Published on: 2020-01-28T05:24:27+00:00
The Lightning Network protocol was discussed, with a focus on the AMCU technique and its impact on relationship anonymity. The AMCU paper outlines how off-chain updateable cryptocurrency systems can host any contract that the hosting system can host, including instances of itself. This technique compromises privacy in order to achieve atomicity and reduced collateral, but there is concern that this trade-off could make the Lightning Network unusable.To close a sub-channel in an off-chain updateable cryptocurrency system, specific protocol rules must be followed, resulting in a transaction that spends the funds of the sub-channel according to the latest agreed-upon set of contracts. The AMCU technique is measured against its ability to enable a multi-participant CoinSwap when implemented on-chain. However, it appears that all intermediate hops need to validate that others follow the protocol, which would require presenting all transactions involved. This raises privacy concerns as it implies that all intermediate hops know the entire route of the transaction.ZmnSCPxj discusses the AMCU paper, explaining that it proposes a method for multi-channel updates with constant collateral in Bitcoin-compatible payment-channel networks. The base technique used is to instantiate two inner payment channels from a payment channel. Closing a sub-channel requires following specific protocol rules and spending the funds of the sub-channel based on the latest agreed-upon set of contracts.Subhra Mazumdar asks about the possibility of locking only a partial amount of funds in a payment channel and leaving the rest for other payment requests. ZmnSCPxj clarifies that for payments less than the channel funds on one side, only the required amount is locked behind an HTLC (Hash Time Locked Contract), while the remaining funds remain usable for other HTLCs.The concept of subchannels within a single channel is mentioned in the paper "Atomic multi-channel updates with constant collateral in bitcoin-compatible payment-channel networks." During the setup phase, the balance at each payment channel is split into two sub-channels: one for the present protocol session and one with remaining coins that can be freely spent. Operations at each channel during this phase can be carried out in parallel.In response to Mazumdar's question, ZmnSCPxj asks for clarification on what she means by locking a partial amount of funds in a payment channel and leaving the rest for another payment request, as he finds the question confusing.
Updated on: 2023-07-31T22:33:38.276940+00:00