Distributed Consensus Network: A Modularized Communication Framework and Reliability Probabilistic Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modular communication framework for consensus protocols, enabling reliability analysis under probabilistic link and node failures, and proposes latency optimization methods validated through implementation.

Contribution

It presents a novel modular framework for representing consensus communication, along with probabilistic reliability analysis and latency optimization techniques for fault-tolerant protocols.

Findings

Framework effectively models classic consensus protocols

Reliability analysis guides protocol design for lower failure rates

Latency optimization improves performance under communication loss

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a modularized framework for communication processes applicable to crash and Byzantine fault-tolerant consensus protocols. We abstract basic communication components and show that the communication process of the classic consensus protocols such as RAFT, single-decree Paxos, PBFT, and Hotstuff, can be represented by the combination of communication components. Based on the proposed framework, we develop an approach to analyze the consensus reliability of different protocols, where link loss and node failure are measured as a probability. We propose two latency optimization methods and implement a RAFT system to verify our theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed latency optimization methods. We also discuss decreasing consensus failure rate by adjusting protocol designs. This paper provides theoretical guidance for the design of future consensus systems with a low consensus failure rate and latency under the possible communication loss.