From: Zooko O'Whielacronx Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 06:01:10 +0000 (-0700) Subject: docs: formatting: reflow to fill-column 77 X-Git-Tag: pre-393~3 X-Git-Url: https://git.rkrishnan.org/%5B/%5D%20/uri/frontends/%22news.html?a=commitdiff_plain;h=74e83bba9feec7f1daaee80ed313d1b2c20d7419;p=tahoe-lafs%2Ftahoe-lafs.git docs: formatting: reflow to fill-column 77 --- diff --git a/docs/about.rst b/docs/about.rst index dde61130..911f4e33 100644 --- a/docs/about.rst +++ b/docs/about.rst @@ -2,96 +2,91 @@ Welcome to Tahoe-LAFS! ====================== -Welcome to `Tahoe-LAFS `_, the first -decentralized storage system with *provider-independent security*. +Welcome to `Tahoe-LAFS `_, the first decentralized +storage system with *provider-independent security*. What is "provider-independent security"? ======================================== -Every seller of cloud storage services will tell you that their service -is "secure". But what they mean by that is something fundamentally -different from what we mean. What they mean by "secure" is that after -you've given them the power to read and modify your data, they try -really hard not to let this power be abused. This turns out to be -difficult! Bugs, misconfigurations, or operator error can accidentally -expose your data to another customer or to the public, or can corrupt -your data. Criminals routinely gain illicit access to corporate -servers. Even more insidious is the fact that the employees themselves -sometimes violate customer privacy out of carelessness, avarice, or -mere curiousity. The most conscientious of these service providers -spend considerable effort and expense trying to mitigate these risks. - -What we mean by "security" is something different. *The service -provider never has the ability to read or modify your data in the first -place -- never.* If you use Tahoe-LAFS, then all of the threats -described above are non-issues to you. Not only is it easy and -inexpensive for the service provider to maintain the security of your -data, but in fact they couldn't violate its security if they tried. -This is what we call *provider-independent security*. - -This guarantee is integrated naturally into the Tahoe-LAFS storage -system and doesn't require you to perform a manual pre-encryption step -or cumbersome key management. (After all, having to do cumbersome -manual operations when storing or accessing your data would nullify one -of the primary benefits of using cloud storage in the first place -- -convenience.) +Every seller of cloud storage services will tell you that their service is +"secure". But what they mean by that is something fundamentally different +from what we mean. What they mean by "secure" is that after you've given +them the power to read and modify your data, they try really hard not to let +this power be abused. This turns out to be difficult! Bugs, +misconfigurations, or operator error can accidentally expose your data to +another customer or to the public, or can corrupt your data. Criminals +routinely gain illicit access to corporate servers. Even more insidious is +the fact that the employees themselves sometimes violate customer privacy out +of carelessness, avarice, or mere curiousity. The most conscientious of +these service providers spend considerable effort and expense trying to +mitigate these risks. + +What we mean by "security" is something different. *The service provider +never has the ability to read or modify your data in the first place -- +never.* If you use Tahoe-LAFS, then all of the threats described above are +non-issues to you. Not only is it easy and inexpensive for the service +provider to maintain the security of your data, but in fact they couldn't +violate its security if they tried. This is what we call +*provider-independent security*. + +This guarantee is integrated naturally into the Tahoe-LAFS storage system and +doesn't require you to perform a manual pre-encryption step or cumbersome key +management. (After all, having to do cumbersome manual operations when +storing or accessing your data would nullify one of the primary benefits of +using cloud storage in the first place -- convenience.) Here's how it works: .. image:: http://tahoe-lafs.org/~zooko/network-and-reliance-topology.png -A "storage grid" is made up of a number of storage servers. A storage -server has direct attached storage (typically one or more hard disks). -A "gateway" uses the storage servers and provides access to the -filesystem over HTTP(S) or (S)FTP. +A "storage grid" is made up of a number of storage servers. A storage server +has direct attached storage (typically one or more hard disks). A "gateway" +uses the storage servers and provides access to the filesystem over HTTP(S) +or (S)FTP. Users do not rely on storage servers to provide *confidentiality* nor *integrity* for their data -- instead all of the data is encrypted and -integrity-checked by the gateway, so that the servers can neither read -nor modify the contents of the files. +integrity-checked by the gateway, so that the servers can neither read nor +modify the contents of the files. Users do rely on storage servers for *availability*. The ciphertext is -erasure-coded and distributed across ``N`` storage servers (the default -value for ``N`` is 10) so that it can be recovered from any ``K`` of -these servers (the default value of ``K`` is 3). Therefore only the -simultaneous failure of ``N-K+1`` (with the defaults, 8) servers can -make the data unavailable. - -In the typical deployment mode each user runs her own gateway on her -own machine. This way she relies on her own machine for the -confidentiality and integrity of the data. - -An alternate deployment mode is that the gateway runs on a remote -machine and the user connects to it over HTTPS or SFTP. This means -that the operator of the gateway can view and modify the user's data -(the user *relies on* the gateway for confidentiality and integrity), -but the advantage is that the user can access the filesystem with a -client that doesn't have the gateway software installed, such as an -Internet kiosk or cell phone. +erasure-coded and distributed across ``N`` storage servers (the default value +for ``N`` is 10) so that it can be recovered from any ``K`` of these servers +(the default value of ``K`` is 3). Therefore only the simultaneous failure +of ``N-K+1`` (with the defaults, 8) servers can make the data unavailable. + +In the typical deployment mode each user runs her own gateway on her own +machine. This way she relies on her own machine for the confidentiality and +integrity of the data. + +An alternate deployment mode is that the gateway runs on a remote machine and +the user connects to it over HTTPS or SFTP. This means that the operator of +the gateway can view and modify the user's data (the user *relies on* the +gateway for confidentiality and integrity), but the advantage is that the +user can access the filesystem with a client that doesn't have the gateway +software installed, such as an Internet kiosk or cell phone. Access Control ============== -There are two kinds of files: immutable and mutable. Immutable files -have the property that once they have been uploaded to the storage grid -they can't be modified. Mutable ones can be modified. A user can have -read-write access to a mutable file or read-only access to it (or no -access to it at all). +There are two kinds of files: immutable and mutable. Immutable files have +the property that once they have been uploaded to the storage grid they can't +be modified. Mutable ones can be modified. A user can have read-write +access to a mutable file or read-only access to it (or no access to it at +all). -A user who has read-write access to a mutable file or directory can -give another user read-write access to that file or directory, or they -can give read-only access to that file or directory. A user who has -read-only access to a file or directory can give another user read-only -access to it. +A user who has read-write access to a mutable file or directory can give +another user read-write access to that file or directory, or they can give +read-only access to that file or directory. A user who has read-only access +to a file or directory can give another user read-only access to it. When linking a file or directory into a parent directory, you can use a -read-write link or a read-only link. If you use a read-write link, -then anyone who has read-write access to the parent directory can gain -read-write access to the child, and anyone who has read-only access to -the parent directory can gain read-only access to the child. If you -use a read-only link, then anyone who has either read-write or -read-only access to the parent directory can gain read-only access to -the child. +read-write link or a read-only link. If you use a read-write link, then +anyone who has read-write access to the parent directory can gain read-write +access to the child, and anyone who has read-only access to the parent +directory can gain read-only access to the child. If you use a read-only +link, then anyone who has either read-write or read-only access to the parent +directory can gain read-only access to the child. For more technical detail, please see the `the doc page `_ on the Wiki. @@ -104,18 +99,18 @@ To use Tahoe-LAFS, please see `quickstart.rst `_. License ======= -You may use this package under the GNU General Public License, version -2 or, at your option, any later version. See the file `COPYING.GPL -<../COPYING.GPL>`_ for the terms of the GNU General Public License, -version 2. - -You may use this package under the Transitive Grace Period Public -Licence, version 1 or, at your option, any later version. The -Transitive Grace Period Public Licence has requirements similar to the -GPL except that it allows you to wait for up to twelve months after you -redistribute a derived work before releasing the source code of your -derived work. See the file `COPYING.TGGPL <../COPYING.TGPPL.html>`_ for -the terms of the Transitive Grace Period Public Licence, version 1. - -(You may choose to use this package under the terms of either licence, -at your option.) +You may use this package under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or, +at your option, any later version. See the file `COPYING.GPL +<../COPYING.GPL>`_ for the terms of the GNU General Public License, version +2. + +You may use this package under the Transitive Grace Period Public Licence, +version 1 or, at your option, any later version. The Transitive Grace Period +Public Licence has requirements similar to the GPL except that it allows you +to wait for up to twelve months after you redistribute a derived work before +releasing the source code of your derived work. See the file `COPYING.TGGPL +<../COPYING.TGPPL.html>`_ for the terms of the Transitive Grace Period Public +Licence, version 1. + +(You may choose to use this package under the terms of either licence, at +your option.)