
communications unit 20 may provide communications through the use
of either or both physical and wireless communications links.
[0068] The input/output unit 22 may allow for input and output of
data with other devices that may be connected to the DPS 10. For
example, the input/output unit 22 may provide a connection for user
input through a keyboard, a mouse, and/or some other suitable input
device. Further, the input/output unit 22 may send output to a
printer. The display 24 may provide a mechanism to display
information to a user.
[0069] Instructions for the operating system, applications, and/or
programs may be located in the storage devices 26, which are in
communication with the processor unit 14 through the communications
bus 12. In these illustrative examples, the instructions are in a
functional form on the persistent storage 18. These instructions
may be loaded into the memory 16 for execution by the processor
unit 14. The processes of the different embodiments may be
performed by the processor unit 14 using computer implemented
instructions, which may be located in a memory, such as the memory
16. These instructions are referred to as program code 38
(described below) computer usable program code, or computer
readable program code that may be read and executed by a processor
in the processor unit 14. The program code in the different
embodiments may be embodied on different physical or tangible
computer readable media, such as the memory 16 or the persistent
storage 18.
[0070] The DPS 10 may further comprise an interface for a network
29. The interface may include hardware, drivers, software, and the
like to allow communications over wired and wireless networks 29
and may implement any number of communication protocols, including
those, for example, at various levels of the Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) seven layer model.
[0071] FIG. 1A further illustrates a computer program product 30
that may contain the program code 38. The program code 38 may be
located in a functional form on the computer readable media 32 that
is selectively removable and may be loaded onto or transferred to
the DPS 10 for execution by the processor unit 14. The program code
38 and computer readable media 32 may form a computer program
product 30 in these examples. In one example, the computer readable
media 32 may be computer readable storage media 34 or computer
readable signal media 36. Computer readable storage media 34 may
include, for example, an optical or magnetic disk that is inserted
or placed into a drive or other device that is part of the
persistent storage 18 for transfer onto a storage device, such as a
hard drive, that is part of the persistent storage 18. The computer
readable storage media 34 also may take the form of a persistent
storage, such as a hard drive, a thumb drive, or a flash memory,
that is connected to the DPS 10. In some instances, the computer
readable storage media 34 may not be removable from the DPS 10.
[0072] Alternatively, the program code 38 may be transferred to the
DPS 10 using the computer readable signal media 36. The computer
readable signal media 36 may be, for example, a propagated data
signal containing the program code 38. For example, the computer
readable signal media 36 may be an electromagnetic signal, an
optical signal, and/or any other suitable type of signal. These
signals may be transmitted over communications links, such as
wireless communications links, optical fiber cable, coaxial cable,
a wire, and/or any other suitable type of communications link. In
other words, the communications link and/or the connection may be
physical or wireless in the illustrative examples.
[0073] In some illustrative embodiments, the program code 38 may be
downloaded over a network to the persistent storage 18 from another
device or DPS through the computer readable signal media 36 for use
within the DPS 10. For instance, program code stored in a computer
readable storage medium in a server DPS may be downloaded over a
network from the server to the DPS 10. The DPS providing the
program code 38 may be a server computer, a client computer, or
some other device capable of storing and transmitting the program
code 38.
[0074] The different components illustrated for the DPS 10 are not
meant to provide architectural limitations to the manner in which
different embodiments may be implemented. The different
illustrative embodiments may be implemented in a DPS, including
components in addition to or in place of those illustrated for the
DPS 10.
Cloud Computing in General
[0075] It is to be understood that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description of cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein is not limited to a cloud computing
environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are
capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of
computing environment now known or later developed.
[0076] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network
bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications,
virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0077] Characteristics are as Follows
[0078] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0079] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0080] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0081] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0082] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0083] Service Models are as Follows
[0084] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0085] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0086] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0087] Deployment Models are as Follows
[0088] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0089] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0090] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0091] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0092] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes.
[0093] Referring now to FIG. 1B, illustrative cloud computing
environment 52 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
52 includes one or more cloud computing nodes 50 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Nodes 50 may communicate with one
another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually,
in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or
Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof.
This allows cloud computing environment 52 to offer infrastructure,
platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer
does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It
is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in
FIG. 1B are intended to be illustrative only and that computing
nodes 50 and cloud computing environment 52 can communicate with
any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or
network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0094] Referring now to FIG. 1C, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment 52 (FIG. 1B) is
shown. It should be understood in advance that the components,
layers, and functions shown in FIG. 1C are intended to be
illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited
thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding
functions are provided:
[0095] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include:
mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture
based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65;
and networks and networking components 66. In some embodiments,
software components include network application server software 67
and database software 68.
[0096] Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73,
including virtual private networks; virtual applications and
operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.
[0097] In one example, management layer 80 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides
dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that
are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing
environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as
resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and
billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one
example, these resources may include application software licenses.
Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and
tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User
portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for
consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84
provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such
that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA)
planning and fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and
procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future
requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.
[0098] Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and
lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93;
data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and
ordering service 96.
[0099] Any of the nodes 50 in the computing environment 52 as well
as the computing devices 54A-N may be a DPS 10.
Blockchain Basic Detail
[0100] The instant components, as generally described and
illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in
a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following
detailed description of the embodiments of at least one of a
method, apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium and
system, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to
limit the scope of the application as claimed but is merely
representative of selected embodiments.
[0101] The instant features, structures, or characteristics as
described throughout this specification may be combined or removed
in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the
usage of the phrases "example embodiments", "some embodiments", or
other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the
fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic
described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at
least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "example
embodiments", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", or
other similar language, throughout this specification do not
necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the
described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined
or removed in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
Further, in the diagrams, any connection between elements can
permit one-way and/or two-way communication even if the depicted
connection is a one-way or two-way arrow. Also, any device depicted
in the drawings can be a different device. For example, if a mobile
device is shown sending information, a wired device could also be
used to send the information.
[0102] In addition, while the term "message" may have been used in
the description of embodiments, the application may be applied to
many types of networks and data. Furthermore, while certain types
of connections, messages, and signaling may be depicted in example
embodiments, the application is not limited to a certain type of
connection, message, and signaling.
[0103] Example embodiments provide methods, systems, components,
non-transitory computer readable media, devices, and/or networks,
which provide for implementing an expiration mechanism or other
virtual currency usage rules on virtual currencies in blockchain
networks.
[0104] In one embodiment, the application utilizes a decentralized
database (such as a blockchain) that is a distributed storage
system, which includes multiple nodes that communicate with each
other. The decentralized database includes an append-only immutable
data structure resembling a distributed ledger capable of
maintaining records between mutually untrusted parties. The
untrusted parties are referred to herein as peers or peer nodes.
Each peer maintains a copy of the database records and no single
peer can modify the database records without a consensus being
reached among the distributed peers. For example, the peers may
execute a consensus protocol to validate blockchain storage
transactions, group the storage transactions into blocks, and build
a hash chain over the blocks. This process forms the ledger by
ordering the storage transactions, as is necessary, for
consistency. In various embodiments, a permissioned and/or a
permissionless blockchain can be used. In a public or
permissionless blockchain, anyone can participate without a
specific identity. Public blockchains can involve native
cryptocurrency and use consensus based on various protocols such as
Proof of Work (PoW). On the other hand, a permissioned blockchain
database provides secure interactions among a group of entities
which share a common goal but which do not fully trust one another,
such as businesses that exchange funds, goods, information, and the
like.
[0105] This application can utilize a blockchain that operates
arbitrary, programmable logic, tailored to a decentralized storage
scheme and referred to as "smart contracts" or "chaincodes." In
some cases, specialized chaincodes may exist for management
functions and parameters which are referred to as system chaincode.
The application can further utilize smart contracts that are
trusted distributed applications which leverage tamper-proof
properties of the blockchain database and an underlying agreement
between nodes, which is referred to as an endorsement or
endorsement policy. Blockchain transactions associated with this
application can be "endorsed" before being committed to the
blockchain while transactions, which are not endorsed, are
disregarded. An endorsement policy allows chaincode to specify
endorsers for a transaction in the form of a set of peer nodes that
are necessary for endorsement. When a client sends the transaction
to the peers specified in the endorsement policy, the transaction
is executed to validate the transaction. After validation, the
transactions enter an ordering phase in which a consensus protocol
is used to produce an ordered sequence of endorsed transactions
grouped into blocks.
[0106] This application can utilize nodes that are the
communication entities of the blockchain system. A "node" may
perform a logical function in the sense that multiple nodes of
different types can run on the same physical server. Nodes are
grouped in trust domains and are associated with logical entities
that control them in various ways. Nodes may include different
types, such as a client or submitting-client node which submits a
transaction-invocation to an endorser (e.g., peer), and broadcasts
transaction-proposals to an ordering service (e.g., ordering node).
Another type of node is a peer node, which can receive client
submitted transactions, commit the transactions, and maintain a
state and a copy of the ledger of blockchain transactions. Peers
can also have the role of an endorser, although it is not a
requirement. An ordering-service-node or orderer is a node running
the communication service for all nodes and which implements a
delivery guarantee, such as a broadcast to each of the peer nodes
in the system when committing transactions and modifying a world
state of the blockchain, which is another name for the initial
blockchain transaction which normally includes control and setup
information.
[0107] This application can utilize a ledger that is a sequenced,
tamper-resistant record of all state transitions of a blockchain.
State transitions may result from chaincode invocations (i.e.,
transactions) submitted by participating parties (e.g., client
nodes, ordering nodes, endorser nodes, peer nodes, etc.). Each
participating party (such as a peer node) can maintain a copy of
the ledger. A transaction may result in a set of asset key-value
pairs being committed to the ledger as one or more operands, such
as creates, updates, deletes, and the like. The ledger includes a
blockchain (also referred to as a chain), which is used to store an
immutable, sequenced record in blocks. The ledger also includes a
state database that maintains a current state of the
blockchain.
[0108] This application can utilize a chain that is a transaction
log that is structured as hash-linked blocks, and each block
contains a sequence of N transactions where N is equal to or
greater than one. The block header includes a hash of the block's
transactions, as well as a hash of the prior block's header. In
this way, all transactions on the ledger may be sequenced and
cryptographically linked together. Accordingly, it is not possible
to tamper with the ledger data without breaking the hash links. A
hash of a most recently added blockchain block represents every
transaction on the chain that has come before it, making it
possible to ensure that all peer nodes are in a consistent and
trusted state. The chain may be stored on a peer node file system
(i.e., local, attached storage, cloud, etc.), efficiently
supporting the append-only nature of the blockchain workload.
[0109] The current state of the immutable ledger represents the
latest values for all keys that are included in the chain
transaction log. Since the current state represents the latest key
values known to a channel, it is sometimes referred to as a world
state. Chaincode invocations execute transactions against the
current state data of the ledger. To make these chaincode
interactions efficient, the latest values of the keys may be stored
in a state database. The state database may be simply an indexed
view into the chain's transaction log. It can therefore be
regenerated from the chain at any time. The state database may
automatically be recovered (or generated if needed) upon peer node
startup and before transactions are accepted.
[0110] Some benefits of the instant solutions described and
depicted herein include a method and system for using expiring
virtual currencies or virtual currencies subject to virtual
currency usage rules in blockchain networks in blockchain networks.
The example embodiments solve the issues of time and trust by
extending features of a database such as immutability, digital
signatures, and being a single source of truth. The example
embodiments provide a solution for a privacy-preserving
attribute-based document sharing in blockchain networks in a
blockchain-based network. The blockchain networks may be homogenous
based on the asset type and rules that govern the assets based on
the smart contracts.
[0111] Blockchain is different from a traditional database in that
blockchain is not a central storage, but rather a decentralized,
immutable, and secure storage, where nodes must share in changes to
records in the storage. Some properties that are inherent in
blockchain and which help implement the blockchain include, but are
not limited to, an immutable ledger, smart contracts, security,
privacy, decentralization, consensus, endorsement, accessibility,
and the like, which are further described herein. According to
various aspects, the system for a privacy-preserving
attribute-based document sharing in blockchain networks in
blockchain networks is implemented due to immutable accountability,
security, privacy, permitted decentralization, availability of
smart contracts, endorsements, and accessibility that are inherent
and unique to blockchain. In particular, the blockchain ledger data
is immutable, and that provides for an efficient method for an
expiring virtual currency or a virtual currency subject to virtual
currency usage rules in blockchain networks in blockchain networks.
Also, the use of the encryption in the blockchain provides security
and builds trust. The smart contract manages the state of the asset
to complete the life-cycle. The example blockchains are permission
decentralized. Thus, each end user may have its own ledger copy to
access. Multiple organizations (and peers) may be on-boarded on the
blockchain network. The key organizations may serve as endorsing
peers to validate the smart contract execution results, read-set,
and write-set. In other words, the blockchain inherent features
provide for efficient implementation of a method for an expiring
virtual currency or virtual currency subject to virtual currency
usage rules in blockchain networks.
[0112] One of the benefits of the example embodiments is that it
improves the functionality of a computing system by implementing a
method for expiring virtual currency or virtual currency subject to
virtual currency usage rules in blockchain-based systems. Through
the blockchain system described herein, a computing system can
perform functions for a privacy-preserving attribute-based document
sharing in blockchain networks in blockchain networks by providing
access to capabilities such as distributed ledger, peers,
encryption technologies, MSP, event handling, etc. Also, the
blockchain enables to create a business network and make any users
or organizations to on-board for participation. As such, the
blockchain is not just a database. The blockchain comes with
capabilities to create a Business Network of users and
on-board/off-board organizations to collaborate and execute service
processes in the form of smart contracts.
[0113] The example embodiments provide numerous benefits over a
traditional database. For example, through the blockchain the
embodiments provide for immutable accountability, security,
privacy, permitted decentralization, availability of smart
contracts, endorsements, and accessibility that are inherent and
unique to the blockchain.
[0114] Meanwhile, a traditional database could not be used to
implement the example embodiments because it does not bring all
parties on the business network, it does not create trusted
collaboration, and does not provide for efficient storage of
digital assets. The traditional database does not provide for
tamper proof storage and does not provide for the preservation of
the digital assets being stored. Thus, the proposed method for
expiring virtual currency or virtual currency subject to virtual
currency usage rules in blockchain networks cannot be implemented
in the traditional database.
[0115] Meanwhile, if a traditional database were to be used to
implement the example embodiments, the example embodiments would
have suffered from unnecessary drawbacks such as search capability,
lack of security, and slow speed of transactions. Additionally, the
automated method for an expiring virtual currency implementation
sharing in a blockchain network would simply not be possible.
[0116] Accordingly, the example embodiments provide a specific
solution to a problem in the arts/field of virtual currencies that
are subject to usage rules.
[0117] The example embodiments also change how data may be stored
within a block structure of the blockchain. For example, digital
asset data may be securely stored within a certain portion of the
data block (i.e., within the header, data segment, or metadata). By
storing the digital asset data within the data blocks of a
blockchain, the digital asset data may be appended to an immutable
blockchain ledger through a hash-linked chain of blocks. In some
embodiments, the data block may be different than a traditional
data block by having a personal data associated with the digital
asset not stored together with the assets within a traditional
block structure of a blockchain. By removing the personal data
associated with the digital asset, the blockchain can provide the
benefit of anonymity based on immutable accountability and
security.
[0118] According to the example embodiments, a system and method
for expiring virtual currency or virtual currency subject to
virtual currency usage rules in blockchain networks are provided. A
blockchain document processor may have two components: [0119] a
private off-chain processor that manages secure processing of
private information related to a participant; and [0120] a ledger
processor that manages the processing of common information shared
with all participants of a blockchain network using the consensus
algorithm of the network.
[0121] According to the example embodiments, each of the
organizations that intend to share documents with other
organizations uses a blockchain document processor connected to a
blockchain network. Using the document processor, the organizations
may set up the following on the ledger: [0122] a list of document
templates; [0123] attributes of each document template that will be
shared in a hashed form on the ledger; [0124] a combination of key
attributes from different templates for matching and sharing
documents; and [0125] partnership Merkel trees: each partnership
Merkel tree may be built based on partnering organizations'
identifiers (IDs).
[0126] All documents (files, JSONs) are stored on the off-chain
data store. Only the attribute hashes and the document identifier
(ID) are submitted as a part of a blockchain transaction.
[0127] According to one example embodiment, a document identifier
and a document type may be linked to hashed attributes for sharing.
Hashed owner's organization id may include composite keys such
that: [0128] given the document ID, a document processor may get
all hashed attributes for sharing; and [0129] given a hashed
attribute for sharing, the document processor may get all document
IDs and their hashed owner organization id.
[0130] When a document is recorded and given its hashed attributes
for sharing, the document processor may get all the documents and
their hashed owner organization IDs. The processor may check if
incoming document owner organization ID and each owner organization
IDs are part of a partnership Merkel tree. If the IDs belong to the
partnership Merkel tree for the subset of documents within an
eligible organization relationship, the processor may get the
required templates for logic matching. Based on evaluating the
hashed attribute matching, the processor may get the list of
documents (and their owners) to which the incoming document needs
to be linked. Then, the processor may create the linked documents.
The processor may generate a one-time pass code so that the
participants can link to this document and pass it through all
participants. The participants may then query the blockchain with
the one-time pass code and hashed organization ID to retrieve the
incoming document key. Using the document key, the participant may
retrieve the shared document from the owning party (i.e., a
blockchain node) and store the document on the recipient's
off-chain storage.
[0131] FIG. 1D illustrates a logic network diagram for expiring
virtual currency or virtual currency subject to virtual currency
usage rules in blockchain networks, according to example
embodiments.
[0132] Referring to FIG. 1D, the example network 100 includes a
document processor node 102 connected to other blockchain (BC)
nodes 105 representing document owner organizations. The document
processor node 102 may be connected to a blockchain 106 that has a
ledger 108 for storing data to be shared (110) among the nodes 105.
While this example describes in detail only one document processor
node 102, multiple such nodes may be connected to the blockchain
106. It should be understood that the document processor node 102
may include additional components and that some of the components
described herein may be removed and/or modified without departing
from a scope of the document processor node 102 disclosed herein.
The document processor node 102 may be a computing device or a
server computer, or the like, and may include a processor 104,
which may be a semiconductor-based microprocessor, a central
processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or another
hardware device. Although a single processor 104 is depicted, it
should be understood that the document processor node 102 may
include multiple processors, multiple cores, or the like, without
departing from the scope of the document processor node 102
system.
[0133] The document processor node 102 may also include a
non-transitory computer readable medium 112 that may have stored
thereon machine-readable instructions executable by the processor
104. Examples of the machine-readable instructions are shown as
114-120 and are further discussed below. Examples of the
non-transitory computer readable medium 112 may include an
electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device
that contains or stores executable instructions. For example, the
non-transitory computer readable medium 112 may be a Random Access
memory (RAM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only
Memory (EEPROM), a hard disk, an optical disc, or other type of
storage device. In some embodiments, the processor 104 may execute
first machine-readable instructions 114 to implement the ordering
service, described below.
[0134] FIG. 2A illustrates a blockchain architecture configuration
200, according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2A, the
blockchain architecture 200 may include certain blockchain
elements, for example, a group of blockchain nodes 202. The
blockchain nodes 202 may include one or more nodes 204-210 (these
four nodes are depicted by example only). These nodes participate
in a number of activities, such as blockchain transaction addition
and validation process (consensus). One or more of the blockchain
nodes 204-210 may endorse transactions based on endorsement policy
and may provide an ordering service for all blockchain nodes in the
architecture 200. A blockchain node may initiate a blockchain
authentication and seek to write to a blockchain immutable ledger
stored in blockchain layer 216, a copy of which may also be stored
on the underpinning physical infrastructure 214. The blockchain
configuration may include one or more applications 224 which are
linked to application programming interfaces (APIs) 222 to access
and execute stored program/application code 220 (e.g., chaincode,
smart contracts, etc.), which can be created according to a
customized configuration sought by participants and can maintain
their own state, control their own assets, and receive external
information. This can be deployed as a transaction and installed
via appending to the distributed ledger on all blockchain nodes
204-210.
[0135] The blockchain base or platform 212 may include various
layers of blockchain data, services (e.g., cryptographic trust
services, virtual execution environment, etc.), and underpinning
physical computer infrastructure that may be used to receive and
store new transactions and provide access to auditors, which are
seeking to access data entries. The blockchain layer 216 may expose
an interface that provides access to the virtual execution
environment necessary to process the program code and engage the
physical infrastructure 214. Cryptographic trust services 218 may
be used to verify transactions such as asset exchange transactions
and keep information private.
[0136] The blockchain architecture configuration of FIG. 2A may
process and execute program/application code 220 via one or more
interfaces exposed and services provided by blockchain platform
212. The code 220 may control blockchain assets. For example, the
code 220 can store and transfer data, and may be executed by nodes
204-210 in the form of a smart contract and associated chaincode
with conditions or other code elements subject to its execution. As
a non-limiting example, smart contracts may be created to execute
reminders, updates, and/or other notifications subject to the
changes, updates, etc. The smart contracts can themselves be used
to identify rules associated with authorization and access
requirements and usage of the ledger. For example, the document
attribute(s) information 226 may be processed by one or more
processing entities (e.g., virtual machines) included in the
blockchain layer 216. The result 228 may include a plurality of
linked shared documents. The physical infrastructure 214 may be
utilized to retrieve any of the data or information described
herein.
[0137] A smart contract may be created via a high-level application
and programming language, and then written to a block in the
blockchain. The smart contract may include executable code that is
registered, stored, and/or replicated with a blockchain (e.g.,
distributed network of blockchain peers). A transaction is an
execution of the smart contract code which can be performed in
response to conditions associated with the smart contract being
satisfied. The executing of the smart contract may trigger a
trusted modification(s) to a state of a digital blockchain ledger.
The modification(s) to the blockchain ledger caused by the smart
contract execution may be automatically replicated throughout the
distributed network of blockchain peers through one or more
consensus protocols.
[0138] The smart contract may write data to the blockchain in the
format of key-value pairs. Furthermore, the smart contract code can
read the values stored in a blockchain and use them in application
operations. The smart contract code can write the output of various
logic operations into the blockchain. The code may be used to
create a temporary data structure in a virtual machine or other
computing platforms. Data written to the blockchain can be public
and/or can be encrypted and maintained as private. The temporary
data that is used/generated by the smart contract is held in memory
by the supplied execution environment, then deleted once the data
needed for the blockchain is identified.
[0139] A chaincode may include the code interpretation of a smart
contract, with additional features. As described herein, the
chaincode may be program code deployed on a computing network,
where it is executed and validated by chain validators together
during a consensus process. The chaincode receives a hash and
retrieves from the blockchain a hash associated with the data
template created by the use of a previously stored feature
extractor. If the hashes of the hash identifier and the hash
created from the stored identifier template data match, then the
chaincode sends an authorization key to the requested service. The
chaincode may write to the blockchain data associated with the
cryptographic details.
[0140] FIG. 2B illustrates an example of a blockchain transactional
flow 250 between nodes of the blockchain in accordance with an
example embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2B, the transaction flow may
include a transaction proposal 291 sent by an application client
node 260 to an endorsing peer node 281. The endorsing peer 281 may
verify the client signature and execute a chaincode function to
initiate the transaction. The output may include the chaincode
results, a set of key/value versions that were read in the
chaincode (read set), and the set of keys/values that were written
in chaincode (write set). The proposal response 292 is sent back to
the client 260 along with an endorsement signature, if approved.
The client 260 assembles the endorsements into a transaction
payload 293 and broadcasts it to an ordering service node 284. The
ordering service node 284 then delivers ordered transactions as
blocks to all peers 281-283 on a channel. Before committal to the
blockchain, each peer 281-283 may validate the transaction. For
example, the peers may check the endorsement policy to ensure that
the correct allotment of the specified peers have signed the
results and authenticated the signatures against the transaction
payload 293.
[0141] Referring again to FIG. 2B, the client node 260 initiates
the transaction 291 by constructing and sending a request to the
peer node 281, which is an endorser. The client 260 may include an
application leveraging a supported software development kit (SDK),
which utilizes an available API to generate a transaction proposal.
The proposal is a request to invoke a chaincode function so that
data can be read and/or written to the ledger (i.e., write new key
value pairs for the assets). The SDK may serve as a shim to package
the transaction proposal into a properly architected format (e.g.,
protocol buffer over a remote procedure call (RPC)) and take the
client's cryptographic credentials to produce a unique signature
for the transaction proposal.
[0142] In response, the endorsing peer node 281 may verify (a) that
the transaction proposal is well formed, (b) the transaction has
not been submitted already in the past (replay-attack protection),
(c) the signature is valid, and (d) that the submitter (client 260,
in the example) is properly authorized to perform the proposed
operation on that channel. The endorsing peer node 281 may take the
transaction proposal inputs as arguments to the invoked chaincode
function. The chaincode is then executed against a current state
database to produce transaction results, including a response
value, read set, and write set. However, no updates are made to the
ledger at this point. In 292, the set of values, along with the
endorsing peer node's 281 signature, is passed back as a proposal
response 292 to the SDK of the client 260, which parses the payload
for the application to consume.
[0143] In response, the application of the client 260
inspects/verifies the endorsing peers signatures and compares the
proposal responses to determine if the proposal response is the
same. If the chaincode only queried the ledger, the application
would inspect the query response and would typically not submit the
transaction to the ordering node service 284. If the client
application intends to submit the transaction to the ordering node
service 284 to update the ledger, the application determines if the
specified endorsement policy has been fulfilled before submitting
(i.e., did all peer nodes necessary for the transaction endorse the
transaction). Here, the client may include only one of the multiple
parties to the transaction. In this case, each client may have
their own endorsing node, and each endorsing node will need to
endorse the transaction. The architecture is such that even if an
application selects not to inspect responses or otherwise forwards
an unendorsed transaction, the endorsement policy will still be
enforced by peers and upheld at the commit validation phase.
[0144] After successful inspection, in step 293, the client 260
assembles endorsements into a transaction and broadcasts the
transaction proposal and response within a transaction message to
the ordering node 284. The transaction may contain the read/write
sets, the endorsing peers signatures, and a channel ID. The
ordering node 284 does not need to inspect the entire content of a
transaction in order to perform its operation. Instead, the
ordering node 284 may simply receive transactions from all channels
in the network, order them chronologically by channel, and create
blocks of transactions per channel.
[0145] The blocks of the transaction are delivered from the
ordering node 284 to all peer nodes 281-283 on the channel. The
transactions 294 within the block are validated to ensure any
endorsement policy is fulfilled and to ensure that there have been
no changes to the ledger state for reading set variables since the
read set was generated by the transaction execution. Transactions
in the block are tagged as being valid or invalid. Furthermore, in
step 295 each peer node 281-283 appends the block to the channel's
chain, and for each valid transaction, the write sets are committed
to the current state database. An event is emitted to notify the
client application that the transaction (invocation) has been
immutably appended to the chain, as well as to notify whether the
transaction was validated or invalidated.
[0146] FIG. 3A illustrates an example of a permissioned blockchain
network 300, which features a distributed, decentralized
peer-to-peer architecture. In this example, a blockchain user 302
may initiate a transaction to the permissioned blockchain 304. In
this example, the transaction can be a deploy, invoke, or query and
may be issued through a client-side application leveraging an SDK,
directly through an API, etc. Networks may provide access to a
regulator 306, such as an auditor. A blockchain network operator
308 manages member permissions, such as enrolling the regulator 306
as an "auditor" and the blockchain user 302 as a "client". An
auditor could be restricted only to querying the ledger whereas a
client could be authorized to deploy, invoke, and query certain
types of chaincode.
[0147] A blockchain developer 310 can write chaincode and
client-side applications. The blockchain developer 310 can deploy
chaincode directly to the network through an interface. To include
credentials from a traditional data source 312 in chaincode, the
developer 310 could use an out-of-band connection to access the
data. In this example, the blockchain user 302 connects to the
permissioned blockchain 304 through a peer node 314. Before
proceeding with any transactions, the peer node 314 retrieves the
user's enrollment and transaction certificates from a certificate
authority 316, which manages user roles and permissions. In some
cases, blockchain users must possess these digital certificates in
order to transact on the permissioned blockchain 304. Meanwhile, a
user attempting to utilize chaincode may be required to verify
their credentials on the traditional data source 312. To confirm
the user's authorization, chaincode can use an out-of-band
connection to this data through a traditional processing platform
318.
[0148] FIG. 3B illustrates another example of a permissioned
blockchain network 320, which features a distributed, decentralized
peer-to-peer architecture. In this example, a blockchain user 322
may submit a transaction to the permissioned blockchain 324. In
this example, the transaction can be a deploy, invoke, or query,
and may be issued through a client-side application leveraging an
SDK, directly through an API, etc. Networks may provide access to a
regulator 326, such as an auditor. A blockchain network operator
328 manages member permissions, such as enrolling the regulator 326
as an "auditor" and the blockchain user 322 as a "client." An
auditor could be restricted only to querying the ledger whereas a
client could be authorized to deploy, invoke, and query certain
types of chaincode.
[0149] A blockchain developer 330 writes chaincode and client-side
applications. The blockchain developer 330 can deploy chaincode
directly to the network through an interface. To include
credentials from a traditional data source 332 in chaincode, the
developer 330 could use an out-of-band connection to access the
data. In this example, the blockchain user 322 connects to the
network through a peer node 334. Before proceeding with any
transactions, the peer node 334 retrieves the user's enrollment and
transaction certificates from the certificate authority 336. In
some cases, blockchain users must possess these digital
certificates in order to transact on the permissioned blockchain
324. Meanwhile, a user attempting to utilize chaincode may be
required to verify their credentials on the traditional data source
332. To confirm the user's authorization, chaincode can use an
out-of-band connection to this data through a traditional
processing platform 338.
[0150] In some embodiments, the blockchain herein may be a
permissionless blockchain. In contrast with permissioned
blockchains which require permission to join, anyone can join a
permissionless blockchain. For example, to join a permissionless
blockchain a user may create a personal address and begin
interacting with the network, by submitting transactions, and hence
adding entries to the ledger. Additionally, all parties have the
choice of running a node on the system and employing the mining
protocols to help verify transactions.
[0151] FIG. 3C illustrates a process 350 of a transaction being
processed by a permissionless blockchain 352 including a plurality
of nodes 354. A sender 356 desires to send payment or some other
form of value (e.g., a deed, medical records, a contract, a good, a
service, or any other asset that can be encapsulated in a digital
record) to a recipient 358 via the permissionless blockchain 352.
In one embodiment, each of the sender device 356 and the recipient
device 358 may have digital wallets (associated with the blockchain
352) that provide user interface controls and a display of
transaction parameters. In response, the transaction is broadcast
throughout the blockchain 352 to the nodes 354. Depending on the
blockchain's 352 network parameters the nodes verify 360 the
transaction based on rules (which may be pre-defined or dynamically
allocated) established by the permissionless blockchain 352
creators. For example, this may include verifying identities of the
parties involved, etc. The transaction may be verified immediately
or it may be placed in a queue with other transactions and the
nodes 354 determine if the transactions are valid based on a set of
network rules.
[0152] In structure 362, valid transactions are formed into a block
and sealed with a lock (hash). This process may be performed by
mining nodes among the nodes 354. Mining nodes may utilize
additional software specifically for mining and creating blocks for
the permissionless blockchain 352. Each block may be identified by
a hash (e.g., 256 bit number, etc.) created using an algorithm
agreed upon by the network. Each block may include a header, a
pointer or reference to a hash of a previous block's header in the
chain, and a group of valid transactions. The reference to the
previous block's hash is associated with the creation of the secure
independent chain of blocks.
[0153] Before blocks can be added to the blockchain, the blocks
must be validated. Validation for the permissionless blockchain 352
may include a proof-of-work (PoW) which is a solution to a puzzle
derived from the block's header. Although not shown in the example
of FIG. 3C, another process for validating a block is
proof-of-stake. Unlike the proof-of-work, where the algorithm
rewards miners who solve mathematical problems, with the proof of
stake, a creator of a new block is chosen in a deterministic way,
depending on its wealth, also defined as "stake." Then, a similar
proof is performed by the selected/chosen node.
[0154] With mining 364, nodes try to solve the block by making
incremental changes to one variable until the solution satisfies a
network-wide target. This creates the PoW thereby ensuring correct
answers. In other words, a potential solution must prove that
computing resources were drained in solving the problem. In some
types of permissionless blockchains, miners may be rewarded with
value (e.g., coins, etc.) for correctly mining a block.
[0155] Here, the PoW process, alongside the chaining of blocks,
makes modifications of the blockchain extremely difficult, as an
attacker must modify all subsequent blocks in order for the
modifications of one block to be accepted. Furthermore, as new
blocks are mined, the difficulty of modifying a block increases,
and the number of subsequent blocks increases. With distribution
366, the successfully validated block is distributed through the
permissionless blockchain 352, and all nodes 354 add the block to a
majority chain, which is the permissionless blockchain's 352
auditable ledger. Furthermore, the value in the transaction
submitted by the sender 356 is deposited or otherwise transferred
to the digital wallet of the recipient device 358.
[0156] FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a basic
blockchain sequence 400 of three transactions. The first block
contains a first header 410a and a first group of transactions
420a, making up the first block. The block header contains a hash
412a of the previous block header and a Merkle root 414a. The
Merkle root 414a is a hash of all the hashes of all the
transactions that are part of a block in a blockchain network that
ensures data blocks passed between peers are whole, undamaged, and
unaltered. The second block contains a second header 410b and a
second group of transactions 420b making up the second block. The
block header contains a hash 412b of the previous block header 410a
and a Merkle root 414b. The third block contains a third header
410c, and a third group of transactions 420c making up the third
block. The block header contains a hash 412c of the previous block
header 410b and a Merkle root 414c. The number of blocks may be
extended to any feasible length and hash values may be
checked/verified with relative ease.
[0157] FIG. 5A illustrates an example system 500 that includes a
physical infrastructure 510 configured to perform various
operations according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 5A,
the physical infrastructure 510 includes a module 512 and a module
514. The module 514 includes a blockchain 520 and a smart contract
530 (which may reside on the blockchain 520), that may execute any
of the operational steps 508 (in module 512) included in any of the
example embodiments. The steps/operations 508 may include one or
more of the embodiments described or depicted and may represent
output or written information that is written or read from one or
more smart contracts 530 and/or blockchains 520. The physical
infrastructure 510, the module 512, and the module 514 may include
one or more computers, servers, processors, memories, and/or
wireless communication devices. Further, the module 512 and the
module 514 may be a same module.
[0158] FIG. 5B illustrates another example system 540 configured to
perform various operations according to example embodiments.
Referring to FIG. 5B, the system 540 includes a module 512 and a
module 514. The module 514 includes a blockchain 520 and a smart
contract 530 (which may reside on the blockchain 520), that may
execute any of the operational steps 508 (in module 512) included
in any of the example embodiments. The steps/operations 508 may
include one or more of the embodiments described or depicted and
may represent output or written information that is written or read
from one or more smart contracts 530 and/or blockchains 520. The
physical module 512 and the module 514 may include one or more
computers, servers, processors, memories, and/or wireless
communication devices. Further, the module 512 and the module 514
may be a same module.
[0159] FIG. 5C illustrates an example system configured to utilize
a smart contract configuration among contracting parties and a
mediating server configured to enforce the smart contract terms on
the blockchain according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG.
5C, the configuration 550 may represent a communication session, an
asset transfer session, or a process or procedure that is driven by
a smart contract 530, which explicitly identifies one or more user
devices 552 and/or 556. The execution, operations, and results of
the smart contract execution may be managed by a server 554.
Content of the smart contract 530 may require digital signatures by
one or more of the entities 552 and 556, which are parties to the
smart contract transaction. The results of the smart contract
execution may be written to a blockchain 520 as a blockchain
transaction. The smart contract 530 resides on the blockchain 520,
which may reside on one or more computers, servers, processors,
memories, and/or wireless communication devices.
[0160] FIG. 5D illustrates a system 560, including a blockchain,
according to example embodiments. Referring to the example of FIG.
5D, an application programming interface (API) gateway 562 provides
a common interface for accessing blockchain logic (e.g., smart
contract 530 or other chaincode) and data (e.g., distributed
ledger, etc.). In this example, the API gateway 562 is a common
interface for performing transactions (invoke, queries, etc.) on
the blockchain by connecting one or more entities 552 and 556 to a
blockchain peer (i.e., server 554). Here, the server 554 is a
blockchain network peer component that holds a copy of the world
state and a distributed ledger allowing clients 552 and 556 to
query data on the world state as well as submit transactions into
the blockchain network where depending on the smart contract 530
and endorsement policy, endorsing peers will run the smart
contracts 530.
[0161] The above embodiments may be implemented in hardware, in a
computer program executed by a processor, in firmware, or in a
combination of the above. A computer program may be embodied on a
computer readable medium, such as a storage medium. For example, a
computer program may reside in random access memory ("RAM"), flash
memory, read-only memory ("ROM"), erasable programmable read-only
memory ("EPROM"), electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory ("EEPROM"), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a
compact disk read-only memory ("CD-ROM"), or any other form of
storage medium known in the art.
[0162] An example storage medium may be coupled to the processor
such that the processor may read information from, and write
information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage
medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the
storage medium may reside in an application specific integrated
circuit ("ASIC"). In the alternative, the processor and the storage
medium may reside as discrete components.
[0163] FIG. 6A illustrates a process 600 of a new block is added to
a distributed ledger 620, according to example embodiments, and
FIG. 6B illustrates the contents of a new data block structure 630
for blockchain, according to example embodiments. The new data
block 630 may contain document linking data.
[0164] Referring to FIG. 6A, clients (not shown) may submit
transactions to blockchain nodes 611, 612, and/or 613. Clients may
be instructions received from any source to enact activity on the
blockchain 620. As an example, clients may be applications that act
on behalf of a requester, such as a device, person, or entity to
propose transactions for the blockchain. The plurality of
blockchain peers (e.g., blockchain nodes 611, 612, and 613) may
maintain a state of the blockchain network and a copy of the
distributed ledger 620. Different types of blockchain nodes/peers
may be present in the blockchain network, including endorsing peers
who simulate and endorse transactions proposed by clients and
committing peers who verify endorsements, validate transactions,
and commit transactions to the distributed ledger 620. In this
example, the blockchain nodes 611, 612, and 613 may perform the
role of endorser node, committer node, or both.
[0165] The distributed ledger 620 includes a blockchain that stores
immutable, sequenced records in blocks and a state database 624
(current world state), maintaining a current state of the
blockchain 622. One distributed ledger 620 may exist per channel,
and each peer maintains its own copy of the distributed ledger 620
for each channel of which they are a member. The blockchain 622 is
a transaction log, structured as hash-linked blocks, where each
block contains a sequence of N transactions. Blocks may include
various components, such as shown in FIG. 6B. The linking of the
blocks (shown by arrows in FIG. 6A) may be generated by adding a
hash of a prior block's header within a block header of a current
block. In this way, all transactions on the blockchain 622 are
sequenced and cryptographically linked together, preventing
tampering with blockchain data without breaking the hash links.
Furthermore, because of the links, the latest block in the
blockchain 622 represents every transaction that has come before
it. The blockchain 622 may be stored on a peer file system (local
or attached storage), which supports an append-only blockchain
workload.
[0166] The current state of the blockchain 622 and the distributed
ledger 622 may be stored in the state database 624. Here, the
current state data represents the latest values for all keys ever
included in the chain transaction log of the blockchain 622.
Chaincode invocations execute transactions against the current
state in the state database 624. To make these chaincode
interactions extremely efficient, the latest values of all keys are
stored in the state database 624. The state database 624 may
include an indexed view into the transaction log of the blockchain
622. It can therefore be regenerated from the chain at any time.
The state database 624 may automatically get recovered (or
generated if needed) upon peer startup, before transactions are
accepted.
[0167] Endorsing nodes receive transactions from clients and
endorse the transaction based on simulated results. Endorsing nodes
hold smart contracts that simulate the transaction proposals. When
an endorsing node endorses a transaction, the endorsing node
creates a transaction endorsement, which is a signed response from
the endorsing node to the client application indicating the
endorsement of the simulated transaction. The method of endorsing a
transaction depends on an endorsement policy, which may be
specified within chaincode. An example of an endorsement policy is
"the majority of endorsing peers must endorse the transaction".
Different channels may have different endorsement policies.
Endorsed transactions are forward by the client application to
ordering service 610.
[0168] The ordering service 610 accepts endorsed transactions,
orders them into a block, and delivers the blocks to the committing
peers. For example, the ordering service 610 may initiate a new
block when a threshold of transactions has been reached, a timer
times out, or another condition. In the example of FIG. 6A,
blockchain node 612 is a committing peer that has received a new
data new data block 630 for storage on blockchain 620. The first
block in the blockchain may be referred to as a genesis block which
includes information about the blockchain, its members, the data
stored therein, etc.
[0169] The ordering service 610 may be made up of a cluster of
orderers. The ordering service 610 does not process transactions,
smart contracts, or maintain the shared ledger. Rather, the
ordering service 610 may accept the endorsed transactions and
specifies the order in which those transactions are committed to
the distributed ledger 620. The architecture of the blockchain
network may be designed such that the specific implementation of
`ordering` (e.g., Solo, Kafka, BFT, etc.) becomes a pluggable
component.
[0170] Transactions are written to the distributed ledger 620 in a
consistent order. The order of transactions is established to
ensure that the updates to the state database 624 are valid when
they are committed to the network. Unlike a cryptocurrency
blockchain system (e.g., virtual currency, etc.) where ordering
occurs through the solving of a cryptographic puzzle, or mining, in
this example, the parties of the distributed ledger 620 may choose
the ordering mechanism that best suits that network.
[0171] When the ordering service 610 initializes a new data block
630, the new data block 630 may be broadcast to committing peers
(e.g., blockchain nodes 611, 612, and 613). In response, each
committing peer validates the transaction within the new data block
630 by checking to make sure that the read set and the write set
still match the current world state in the state database 624.
Specifically, the committing peer can determine whether the read
data that existed when the endorsers simulated the transaction is
identical to the current world state in the state database 624.
When the committing peer validates the transaction, the transaction
is written to the blockchain 622 on the distributed ledger 620, and
the state database 624 is updated with the write data from the
read-write set. If a transaction fails, that is, if the committing
peer finds that the read-write set does not match the current world
state in the state database 624, the transaction ordered into a
block will still be included in that block, but it will be marked
as invalid, and the state database 624 will not be updated.
[0172] Referring to FIG. 6B, a new data block 630 (also referred to
as a data block) that is stored on the blockchain 622 of the
distributed ledger 620 may include multiple data segments such as a
block header 640, block data 650, and block metadata 660. It should
be appreciated that the various depicted blocks and their contents,
such as new data block 630 and its contents. Shown in FIG. 6B are
merely examples and are not meant to limit the scope of the example
embodiments. The new data block 630 may store transactional
information of N transaction(s) (e.g., 1, 10, 100, 500, 1000, 2000,
3000, etc.) within the block data 650. The new data block 630 may
also include a link to a previous block (e.g., on the blockchain
622 in FIG. 6A) within the block header 640. In particular, the
block header 640 may include a hash of a previous block's header.
The block header 640 may also include a unique block number, a hash
of the block data 650 of the new data block 630, and the like. The
block number of the new data block 630 may be unique and assigned
in various orders, such as an incremental/sequential order starting
from zero.
[0173] The block data 650 may store transactional information of
each transaction that is recorded within the new data block 630.
For example, the transaction data may include one or more of a type
of the transaction, a version, a timestamp, a channel ID of the
distributed ledger 620, a transaction ID, an epoch, a payload
visibility, a chaincode path (deploy tx), a chaincode name, a
chaincode version, input (chaincode and functions), a client
(creator) identify such as a public key and certificate, a
signature of the client, identities of endorsers, endorser
signatures, a proposal hash, chaincode events, response status,
namespace, a read set (list of key and version read by the
transaction, etc.), a write set (list of key and value, etc.), a
start key, an end key, a list of keys, a Merkel tree query summary,
and the like. The transaction data may be stored for each of the N
transactions.
[0174] In some embodiments, the block data 650 may also store new
data 662 which adds additional information to the hash-linked chain
of blocks in the blockchain 622. The additional information
includes one or more of the steps, features, processes and/or
actions described or depicted herein. Accordingly, the new data 662
can be stored in an immutable log of blocks on the distributed
ledger 620. Some of the benefits of storing such new data 662 are
reflected in the various embodiments disclosed and depicted herein.
Although in FIG. 6B the new data 662 is depicted in the block data
650 but could also be located in the block header 640 or the block
metadata 660. The new data 662 may include a document composite key
that is used for linking the documents within an organization.
[0175] The block metadata 660 may store multiple fields of metadata
(e.g., as a byte array, etc.). Metadata fields may include
signature on block creation, a reference to a last configuration
block, a transaction filter identifying valid and invalid
transactions within the block, last offset persisted of an ordering
service that ordered the block, and the like. The signature, the
last configuration block, and the orderer metadata may be added by
the ordering service 610. Meanwhile, a committer of the block (such
as blockchain node 612) may add validity/invalidity information
based on an endorsement policy, verification of read/write sets,
and the like. The transaction filter may include a byte array of a
size equal to the number of transactions in the block data 650 and
a validation code identifying whether a transaction was
valid/invalid.
[0176] FIG. 6C illustrates an embodiment of a blockchain 670 for
digital content in accordance with the embodiments described
herein. The digital content may include one or more files and
associated information. The files may include media, images, video,
audio, text, links, graphics, animations, web pages, documents, or
other forms of digital content. The immutable, append-only aspects
of the blockchain serve as a safeguard to protect the integrity,
validity, and authenticity of the digital content, making it
suitable use in legal proceedings where admissibility rules apply
or other settings where evidence is taken into consideration or
where the presentation and use of digital information is otherwise
of interest. In this case, the digital content may be referred to
as digital evidence.
[0177] The blockchain may be formed in various ways. In one
embodiment, the digital content may be included in and accessed
from the blockchain itself. For example, each block of the
blockchain may store a hash value of reference information (e.g.,
header, value, etc.) along with the associated digital content. The
hash value and associated digital content may then be encrypted
together. Thus, the digital content of each block may be accessed
by decrypting each block in the blockchain, and the hash value of
each block may be used as a basis to reference a previous block.
This may be illustrated as follows:
TABLE-US-00001 Block 1 Block 2 . . . Block N Hash Value 1 Hash
Value 2 Hash Value N Digital Content 1 Digital Content 2 Digital
Content N
[0178] In one embodiment, the digital content may be not included
in the blockchain. For example, the blockchain may store the
encrypted hashes of the content of each block without any of the
digital content. The digital content may be stored in another
storage area or memory address in association with the hash value
of the original file. The other storage area may be the same
storage device used to store the blockchain or may be a different
storage area or even a separate relational database. The digital
content of each block may be referenced or accessed by obtaining or
querying the hash value of a block of interest and then looking up
that has value in the storage area, which is stored in
correspondence with the actual digital content. This operation may
be performed, for example, a database gatekeeper. This may be
illustrated as follows:
TABLE-US-00002 Blockchain Storage Area Block 1 Hash Value Block 1
Hash Value . . . Content . . . . . . Block N Hash Value Block N
Hash Value . . . Content
[0179] In the example embodiment of FIG. 6C, the blockchain 670
includes a number of blocks 678.sub.1, 678.sub.2, . . . 678.sub.N
cryptographically linked in an ordered sequence, where N.gtoreq.1.
The encryption used to link the blocks 678.sub.1, 678.sub.2, . . .
678.sub.N may be any of a number of keyed or un-keyed Hash
functions. In one embodiment, the blocks 678.sub.1, 678.sub.2, . .
. 678.sub.N are subject to a hash function which produces n-bit
alphanumeric outputs (where n is 256 or another number) from inputs
that are based on information in the blocks. Examples of such a
hash function include, but are not limited to, a SHA-type (SHA
stands for Secured Hash Algorithm) algorithm, Merkle-Damgard
algorithm, HAIFA algorithm, Merkle-tree algorithm, nonce-based
algorithm, and a non-collision-resistant PRF algorithm. In another
embodiment, the blocks 678.sub.1, 678.sub.2, . . . , 678.sub.N may
be cryptographically linked by a function that is different from a
hash function. For purposes of illustration, the following
description is made with reference to a hash function, e.g.,
SHA-2.
[0180] Each of the blocks 678.sub.1, 678.sub.2, . . . , 678.sub.N
in the blockchain includes a header, a version of the file, and a
value. The header and the value are different for each block as a
result of hashing in the blockchain. In one embodiment, the value
may be included in the header. As described in greater detail
below, the version of the file may be the original file or a
different version of the original file.
[0181] The first block 678.sub.1 in the blockchain is referred to
as the genesis block and includes the header 672.sub.1, original
file 674.sub.1, and an initial value 676.sub.1. The hashing scheme
used for the genesis block, and indeed in all subsequent blocks,
may vary. For example, all the information in the first block
678.sub.1 may be hashed together and at one time, or each or a
portion of the information in the first block 678.sub.1 may be
separately hashed, and then a hash of the separately hashed
portions may be performed.
[0182] The header 672.sub.1 may include one or more initial
parameters, which, for example, may include a version number,
timestamp, nonce, root information, difficulty level, consensus
protocol, duration, media format, source, descriptive keywords,
and/or other information associated with original file 674.sub.1
and/or the blockchain. The header 672.sub.1 may be generated
automatically (e.g., by blockchain network managing software) or
manually by a blockchain participant. Unlike the header in other
blocks 678.sub.2 to 678.sub.N in the blockchain, the header
672.sub.1 in the genesis block does not reference a previous block,
simply because there is no previous block.
[0183] The original file 674.sub.1 in the genesis block may be, for
example, data as captured by a device with or without processing
prior to its inclusion in the blockchain. The original file
674.sub.1 is received through the interface of the system from the
device, media source, or node. The original file 674.sub.1 is
associated with metadata, which, for example, may be generated by a
user, the device, and/or the system processor, either manually or
automatically. The metadata may be included in the first block
678.sub.1 in association with the original file 674.sub.1.
[0184] The value 676.sub.1 in the genesis block is an initial value
generated based on one or more unique attributes of the original
file 674.sub.1. In one embodiment, the one or more unique
attributes may include the hash value for the original file
674.sub.1, metadata for the original file 674.sub.1, and other
information associated with the file. In one implementation, the
initial value 676.sub.1 may be based on the following unique
attributes: [0185] 1) SHA-2 computed hash value for the original
file [0186] 2) originating device ID [0187] 3) starting timestamp
for the original file [0188] 4) initial storage location of the
original file [0189] 5) blockchain network member ID for software
to currently control the original file and associated metadata
[0190] The other blocks 678.sub.2 to 678.sub.N in the blockchain
also have headers, files, and values. However, unlike the first
block 672.sub.1, each of the headers 672.sub.2 to 672.sub.N in the
other blocks includes the hash value of an immediately preceding
block. The hash value of the immediately preceding block may be
just the hash of the header of the previous block or may be the
hash value of the entire previous block. By including the hash
value of a preceding block in each of the remaining blocks, a trace
can be performed from the Nth block back to the genesis block (and
the associated original file) on a block-by-block basis, as
indicated by arrows 680, to establish an auditable and immutable
chain-of-custody.
[0191] Each of the header 672.sub.2 to 672.sub.N in the other
blocks may also include other information, e.g., version number,
timestamp, nonce, root information, difficulty level, consensus
protocol, and/or other parameters or information associated with
the corresponding files and/or the blockchain in general.
[0192] The files 674.sub.2 to 674.sub.N in the other blocks may be
equal to the original file or may be a modified version of the
original file in the genesis block depending, for example, on the
type of processing performed. The type of processing performed may
vary from block to block. The processing may involve, for example,
any modification of a file in a preceding block, such as redacting
information or otherwise changing the content of, taking
information away from, or adding or appending information to the
files.
[0193] Additionally, or alternatively, the processing may involve
merely copying the file from a preceding block, changing a storage
location of the file, analyzing the file from one or more preceding
blocks, moving the file from one storage or memory location to
another, or performing action relative to the file of the
blockchain and/or its associated metadata. Processing, which
involves analyzing a file may include, for example, appending,
including, or otherwise associating various analytics, statistics,
or other information associated with the file.
[0194] The values in each of the other blocks 676.sub.2 to
676.sub.N in the other blocks are unique values and are all
different as a result of the processing performed. For example, the
value in any one block corresponds to an updated version of the
value in the previous block. The update is reflected in the hash of
the block to which the value is assigned. The values of the blocks,
therefore provide an indication of what processing was performed in
the blocks and also permit a tracing through the blockchain back to
the original file. This tracking confirms the chain-of-custody of
the file throughout the entire blockchain.
[0195] For example, consider the case where portions of the file in
a previous block are redacted, blocked out, or pixelated in order
to protect the identity of a person shown in the file. In this
case, the block including the redacted file will include metadata
associated with the redacted file, e.g., how the redaction was
performed, who performed the redaction, timestamps where the
redaction(s) occurred, etc. The metadata may be hashed to form the
value. Because the metadata for the block is different from the
information that was hashed to form the value in the previous
block, the values are different from one another and may be
recovered when decrypted.
[0196] In one embodiment, the value of a previous block may be
updated (e.g., a new hash value computed) to form the value of a
current block when any one or more of the following occurs. The new
hash value may be computed by hashing all or a portion of the
information noted below, in this example embodiment. [0197] a) new
SHA-2 computed hash value if the file has been processed in any way
(e.g., if the file was redacted, copied, altered, accessed, or some
other action was taken) [0198] b) new storage location for the file
[0199] c) new metadata identified associated with the file [0200]
d) transfer of access or control of the file from one blockchain
participant to another blockchain participant
[0201] FIG. 6D illustrates an embodiment of a block, which may
represent the structure of the blocks in the blockchain 690 in
accordance with one embodiment. The block, Block.sub.i, includes a
header 672.sub.i, a file 674.sub.i, and a value 676.sub.i.
[0202] The header 672.sub.i includes a hash value of a previous
block Block.sub.i-1 and additional reference information, which,
for example, may be any of the types of information (e.g., header
information including references, characteristics, parameters,
etc.) discussed herein. All blocks reference the hash of a previous
block except, of course, the genesis block. The hash value of the
previous block may be just a hash of the header in the previous
block or a hash of all or a portion of the information in the
previous block, including the file and metadata.
[0203] The file 674.sub.i includes a plurality of data, such as
Data 1, Data 2, . . . , Data N in sequence. The data are tagged
with Metadata 1, Metadata 2, . . . , Metadata N which describe the
content and/or characteristics associated with the data. For
example, the metadata for each data may include information to
indicate a timestamp for the data, process the data, keywords
indicating the persons or other content depicted in the data,
and/or other features that may be helpful to establish the validity
and content of the file as a whole, and particularly its use a
digital evidence, for example, as described in connection with an
embodiment discussed below. In addition to the metadata, each data
may be tagged with reference REF.sub.1, REF.sub.2, . . . ,
REF.sub.N to a previous data to prevent tampering, gaps in the
file, and sequential reference through the file.
[0204] Once the metadata is assigned to the data (e.g., through a
smart contract), the metadata cannot be altered without the hash
changing, which can easily be identified for invalidation. The
metadata, thus, creates a data log of information that may be
accessed for use by participants in the blockchain.
[0205] The value 676.sub.i is a hash value or other value computed
based on any of the types of information previously discussed. For
example, for any given block Block.sub.i, the value for that block
may be updated to reflect the processing that was performed for
that block, e.g., new hash value, new storage location, new
metadata for the associated file, transfer of control or access,
identifier, or other action or information to be added. Although
the value in each block is shown to be separate from the metadata
for the data of the file and header, the value may be based, in
part or whole, on this metadata in another embodiment.
[0206] Once the blockchain 670 is formed, at any point in time, the
immutable chain-of-custody for the file may be obtained by querying
the blockchain for the transaction history of the values across the
blocks. This query, or tracking procedure, may begin with
decrypting the value of the block that is most currently included
(e.g., the last (N.sup.th) block), and then continuing to decrypt
the value of the other blocks until the genesis block is reached
and the original file is recovered. The decryption may involve
decrypting the headers and files and associated metadata at each
block, as well.
[0207] Decryption is performed based on the type of encryption that
took place in each block. This may involve the use of private keys,
public keys, or a public key-private key pair. For example, when
asymmetric encryption is used, blockchain participants or a
processor in the network may generate a public key and private key
pair using a predetermined algorithm. The public key and private
key are associated with each other through some mathematical
relationship. The public key may be distributed publicly to serve
as an address to receive messages from other users, e.g., an IP
address or home address. The private key is kept secret and used to
digitally sign messages sent to other blockchain participants. The
signature is included in the message so that the recipient can
verify using the public key of the sender. This way, the recipient
can be sure that only the sender could have sent this message.
[0208] Generating a key pair may be analogous to creating an
account on the blockchain, but without having to actually register
anywhere. Also, every transaction that is executed on the
blockchain is digitally signed by the sender using their private
key. This signature ensures that only the owner of the account can
track and process (if within the scope of permission determined by
a smart contract) the file of the blockchain.
[0209] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate additional examples of use cases
for blockchain which may be incorporated and used herein. In
particular, FIG. 7A illustrates an example 700 of a blockchain 710
which stores machine learning (artificial intelligence) data.
Machine learning relies on vast quantities of historical data (or
training data) to build predictive models for accurate prediction
on new data. Machine learning software (e.g., neural networks,
etc.) can often sift through millions of records to unearth
non-intuitive patterns.
[0210] In the example of FIG. 7A, a host platform 720 builds and
deploys a machine learning model for predictive monitoring of
assets 730. Here, the host platform 720 may be a cloud platform, an
industrial server, a web server, a personal computer, a user
device, and the like. Assets 730 can be any type of asset (e.g.,
machine or equipment, etc.) such as an aircraft, locomotive,
turbine, medical machinery and equipment, oil and gas equipment,
boats, ships, vehicles, and the like. As another example, assets
730 may be non-tangible assets such as stocks, currency, digital
coins, insurance, or the like.
[0211] The blockchain 710 can be used to significantly improve both
a training process 702 of the machine learning model and a
predictive process 704 based on a trained machine learning model.
For example, in 702, rather than requiring a data
scientist/engineer or other user to collect the data, historical
data may be stored by the assets 730 themselves (or through an
intermediary, not shown) on the blockchain 710. This can
significantly reduce the collection time needed by the host
platform 720 when performing predictive model training. For
example, using smart contracts, data can be directly and reliably
transferred straight from its place of origin to the blockchain
710. By using the blockchain 710 to ensure the security and
ownership of the collected data, smart contracts may directly send
the data from the assets to the individuals that use the data for
building a machine learning model. This allows for sharing of data
among the assets 730.
[0212] The collected data may be stored in the blockchain 710 based
on a consensus mechanism. The consensus mechanism pulls in
(permissioned nodes) to ensure that the data being recorded is
verified and accurate. The data recorded is time-stamped,
cryptographically signed, and immutable. It is, therefore
auditable, transparent, and secure. Adding IoT devices that write
directly to the blockchain can, in certain cases (i.e. supply
chain, healthcare, logistics, etc.), increase both the frequency
and accuracy of the data being recorded.
[0213] Furthermore, training of the machine learning model on the
collected data may take rounds of refinement and testing by the
host platform 720. Each round may be based on additional data or
data that was not previously considered to help expand the
knowledge of the machine learning model. In 702, the different
training and testing steps (and the data associated therewith) may
be stored on the blockchain 710 by the host platform 720. Each
refinement of the machine learning model (e.g., changes in
variables, weights, etc.) may be stored on the blockchain 710. This
provides verifiable proof of how the model was trained and what
data was used to train the model. Furthermore, when the host
platform 720 has achieved a finally trained model, the resulting
model may be stored on the blockchain 710.
[0214] After the model has been trained, it may be deployed to a
live environment where it can make predictions/decisions based on
the execution of the final trained machine learning model. For
example, in 704, the machine learning model may be used for
condition-based maintenance (CBM) for an asset such as an aircraft,
a wind turbine, a healthcare machine, and the like. In this
example, data fed back from the asset 730 may be input the machine
learning model and used to make event predictions such as failure
events, error codes, and the like. Determinations made by the
execution of the machine learning model at the host platform 720
may be stored on the blockchain 710 to provide auditable/verifiable
proof. As one non-limiting example, the machine learning model may
predict a future breakdown/failure to a part of the asset 730 and
create an alert or a notification to replace the part. The data
behind this decision may be stored by the host platform 720 on the
blockchain 710. In one embodiment the features and/or the actions
described and/or depicted herein can occur on or with respect to
the blockchain 710.
[0215] New transactions for a blockchain can be gathered together
into a new block and added to an existing hash value. This is then
encrypted to create a new hash for the new block. This is added to
the next list of transactions when they are encrypted, and so on.
The result is a chain of blocks that each contains the hash values
of all preceding blocks. Computers that store these blocks
regularly compare their hash values to ensure that they are all in
agreement. Any computer that does not agree, discards the records
that are causing the problem. This approach is good for ensuring
tamper-resistance of the blockchain, but it is not perfect.
[0216] One way to game this system is for a dishonest user to
change the list of transactions in their favor, but in a way that
leaves the hash unchanged. This can be done by brute force, in
other words, by changing a record, encrypting the result, and
seeing whether the hash value is the same. And if not, trying again
and again and again until it finds a hash that matches. The
security of blockchains is based on the belief that ordinary
computers can only perform this kind of brute force attack over
time scales that are entirely impractical, such as the age of the
universe. By contrast, quantum computers are much faster (1000s of
times faster) and consequently pose a much greater threat.
[0217] FIG. 7B illustrates an example 750 of a quantum-secure
blockchain 752, which implements quantum key distribution (QKD) to
protect against a quantum computing attack. In this example,
blockchain users can verify each other's identities using QKD. This
sends information using quantum particles such as photons, which
cannot be copied by an eavesdropper without destroying them. In
this way, a sender and a receiver through the blockchain can be
sure of each other's identity.
[0218] In the example of FIG. 7B, four users are present 754, 756,
758, and 760. Each of pair of users may share a secret key 762
(i.e., a QKD) between themselves. Since there are four nodes in
this example, six pairs of nodes exist, and therefore six different
secret keys 762 are used, including QKD.sub.AB, QKD.sub.AC,
QKD.sub.AD, QKD.sub.BC, QKD.sub.BD, and QKD.sub.CD. Each pair can
create a QKD by sending information using quantum particles such as
photons, which cannot be copied by an eavesdropper without
destroying them. In this way, a pair of users can be sure of each
other's identity.
[0219] The operation of the blockchain 752 is based on two
procedures (i) creation of transactions, and (ii) construction of
blocks that aggregate the new transactions. New transactions may be
created similar to a traditional blockchain network. Each
transaction may contain information about a sender, a receiver, a
time of creation, an amount (or value) to be transferred, a list of
reference transactions that justifies the sender has funds for the
operation, and the like. This transaction record is then sent to
all other nodes where it is entered into a pool of unconfirmed
transactions. Here, two parties (i.e., a pair of users from among
754-760) authenticate the transaction by providing their shared
secret key 762 (QKD). This quantum signature can be attached to
every transaction making it exceedingly difficult to tamper with.
Each node checks their entries with respect to a local copy of the
blockchain 752 to verify that each transaction has sufficient
funds. However, the transactions are not yet confirmed.
[0220] Rather than perform a traditional mining process on the
blocks, the blocks may be created in a decentralized manner using a
broadcast protocol. At a predetermined period of time (e.g.,
seconds, minutes, hours, etc.) the network may apply the broadcast
protocol to any unconfirmed transaction, thereby to achieve a
Byzantine agreement (consensus) regarding a correct version of the
transaction. For example, each node may possess a private value
(transaction data of that particular node). In a first round, nodes
transmit their private values to each other. In subsequent rounds,
nodes communicate the information they received in the previous
round from other nodes. Here, honest nodes are able to create a
complete set of transactions within a new block. This new block can
be added to the blockchain 752. In one embodiment the features
and/or the actions described and/or depicted herein can occur on or
with respect to the blockchain 752.
[0221] Referring now to FIG. 8, shown is a high-level block diagram
of an example computer system 800 that may be used in implementing
one or more of the methods, tools, and modules, and any related
functions, described herein (e.g., using one or more processor
circuits or computer processors of the computer), in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure. This computer system
may, in some embodiments, be a DPS 10 as described above. In some
embodiments, the major components of the computer system 800 may
comprise one or more CPUs 802, a memory subsystem 804, a terminal
interface 812, a storage interface 816, an I/O (Input/Output)
device interface 814, and a network interface 818, all of which may
be communicatively coupled, directly or indirectly, for
inter-component communication via a memory bus 803, an I/O bus 808,
and an I/O bus interface unit 810.
[0222] The computer system 800 may contain one or more
general-purpose programmable central processing units (CPUs) 802A,
802B, 802C, and 802D, herein generically referred to as the CPU
802. In some embodiments, the computer system 800 may contain
multiple processors typical of a relatively large system; however,
in other embodiments the computer system 800 may alternatively be a
single CPU system. Each CPU 802 may execute instructions stored in
the memory subsystem 804 and may include one or more levels of
on-board cache.
[0223] System memory 804 may include computer system readable media
in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM)
822 or cache memory 824. Computer system 800 may further include
other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer
system storage media. By way of example only, storage system 826
can be provided for reading from and writing to a non-removable,
non-volatile magnetic media, such as a "hard drive." Although not
shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a
removable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), or
an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable,
non-volatile optical disc such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other
optical media can be provided. In addition, memory 804 can include
flash memory, e.g., a flash memory stick drive or a flash drive.
Memory devices can be connected to memory bus 803 by one or more
data media interfaces. The memory 804 may include at least one
program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program
modules that are configured to carry out the functions of various
embodiments.
[0224] One or more programs/utilities 828, each having at least one
set of program modules 830 may be stored in memory 804. The
programs/utilities 828 may include a hypervisor (also referred to
as a virtual machine monitor), one or more operating systems, one
or more application programs, other program modules, and program
data. Each of the operating systems, one or more application
programs, other program modules, and program data or some
combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networking
environment. Programs 828 and/or program modules 830 generally
perform the functions or methodologies of various embodiments.
[0225] Although the memory bus 803 is shown in FIG. 8 as a single
bus structure providing a direct communication path among the CPUs
802, the memory subsystem 804, and the I/O bus interface 810, the
memory bus 803 may, in some embodiments, include multiple different
buses or communication paths, which may be arranged in any of
various forms, such as point-to-point links in hierarchical, star
or web configurations, multiple hierarchical buses, parallel and
redundant paths, or any other appropriate type of configuration.
Furthermore, while the I/O bus interface 810 and the I/O bus 808
are shown as single respective units, the computer system 800 may,
in some embodiments, contain multiple I/O bus interface units 810,
multiple I/O buses 808, or both. Further, while multiple I/O
interface units are shown, which separate the I/O bus 808 from
various communications paths running to the various I/O devices, in
other embodiments some or all of the I/O devices may be connected
directly to one or more system I/O buses.
[0226] In some embodiments, the computer system 800 may be a
multi-user mainframe computer system, a single-user system, or a
server computer or similar device that has little or no direct user
interface, but receives requests from other computer systems
(clients). Further, in some embodiments, the computer system 800
may be implemented as a desktop computer, portable computer, laptop
or notebook computer, tablet computer, pocket computer, telephone,
smartphone, network switches or routers, or any other appropriate
type of electronic device.
[0227] FIG. 8 depicts the representative major components of an
example computer system 800. In some embodiments, however,
individual components may have greater or lesser complexity than as
represented in FIG. 8, components other than or in addition to
those shown in FIG. 8 may be present, and the number, type, and
configuration of such components may vary.
[0228] As discussed in more detail herein, it is contemplated that
some or all of the operations of some of the embodiments of methods
described herein may be performed in alternative orders or may not
be performed at all; furthermore, multiple operations may occur at
the same time or as an internal part of a larger process.
Minimizing the Impact of Malfunctioning Peers on Blockchain
[0229] In the traditional blockchain, the client: a) submits the
successful endorsement results to the orderers; and b) drops the
failed endorsement (resubmitting the transaction at a later time).
Blockchain guarantees the reliability of transaction processing by
having multiple peers executing the same transaction and also by
running consensus algorithms among the peers. Transactions that
have been successfully endorsed will be recorded into the
blockchain ledger, otherwise, a transaction will be dropped and
resend by the client.
[0230] The design of blockchain permits it to function, despite
some number of malfunctioning peers. As noted above, use of
techniques such as Byzantine fault tolerance and crash fault
tolerance can provide some level of functionality, even when all
peers are not functioning properly. For example, the endorsement
policy in Hyperledger Fabric.RTM. requires only three out of five
peers to agree on the execution results for a successful
transaction. Successfully endorsed transactions are recorded into
the blockchain ledger, but unsuccessfully endorsed transactions
require the client to resend the transaction.
[0231] Although the blockchain consensus algorithms permit some
number of malfunctioning peers to be tolerated, without affecting
the correctness of the blockchain, the existence of malfunctioning
peers can be still detrimental to the blockchain network.
Malfunctioning peers become useless and their execution becomes a
waste of resources (computation, storage, networking, and other.)
Malfunctioning peers can negatively affect the execution of
transactions in that a transaction may continuously fail due to
such peers, and frequent resubmission of a transaction largely
degrades the blockchain overall throughput. Thus, it would be
advantageous to detect malfunctioning peers in a timely manner, and
minimize the negative impact of such malfunctioning peers on the
blockchain platform. Various embodiments described herein take
advantage of the endorsement results to guide the clients to select
the endorsement peers in a smarter way, and help the blockchain
automatically eliminate malfunctioning peers until they are back to
normal.
[0232] In the traditional design, a client only submits the
successful endorsement results to the orderers. The client simply
drops the failed endorsements and resubmits the transaction
sometime later. In various embodiments discussed herein, the failed
endorsements may be taken advantage of to guide the clients to
select endorsement peers in a smarter way, and also to help the
blockchain network automatically rule out malfunctioning peers
until they are back to normal. Thus, one or more of these
embodiments may improve the function and efficiency of the existing
blockchain platform by minimizing the negative impact of
malfunctioning peers. This may be achieved, e.g., by dealing with
malfunctioning peers. The components that are malfunctioning in a
peer can be not only the ledger/storage components, but other
runtime software and hardware as well.
[0233] FIG. 9 illustrates a system 900 that addresses
malfunctioning peers, according to some embodiments. The system 900
may comprise the following. As shown, an ordering service 930
comprises a plurality of orderers 932A, 932B, 932C, and 932D. The
reference number 932 may be used to refer to these collectively or
representatively (a similar scheme may be used for other reference
numbers with letters behind them as well). A client 920 submits
both successful and failed endorsement results to the ordering
service 930.
[0234] Each orderer 932A, 932B, 932C, and 932D may have associated
with it a respective endorsement collector (EC) 934A, 934B, 934C,
and 934D, that may be provided as an overlay module, which is
responsible for collecting the endorsement results and analyzing
which peers 950 have failed the endorsement and which peers 950
have succeeded. The EC 934 may: a) receive endorsement results from
the peers 950 (both successful and failed endorsements); and b)
determine which peers 950 failed in the transaction simulation
(failed endorsement peers (FEPs) and which peers 950 succeeded
(successful endorsement peers (SEPs). One client 920 can send an
endorsement to multiple ECs 934 via, e.g., the ordering service
930, to achieve a higher reliability.
[0235] An analyzer 940, which may be a decentralized analyzer, may
aggregate endorsement information from different ECs 934 and
calculate a reputation of each peer 950 accordingly. Different
algorithms may be plugged in to accomplish such a calculation. One
simple example illustrating this reputation calculation process is
that every peer 950 starts with a reputation score (which may be
stored in a reputation of peers database 942) at some initial
value, which may be, e.g., zero; a successful endorsement may
revise the score in a first direction, e.g., adding one to the
reputation score, while a failed endorsement may revise the score
in a second opposite direction, e.g., divides the current
reputation score in half. However, the invention is not so limited,
and different algorithms may be plugged in by users of the system
900. In some embodiments, a newly added peer 950 may have a default
score applied to it. The default score should not be below a
threshold value so that the new peer 950 is initially ignored. The
new peer 950 will gradually gain in reputation if it performs well
but will fall below the threshold if it fails at some
frequency.
[0236] After this calculation, the analyzer 940 may send the
reputation of peers to both the client 920 and a system admin 910.
The analyzer 940 may: a) aggregate the information (successful
peers and failed peers) from different ECs 934; b) calculate the
reputation of each peer 950; and c) send information to the client
920 as well as the system administrator 910--the clients 920 and
the administrator 910 may, in some embodiments receive information
with different level of detail.
[0237] There are two scenarios considered here as to how the
analyzer 940 determines whether a peer 950 has successfully
endorsed a transaction. When an endorsement policy is satisfied,
the majority of the peers 950 create identical transaction
simulation results, and thus, these peers 950 endorsed the
transaction successfully--other peers 950 have failed to endorse
the transaction successfully. In the second case, when the
endorsement policy failed, some peers 950 could still have
successfully simulated the transaction, but it is hard to determine
which are these peers 950 exactly. Therefore, the analyzer 940 may
group the peers 950 based on their endorsement results and sort the
peer groups according to their sizes.
[0238] After running for a while, a peer 950 can become starved
(due to its previous failed endorsements). No client 920 has sent
any transaction to this peer 950, and thus, no one knows whether
this peer 950 is currently acting normal or not. To prevent this
scenario, a probing client 960 is designed to gather information
about such inactive peers 950 by sending probing transactions to
them for endorsement. This probing client 960 may also be
integrated into the analyzer 940. The probing client 960 may: a)
probe the inactive peers 950 to prevent them from being starved;
and b) gather the information about which peers 950 are inactive
from the analyzer 940--the inactive peers 950 are the ones that
have not been selected by any client 920 for the endorsement.
Depending on the results of the probe, the inactive peer's 950
reputation score may be increased (or some other action taken, such
as the inactive peer 950 being added to a list of available
endorsing peers 950 on a one-time basis, or the like) so that it is
given another chance to participate in transaction endorsement.
[0239] The following may be used to determine whether a peer 950
has successfully endorsed a transaction. The endorsement policy has
been satisfied when a majority of the peers 950 create identical
transmit simulation results (these are the successful peers 950).
The remainder of the peers 950 are failed peers. When the
endorsement policy has failed, some peer 950 could still have
successfully simulated the transaction. The process here is to
group the peers 950 based on their endorsement results, and sort
the resulting groups based on the quantity of peers 950 in each
group, as described above. The assumption here is that the peers
950 in a larger group have a higher chance/rate of successful
transaction endorsements and vice versa. Thus, in this case, the
reputations may be reduced for all of the peers, but may be reduced
less for peers 950 in larger groups and more for peers 950 in
smaller groups, according to some predetermined threshold values
and mathematical formula.
[0240] Using the above-described techniques may allow the detection
of malfunction peers 950 in a timely manner, and minimize the
negative impact of malfunctioning peers 950 in the blockchain
platform. By leverages the detailed endorsement results to
gradually build the reputations of the peers 950, a healthier and
more efficient blockchain platform may be provided that benefits
both the client 920 and the system administrator 910. Although
described above as applicable to blockchain technologies, the model
may be generally applied to other crash fault tolerance (CFT)
systems using a fault tolerant-based consensus, and the reputation
components may be applied in any network.
[0241] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process 1000,
according to some embodiments, that minimizes the impact of
malfunctioning peers on a blockchain. In operation 1005, the
ordering service 930 receives peer 950 endorsement results, and, in
operation 1010, use those results are distributed to the
endorsement collectors 934. In operation 1015, the endorsement
collectors 934 determine which peers 950 successfully endorsed the
transaction (successful endorsement peers (SEPs)) and which peers
950 failed to endorse the transaction (failed endorsement peers
(FEPs).
[0242] The determinations may be passed on to the decentralized
analyzer 940 where they are aggregated, and a reputation of the
respective peers is determined by a calculator 942 in operation
1020. In operation 1025, the calculated reputation score for the
peers may be sent to the system administrator 910 and the client
920. In operation 1030, the reputation scores for the respective
peers may then be used when seeking an endorsement peer 950, 952 in
a subsequent transaction.
Technical Application
[0243] The one or more embodiments disclosed herein accordingly
provide an improvement to computer technology. For example, an
improvement to a digital transaction ledger, its respective nodes
and networked interconnections, and additional flexibility to the
data and transactions they support allows for a more efficient and
effective implementation of a blockchain network.
Computer Readable Media
[0244] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer readable media at any possible technical detail level of
integration. The computer program product may include a computer
readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program
instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects
of the present invention.
[0245] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0246] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0247] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated
circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any
combination of one or more programming languages, including an
object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the
like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages. The computer
readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's
computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the
latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's
computer through any type of network, including a local area
network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may
be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet
using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,
electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic
circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program
instructions by utilizing state information of the computer
readable program instructions to personalize the electronic
circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present
invention.
[0248] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0249] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0250] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0251] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
* * * * *