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bluesky - Re: distributed immutable namespace

bluesky AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Global-Scale Distributed Storage Systems

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  • From: Adam Back <adam AT cypherspace.org>
  • To: Global-Scale Distributed Storage Systems <bluesky AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: distributed immutable namespace
  • Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 15:11:59 -0400


On Thu, Mar 08, 2001 at 10:41:14AM -0800, hal AT finney.org wrote:
> Another question on Adam's proposal:
> > The idea is to try to create a global namespace
> > collaboratively maintained by servers which audit each
> > others behavior and compensate for rogue behavior in
> > collaboration with client name server protocols.
>
> Given that there are multiple servers, how do you deal with database
> consistency? Specifically, what if two different servers both give
> out the same name, to different people? Don't you ultimately need
> a single server, or at least a global tightly-coupled database with
> locking semantics? How efficient can that be?

You need a single server to be responsible for each chunk
of namespace as you describe. Other name servers could
cache responses, audit other servers, and keep information
to be able to undo modifications rogue servers make.

> I'm afraid that such a system would be limited in the volume of names
> that it could handle. Maybe it would be OK if we envisioned it being
> used for a relatively small number of TLDs, and then each of those
> operates its own name service.

So with hierarchical namespaces like DNS, the risk is that
the nameserver with control of a subdomain can censor or
be coerced into censoring a name. My suggestion isn't to
make it more distributed, but to detect and have a
protocol on the client and other servers which allows
modifications to be undone.

Scalability would be related to DNS, lots of caching helps
scalability.

Adam






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