Parallel execution of blockchain transactions

• US 10,255,108 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dillenberger, Donna Eng, Su, Gong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Loc
• Application Number:
  US15/006,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable storage medium for accessing a data file shared by all computing nodes participating in a system based on a blockchain protocol. The data file includes transactions and blocks. The transactions are data to be stored in the blockchain and the blocks are records that confirm when and in what sequence certain transaction became journaled as part of the blockchain. A request is received to include a plurality of transactions each with additional data as a new block on the blockchain. Criteria that includes a settable period of time or a settable number of transactions received is used to determine how many transactions go into a new block. A directed acyclic graph (DAG) is accessed that is constructed based on inter-dependencies among the transactions. The transactions for the new block are divided into a set of two or more independent tasks that can be executed in parallel based on the DAG. The independent tasks that can be managed independently are executed.

Claims

1. A computer-based method comprising:

accessing, by a processor, a data file shared by all computing nodes participating in a system based on a blockchain protocol, the data file including transactions and blocks, where the transactions are data to be stored in the blockchain and the blocks are records that confirm when and in what sequence certain transaction became journaled as part of the blockchain;

receiving at least one request to include a plurality of transactions each with additional data as a new block on the blockchain;

using criteria that includes at least one of a settable period of time, a settable number of transactions received or a combination of both to determine a quantity of the plurality of transactions go into a new block;

accessing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that is constructed based on inter-dependencies among inputs and outputs of the plurality of transactions;

dividing, up to the quantity which has been determined, the plurality of transactions for the new block into a set of two or more independent tasks that can be executed in parallel based on the DAG;

scheduling each of the independent tasks that can be managed independently by a scheduler;

executing each of the independent tasks; and

adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the DAG based on inter-dependencies among the plurality of transactions includes identifying inputs and outputs of one or more of the transactions.

3. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the independent tasks are substantially executed in substantially in parallel.

4. The computer-based method of claim 3, wherein the independent tasks are substantially executed in parallel as separate threads.

5. The computer-based method of claim 3, wherein the independent task are substantially executed in parallel on separate processing cores.

6. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain includes adding the new block that records the transactions with a hash of a previous block.

7. The computer-based method of claim 6, wherein the adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain includes adding the new block that records the new transaction with additional data in the blockchain includes a timestamp.

8. The computer-based method of claim 6, wherein the adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain includes adding the block that records the new transaction with additional data in the blockchain includes a transaction identifier.

9. The computer-based method of claim 1, wherein the request includes searching the data file using an identifier for a corresponding transaction in the blockchain;

in response to finding the corresponding transaction in the blockchain, making available data stored in a corresponding block to at least one user system.

10. A system comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, where the processor is configured to perform

accessing, by a processor, a data file shared by all computing nodes participating in a system based on a blockchain protocol, the data file including transactions and blocks, where the transactions are data to be stored in the blockchain and the blocks are records that confirm when and in what sequence certain transaction became journaled as part of the blockchain;

receiving at least one request to include a plurality of transactions each with additional data as a new block on the blockchain;

using criteria that includes at least one of a settable period of time, a settable number of transactions received or a combination of both to determine a quantity of the plurality of transactions go into a new block;

accessing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that is constructed based on inter-dependencies among inputs and outputs of the plurality of transactions;

dividing, up to the quantity which has been determined, the plurality of transactions for the new block into a set of two or more independent tasks that can be executed in parallel based on the DAG;

scheduling each of the independent tasks that can be managed independently by a scheduler;

executing each of the independent tasks; and

adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the DAG based on inter-dependencies among the plurality of transactions includes identifying inputs and outputs of one or more of the transactions.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the independent tasks are substantially executed in substantially in parallel.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the independent tasks are substantially executed in parallel as separate threads.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the independent task are substantially executed in parallel on separate processing cores.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain includes adding the new block that records the transactions with a hash of a previous block.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain includes adding the new block that records the new transaction with additional data in the blockchain includes a timestamp.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain includes adding the block that records the new transaction with additional data in the blockchain includes a transaction identifier.

18. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing accessing, by a processor, a data file shared by all computing nodes participating in a system based on a blockchain protocol, the data file including transactions and blocks, where the transactions are data to be stored in the blockchain and the blocks are records that confirm when and in what sequence certain transaction became journaled as part of the blockchain;

receiving at least one request to include a plurality of transactions each with additional data as a new block on the blockchain;

using criteria that includes at least one of a settable period of time, a settable number of transactions received or a combination of both to determine a quantity of the plurality of transactions go into a new block;

accessing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that is constructed based on inter-dependencies among inputs and outputs of the plurality of transactions;

dividing, up to the quantity which has been determined, the plurality of transactions for the new block into a set of two or more independent tasks that can be executed in parallel based on the DAG;

scheduling each of the independent tasks that can be managed independently by a scheduler;

executing each of the independent tasks; and

adding results from each of the independent tasks as the new block on the blockchain.

19. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein the DAG based on inter-dependencies among the plurality of transactions includes identifying inputs and outputs of one or more of the transactions.

20. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein the independent tasks are substantially executed in substantially in parallel.