A bootstrapping node, also known as a rendezvous host, is a

node In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics *Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines, ...

in an

overlay network An overlay network is a computer network that is layered on top of another network. Structure Nodes in the overlay network can be thought of as being connected by virtual or logical links, each of which corresponds to a path, perhaps through m ...

that provides initial configuration information to newly joining nodes so that they may successfully join the overlay network. Bootstrapping nodes are predominantly found in

decentralized Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...

peer-to-peer Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer n ...

(P2P) networks because of the dynamically changing identities and configurations of member nodes in these networks.

Overview

When attempting to join a P2P network, specific discovery or membership protocols (or other configuration information) may be required, and, if a newly joining node is unaware of these protocols, the newly established joining node will not be able to communicate with other nodes and ultimately join the network. Furthermore, these protocols and configuration requirements may dynamically change as the infrastructure and membership of the P2P network evolves. Therefore, there is a need to be able to dynamically inform a newly joining node of the required protocols and configurations.

Identifying a bootstrapping node

Several methods may be used by a joining node to identify bootstrapping nodes: * A joining node may have been pre-configured with the static addresses of the bootstrapping nodes. In such a case, the bootstrapping node addresses cannot change, and therefore should be

fault-tolerant Fault tolerance is the property that enables a system to continue operating properly in the event of the failure of one or more faults within some of its components. If its operating quality decreases at all, the decrease is proportional to the ...

members of the network, which are not able to leave the network. * Alternatively, the bootstrap node can be identified via a

DNS The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP) networks. It associates various information with domain names assigned to ...

service, where a

domain name A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services and more. As ...

resolves to one of the bootstrapping nodes' addresses. This allows the bootstrapping nodes' addresses to change as needed.

Configuration information provided

The objective of the bootstrapping node is to provide newly joining nodes with sufficient configuration information so that the new node may then successfully join the network and access resources, such as shared content. Discovery protocol information can instruct the new node how to discover peers on the network. Membership protocol information can instruct the new node how to request-to-join and subsequently join peer groups on the network. Other configuration information, such as

dependent instructions, may be provided. An example of overlay dependent instructions is instructing a new node how to obtain a zone of a

CAN Can may refer to: Containers * Aluminum can * Drink can * Oil can * Steel and tin cans * Trash can * Petrol can * Metal can (disambiguation) Music * Can (band), West Germany, 1968 ** ''Can'' (album), 1979 * Can (South Korean band) Other * C ...

. Further configuration information may be designed for P2P network admission control, used when joining a network that supports trust management, and include such things as

encryption In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can decip ...

signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

protocols or admission policies.

Networks that use bootstrapping nodes

Distributed hash tables A distributed hash table (DHT) is a distributed system that provides a lookup service similar to a hash table: key–value pairs are stored in a DHT, and any participating node can efficiently retrieve the value associated with a given key. The m ...

** Chord **

IPFS The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol, hypermedia and file sharing peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. IPFS uses content-addressing to uniquely identify each file in a global namespac ...

Kademlia Kademlia is a distributed hash table for decentralized peer-to-peer computer networks designed by Petar Maymounkov and David Mazières in 2002. It specifies the structure of the network and the exchange of information through node lookups. Kademli ...

Pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...

Tapestry Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

Cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It i ...

Bitcoin Bitcoin ( abbreviation: BTC; sign: ₿) is a decentralized digital currency that can be transferred on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network. Bitcoin transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distr ...

Ethereum Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. Ether (Abbreviation: ETH; sign: Ξ) is the native cryptocurrency of the platform. Among cryptocurrencies, ether is second only to bitcoin in market capita ...

Litecoin Litecoin (Abbreviation: LTC; sign: Ł) is a decentralized peer-to-peer cryptocurrency and open-source software project released under the MIT/X11 license. Inspired by Bitcoin, Litecoin was among the earliest altcoins, starting in October 2011. ...

Overview

Identifying a bootstrapping node

Configuration information provided

Networks that use bootstrapping nodes

References

See also