Raising the AWAREness of BFT Protocols for Soaring Network Delays

Abstract

Classic BFT protocols are often deployed in the LAN setting, with low delays and reliable links. Recent publications of BFT protocols have decreased drastically in their communication complexity and the application to previously unsuited areas such as mobile or sensor networks is getting more traction. To facilitate that development and showcase suitability under harsher network conditions, we take one of the most recent BFT protocols, HotStuff, and analyze the impact of increased and varying network delays on its performance. We apply the delay prediction scheme AWARE and make some simple modifications to the prediction algorithm in order to increase its performance even further.