Consensus View Change Decision via P and Q Sets
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Solution Overview
Problem
In consortium blockchain systems, consensus primary nodes face challenges in making accurate view change decisions after a view change operation due to the lack of effective mechanisms in the existing Byzantine fault tolerance (PBFT) framework, particularly in scenarios without a signature mechanism.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a consensus method where a first consensus node broadcasts a ViewChange message based on constructed P and Q sets from received ECHO messages, and a second consensus primary node makes a view change decision upon receiving identical P and Q sets from N−f−2 ViewChangeACK messages, ensuring accurate view change decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If PBFT consensus protocol is used without signature mechanism, then communication overhead is reduced and processing speed is improved, but the ability to make accurate view change decisions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having consensus nodes pre-construct P sets and Q sets from received ECHO messages before the view change occurs. The P set contains pre-prepare messages and the Q set contains prepare messages, both constructed in advance during the normal consensus process. When view change is triggered, these pre-constructed sets are immediately available for the new primary node to use, eliminating the need for the new primary to request and verify messages during the critical view change transition, thus ensuring accurate view change decisions while maintaining fast processing speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through the ViewChangeACK message mechanism. When a consensus node receives a ViewChange message, it sends back a ViewChangeACK message to confirm receipt and validation. The new primary node collects these feedback messages from multiple nodes to verify the validity of the P and Q sets. This feedback loop ensures that the view change decision is accurate by confirming that sufficient nodes have validated the proposed sets, while not significantly impacting the overall consensus speed
2Adaptability or versatility
If view change operation is triggered in PBFT without signature mechanism, then system adaptability to handle primary node failures is improved, but the complexity of ensuring accurate view change decisions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces view change decision complexity by having nodes pre-construct and store P sets and Q sets during normal operation. When view change is triggered, the new primary node simply retrieves these pre-constructed sets from the ViewChange messages received from other nodes, rather than needing to complexly verify and reconstruct them during the view change process. This preliminary preparation significantly simplifies the view change decision complexity while maintaining full adaptability for handling primary node failures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies copying by having multiple consensus nodes independently construct identical P sets and Q sets from the same ECHO messages. When view change occurs, the new primary node receives copies of these sets from multiple nodes via ViewChange messages. The node then makes the view change decision by comparing these identical copies, which simplifies the decision process while ensuring the system remains adaptable to handle various failure scenarios
Data Source
AI summary
A consensus method and system in a consortium blockchain is provided. An example method includes, when a first consensus node in a consensus network of the consortium blockchain does not complete a consensus operation on target data on which a consensus is to be reached within a predetermined time period, the first consensus node broadcasts a ViewChange message in the consensus network based on a P set and a Q set constructed from an ECHO message. For a received ViewChange message, a second consensus node sends a ViewChangeACK message corresponding to the received ViewChange message to a second consensus primary node. When the second consensus primary node receives N−f−2 ViewChangeACK messages from consensus nodes, the second consensus primary node obtains identical P sets and a identical Q sets in the received ViewChange message. The second consensus primary node makes a view change decision based on the received ViewChange message.