Ledger Admin Configuration Oracle for Distributed Ledger Nodes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed systems of record, such as content delivery networks and blockchain implementations, face challenges in orchestrating changes to configuration factors across ledger nodes to achieve consensus, particularly in securing keying material and managing epochs for configuration enforcement.
Innovation Solution
A ledger-specific configuration system, referred to as Ledger Admin (LA), is introduced to embed configuration information into the ledger blockchain. This system provides block header annotations to convey the configuration in force for a block and subsequent blocks, and it securely connects to every ledger node coordinator to apply configuration updates interactively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If configuration changes are orchestrated across ledger nodes to achieve consensus, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for coordination mechanisms and epoch management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a configuration oracle as an intermediary component that mediates between configuration administrators and ledger nodes. The oracle receives configuration updates, validates them, and distributes them to participating ledger nodes, thereby simplifying the complexity of direct peer-to-peer configuration orchestration while maintaining consensus reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements epoch-based configuration management where configuration changes are planned and validated in advance for specific epochs before being applied to the ledger. This preliminary action allows configuration updates to be prepared, validated, and staged before actual deployment, reducing the complexity of real-time coordination while ensuring consensus integrity.
2Reliability
If keying material is secured across distributed ledger nodes, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the complexity of key management and rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration oracle serves as a trusted intermediary that manages keying material distribution and rotation across ledger nodes. Instead of requiring individual nodes to manage their own keys independently, the oracle centralizes key management operations, making security maintenance easier while preserving the distributed security model.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated key rotation mechanisms where the configuration oracle automatically distributes rotated keying material to ledger nodes without requiring manual intervention. This self-service approach maintains high security through regular key rotation while reducing the operational burden on administrators.
3Adaptability or versatility
If configuration updates are applied interactively to ledger nodes, then adaptability is improved, but productivity decreases due to the time required for consensus and propagation
Solution Approach 1:
Configuration updates are validated, signed, and prepared in advance by the configuration oracle before being deployed to ledger nodes. This preliminary preparation allows the actual deployment during epochs to proceed more efficiently, as the heavy lifting of validation and coordination has already been completed, thus improving productivity without sacrificing adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses epoch-based periodic configuration updates where changes are applied at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. This periodic approach allows for batch processing of configuration changes, improving deployment efficiency while maintaining the ability to adapt to different operational requirements through configurable epoch durations.
4Measurement precision
If block header annotations are used to convey configuration, then measurement precision is improved for tracking configuration state, but device complexity increases due to additional data structures
Solution Approach 1:
The block header annotations serve multiple functions: they convey configuration state, provide verification metadata, and enable auditing capabilities. By making the annotation structure multi-functional, the system achieves precise configuration tracking without requiring separate dedicated data structures for each function, thereby limiting the increase in overall complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A high-performance distributed ledger and transaction computing network fabric over which large numbers of transactions are processed concurrently in a scalable, reliable, secure and efficient manner. In one embodiment, the computing network core is configured to support a distributed blockchain network that organizes data in a manner that allows communication, processing and storage of blocks of the chain to be performed concurrently at very high performance and low latency, even when the transactions themselves originate from distant sources. This data organization relies on segmenting a transaction space within autonomous but cooperating computing nodes that are configured as a processing mesh. The system also provides for confidence-based consensus. A configuration system is provided to enable configuration updates to be securely implemented across various subsets of the computing nodes.