CHANGING AN EXISTING BLOCKCHAIN TRUST CONFIGURATION

• US 20180123882A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Sheehan, Christidis, Konstantinos, Derbakova, Anna D., Gaur, Nitin
• Granted Patent: US 10,158,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

Operating conditions of a blockchain configuration may be dynamic and change automatically under certain circumstances. One example method of operation may include one or more of identifying an existing consensus procedure used in an existing blockchain configuration, identifying current metrics associated with the existing blockchain configuration, comparing the current metrics to predefined rules, identifying one or more deviations based on the current metrics being compared to the predefined rules, and changing the existing consensus procedure to a next consensus procedure for a subsequent block in the existing blockchain configuration responsive to identifying the one or more deviations.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying an existing consensus procedure used in an existing blockchain configuration;

identifying current metrics associated with the existing blockchain configuration;

comparing the current metrics to predefined rules;

identifying one or more deviations based on the current metrics being compared to the predefined rules; and

changing the existing consensus procedure to a next consensus procedure for a subsequent block in the existing blockchain configuration responsive to identifying the one or more deviations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the existing consensus procedure comprises one or more of Proof Of Work (POW), Proof Of Stake (POS), Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT), Greedy Heaviest Observed Subtree (GHOST), and RAFT.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the next consensus procedure comprises one or more of PBFT, POW, RAFT, GHOST, and POS.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current metrics comprise one or more of memory usage, CPU usage and network bandwidth usage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a value of a crypto-currency associated with the blockchain has increased past a crypto-currency threshold level; and

changing the current consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure based on the increase in the crypto-currency level past the crypto-currency threshold level.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of network nodes operating with the blockchain has increased past a node number threshold level; and

changing the current consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure based on the increase in the number of network nodes past the node number threshold level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of network nodes operating on the blockchain identify the one or more deviations and the existing consensus procedure is changed based on a consensus vote among the plurality of network nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising one or more of:

establishing an overlay network of validators for the existing blockchain configuration;

receiving validator votes for the existing consensus procedure used by the existing blockchain configuration and the next consensus procedure to be used to secure the existing blockchain configuration;

storing a record of the validator votes for each of the validators;

determining a popular vote among the validator votes to change the consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure; and

updating the blockchain configuration to start the next consensus procedure.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to;

identify an existing consensus procedure used in an existing blockchain configuration;

identify current metrics associated with the existing blockchain configuration;

compare the current metrics to predefined rules;

identify one or more deviations based on the current metrics being compared to the predefined rules; and

change the existing consensus procedure to a next consensus procedure for a subsequent block in the existing blockchain configuration responsive to the one or more deviations being identified.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the existing consensus procedure comprises one or more of PBFT, POW, RAFT, GHOST, and POS.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the next consensus procedure comprises one or more of PBFT, POW, RAFT, GHOST, and POS.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the current metrics comprise one or more of memory usage, CPU usage and network bandwidth usage.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to

determine a value of a crypto-currency associated with the blockchain has increased past a crypto-currency threshold level, and

change the current consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure based on the increase in the crypto-currency level past the crypto-currency threshold level.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to

determine a number of network nodes that operate with the blockchain has increased past a node number threshold level, and

change the current consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure based on the increase in the number of network nodes past the node number threshold level.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform one or more of:

establish an overlay network of validators for the existing blockchain configuration;

receive validator votes for the existing consensus procedure used by the existing blockchain configuration and the next consensus procedure to be used to secure the existing blockchain configuration;

store a record of the validator votes for each of the validators;

determine a popular vote among the validator votes to change the consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure; and

update the blockchain configuration to start the next consensus procedure, and wherein a plurality of network nodes that operate on the blockchain identify the one or more deviations and the existing consensus procedure is changed based on a consensus vote among the plurality of network nodes.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed causes a processor to perform:

identifying an existing consensus procedure used in an existing blockchain configuration;

identifying current metrics associated with the existing blockchain configuration;

comparing the current metrics to predefined rules;

identifying one or more deviations based on the current metrics being compared to the predefined rules; and

changing the existing consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure for a subsequent block in the existing blockchain configuration responsive to identifying the one or more deviations.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the existing consensus procedure comprises one or more of PBFT, POW, RAFT, GHOST, and POS, and the next consensus procedure comprises one or more of PBFT, POW, RAFT, GHOST, and POS, and wherein the current metrics comprise one or more of memory usage, CPU usage and network bandwidth usage.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

determining a value of a crypto-currency associated with the blockchain has increased past a crypto-currency threshold level; and

changing the current consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure based on the increase in the crypto-currency level past the crypto-currency threshold level.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

determining a number of network nodes operating with the blockchain has increased past a node number threshold level; and

changing the current consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure based on the increase in the number of network nodes past the node number threshold level.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform one or more of:

establishing an overlay network of validators for the existing blockchain configuration;

receiving validator votes for the existing consensus procedure used by the existing blockchain configuration and the next consensus procedure to be used to secure the existing blockchain configuration;

storing a record of the validator votes for each of the validators;

determining a popular vote among the validator votes to change the consensus procedure to the next consensus procedure; and

updating the blockchain configuration to start the next consensus procedure.