A Scalable Two-Tier PBFT Consensus for Blockchain-Based IoT Data Recording

Abstract

The use of blockchain for Internet-of-Things (IoT) data recording necessitates an efficient and scalable consensus mechanism. In this paper, we describe a two-tier architecture in which IoT data is packaged in batches or blocks, approved by a low-tier cluster first and a top-tier cluster second, before being added to the replicated blockchain ledger. Both tiers use PBFT-like consensus enhanced with multiple-entry point operation using bandwidth reservation. This approach eliminates the dependence on a single primary leader that is characteristic for PBFT-like protocols, and allows the system to be deployed in geographically wide area. We provide a detailed probabilistic analysis of the proposed architecture using a discrete time Markov chain, and show that system performance depends on the number of ordering nodes in each cluster and the number of low-tier clusters.