Methods and apparatus for a distributed database within a network

• US 9,646,029 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hedera Hashgraph LLC
• Original Assignee: Swirlds, Inc.
• Inventors: Baird, III, Leemon C.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US15/387,048
• Time in Patent Office: 139 Days
• Field of Search: 707609-612, 707694
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• 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 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an instance of a distributed database at a first compute device configured to be included within a set of compute devices that implement the distributed database. The apparatus also includes a processor configured to define a first event linked to a first set of events. The processor is configured to receive, from a second compute device from the set of compute devices, a signal representing a second event (1) defined by the second compute device and (2) linked to a second set of events. The processor is configured to identify an order associated with a third set of events based at least one a result of a protocol. The processor is configured to store in the instance of the distributed database the order associated with the third set of events.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first event from an instance of a distributed database at a first compute device from a plurality of compute devices that implement the distributed database via a network operatively coupled to the plurality of compute devices;

defining, based on the first event and a second event, a third event;

determining a first set of events based at least in part on the third event, each event from the first set of events is;

a) identified by a second set of events, a collective stake value associated with the second set of events meeting a first stake value criterion, each event from the second set of events (1) being defined by a different instance of the distributed database and (2) being identified by the third event, and

b) associated with a first round number;

calculating a round number for the third event based on a determination that a sum of stake values associated with each event from the first set of events meets a second stake value criterion, the round number for the third event corresponding to a second round number greater than the first round number;

determining a third set of events based on the third event, each event from the third set of events is;

a) identified by a fourth set of events including the third event, each event from the fourth set of events being defined by a different instance of the distributed database, a collective stake value associated with the fourth set of events meeting a third stake value criterion, and

b) from the first set of events;

defining an order value for a fourth event based on a collective stake value associated with the third set of events meeting a fourth stake value criterion; and

storing the order value in an instance of the distributed database at a second compute device from the plurality of compute devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of stake values includes a stake value associated with each instance of the distributed database that defines an event from the second set of events, the collective stake value associated with the second set of events being based on a sum of stake values from the set of stake values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of stake values includes a stake value (1) associated with each instance of the distributed database that defines an event from the second set of events and (2) proportional to an amount of cryptocurrency associated with that instance of the distributed database, the collective stake value associated with the second set of events being based on a sum of stake values from the set of stake values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second event is from the second compute device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the order value is stored and affects a hash value that uniquely identifies a state of the distributed database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each event from the first set of events is defined by a different instance of the distributed database, and

each event from the first set of events is an earliest event having the first round number from a set of events defined by the instance of the distributed database defining that event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stake value criterion, the second stake value criterion, the third stake value criterion or the fourth stake value criterion is defined based on a collective stake value of the distributed database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of compute devices that implement the distributed database is a plurality of compute devices that implement the distributed database at a first time and is associated with a set of trusted entities,

a plurality of compute devices that implement the distributed database at a second time after the first time is associated with a set of entities including entities not from the set of trusted entities.

9. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive a first event from an instance of a distributed database at a first compute device from a plurality of compute devices that implement the distributed database via a network operatively coupled to the plurality of compute devices;

define, based on the first event and a second event, a third event;

determine a first set of events based at least in part on the third event, each event from the first set of events is;

identified by a second set of events, a collective stake value associated with the second set of events meeting a first stake value criterion, each event from the second set of events (1) being defined by a different instance of the distributed database and (2) being identified by the third event, and

associated with a first round number;

calculate a round number for the third event based on a determination that a sum of stake values associated with each event from the first set of events meets a second stake value criterion, the round number for the third event corresponding to a second round number greater than the first round number;

determine a third set of events based on the third event, each event from the third set of events is;

identified by a fourth set of events including the third event, each event from the fourth set of events being defined by a different instance of the distributed database, a collective stake value associated with the fourth set of events meeting a third stake value criterion, and

from the first set of events;

define an order value for a fourth event based at least in part on a collective stake value associated with the third set of events meeting a fourth stake value criterion; and

store the order value in an instance of the distributed database at a second compute device from the plurality of compute devices.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

calculate the collective stake value associated with the third set of events based on a sum of a set of stake values, each stake value from the set of stake values associated with an instance of the distributed database that defined an event from the third set of events.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the code to cause the processor to define the order value for the fourth event includes code to cause the processor to determine a received round number associated with the fourth event based on the fourth event being identified by the third set of events having a collective stake value meeting the fourth stake value criterion.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine the third set of events based on a value associated with each event from the third set of events being equal to a value associated with the remaining events from the third set of events, the value associated with each event from the third set of events being (1) associated with the fourth event and (2) based on a value for each event from the fourth set of events that that event from the third set of events can identify,

the fourth stake value criterion being met by the third set of events when the collective stake value associated with the third set of events is greater than a threshold based on the collective stake value associated with the fourth set of events.

13. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the second stake value criterion is based on a predefined ratio associated with a collective stake value of the distributed database, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

associate the round number of the third event as a received round number for the fourth event based on the fourth stake value criterion being met by the third set of events.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine a value for the third event based on a value for each event from the fourth set of events,

the value for the third event being a value associated with a majority of events from the fourth set of events based on the third stake value criterion being met by the fourth set of events,

the third stake value criterion being met by the fourth set of events when the collective stake value of each event from the fourth set of events having the value associated with the majority of events is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, the first threshold and the second threshold being based on the collective stake value of the fourth set of events.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine a value for the third event based on a value for each event from the fourth set of events,

the value for the third event being pseudorandom based on the fourth stake value criterion being met by the fourth set of events,

the fourth stake value criterion being met by the fourth set of events when a collective stake value of each event from the fourth set of events having a value associated with a majority of events from the fourth set of events is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, the first threshold and the second threshold being based on the collective stake value associated with the fourth set of events.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the fourth set of events is a subset of events from a fifth set of events, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

identify the subset of events based on a value associated with each event from the subset of events being equal to a value associated with the remaining events from the subset of events, the value associated with each event from the subset of events being (1) associated with the fourth event and (2) based on a value for each event from a sixth set of events that that event from the subset of events can identify,

the fifth set of events having a round number greater than a round number of the sixth set of events,

a fifth stake value criterion being met by the subset of events when a collective stake value of the subset of events is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, the first threshold and the second threshold being based on a collective stake value of the fifth set of events; and

identify, based on the fifth stake value criterion being met by the subset of events, a seventh set of events having a collective stake value used to determine the order value for the fourth event, the seventh set of events having a round number greater than the round number of the fifth set of events, a value for each event from the seventh set of events being based on a value associated with each event from the fifth set of events.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein each event from the third set of events is (1) defined by a different instance of the distributed database and (2) identified by the third event,

the order value for the fourth event is further based on a pseudo-random determination associated with a digital signature of the third event.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the fourth stake value criterion is based at least in part on a sum of a set of stake values associated with a cryptocurrency, each stake value from the set of stake values associated with an amount of cryptocurrency held by a different instance of the distributed database.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the fourth stake value criterion is met when the collective stake value associated with the third set of events is greater than a predetermined threshold, the predetermined threshold based at least in part on a collective stake value of the distributed database.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory including an instance of a distributed database at a first compute device configured to be included within a plurality of compute devices that implements the distributed database via a network operatively coupled to the plurality of compute devices; and

a processor operatively coupled to the instance of the distributed database,

the processor configured to define, at a first time, a first event linked to a first plurality of events, each event from the first plurality of events being a sequence of bytes,

the processor configured to receive, at a second time after the first time and from a second compute device from the plurality of compute devices, a signal representing a second event (1) defined by the second compute device and (2) linked to a second plurality of events, each event from the second plurality of events being a sequence of bytes,

the processor configured to identify an order associated with a third plurality of events based at least on a stake value associated with each compute device from the plurality of compute devices, each event from the third plurality of events being from at least one of the first plurality of events or the second plurality of events,

each event from the third plurality of events is associated with a value for each attribute from a set of attributes,

the value for a first attribute from the set of attributes for each event from the third plurality of events including a first value based on whether a relationship between that event and a first set of events linked to that event satisfies a criterion,

each event from the first set of events being (1) an ancestor of that event from the third plurality of events and (2) associated with a same first common attribute as the remaining events from the first set of events, the first common attribute indicative of an initial instance that a first event defined by each compute device from the plurality of compute devices is associated with a particular value,

the value for a second attribute from the set of attributes including a numeric value based on a relationship between that event from the third plurality of events and a second set of events linked to that event from the third plurality of events,

each event from the second set of events being a descendant of that event from the third plurality of events and associated with a second common attribute as the remaining events from the second set of events,

the processor configured to store in the instance of the distributed database the order associated with the third plurality of events.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the stake value associated with each compute device from the plurality of compute devices is proportional to an amount of cryptocurrency associated with an instance of the distributed database at that compute device from the plurality of compute devices.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein:

the criterion is based on a comparison of (1) a combination of stake values associated with the first set of events and (2) a threshold value defined based on the stake value associated with each compute device from the plurality of compute devices.