IPchain: a blockchain-based mapping system

IPchain is a blockchain prototype to store IP addresses and prefixes. Similarly to how Bitcoin secures coins, IPchain allows you to associate IP prefixes to a public key and record your ownership in the blockchain. You can also associate RLOCs and Map Servers to these prefixes to create a secure Mapping System. IPchain also provides an interface to OOR so it can answer Map Requests. More information in this IETF draft.

Please note that this prototype is experimental.

Creating your keys

In the Python console:

from keystore import Keystore
import sys

k = Keystore.new('<key_password>', None, 0, None)
k.save(k)
#see the key's address
print k.address.encode("HEX")

Installation

First, you need to compile the BLS, then install the python libraries:

cd blockchain-mapping-system
sudo apt install libgmp-dev libssl-dev
./Consensus/getDependencies.sh
sudo sh install_python_libs.sh

Configuration

The file chain_config.cfg allows tuning several parameters of the blockchain, such as the block time or DKG threshold. Before running, make sure:

• bootstrap_node points to the IP address of your bootstrap node
• You have specified the amount of participants in the DKG in dkg_threshold, and
• The minimum number of participants required to create a random number in dkg_threshold

Running

Before running, make sure:

• The file transactions.txt exists in the main directory
• The folder keystore exists
• The configuration in chain_config.cfg fits your scenario

To run:

python blockchaincba.py

Dependencies

python: 2.7.8+

py_ecc: Elliptic curve crypto (tested v1.1.3)

rlp: A package for encoding and decoding data in and from Recursive Length Prefix notation (tested v0.6.0)

PyCryptodome: Cryptographic library (tested v3.4.7)

netaddr: IP library (tested v0.7.19)

ipaddr: Google's IP address manipulation library (tested v2.2.0)

ipaddress: IP library

leveldb: Database library (tested v0.194)

bitcoin: Keystore and bitcoin utils (tested 1.1.42)

: Database library (tested v0.194)

twisted Event-driven networking engine (tested 17.9.0)

pytricia Subnet Patricia Trie

bitstring Socket Messages

py-radix Alternative Patricia trie

ipgetter

kademlia *v0.6

rpcudp v2.0

To properly install the last two packages:

sudo pip install -I kademlia==0.6 rpcudp==2.0

Utilities

• install_python_libs.sh script to install all the requiered packages. Run AFTER compiling the BLS .exe
• stop.sh script to stop the two process of the prototype

Dataset

The folder dataset contains files for an 11-node test, each identified by a city name and master for the bootstrap node. There is a set of keys and transactions for each node. It also conatins some scripts that can help in generating your own dataset. To replicate the test:

1. Create 11 nodes
2. Install the software
3. Rename the transactions file of each node to transactions.txt, e.g. mv dataset/transactions/canada-transactions.txt transactions.txt
4. Move the node keys to the keystore, e.g. mv dataset/keystores/keystore-canada/* keystore
5. Create the master private key file, run this script in the master node: python generate_master_dkg.py (For 100 DKG participants it takes around 2h)
6. Start all nodes