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Could IPFS Be Used for AREDN Content Servers?

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Tue, 01/19/2021 - 18:42

#1

km6zpo

km6zpo's picture

Could IPFS Be Used for AREDN Content Servers?

The introduction of IPFS, a peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol has me curious. We probably don't have a lot of content servers on the AREDN network, but presumably we COULD. For example, the entire https://www.arednmesh.org/ website could be cached for people browsing the website via an AREDN mesh node. I see that as a great potential value in case of a wide scale internet outage.

Could this new peer-to-peer technology work on an AREDN-only network?

Info
https://ipfs.io/

Thoughts?

Wed, 01/20/2021 - 11:36

#2

N3WTT

Here's how IPFS works

Here's how IPFS works

Take a look at what happens when you add a file to IPFS.

Your file, and all of the blocks within it, is given a unique fingerprint called a cryptographic hash.

Would think the encryption would kill this instantly, no?

Wed, 01/20/2021 - 12:16

(Reply to #2) #3

km6zpo

km6zpo's picture

SSL is encrypted

Technically speaking, ANY website that has SSL is "encrypted". I'm looking at this as a distribution model, not as a way of hiding content. I think the intent of the technology is pretty clear that its purpose is to be a backup to support network failures. The technology is open source, not at all hidden from public inspection. I'm no legal scholar, but I do think that Section 97.113(a)(4) "messages encoded for the purpose of obscuring their meaning." would not apply to IPFS. The FCC has been asked several times for clarifications on "encryption". If anyone has an answer on that, please share.

Wed, 01/20/2021 - 16:39

#4

K6CCC

K6CCC's picture

The only FCC response I am

The only FCC response I am aware of on encryption was related to using encrypted voice (P-25 digital in this case) with the encryption key made public (such as on a website). As I understand it, the FCC response was essentially: not just no, but hell no.

Wed, 01/20/2021 - 17:01

(Reply to #4) #5

km6zpo

km6zpo's picture

P25 Encryption

The purpose of P25 encryption is to make conversations private, so I can understand why the FCC would say hell no to that!

https://www.taitradioacademy.com/topic/introduction-to-p25-encryption-1/

Thu, 01/21/2021 - 10:44

#6

K6CCC

K6CCC's picture

Just to play Devil's advocate

Just to play Devil's advocate here. Except it is not private if the encryption key is published. It would make it a a little restricted because you would need the right radio - oh wait, that applies to a lot of ham radio. As I recall, the argument in the request was that if the encryption key is published, it is no different than any number of digital formats that have been invented for ham radio - D-Star, Fusion, WJST (and all of it's variants), etc. And no, I had no involvement in the request, and did not know about it until well after the fact,
In full disclosure, I operate a P-25 amateur repeater, and as far as I know, the only time encrypted P-25 traffic has been passed through the repeater, it was accidental.

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