Homework on High Availability - Questions

[Cobrati21]

• Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?

Accessibility 24-7-365 is a driving force along with the fact that if a computer in the network fails, other computers will join in.

• What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?

The incentive to make money.

[Eric_Toronto]

1. It is important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks because the benefits of blockchain (e.g., transparency, consensus, security, immutability, digital provenance, etc.) depend on a sufficiently large number of nodes to be online on the decentralized networks.

2. Monetary incentive (mining) for the network users enables blockchain networks to maintain high availability. When the number of users contributing to availability dwindles, the incentive will increase to draw more users into activities that raise availability. Incentive will become less as availability is reaching near the optimal level.

[Andre_K]

Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?

Because critical applications like currency, value storage, and so much more need high availability, these applications require infrastructure that is up 24/7/365, if the network was not able to have 100% up time it wouldn’t have much value.

What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?

1. The difficulty adjustment, which can dynamically change to make it easier or harder to mine bitcoin. If some nodes drop off the network, it will get easier to mine Bitcoin meaning other nodes will step in to fill the gap and replace those lost nodes, which ultimately maintains security of the network.

2. The mining incentives which unite everyone under a common goal of securing the network and making money.

[Cryptojuice]

1. High availability is necessary for global security of the network and so that business can be conducted at any time.

2. The incentives for mining

[MarkyMark]

@ivan

• Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?
• What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?

1. Always accessible, always open, always working — anywhere in the world.
2. $$$$$$$$$$$$$ M O N E Y $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[GoHackYourself9]

1 they show to be a continuous flow therefore calling anyone to jump in at any time
2 it is the most maintained and incentivized

[sahowe1]

1. Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?

Up is always better than down.

2. What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?

Distributed so no single point of failure, incentives for miners ensure that there are always plenty of nodes up.

[Adam_Dobroczek]

1. It’s important because people can access and make money 24/7/365
2. The fact that the network is maintained all the time by miners who protect the network and mine blockchain

[Ed1]

1; high availability is important to make sure at any moment from any place people are able to reach their money. Compare it with a bankrun situation if there is too less money because things are not working. This will cause panic.

[Trinity]

1. Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?
   The 24/7/365 availability is for keeping stable the network by easy access.

2. What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?
   That is the common human need for financial gain conbined with a great platform to do so.

[Maris]

1. Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?
   Security of the network is one thing and the ease of use is the other one, for example you can use it 24/7, not only from 9 to 5 on business days.

2. What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?
   Financial incentives enable blockchain networks to have high availability.

[Restford]

1. To make transactions or other services it provides available at all times as well as provide high security.

2. Incentives, rewards for supporting the network.

[esterb]

1. To implement global, secure infrastructures available all the time, improving businesses and processes.
2. The lack of central point of authority and it’s potential failure means even if localised failure happens, there will always be accessibility elsewhere in the chain.

[CryptoZen]

1. Blockchain is a global network so it needs to be available 24/7/365.
2. Miners that are monatarily incentivized are spread throughout the global network. If a miner quits there is always someone in the world that will take their place.

[Nick]

For complete reliability, dependability and to enable confidence.

Incentives, Mining and Globalizing with the ledger on all the network

[jelucamur]

1. Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?

The fact that there is a need for a global system always available ensures that the blockchain can be relied upon to provide full consensus on transactions taking place on it
2. What is it that enables blockchain networks to have such high availability?
The prime reason is incentives i.e. people want to earn money from being part of the network and they provide computers to allow this to happen. rewards are determined by the difficulty factors involved for mining BTC as an example. If mining levels decreased other people would join which would re-balance the reward system

[Mauro]

@uP_CadeiraMan

Theoretically, a higher blockchain uptime leads to higher network

I am glad you said theoretically. While it may be the case in most situations, there could still be some exceptions. We could have a permissioned blockchain controlled by 20 or so nodes. They could be scattered around the world. The chances of all of them going down and stopping the network is unlikely. However even though they can have a high up time, I wouldn’t count this blockchain to be secure. Not only from the point of hacking but from the point of trust. Since it is permssioned and since there is only 20 of them, there could still be censorship going on.

Great answer!

[Mauro]

@Pacheco

1. Because it provides more computational power to secure the network in providing security through consensus the more computers the more copies of blocks, level of consensus and reliability.

@MrHunk

1. Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks? The network never goes down. if one part fails another computer takes over.

@CaliforniaDreamer

1. It is important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks because it makes them secure and guarantees backup verification nodes if one or more go down.

@Katsu

1. it’s important for the security of the network

@LoneWolf_Moonboy

1. to support global infrastructure

@Edu_H79

1. Why is it important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks?
To ensure verifiability from all active nodes and I think it might have an impact on reliability as more nodes would be involved (I’m just starting, so maybe I’ll verify this in a later course).

@DJ_Wilhelm

It is important for blockchain networks to be high availability networks, because the ledger is updating all the time, and this promotes its functionality as a valuable currency, in addition to being a strong asset.

Yes. And from the usage point of view, its important for a network (especially bitcoin) to be online every single second.

[Mauro]

@Onstar59

1. It is important for the blockchain to be available, because that is the only way it can run and is highly transparent when its always available 24-7-365

Great answer. I didn’t think of transparency at all.

[Mauro]

@TommyAces

1. So it can be used globally.

While that is true, we also have to mention the time aspect. High availability means something is running indefinitely. And as you already mention, we need to make sure it is highly available in the world.