Nodes

A node on the IEP network is any device that is contributing transaction or block data to the network. Any device running the IEP software is seen as a node. Nodes can be subdivided into two types: hallmarked and normal. A hallmarked node is simply a node that is tagged with an encrypted token derived from an account’s private key; this token can be decoded to reveal a specific token account address and balance that are associated with a node.

The act of placing a hallmark on a node adds a level of accountability and trust, so hallmarked nodes are more trusted than non­-hallmarked nodes on the network. The larger the balance of an account tied to a hallmarked node, the more trust is given to that node. While an attacker might wish to hallmark a node in order to gain trustworthiness within the network and then use that trust for malicious purposes; the barrier to entry (cost of token required to build adequate trust) discourages such abuse. Each node on the IEP network has the ability to process and broadcast both transactions and block information.

Blocks are validated as they are received from other nodes, and in cases where block validation fails, nodes may be “blacklisted” temporarily to prevent the propagation of invalid block data. Each node features built­in DDOS (Distributed Denial of Services) defence mechanisms which restrict the number of network requests from any peer to 30 per second.