Validator Development Plan
The Rømer Chain validator network creates a physically decentralized consensus system by leveraging Commonware primitives while implementing our novel Proof of Physics approach. This document outlines how we’ll build a validator network that combines robust blockchain consensus with geographic validation and performance monitoring.
Core Architecture
Our validator system builds upon three key Commonware components while adding our own geographic validation layer. Commonware provides battle-tested implementations of peer-to-peer networking, cryptographic operations, and consensus mechanisms. We extend these with our own geographic validation system that verifies physical infrastructure requirements.
Network Foundation
At the foundation, we use Commonware’s peer-to-peer networking layer. This provides several essential capabilities that we build upon:
First, it handles peer discovery and connection management, enabling validators to find and communicate with each other efficiently. The library manages connection lifecycles, handles network partitions, and provides reliable message delivery - all critical features for our consensus system.
Second, it implements efficient message routing with network path optimization. This becomes particularly important for our geographic validation, as we need accurate measurements of inter-node latency and network topology.
Third, it provides the gossip protocols we use for sharing network state and performance metrics. This distributed data sharing enables our geographic validation system to maintain an accurate view of network topology and performance.
Cryptographic Layer
For cryptographic operations, we rely on Commonware’s cryptography primitives. These provide several key features:
First, we use its BLS signature implementation for validator authentication and consensus participation. The library handles key generation, signature creation and verification, and aggregate signature operations.
Second, it provides the cryptographic primitives needed for secure state synchronization between validators. This includes hash functions, merkle tree implementations, and verification tools.
Third, we leverage its threshold cryptography capabilities for our consensus mechanism, enabling efficient agreement among validator groups while maintaining security.
Consensus Implementation
Our consensus mechanism builds on Commonware’s consensus primitives while adding our geographic validation requirements:
First, we use its implementation of the core consensus protocol, which provides Byzantine fault tolerance and efficient block production. This gives us a proven foundation for agreement among validators.
Second, we extend the validator selection process to incorporate our geographic requirements. Validators must not only participate in consensus but also prove their physical location and network performance.
Third, we modify the leader selection algorithm to account for geographic distribution, ensuring that block production is fairly distributed across regions while maintaining consensus safety.
Geographic Validation System
The geographic validation system represents our key innovation. It verifies validator locations and enforces performance requirements through several mechanisms:
Network Performance Monitoring
The system continuously monitors several key metrics:
First, it measures inter-node latency between all validator pairs. These measurements create a latency map that should match theoretical minimum latencies based on geographic distance.
Second, it tracks bandwidth availability and stability between nodes. Validators must maintain consistent high-bandwidth connections to participate in consensus.
Third, it monitors packet loss and jitter, using these metrics to verify network path quality and detect potential infrastructure issues.
Location Verification
Our location verification system combines several approaches:
First, it uses network topology analysis, comparing observed latencies with theoretical minimums based on the speed of light. Any significant deviations trigger additional verification.
Second, it requires validators to demonstrate consistent network paths through major internet exchanges. This creates a verifiable connection to physical infrastructure.
Third, it monitors connection patterns over time, ensuring that validators maintain consistent network characteristics that match their claimed location.
Regional Market Protection
The system implements regional protection mechanisms:
First, it assigns validators to geographic regions based on their verified location and network characteristics. Each region maintains its own validator set while participating in global consensus.
Second, it routes transactions through regional validators first, creating natural protection against front-running while maintaining global market integration.
Third, it implements region-aware leader selection, ensuring that each region maintains appropriate representation in block production.
Development Phases
Our implementation follows a systematic approach across three months:
Month 1: Network Foundation
The first month focuses on integrating and extending Commonware components:
First, we set up the basic validator network using Commonware’s peer-to-peer layer. This includes implementing peer discovery, connection management, and basic message routing.
Second, we integrate the cryptographic primitives and set up basic consensus participation. This creates the foundation for secure validator operations.
Third, we implement initial network metrics collection, establishing the basis for our geographic validation system.
Month 2: Geographic Validation
The second month implements our core geographic validation features:
First, we build the location verification system, implementing the algorithms that verify validator locations through network measurements.
Second, we create the regional assignment system, enabling validators to be grouped by geographic location while maintaining global consensus.
Third, we implement the performance monitoring system that tracks validator network capabilities and ensures compliance with requirements.
Month 3: Integration and Testing
The final month focuses on system integration and validation:
First, we integrate the geographic validation system with the consensus mechanism, ensuring that location requirements are properly enforced during validator selection.
Second, we implement comprehensive testing of all system components, including network performance, location verification, and consensus participation.
Third, we optimize system performance and prepare for testnet deployment.
Success Criteria
The validator system must meet several key requirements:
Network Performance
All validators must maintain:
- Inter-node latency within 10% of theoretical minimum
- Consistent bandwidth above 1 Gbps
- Packet loss below 0.1%
- Jitter under 1ms
Geographic Distribution
The system must ensure:
- Minimum of three active validators per region
- Maximum of 33% of validators in any region
- Consistent global distribution matching market centers
Consensus Performance
The network must maintain:
- Block time under 400ms
- Finality within three block times
- Throughput above 50,000 transactions per second
- Consistent performance across regions
This development plan creates a validator network that combines proven Commonware primitives with innovative geographic validation. The result is a physically decentralized system that provides both robust consensus and natural market protections.