Trust mechanism for a peer-to-peer network computing platform

• US 20050086300A1
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Yeager, William J., Chen, Rita Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,275,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1057 involving pre-assessment of levels of reputation of peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Embodiments of a decentralized, distributed trust mechanism that may be used in various networking platforms including peer-to-peer platforms, to implement trust relationships between and among peers and to implement trust relationships between peers and content and data (codat). Protocols and methods may be provided for determining, disseminating and updating trust. For participating peers, trust may be biased towards data relevance. Trust may have multiple components or factors, which may include peer confidence, codat confidence and risk components, and embodiments may provide for the inclusion of factors of trust based on a peer group'"'"'s interests and/or group content relevance. Embodiments may be used for a variety of applications in which trust may be based on the norm for social interaction between participating peers.

Claims

1. A peer computing system comprising:

a plurality of peer nodes;

wherein at least a subset of the peer nodes is configured to participate in an area of interest to find and exchange codats relevant to the area of interest, wherein a codat is computer-representable content or data; and

wherein the at least a subset of the peer nodes is further configured to participate in a distributed trust mechanism to establish and maintain trust relationships among the peer nodes in the area of interest from trust evaluations of codat exchange among the peer nodes in the area of interest.

2. The peer computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, each of the at least a subset of the peer nodes is configured to:

receive a set of one or more codats relevant to the area of interest from another of the at least a subset of the peer nodes;

determine trust in the set of codats received from the other peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determine trust in the other peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

3. The peer computing system as recited in claim 2, wherein, to determine trust in a particular codat of the set of codats, the peer node is further configured to:

determine popularity of the codat among the at least a subset of the peer nodes;

determine relevance of the codat to the area of interest; and

determine the trust in the particular codat from the popularity of the codat and the relevance of the codat.

4. The peer computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, each of the at least a subset of the peer nodes is configured to:

determine risk associated with another of the at least a subset of the peer nodes;

determine trust in a set of codats received from the other peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determine trust in the other peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the risk associated with the other peer node and the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

5. The peer computing system as recited in claim 3, wherein risk is determined from one or more of integrity of codats provided by the other node, accessibility of the other node, and performance of the other node.

6. The peer computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, each of the at least a subset of the peer nodes is further configured to:

receive a set of one or more codats relevant to the area of interest from another of the at least a subset of the peer nodes;

determine trust in the set of codats received from the other peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

propagate the determined trust in the set of codats to one or more others of the at least a subset of the peer nodes.

7. The peer computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, each of the at least a subset of the peer nodes is further configured to:

determine trust in another of the at least a subset of the peer nodes as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest; and

propagate the determined trust in the other peer node to one or more others of the at least a subset of the peer nodes.

8. The peer computing system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of peer nodes is configured to implement a peer-to-peer environment on the network according to a peer-to-peer platform comprising one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling the plurality of peer nodes to discover each other, to communicate with each other, and to find and exchange the codats in the peer-to-peer environment.

9. A peer node comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to;

participate in an area of interest with other peer nodes on a network to find and exchange codats relevant to the area of interest, wherein a codat is computer-representable content or data; and

implement a distributed trust mechanism to establish and maintain trust relationships with the other peer nodes in the area of interest from trust evaluations of codat exchange with the peer nodes in the area of interest.

10. The peer node as recited in claim 9, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, the peer node is further configured to:

receive a set of one or more codats relevant to the area of interest from another peer node;

determine trust in the set of codats received from the other peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determine trust in the other peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

11. The peer node as recited in claim 10, wherein, to determine trust in a particular codat of the set of codats, the peer node is further configured to:

determine popularity of the codat among the other peer nodes;

determine relevance of the codat to the area of interest; and

determine the trust in the particular codat from the popularity of the codat and the relevance of the codat.

12. The peer node as recited in claim 9, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, the peer node is configured to:

determine risk associated with another peer node;

determine trust in a set of codats received from the other peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determine trust in the other peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the risk associated with the other peer node and the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

13. The peer node as recited in claim 12, wherein risk is determined from one or more of integrity of codats provided by the other node, accessibility of the other node, and performance of the other node.

14. The peer node as recited in claim 9, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, the peer node is further configured to:

receive a set of one or more codats relevant to the area of interest from another peer node;

determine trust in the set of codats received from the other peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

propagate the determined trust in the set of codats to one or more of the other peer nodes.

15. The peer node as recited in claim 9, wherein, to establish and maintain trust relationships, the peer node is further configured to:

determine trust in another peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest; and

propagate the determined trust in the other peer node to one or more of the other peer nodes.

16. The peer node as recited in claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further executable within the peer node to participate with the other peer nodes in a peer-to-peer environment on the network according to a peer-to-peer platform comprising one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling peer nodes to discover each other, to communicate with each other, and to find and exchange the codats in the peer-to-peer environment.

17. A method comprising:

a peer node participating in an area of interest with other peer nodes on a network to find and exchange codats relevant to the area of interest, wherein a codat is computer-representable content or data; and

the peer node establishing and maintaining trust relationships with the other peer nodes in the area of interest from trust evaluations of codat exchange with the peer nodes in the area of interest in accordance with a distributed trust mechanism.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the method further comprises:

receiving a set of one or more codats relevant to an area of interest from a peer node, wherein a codat is computer-representable content or data;

determining trust in the set of codats received from the peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determining trust in the peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein, in said determining trust in the set of codats, the method further comprises:

determining popularity of a particular one of the set of codats among the other peer nodes;

determining relevance of the codat to the area of interest; and

determining the trust in the particular codat from the popularity of the codat and the relevance of the codat.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the method further comprises:

determining risk associated with a peer node;

determining trust in a set of codats received from the peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determining trust in the peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the risk associated with the peer node and the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein risk is determined from one or more of integrity of codats provided by the other node, accessibility of the other node, and performance of the other node.

22. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the method further comprises:

receiving a set of one or more codats relevant to the area of interest from a peer node;

determining trust in the set of codats received from the peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

propagating the determined trust in the set of codats to one or more of the other peer nodes.

23. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the method further comprises:

determining trust in a peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest; and

propagating the determined trust in the peer node to one or more of the other peer nodes.

24. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the peer nodes are configured to implement a peer-to-peer environment on the network according to a peer-to-peer platform comprising one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling the peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and to find and exchange the codats in the peer-to-peer environment.

25. An article of manufacture comprising software instructions executable to implement:

a peer node participating in an area of interest with other peer nodes on a network to find and exchange codats relevant to the area of interest, wherein a codat is computer-representable content or data; and

the peer node establishing and maintaining trust relationships with the other peer nodes in the area of interest from trust evaluations of codat exchange with the peer nodes in the area of interest in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

26. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 25, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the software instructions are further executable to implement:

receiving a set of one or more codats relevant to an area of interest from a peer node, wherein a codat is computer-representable content or data;

determining trust in the set of codats received from the peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determining trust in the peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

27. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 26, wherein, in said determining trust in the set of codats, the software instructions are further executable to implement:

determining popularity of a particular one of the set of codats among the other peer nodes;

determining relevance of the codat to the area of interest; and

determining the trust in the particular codat from the popularity of the codat and the relevance of the codat.

28. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 25, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the software instructions are further executable to implement:

determining risk associated with a peer node;

determining trust in a set of codats received from the peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

determining trust in the peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest from the risk associated with the peer node and the determined trust in the set of codats in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism.

29. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 28, wherein risk is determined from one or more of integrity of codats provided by the other node, accessibility of the other node, and performance of the other node.

30. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 25, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the software instructions are further executable to implement:

receiving a set of one or more codats relevant to the area of interest from a peer node;

determining trust in the set of codats received from the peer node in accordance with the distributed trust mechanism; and

propagating the determined trust in the set of codats to one or more of the other peer nodes.

31. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 25, wherein, in said establishing and maintaining trust relationships, the software instructions are further executable to implement:

determining trust in a peer node as a provider of codats relevant to the area of interest; and

propagating the determined trust in the peer node to one or more of the other peer nodes.

32. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 25, wherein the peer nodes are configured to implement a peer-to-peer environment on the network according to a peer-to-peer platform comprising one or more peer-to-peer platform protocols for enabling the peer nodes to discover each other, communicate with each other, and to find and exchange the codats in the peer-to-peer environment.