Blockchain-based consensus method and device

• US 10,642,699 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Tang, Qiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Duncan, Marc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Jonathan D
• Application Number:
  US16/502,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20190324867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2041 with more than one idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency ensuring consistency in mirrored systems G06F11/2064
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548

Abstract

This specification describes techniques for blockchain-based consensus. One example method includes storing, by a database of a blockchain node, consensus data needed for performing a consensus procedure, wherein the consensus data is retrievable by a first server and a second server during the consensus procedure, wherein the blockchain node is included in a blockchain and comprises the first server, the second server, and the database; in response to a determination that the first server is faulty, retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, the consensus data from the database and executing the consensus procedure based on the consensus data to generate a consensus result; and storing, by the second server, the consensus result in the database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for blockchain-based consensus, the computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, by a database of a blockchain node, consensus data needed for performing a consensus procedure, wherein the consensus data is retrievable by a first server and a second server during the consensus procedure, wherein the blockchain node is included in a blockchain and comprises the first server, the second server, and the database;

in response to a determination that the first server is faulty;

receiving, by the second server in place of the first server, a consensus message comprising a service request identifier; and

retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, the consensus data from the database and executing the consensus procedure based on the consensus data to generate a consensus result; and

storing, by the second server, the consensus result in the database.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the blockchain node comprises a gateway, and wherein the method comprises:

determining, by the gateway, that the first server is faulty.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, comprising:

determining, by the gateway, an operation status of the first server and an operation status of the second server by;

receiving, by the gateway, operation status messages that are sent by the first server and the second server to the gateway based on a predetermined period; and

determining, by the gateway, the operation status of the first server and the operation status of the second server based on the operation status messages.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the method comprises:

forwarding, by the gateway to the second server, the consensus message that is sent by an external device participating in the consensus procedure, in response to determining that the first server is faulty; and

retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, consensus data corresponding to the consensus message from the database.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein the external device reattempts to send the consensus message upon receiving no response after a specified time.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein retrieving the consensus data from the database comprises:

searching, by the second server, the database for consensus data corresponding to the service request identifier; and

retrieving the consensus data corresponding to the service request identifier.

7. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions executable by a computer system to perform operations, comprising:

storing, by a database of a blockchain node, consensus data needed for performing a consensus procedure, wherein the consensus data is retrievable by a first server and a second server during the consensus procedure, wherein the blockchain node is included in a blockchain and comprises the first server, the second server, and the database;

in response to a determination that the first server is faulty;

receiving, by the second server in place of the first server, a consensus message comprising a service request identifier; and

retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, the consensus data from the database and executing the consensus procedure based on the consensus data to generate a consensus result; and

storing, by the second server, the consensus result in the database.

8. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the blockchain node comprises a gateway, and wherein the method comprises:

determining, by the gateway, that the first server is faulty.

9. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 8, comprising:

determining, by the gateway, an operation status of the first server and an operation status of the second server by;

receiving, by the gateway, operation status messages that are sent by the first server and the second server to the gateway based on a predetermined period; and

determining, by the gateway, the operation status of the first server and the operation status of the second server based on the operation status messages.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the operations comprises:

forwarding, by the gateway to the second server, the consensus message that is sent by an external device participating in the consensus procedure, in response to determining that the first server is faulty; and

retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, consensus data corresponding to the consensus message from the database.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the external device reattempts to send the consensus message upon receiving no response after a specified time.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein retrieving the consensus data from the database comprises:

searching, by the second server, the database for consensus data corresponding to the service request identifier; and

retrieving the consensus data corresponding to the service request identifier.

13. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more computer memory devices interoperably coupled with the one or more computers and having tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media storing one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, perform one or more operations comprising;

storing, by a database of a blockchain node, consensus data needed for performing a consensus procedure, wherein the consensus data is retrievable by a first server and a second server during the consensus procedure, wherein the blockchain node is included in a blockchain and comprises the first server, the second server, and the database;

in response to a determination that the first server is faulty;

receiving, by the second server in place of the first server, a consensus message comprising a service request identifier; and

retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, the consensus data from the database and executing the consensus procedure based on the consensus data to generate a consensus result; and

storing, by the second server, the consensus result in the database.

14. The computer-implemented system according to claim 13, wherein the blockchain node comprises a gateway, and wherein the method comprises:

determining, by the gateway, that the first server is faulty.

15. The computer-implemented system according to claim 14, comprising:

determining, by the gateway, an operation status of the first server and an operation status of the second server by;

receiving, by the gateway, operation status messages that are sent by the first server and the second server to the gateway based on a predetermined period; and

determining, by the gateway, the operation status of the first server and the operation status of the second server based on the operation status messages.

16. The computer-implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the operations comprises:

forwarding, by the gateway to the second server, the consensus message that is sent by an external device participating in the consensus procedure, in response to determining that the first server is faulty; and

retrieving, by the second server in place of the first server, consensus data corresponding to the consensus message from the database.

17. The computer-implemented system according to claim 16, wherein the external device reattempts to send the consensus message upon receiving no response after a specified time.