On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 7:44 PM, Jordan Mack <jordanm...@parhelic.com> wrote: > While using DHT for storage of the block chain is an intriguing concept, > I do not see how it is feasible. As Gavin noted, DHT is a system that is > difficult to impossible to guarantee against data loss or manipulation. > > Even if we found a way to store the block chain in DHT, how would > transactions be verified? As Gavin noted, you could ask the network, but > cannot necessarily trust the peers you are connected to. Verification of > the full block chain allows the client to trust no one.
Well, the block chain data itself is internally self-validating. As long as you know the latest block's hash -- a big "if" -- there is no problem downloading all other block chain data from DHT or any other untrusted source. In a malicious case, you would notice latest-hash differs from non-malicious and wind up downloading multiple chains, when walking hashes backwards through a DHT/lookup table. So, a bit more work but nothing fundamentally less secure _on a trust basis_. Of course, I was focusing on data validation, which ignores other factors such as DoS'ing the DHT. -- Jeff Garzik exMULTI, Inc. jgar...@exmulti.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn Windows Azure Live! Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011 Microsoft is holding a special Learn Windows Azure training event for developers. It will provide a great way to learn Windows Azure and what it provides. You can attend the event by watching it streamed LIVE online. Learn more at http://p.sf.net/sfu/ms-windowsazure _______________________________________________ Bitcoin-development mailing list Bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bitcoin-development
