AIEP — Canonical Schema Pinning and Deterministic Drift Prevention System
Field of the Invention
[0001] The invention relates to deterministic state-control mechanisms in distributed computing systems.
[0002] More particularly, the invention concerns canonical schema pinning and deterministic drift prevention within an Architected Instruction & Evidence Protocol (AIEP) system as defined in United Kingdom patent application GB2519711.2.
Background
[0003] The AIEP system defined in GB2519711.2 performs deterministic arbitration of canonicalised artefacts under version-controlled registry rules.
[0004] Canonicalisation within AIEP requires structured schemas defining:
(a) field identity and ordering;
(b) datatype constraints;
(c) transformation rules;
(d) validation requirements; and
(e) canonical normalisation procedures.
[0005] In distributed deployments or multi-cycle processing environments, schema evolution or inconsistency may occur due to:
(a) field addition or removal;
(b) datatype modification;
(c) ordering variation;
(d) transformation rule alteration;
(e) environment-dependent extensions; or
(f) unauthorised modification.
[0006] Such schema variation may cause logically identical artefacts to produce non-identical canonical representations.
[0007] Where canonical representations differ, cryptographic identity differs.
[0008] Where cryptographic identity differs, arbitration outcomes, admissibility gating decisions, or execution enablement signals may diverge across distributed nodes.
[0009] Conventional systems permit permissive schema migration, backward compatibility inference, or silent coercion. Such systems do not bind execution authority to explicit schema identity and therefore allow inconsistent state-transition outcomes under replay conditions.
[0010] There exists a need for a deterministic schema control mechanism that:
(a) binds artefact identity to explicit schema hash;
(b) prevents implicit schema drift;
(c) enforces distributed schema alignment prior to arbitration; and
(d) guarantees replay-equivalent state-transition control across independent computing systems.
Summary of the invention
[0011] The invention provides a Canonical Schema Pinning and Deterministic Drift Prevention System (CSP-DPS) operating as a structural control layer within an AIEP environment.
[0012] The system comprises:
(a) a version-locked schema registry;
(b) a schema hash binding engine;
(c) a deterministic canonicalisation enforcement module;
(d) a schema alignment verification module;
(e) a migration control artefact generator; and
(f) an execution enablement gate controller configured to operate fail-closed upon detection of schema drift.
[0013] The system operates prior to arbitration state transition and directly governs generation of execution enablement signals within the AIEP arbitration layer.
[0014] The invention prevents inconsistent distributed state transitions caused by implicit schema mutation.
Detailed Description
Schema Version Registry
[0015] Each canonical schema is versioned and assigned a deterministic cryptographic hash identifier.
[0016] Schema definitions comprise:
(a) explicit field definitions;
(b) deterministic field ordering rules;
(c) datatype constraints;
(d) canonical transformation rules; and
(e) validation constraints.
[0017] The schema registry is itself bound to the AIEP registry version defined in GB2519711.2.
[0018] Schema definitions are immutable once registered.
Schema Hash Binding
[0019] Each artefact processed within the system includes explicit binding to:
(a) a schema version identifier; and
(b) a schema hash value derived from the full canonical schema definition.
[0020] Artefact identity is computed as:
Hₐ = H(CanonicalArtefact || SchemaHash || RegistryVersion)
[0021] Any modification of schema content without explicit version update results in a non-matching schema hash.
[0022] Artefact identity is therefore cryptographically bound to schema definition.
Deterministic Canonicalisation Enforcement
[0023] Canonicalisation is performed strictly under the schema version referenced in the artefact.
[0024] The canonicalisation enforcement module prohibits:
(a) implicit field reordering;
(b) datatype coercion without schema version update;
(c) silent insertion of default values;
(d) omission of mandatory fields;
(e) backward compatibility inference; and
(f) environment-dependent transformation rules.
[0025] Identical logical input under identical schema version produces identical canonical output across independent computing systems.
Schema Alignment Verification
[0026] Prior to arbitration, lineage reconstruction, or execution gating, the system verifies that:
(a) the artefact schema version matches a registry-recognised schema;
(b) the schema hash matches the registry-stored definition; and
(c) the canonicalisation rules correspond to the registry version active for arbitration.
[0027] Mismatch of version or hash constitutes deterministic schema drift.
[0028] Schema drift is treated as a state-transition integrity violation.
Migration Control
[0029] Schema evolution is permitted only through generation of an explicit migration artefact.
[0030] The migration artefact comprises:
(a) source schema version;
(b) target schema version;
(c) deterministic transformation rules;
(d) timestamp metadata; and
(e) cryptographic commitment H(MigrationArtefact).
[0031] Migration produces a new canonical artefact appended to lineage.
[0032] The original artefact remains immutable.
[0033] Silent schema mutation is prohibited.
Fail-Closed Execution Enablement Control
[0034] Detection of schema drift causes deterministic transition to a non-admissible and non-executable state.
[0035] Upon drift detection:
(a) arbitration state transition is suspended;
(b) no execution enablement signal is generated;
(c) no downstream machine action may be authorised; and
(d) the artefact is marked as non-admissible within the AIEP registry.
[0036] Execution authority within the AIEP system is cryptographically bound to schema hash identity.
[0037] The system thereby prevents inconsistent distributed execution decisions resulting from schema divergence.
Distributed Deterministic Equivalence
[0038] Where independent computing systems process identical artefacts under identical schema and registry versions:
(a) canonical representations are identical;
(b) hash identities are identical; and
(c) admissibility and execution gating decisions are identical.
[0039] The system guarantees replay-equivalent state-transition control across distributed AIEP nodes.
Technical Effect
[0040] The invention provides deterministic control of schema-level state integrity in distributed arbitration systems.
[0041] The invention eliminates non-deterministic divergence caused by implicit schema evolution.
[0042] The technical contribution lies in binding machine execution authority to explicit schema hash identity, thereby preventing inconsistent state transitions across distributed computing nodes.
CLAIMS
1. A computer-implemented method operating within an Architected Instruction & Evidence Protocol (AIEP) system as defined in United Kingdom patent application GB2519711.2, comprising:
(a) assigning a version-locked canonical schema to an artefact;
(b) binding the artefact to a schema hash identifier derived from the canonical schema definition;
(c) canonicalising the artefact strictly under the assigned schema version;
(d) verifying schema alignment prior to arbitration state transition;
(e) detecting schema drift based on schema version or hash mismatch; and
(f) preventing generation of an execution enablement signal upon detection of schema drift.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein schema evolution requires generation of an explicit migration artefact appended to the artefact lineage.
3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein artefact identity is computed based on canonical content, schema hash, and registry version.
4. A distributed computing system configured to perform the method of any preceding claim.
5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed, perform the method of any preceding claim.
ABSTRACT
A computer-implemented Canonical Schema Pinning and Deterministic Drift Prevention System operating within an Architected Instruction & Evidence Protocol (AIEP) environment as defined in United Kingdom patent application GB2519711.2. The system assigns version-locked canonical schemas to artefacts and binds artefact identity to a cryptographic schema hash and registry version. Canonicalisation is performed strictly under the assigned schema version, and schema alignment is verified prior to arbitration or execution state transition. Detection of schema version or hash mismatch constitutes deterministic schema drift and causes fail-closed prevention of execution enablement signal generation. Schema evolution is permitted only through generation of an explicit migration artefact appended to artefact lineage. The invention guarantees replay-equivalent canonical representations and consistent execution gating decisions across distributed computing systems, thereby preventing inconsistent state transitions caused by implicit schema mutation.
Brief Description of the Drawing
FIG. 1 — Schema Extension Framework
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Canonical Base Schema │
│ (AIEP v2.0.0 — locked) │
└──────────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│ extends (versioned)
┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────┐
│ Domain Extension Schema │
│ namespace: aiep.ext.<domain>.<version> │
│ ├── required base fields (inherited) │
│ └── domain-specific fields (additive) │
└──────────────────┬──────────────────────┘
│ validates
┌──────────────────▼──────────────────────┐
│ Artefact Instance │
│ Validated against both base + extension│
│ hash: H(artefact ‖ schema_version) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘