Distributed Ledger Proof of Object Existence via Cryptographic Hashing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrating a blockchain within an Object Storage System poses challenges in efficiently proving the existence of large objects stored, as the distributed ledger needs to remain small and highly replicated, while ensuring the integrity and verification of these objects.
Innovation Solution
A distributed/dispersed storage system (DSN) generates cryptographically verifiable receipts for operations like uploads and deletions, including time, digital signature, hash, and author information, to provide proof of existence and deletion, ensuring the integrity of objects stored across multiple storage units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If large objects are unloaded into an Object Storage System, then the distributed ledger can remain small and highly replicated, but it becomes difficult to prove the existence of those objects offloaded to the storage system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential verification elements (hash values, metadata, cryptographic proofs) from the complete objects and stores them in the distributed ledger, while the full objects are stored in the object storage system. This allows the ledger to remain small and highly replicable while still providing reliable proof of object existence through cryptographic verification of the extracted identifiers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary cryptographic hashing and verification setup before objects are offloaded to storage. By pre-computing and storing hash values and verification metadata in the ledger before the actual object transfer, the system enables rapid existence proof verification without requiring the ledger to contain the full objects, thus resolving the contradiction between ledger size and verification reliability.
2Productivity
If the distributed ledger remains small and highly replicated, then replication efficiency is improved, but the ability to verify integrity of large objects is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of replicating full objects across the distributed ledger, the system replicates only cryptographic hashes and metadata identifiers. These compact copies are sufficient for integrity verification purposes, allowing efficient replication across multiple ledger nodes while maintaining the ability to verify object integrity through cryptographic comparison of the hashed identifiers against the stored objects.
3Reliability
If cryptographic verification receipts are generated for all operations, then data integrity is enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cryptographic hash functions and digital signature mechanisms as intermediaries between the object storage operations and the verification process. These intermediaries transform complex integrity verification requirements into simple cryptographic comparisons, enhancing data integrity while actually reducing operational complexity by providing standardized, automated verification procedures rather than requiring complex manual verification processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of integrating a distributed ledger represented by a blockchain with a distributed storage network (DSN) begins by sending a proof of existence request to the DSN, the proof of existence request including an object name, an object version, a start time and an end time. The method continues by reading the object metadata for the sent object name. The method continues by checking a revision history from object metadata associated with the sent object name to ensure the object existed by the start time through the end time with no deletions and, if the object did not exist by the start time through the end time with no deletions, rejecting the proof of existence request and returning an error response. If the object did exist by the start time on through the end time with no deletions, the method continues by producing and returning an attestation comprising verification information related to the object.