Content Centric Distributed Cryptographic Hashing
Problem
Over 90% level of Internet traffic consists of data being disseminated from a source to a number of users. The contemporary Internet architecture revolves around a host-based conversation model, created over 40 years ago to allow geographically distributed users to use a few big, immobile computers. The content-centric networking seeks to adapt the network architecture to current network usage patterns using techniques such as content caching to reduce congestion and improve delivery speed, simpler configuration of network devices, and building security into the network at the data level. However, the change of communication paradigm may pose problems for certain types of network activities e.g. real-time multimedia applications. Furthermore, building content routers that support content-centric networking at high speed is still an open problem to solve that has gained research interest only recently. Content Centric Networking (CCN) can work by providing practical data storage caches at each level of the network to dramatically decrease the transmission traffic, and also increase the speed of response. The cache envisioned by CCN is a packet-level cache present at each node in the tree of network equipment not a complete copy of some media file. In that way, the worst case is that everything behaves as it does now: A consumer requests some data and it propagates through the network. However, the second time the data is requested, if it is still in the cache at some level, there are dramatic savings.
Background
Content-centric networking comes with potential for a wide range of benefits such as content caching to reduce congestion and improve delivery speed, simpler configuration of network devices, and building security into the network at the data level. However, the change of communication paradigm may pose problems for certain types of network activities, for instance for real-time multimedia applications, but recent research indicates these applications are feasible. Furthermore, building content routers that support content-centric networking at high speed is still an open problem to solve that has gained research interest only recently.
Application-layer designs have also been proposed for deploying a content-centric interface. This has benefits such as easier deployment, backwards compatibility and more flexible delivery support. The Juno middleware offers applications a content-centric request/reply interface that can be utilised alongside existing content providers. Juno also introduces the concept of a delivery-centric interface, which extends the traditional content-centric interface to allow applications to stipulate multiple diverse delivery requirements that place certain constraints on how the content should be provided. For instance, these constraints can deal with such things as performance, resilience, security, monetary cost and anonymity. Through such an interface, applications can shape how the underlying delivery is performed without needing to handle such concerns themselves.
Task
This project will therefore seek to investigate cryptographic hashing, so that the content can be authenticated. If the content is cryptographically signed, the consumer's equipment can also validate the data easily, and tell upstream devices when it is corrupted. Since the validation complaints can and should be verified at each node, the rejection will propagate only to correct caches with bad data. Hackers will not be able to deny service in the network with lies about hash validation. All core information including downloads & excellent video by Van Jacobson are available at the official CCNx site.
References
[1] Jacobson, Van; Smetters,D.K, Thornton,J.D, et.al. (Jan 2012). "Networking Named Content". CACM 55 (1): 117–124. doi:10.1145/2063176.2063204.
[2] Varvello, Matteo; Diego Perino, Jairo Esteban (August 2012). "Caesar: a Content Router for High Speed Forwarding". ICN '12 Proceedings of the second edition of the ICN workshop on Information-centric networking. doi:10.1145/2342488.2342505.