A secure distributed search system

Abstract

This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of Mingle, a secure distributed search system. Each participating host runs a Mingle server, which maintains an inverted index of the local file system. Users initiate peer-to-peer keyword searches by typing keywords to lightweight Mingle clients. Central to Mingle are its access control mechanisms and its insistence on user convenience. For access control, we introduce the idea of access-right mapping, which provides a convenient way for file owners to specify access permissions. Access control is supported through a single sign-on mechanism that allows users to conveniently establish their identity to Mingle servers, such that subsequent authentication occurs automatically, with minimal manual involvement. Preliminary performance evaluation suggests that Mingle is both feasible and scalable.