Systems and methods for selecting and utilizing a committee of validator nodes in a distributed system

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a distributed transaction system including a group of validator nodes that are known to each other in a network but are indistinguishable to other network nodes. The validator nodes form a Committee including a Leader node and one or more Associate nodes configured to receive and process transaction requests, for example, to add new blocks to one or more blockchains. The Committee may be dynamically changed, such that new network nodes may be added to the Committee or may replace existing validator nodes. The Associate nodes also may coordinate with each other to select a new Leader node. The disclosed embodiments reduce the distributed system's reliance on the stability of any particular node(s) in the network, as the validator nodes in the Committee may be changed at a sufficient frequency to remove unreliable, unavailable, or otherwise untrusted nodes. Further, the disclosed embodiments provide a scheme that helps ensure the Leader node, as well as the other Committee members, functions properly.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The disclosed embodiments relate to distributed transaction-based systems and, more particularly, systems and methods for selecting and utilizing a group of validator nodes that may be used to verify and record transactions for one or more blockchains in a distributed system.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]A network is a collection of interconnected nodes that exchange information. The nodes can include computers, servers, mobile devices, or any other device that can be configured to communicate with other nodes in the network. The network may be configured as a centralized system, such as a client-server system having one or more central servers in communication with one or more client devices, or may be configured as a decentralized system, such as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. A P2P network is a system in which each network node, sometimes called a “peer,” may be directly connected to one or more other nodes in the network. Peers typically have simila...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]In accordance with some embodiments, the Leader node may use improved protocols for reaching a consensus with the Associate validator nodes in the Committee when determining the disposition of a received transaction request. For example, in some embodiments, the Leader node may use aggregate signatures to reach a consensus for the transaction request, allowing the consensus to be reached by validating digital signatures from fewer than all of the validator nodes in the Committee. In contrast with prior systems, the Leader node's use of aggregate signatures may permit the Committee to reach a consensus of whether to accept or reject a transaction request faster and/or more efficiently, for example, when one or more of the validator nodes in the Committee did not respond

Problems solved by technology

Because the validator nodes in the Committee may be frequently replaced, for example, depending on the amount of time required to complete the

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