Blockchain Chair Node Empty Block Agreement Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In public blockchain environments, agreement processes can fail due to node failures or network delays, leading to insufficient quorum and potential malicious modifications by Byzantine nodes.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for block agreement in a blockchain network, where a chair node detects exceptional situations, transmits an empty block agreement start message, generates a candidate empty block, and finalizes it after verification by committee nodes, ensuring continuity even with node failures or delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional distributed agreement algorithms like PBFT are used, then agreement can proceed with a chair node, but the system becomes vulnerable to failures and malicious modifications when the chair node or other nodes fail
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-organizing backup congresses and preparing empty blocks before failures occur. When the current congress fails to reach quorum, the system can immediately activate pre-prepared backup congresses without waiting for failure detection and recovery, ensuring continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system cushions against failures by maintaining multiple backup congresses in advance. These backup congresses are prepared with designated chair nodes and members, providing a safety buffer that allows the system to survive node failures and Byzantine attacks without interrupting blockchain operation
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the chair node is the Byzantine node, then the chair node can modify and distribute agreed blocks for malicious purposes, but preventing this requires additional verification mechanisms that complicate the agreement process
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces backup congresses as intermediaries that verify the legitimacy of agreed blocks. When a block is agreed upon by the current congress, backup congresses independently verify the agreement validity. This intermediary verification layer prevents Byzantine chair nodes from distributing malicious blocks without adding complex verification steps to the primary agreement process
Solution Approach 2:
The backup congresses perform self-verification of block agreements using pre-shared verification data and quorum certificates. Each backup congress autonomously checks whether the agreed block meets validity criteria without requiring complex inter-congress communication or additional cryptographic protocols, keeping the verification mechanism relatively simple
3Reliability
If quorum 2f+1 is required for agreement, then security is maintained, but agreement cannot proceed when quorum is not satisfied due to node failures or network delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between different congress configurations. When the current congress can reach quorum, normal agreement proceeds. When quorum fails, the system dynamically transitions to backup congresses that have pre-organized memberships, allowing agreement to continue with different node combinations without static constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by activating different congress instances with different chair nodes and member compositions. Instead of requiring the same quorum threshold to be met by the same nodes, the system adjusts which congress instance is active, allowing agreement to proceed under changing network conditions while maintaining security requirements
Data Source
AI summary
An agreement method of a block in a blockchain network by a chair node includes: receiving, from a plurality of congress nodes in a congress, information on an exceptional situation which occurred during agreement processes of a block; transmitting an empty block agreement start message including information on the exceptional situation and verification data for the exceptional situation to the plurality of congress nodes; generating a candidate empty block which does not include a transaction when receiving a delegate request message from at least two congress nodes among the plurality of congress nodes and transmitting the candidate empty block to committee nodes; and generating a final empty block when the candidate empty block is verified by the committee nodes and transmitting the final empty block to all nodes in the blockchain network is provided.