[Blocks-development] Readvertising local files

[Blat F. <pet...@ho...>]

>From: Luke Hankins <lu...@et...>
>To: Blat Froop <pet...@ho...>
>CC: blo...@li...
>Subject: Re: [Blocks-development] Life Signs
>Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 14:15:10 -0400
>
> > * If you disconnect and reconnect to a Blocks server it
> > will only send you adverts for files that are available
> > remotely, not for files it has within its own disk cache.
> > This is to prevent scanners traversing the Blocks
> > network and examining the files stored in each node.
> > This means that the only way snoopers can associate a
> > file with a particular Blocks server IP is to be directly
> > connected to that server at the point the file was
> > uploaded or cached.
>
>I _think_ that this problem can be solved by simply never advertising to 
>your neighbors that you have a block.  Instead, make up a few "loopback 
>links" that point back to yourself and then use them to pad out messages to 
>at least 3 hops.
>
>This would prevent people who were directly connected to you from finding 
>out what you've got in your cache.  (I think.  I haven't had time to check 
>it out, but I think there would be a way for someone to connect to you with 
>three different clients and compare what routes you were advertising to get 
>more info.)
>
>It's a simple concept, but hard to explain without pictures.  Should I draw 
>some?

I think Ive got the idea (tell me if i dont).

I think the same effect could be achieved by simply
prefixing a small number (0,1 or 2) bogus routing
chars to the route when readvertising locally cached
files. Since Blocks servers will reply
out of cache if they have the block, the request
should never be sent to the bogus routes unless the
block fell out of cache. It might make invalidating
bogus routes more difficult tho.

ttfn

PG.

PS Good to see the list coming back to life :-)


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