Key Catalogs for Efficient Content Centric Network Key Retrieval
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content-centric network (CCN) architectures face inefficiencies in key retrieval for digital content, as consumers must either possess prior knowledge of producer keys or incur significant overhead in retrieving and verifying them, neither of which provides an efficient system for obtaining relevant keys for content published by producers.
Innovation Solution
A system is introduced that facilitates efficient key retrieval by generating and using key catalogs in CCNs, allowing consumers to obtain keys before or concurrently with requesting content, by generating interests for key catalogs and content objects, and verifying these keys using hash matches and digital signatures, thereby eliminating the need for additional sequential interest and content exchanges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If consumers retrieve keys individually before requesting content, then key verification reliability is improved, but network overhead and time delay increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by having consumers retrieve the key catalog and relevant keys before requesting content objects. The consumer obtains the key catalog, identifies keys associated with the content name prefix, and retrieves those keys in advance, so that when the content object arrives, verification can proceed immediately without additional delay.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the key retrieval process with the content request process by using the same interest packet to request both the key catalog and subsequently the content object. The consumer includes the content name prefix in the interest for the key catalog, allowing the system to efficiently retrieve only relevant keys while combining related network operations.
2Measurement precision
If consumers traverse certificate chains to verify public keys, then verification accuracy is improved, but network overhead and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential verification elements (public keys and their hashes) from the complete certificate chain and places them directly in the key catalog. Consumers retrieve pre-extracted public keys associated with content name prefixes, avoiding the need to traverse and process entire certificate chains, thus reducing complexity while maintaining verification accuracy through hash validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The key catalog acts as an intermediary between the content producer and consumer for key verification. Instead of consumers directly traversing certificate chains to verify public keys, the key catalog mediates by providing pre-verified public keys and their hashes, which consumers can validate efficiently without complex chain traversal.
3Speed
If consumers possess prior knowledge of all producer keys, then verification speed is improved, but memory requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by having consumers store and retrieve only the specific keys relevant to the content they request, rather than maintaining all possible producer keys. The key catalog organizes keys by content name prefix, allowing consumers to efficiently retrieve only the local subset of keys needed for their specific content verification, reducing overall key storage requirements while maintaining verification speed.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a system that facilitates efficient key retrieval by using key catalogs in a content centric network. During operation, the system generates, by a client computing device, a first interest for a key indicated in a signed key catalog. In response to receiving the key, the system verifies the received key by determining that a hash of the received key matches a hash of the key as indicated in the catalog based on a name for the received key. The system generates a second interest for a content object, wherein a name for the second interest includes a name prefix associated with the key as indicated in the catalog, wherein the first interest is transmitted before or concurrent with transmitting the second interest. In response to receiving the content object, the system verifies the received content object based on the key.