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Zooko O'Whielacronx
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relnotes.txt
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relnotes.txt
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NEW VERSION RELEASED
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We are pleased to announce the release of version 0.4 of Allmydata-Tahoe, a
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secure, decentralized storage grid under a free-software licence. This is
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the follow-up to v0.3 which was released June 6, 2007 (see [1]).
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We are pleased to announce the release of version 0.4 of
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Allmydata-Tahoe, a secure, decentralized storage grid under a
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free-software licence. This is the follow-up to v0.3 which was
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released June 6, 2007 (see [1]).
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Since then we've made several improvements, including:
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* Add encrypted, mutable directories, so that you can organize your files
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into directories, change the contents of directories, and share your
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directories with your friends, without thereby sharing your directories
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with anyone else -- not even with the owners of the servers that host
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your directories.
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* Add encrypted, mutable directories, so that you can organize your
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files into directories, change the contents of directories, and
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share your directories with your friends, without thereby sharing
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your directories with anyone else -- not even with the owners of
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the servers that host your directories.
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* make it so that web browsers can connect to the Tahoe node securely with
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https (ticket #55)
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* make it so that web browsers can connect to the Tahoe node securely
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with https (ticket #55)
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For complete details, see this web page which shows all ticket changes,
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repository checkins, and wiki changes from June 11 to today, June 29: [2].
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For complete details, see this web page which shows all ticket
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changes, repository checkins, and wiki changes from June 11 to today,
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June 29: [2].
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Allmydata-Tahoe v0.4 is incompatible with v0.3 due to the new encrypted
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directory structure, among other things. (Note that this applies only to
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directories -- individual files uploaded with v0.3 are probably downloadable
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with v0.4.)
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Allmydata-Tahoe v0.4 is incompatible with v0.3 due to the new
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encrypted directory structure, among other things. (Note that this
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applies only to directories -- individual files uploaded with v0.3 are
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probably downloadable with v0.4.)
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WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
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The source code that we are releasing is the current working prototype for
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Allmydata's next-generation product. This release is targeted at hackers
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and users who are willing to use a minimal, text-oriented web user
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interface.
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The source code that we are releasing is the current working prototype
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for Allmydata's next-generation product. This release is targeted at
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hackers and users who are willing to use a minimal, text-oriented web
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user interface.
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This software is not yet recommended for storage of highly confidential data
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nor for important data which is not otherwise backed up, but it is useful
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for experimentation, prototyping, and extension.
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This software is not yet recommended for storage of highly
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confidential data nor for important data which is not otherwise backed
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up, but it is useful for experimentation, prototyping, and extension.
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This release of Allmydata-Tahoe is suitable for Use Case #2: "groups of
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friends who want to share backup and file-sharing" (see the wiki page
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"UseCases": [3]). It is easy to set up a private grid which is securely
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shared among a specific, limited set of friends. Files uploaded to this
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shared grid will be available to all friends, even when some of the
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computers are unavailable. It is also easy to use a public grid, but to
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encrypt individual files and directories so that only intended recipients
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can read them.
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This release of Allmydata-Tahoe is suitable for Use Case #2: "groups
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of friends who want to share backup and file-sharing" (see the wiki
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page "UseCases": [3]). It is easy to set up a private grid which is
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securely shared among a specific, limited set of friends. Files
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uploaded to this shared grid will be available to all friends, even
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when some of the computers are unavailable. It is also easy to use a
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public grid, but to encrypt individual files and directories so that
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only intended recipients can read them.
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LICENCE
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Tahoe is offered under the GNU General Public License (v2 or later), with
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the added permission that, if you become obligated to release a derived work
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under this licence (as per section 2.b), you may delay the fulfillment of
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this obligation for up to 12 months.
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Tahoe is offered under the GNU General Public License (v2 or later),
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with the added permission that, if you become obligated to release a
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derived work under this licence (as per section 2.b), you may delay
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the fulfillment of this obligation for up to 12 months.
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INSTALLATION
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This release of Tahoe works on Linux/x86, Linux/amd64, Mac/Intel, Mac/PPC,
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Windows-native, and Cygwin.
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This release of Tahoe works on Linux/x86, Linux/amd64, Mac/Intel,
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Mac/PPC, Windows-native, and Cygwin.
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To install, download the tarball [4], untar it, go into the resulting
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directory, and follow the directions in the README [5].
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@ -66,87 +68,94 @@ directory, and follow the directions in the README [5].
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USAGE
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Once installed, create a "client node". Instruct this client node to
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connect to a specific "introducer node" by means of config files in the
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client node's working directory. To join a public grid, copy in the .furl
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files for that grid. To create a private grid, run your own introducer, and
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copy its .furl files. See the README for step-by-step instructions.
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connect to a specific "introducer node" by means of config files in
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the client node's working directory. To join a public grid, copy in
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the .furl files for that grid. To create a private grid, run your own
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introducer, and copy its .furl files. See the README for step-by-step
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instructions.
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Each client node runs a local webserver (enabled by writing the desired port
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number into a file called 'webport'). The front page of this webserver
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shows the node's status, including which introducer is being used and which
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other nodes are connected. Links from the status page lead to others that
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give access to a shared virtual filesystem, in which each directory is
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represented by a separate page. Each client node also has a separate
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(non-shared) virtual filesystem. Each directory page shows a list of the
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files available there, with download links, and forms to upload new files.
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Each client node runs a local webserver (enabled by writing the
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desired port number into a file called 'webport'). The front page of
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this webserver shows the node's status, including which introducer is
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being used and which other nodes are connected. Links from the status
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page lead to others that give access to a shared virtual filesystem,
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in which each directory is represented by a separate page. Each
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client node also has a separate (non-shared) virtual filesystem. Each
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directory page shows a list of the files available there, with
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download links, and forms to upload new files.
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Other ways to access the filesystem are planned: please see the roadmap.txt
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[6] for some rough details.
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Other ways to access the filesystem are planned: please see the
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roadmap.txt [6] for some rough details.
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HACKING AND COMMUNITY
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Please join the mailing list [7] to discuss the ideas behind Tahoe and
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extensions of and uses of Tahoe. Patches that extend and improve Tahoe are
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gratefully accepted -- roadmap.txt shows the next improvements that we plan
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to make and CREDITS lists the names of people who've contributed to the
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project. You can browse the revision control history, source code, and
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issue tracking at the Trac instance [8]. Please see the buildbot [9], which
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shows how Tahoe builds and passes unit tests on each checkin, and the code
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coverage results [10] and percentage-covered graph [11], which show how much
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of the Tahoe source code is currently exercised by the test suite.
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extensions of and uses of Tahoe. Patches that extend and improve
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Tahoe are gratefully accepted -- roadmap.txt shows the next
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improvements that we plan to make and CREDITS lists the names of
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people who've contributed to the project. You can browse the revision
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control history, source code, and issue tracking at the Trac instance
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[8]. Please see the buildbot [9], which shows how Tahoe builds and
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passes unit tests on each checkin, and the code coverage results [10]
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and percentage-covered graph [11], which show how much of the Tahoe
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source code is currently exercised by the test suite.
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NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
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Each peer maintains a connection to each other peer. A single distinct
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server called an "introducer" is used to discover other peers with which to
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connect.
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Each peer maintains a connection to each other peer. A single
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distinct server called an "introducer" is used to discover other peers
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with which to connect.
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To store a file, the file is encrypted and erasure coded, and each resulting
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share is uploaded to a different peer. The secure hash of the encrypted
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file and the encryption key are packed into a URI, knowledge of which is
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necessary and sufficient to recover the file.
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To store a file, the file is encrypted and erasure coded, and each
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resulting share is uploaded to a different peer. The secure hash of
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the encrypted file and the encryption key are packed into a URI,
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knowledge of which is necessary and sufficient to recover the file.
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To fetch a file, starting with the URI, a subset of shares is downloaded
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from peers, the file is reconstructed from the shares, and then decrypted.
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To fetch a file, starting with the URI, a subset of shares is
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downloaded from peers, the file is reconstructed from the shares, and
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then decrypted.
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A single distinct server called a "vdrive server" maintains a global mapping
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from pathnames/filenames to URIs.
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A single distinct server called a "vdrive server" maintains a global
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mapping from pathnames/filenames to URIs.
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We are acutely aware of the limitations of decentralization and scalability
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inherent in this version. In particular, the completely-connected property
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of the grid and the requirement of a single distinct introducer and vdrive
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server limits the possible size of the grid. We have plans to loosen these
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limitations (see roadmap.txt). Currently it should be noted that the grid
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already depends as little as possible on the accessibility and correctness
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of the introduction server and the vdrive server. Also note that the choice
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of which servers to use is easily configured -- you should be able to set up
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a private grid for you and your friends almost as easily as to connect to
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our public test grid.
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We are acutely aware of the limitations of decentralization and
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scalability inherent in this version. In particular, the
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completely-connected property of the grid and the requirement of a
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single distinct introducer and vdrive server limits the possible size
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of the grid. We have plans to loosen these limitations (see
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roadmap.txt). Currently it should be noted that the grid already
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depends as little as possible on the accessibility and correctness of
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the introduction server and the vdrive server. Also note that the
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choice of which servers to use is easily configured -- you should be
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able to set up a private grid for you and your friends almost as
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easily as to connect to our public test grid.
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SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE
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Tahoe is a "from the ground-up" rewrite, inspired by Allmydata's existing
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consumer backup service. It is primarily written in the Python programming
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language.
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Tahoe is a "from the ground-up" rewrite, inspired by Allmydata's
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existing consumer backup service. It is primarily written in the
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Python programming language.
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Tahoe is based on the Foolscap library [12] which provides a remote object
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protocol inspired by the capability-secure "E" programming language [13].
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Foolscap allows us to express the intended behavior of the distributed grid
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directly in object-oriented terms while relying on a well-engineered, secure
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transport layer.
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Tahoe is based on the Foolscap library [12] which provides a remote
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object protocol inspired by the capability-secure "E" programming
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language [13]. Foolscap allows us to express the intended behavior of
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the distributed grid directly in object-oriented terms while relying
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on a well-engineered, secure transport layer.
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The network layer is provided by the Twisted library [14]. Computationally
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intensive operations are performed in native compiled code, such as the
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"zfec" library for fast erasure coding (also available separately: [15]).
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The network layer is provided by the Twisted library [14].
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Computationally intensive operations are performed in native compiled
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code, such as the "zfec" library for fast erasure coding (also
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available separately: [15]).
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Tahoe is sponsored by Allmydata, Inc. [16], a provider of consumer backup
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services. Allmydata, Inc. contributes hardware, software, ideas, bug
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reports, suggestions, demands, and money (employing several Allmydata-Tahoe
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hackers and allowing them to spend part of their work time on the
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next-generation, free-software project). We are eternally grateful!
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Tahoe is sponsored by Allmydata, Inc. [16], a provider of consumer
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backup services. Allmydata, Inc. contributes hardware, software,
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ideas, bug reports, suggestions, demands, and money (employing several
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Allmydata-Tahoe hackers and allowing them to spend part of their work
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time on the next-generation, free-software project). We are eternally
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grateful!
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Zooko O'Whielacronx and Brian Warner
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