From: Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 14:27:52 +0800
To: "Douglas R. Floyd" <dfloyd@io.com>
Subject: Re: Jurisdictionless Distributed Data Havens
Message-ID: <199608160415.VAA00103@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 09:52 AM 8/15/96 -0500, "Douglas R. Floyd" <dfloyd@io.com> wrote:
>As of now, I am looking for someone who can help me implement a redundant
>controller system, so when the DH is contacted, even if the first one if
>smashed, the "RAID" stays operable.

One approach is "Just Don't Do It" - let the user (or user interface program)
handle the RAID work.  You can get fancy and use Shamir Secret Sharing,
or non-fancy and use N+1 sparing RAID, or medium fancy and use
{<even-bits>,<odd-bits>,<evens xor odds>}, depending on how private
and how reliable you want to be.  Having just the even bits of 
decently-encrypted cyphertext makes cracking tough....

Some issues to think about -
- Access patterns - who do you want to be able to retrieve the data?
--- only the owner?  --- people who the owner shares a secret with?
--- Everybody?  --- Everybody who knows where the pieces are?
--- One retrieval?  Many retrievals?  
- How do you want the data delivered?  Anon remailer?  HTTP?  POP3?
- Threats - who don't you want to be able to read the data?
--- who don't you want to be able to delete the data?
--- who don't you want to find out who retrieved the data?
- Payment - who pays?  Writers?  Readers?  Cops with warrants?  
  Account holders or one-shot users?  Digicash only?  How much?

#			Thanks;  Bill
# Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts@ix.netcom.com
# <A HREF="http://idiom.com/~wcs"> 	Defuse Authority!