Use cases of Blockchain: Application and Interworking
draft-yang-usecase-din-00

DINRG                                                            B. Yang
Internet-Draft                                              China Mobile
Intended status: Informational                             March 2, 2018
Expires: September 3, 2018

         Use cases of Blockchain: Application and Interworking
                       draft-yang-usecase-din-00

Abstract

   The purpose of this document is to analyze several important use
   cases based on blockchain, including: blockchain based PKI for
   security connection, blockchain as a service, interworking cross
   blockchain (exchange data and contracts cross chains).Through case
   analysis, important scenarios and specific requirements are listed.
   Related solutions are also provided for easy understanding.

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   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Terminology and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  Use case 1: Secure connection between devices using
       blockchain based PKI  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     4.1.  Centralized connected model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     4.2.  Peer-to-peer connection model . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     4.3.  Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   5.  Use case 2: Blockchain as a Service . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   6.  Use case 3: Blockchain Interworking . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   7.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   8.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   9.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

1.  Introduction

   Blockchain helps to establish cross industry mutual trust and
   cooperation, and can provide the transmission of value and trust on
   top of current information network (i.e., Internet).  The following
   industries are studying the application of block chains: government,
   commerce, industry, finance, insurance, medical, education,
   communication, culture and art etc.

   Blockchain can play the following role in a company:

   o  Promoting internal cooperation and optimizing the existing
      process, thus improves the production efficiency.

   o  Strengthen cooperation inside the industry, to enhance the whole
      industry.  Take telecom for example, interoperability and roaming
      of inter-operations.

   o  Improving the cooperation of eco-system players, to improve the
      overall benefit.  Take telecom for example, blockchain shall be
      able to link vendors, operators,end users information and
      activities together to build up trust.

   o  Expand business to the whole industry, the whole society and the
      world, to form new industries and new business models

   In this document several important use cases based on blockchain are
   analyzed, including: blockchain based PKI system, blockchain as a

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   service, interworking cross blockchain (exchange data and contracts
   cross chains).  For easy understanding, related solutions are also
   provided.

2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

3.  Terminology and Abbreviations

   The terminology and abbreviations used in this document are defined
   in this section.

   o  HeNB: Home eNodeB, An eNodeB is an element of a Radio Access
      Network,it performs the same functionality of an eNodeB, but is
      deployed for indoor premises or public hotspots, using the end-
      uer's home Internet to access Operators network.

   o  MNO: Mobile Network Operator

   o  SeGW: Security Gateway, an edge device that is Deployment on the
      boundary of an Operator's network, to connect HeNB device
      remotely.

4.  Use case 1: Secure connection between devices using blockchain based
    PKI

   Digital certificates are widely used to negotiate secure channels
   between devices and to establish secure connections as defined in RFC
   5280 [RFC5280].  Accoding to communication model, there are two
   typical sceniaros: multiple devices are connected to the same
   centralized node (such as HeNBs connected to a MNO's SeGW), peer to
   peer connection (such as IoT devices).

4.1.  Centralized connected model

   Take the HeNB scenario for example, HeNB is a device that is
   installed in the office/home where the radio signal is weak or not
   covered by MNOs, to provide mobile network services (such as voice
   call, messaging).  HeNB access MNO's network via local user's
   Internet access (LAN).  Security solution is needed to authorize the
   HeNB device and to secure the connection between HeNB device and MNO
   network border (SeGW), as shown in Figure 1.

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                      _________                     __________
      +------+     __(         )_           +------(          )_
      | HeNB |   _(   Internet   )__        |      |    MNO     )__
      |      +--(                   )-------+ SeGW |   network     )
      +------+  (___________________)       +------(_______________)
        Cert(===============================)Cert
      of CA1       Secure Connection         of CA1

                                 Figure 1

   Because not every SeGW uses the certificates issued by the same CA,
   HeNB needs to configure the certificate of the SeGW that it is
   connected to.  The certificate shall provide two functions:
   authentication of HeNB devices, and the establishment of secure end
   to end communication channels in an unsafe Internet network.For this
   reason, the manufacture can not preinstall any certificate for HeNB;
   When deploying the HeNB, the workers need to manually provision the
   certificate for the HeNB.  In this way, two problems occurs: first,
   is low efficiency and error-pronel second, the risk of certificate
   leakage.  Besides, reconfiguration are needed each time when the
   certificate is expired of withdrawn.

   The solution is:

   o  Establish a consortium blockchain, which is used to verify and
      store certificates.  Manufacturers and MNOs join the chain as
      nodes, which are responsible for certificate verification and
      storage.

   o  A self-signed certificate for each HeNB device is generated by the
      manufacture when it is produced.

   o  This certificate shall be sent to blockchain nodes to be verified.

   o  The certificate is verified by the verification node.

   o  The certificate is recorded into the blockchain if it achieves
      consensus.

   o  At the time HeNB is installed and power on, it's certificate will
      be used to establish connection to MNO's SeGW.

   o  The SeGW interacts with the MNO's blockchain node to verify the
      certification.

   o  If success, the secured connection between SeGW and HeNB shall be
      installed automatically.

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   Note: Although in this case we uses the operator's HeNB scenario,
   this solution can be used for other similar connection models.

4.2.  Peer-to-peer connection model

   Take IoT scenario for example.  Currently, our IoT devices always
   talk to each other via the network side server (such as IoT
   application server).  For privacy and security consideration, we may
   need our IoT devices that produced by different venders to talk with
   each other directly in security.  But we can not assume that all
   these devices be preinstalled with the certificates issued by the
   same CA.  The current regular solution is to introduce a bridge-CA.
   the question is that, firstly, the bridge is not efficiency and lack
   extensiblity.

   The solution is:

   o  Establish a consortium blockchain, which is used to verify and
      store certificates.  CAs join the chain as nodes, which are
      responsible for certificate verification and storage.

   o  When a CA issue certificate for each device, the certificate shall
      be sent to blockchain nodes to be verified.

   o  The certificate is verified by the verification node.

   o  The certificate is recorded into the blockchain if it achieves
      consensus.

   o  At the time devices need direct secure connection, they will
      lookup their CA's node for centification verificaton.

   o  If success, the secured connection between devices directly and
      automatically.

4.3.  Summary

   The advantages of usging blockchain based PKI includes:

   o  High reliability and performance: each node holds a copy of
      consistent certificate data, supports multiple duplicates and
      parallel queries, and better data consistency.

   o  Low cost: automatic operation of block chain system, low
      maintenance cost; no payment needed for self signed certificate.

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5.  Use case 2: Blockchain as a Service

   The value of blockchain in building a system of trust and
   collaboration has been proved by the industry, and more and more
   enterprises and industries are applying the blockchain.  However, not
   all enterprises are willing to establish and operate their own
   blockchain system.  Therefore, providing blockchain as a service
   contributes to the rapid popularization of blockchain.

   The main requirements for blockchain-as-a-service may include:

   o  General proposed data format to support different applications,
      for storage/verification/resolve

   o  Define flexible, extensible interfaces/APIs that is easy for
      programming

   o  Enhanced performance for future proof

6.  Use case 3: Blockchain Interworking

   According to the current situation of the vertical development of the
   blockchain infrastructures and applications, the cross-chain
   interworking shall be a very important demand in the future Cross
   chain interoperability involves not only data, but also smart
   contracts, security and other aspects

   Two solutions for blockchain interworking:

   o  API/Interface invocation based, using interworking gateway.

   o  Build a "meta blockchain" to coordinate interworking blockchains

7.  IANA Considerations

   This memo includes no request to IANA.

8.  Security Considerations

   TBA

9.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

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   [RFC5280]  Cooper, D., Santesson, S., Farrell, S., Boeyen, S.,
              Housley, R., and W. Polk, "Internet X.509 Public Key
              Infrastructure Certificate and Certificate Revocation List
              (CRL) Profile", RFC 5280, DOI 10.17487/RFC5280, May 2008,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5280>.

Author's Address

   Yang Boyle
   China Mobile

   Email: boyxd@hotmail.com

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