BLE transport implementation using L2CAP Connection-Oriented Channels
(SeqPacket mode) via the bluer crate, behind cfg(feature = "ble").
Core transport:
- BleTransport<I> generic over BleIo trait (BluerIo prod, MockBleIo test)
- Connection pool with priority eviction (static > discovered, max 7)
- Connect-on-send via connect_inline() matching TCP behavior
- Per-connection receive loops with pool cleanup on disconnect
Discovery and probing:
- Combined scan_probe_loop using select! over scanner events and a
BinaryHeap delay queue with per-entry random jitter (0-5s) to prevent
herd effects when multiple nodes see the same beacon simultaneously
- Pre-handshake pubkey exchange ([0x00][pubkey:32]) for IK identity
- Cross-probe tie-breaker: smaller NodeAddr's outbound wins (same
convention as FMP/FSP rekey dual-initiation)
- Probed peers reported to DiscoveryBuffer; pool fills through normal
node-layer auto-connect -> send_async -> connect_inline path
Beacon management:
- Periodic advertising: 1s burst every 30s (configurable via
beacon_interval_secs / beacon_duration_secs)
- FIPS service UUID for scan filtering
Configuration (all fields optional with defaults):
- adapter, psm, mtu, max_connections, connect_timeout_ms
- advertise, scan, auto_connect, accept_connections
- beacon_interval_secs (30), beacon_duration_secs (1)
Hardware validated with two BLE nodes:
- 2048-byte MTU, ~60-160ms RTT, zero-config auto-connect
- BLE spike tool at testing/ble/ for standalone adapter validation
42 unit tests + 4 node-level integration tests, all CI-compatible
via MockBleIo (no hardware required). tokio test-util added for
time-dependent scan/probe tests.
Add TorTransport in src/transport/tor/ supporting three operating modes:
Outbound (socks5 mode):
- Non-blocking SOCKS5 connect via tokio-socks with per-destination
circuit isolation (IsolateSOCKSAuth)
- TorAddr enum for .onion and clearnet address types
- Connection pool with per-connection receive tasks, reuses TCP
stream FMP framing
- connect_async()/connection_state_sync()/promote_connection() follow
the same non-blocking polling pattern as TCP transport
Inbound (directory mode — recommended for production):
- Tor manages the onion service via HiddenServiceDir in torrc
- FIPS reads .onion address from hostname file at startup
- No control port needed — enables Tor Sandbox 1 (seccomp-bpf)
- Accept loop mirrors TCP pattern with DirectoryServiceConfig
Monitoring (control_port mode and optional in directory mode):
- Async control port client supporting TCP and Unix socket connections
via Box<dyn AsyncRead/Write> trait objects
- AUTHENTICATE with cookie or password auth
- 8 GETINFO queries: bootstrap, circuits, traffic, liveness, version,
dormant state, SOCKS listeners
- Background monitoring task polls every 10s, caches TorMonitoringInfo
in Arc<RwLock> for synchronous query access
- Bootstrap milestone logging (25/50/75/100%), stall warning (>60s),
network liveness transitions, dormant mode entry
- Directory mode optionally connects to control port when control_addr
is configured (non-fatal on failure)
Operator visibility:
- show_transports query exposes tor_mode, onion_address, tor_monitoring
(bootstrap, circuit_established, traffic, liveness, version, dormant)
- fipstop transport detail view: Tor mode, onion address, SOCKS5/control
errors, connection stats, Tor daemon status section
- fipstop table view: tor(mode) label with truncated onion address hint
Security hardening:
- Per-destination circuit isolation via IsolateSOCKSAuth
- Unix socket default for control port (/run/tor/control)
- Reference torrc with HiddenServiceDir, VanguardsLiteEnabled,
ConnectionPadding, DoS protections (PoW + intro rate limiting)
Config:
- TorConfig with socks5, control_port, and directory modes
- DirectoryServiceConfig: hostname_file, bind_addr
- control_addr, control_auth, cookie_path, connect_timeout,
max_inbound_connections
Testing:
- 69 unit + integration tests with mock SOCKS5 and control servers
- Docker tests: socks5-outbound (clearnet via Tor) and directory-mode
(HiddenServiceDir onion service)
Documentation:
- Transport layer design doc: Tor architecture, directory mode
- Configuration doc: Tor config tables and examples
Add resolve_socket_addr() with IP fast path and tokio::net::lookup_host()
fallback for DNS hostnames. Peer addresses can now use hostnames like
"peer1.example.com:2121" alongside IP addresses.
UDP transport adds a per-transport DNS cache (60s TTL) to avoid
per-packet resolution. TCP resolves at connect time (one-shot).
Update design docs, config examples, and changelog to reflect hostname
support in transport addressing.
- Rewrite TCP "Connect-on-Send" section to document non-blocking connect
model (ConnectingPool, PendingConnect, poll_pending_connects)
- Add connect() and connection_state() to Transport trait surface
- Expand Connection Lifecycle section with ConnectionState enum
- Remove phantom TCP socks5_proxy field (removed from code, superseded
by TorConfig)
- Fix "future Tor transport" references (stream reader already shared)
- Replace misleading "tor:" named TCP instance example
- Update fips-intro.md implementation status (TCP and Ethernet are
implemented, not "under active design")
Breaking wire format change: DataPacket payloads inside the AEAD envelope
now carry a 4-byte port header [src_port:2 LE][dst_port:2 LE] before the
service payload. The receiver dispatches by destination port.
Port multiplexing:
- send_session_data() takes src_port/dst_port params, prepends port header
- New send_ipv6_packet() compresses IPv6 header and sends on port 256
- Receive path dispatches DataPackets by port: port 256 decompresses IPv6
header from session context and delivers to TUN, unknown ports dropped
- Port constants: FSP_PORT_HEADER_SIZE (4 bytes), FSP_PORT_IPV6_SHIM (256)
IPv6 header compression:
- New ipv6_shim module with compress_ipv6()/decompress_ipv6() pure functions
- Strips src/dst addresses (32 bytes) and payload length (2 bytes) from each
packet, preserving traffic class, flow label, next header, and hop limit
as 6-byte residual fields
- Addresses reconstructed from session context on receive side
- Net savings: 29 bytes per packet (overhead 106 → 77 bytes)
- FIPS_IPV6_OVERHEAD constant (77 bytes), effective_ipv6_mtu() updated
- 16 unit tests for round-trip fidelity, field preservation, error cases
Documentation:
- fips-wire-formats: DataPacket port header, port registry, IPv6 shim
format tables, updated encapsulation walkthrough and overhead budget
- fips-ipv6-adapter: FIPS_IPV6_OVERHEAD (77 bytes), updated MTU numbers,
TUN reader/writer flow with compression steps, impl status
- fips-session-layer: port-based service dispatch section, data transfer
description, impl status
- fips-intro: IPv6 adapter as port 256 service, node architecture updated
- fips-mesh-operation: packet size summary with compressed overhead
- DataPacket doc updated with port header and dispatch model
- session_wire.rs module doc: DataPacket Port Multiplexing section
Wire format diagrams:
- Add 24 SVG diagrams covering every FMP and FSP wire format: common
prefix, established frame headers, Noise IK handshake messages,
handshake flow, TreeAnnounce, AncestryEntry, FilterAnnounce,
LookupRequest/Response, SessionDatagram, Disconnect, SenderReport,
ReceiverReport, FSP complete message, SessionSetup/Ack/Msg3,
PathMtuNotification, CoordsRequired, PathBroken, and MtuExceeded
- Replace ASCII art in fips-wire-formats.md with SVG references
- Apply text edits to fips-mesh-layer.md, fips-mesh-operation.md,
fips-transport-layer.md, and fips-ipv6-adapter.md
Spanning tree dynamics:
- Add 12 topology SVG diagrams: node join (overview + 3-panel steps),
three-node convergence (4-panel), link addition with depth labels,
link removal, partition formation, and 6 real-world example diagrams
(office, mixed-link, two-site WAN topologies)
- Rewrite all code blocks to narrative prose with diagram references
- Add inline prior art attributions distinguishing Yggdrasil-derived
concepts from FIPS-novel contributions
- Add 3 new references (De Couto ETX, IEEE 802.1D, RFC 2328 OSPF) and
Prior Art summary
- Remove outdated sections: indirect partition note, integration test
gaps, DHT-based lookup reference
- Change "must elect a new root" to "must rediscover its new root"
Spanning tree design review (fips-spanning-tree.md):
- Rename "Root Election" to "Root Discovery" across docs
- Add "What Is a Spanning Tree?" introductory section
- Add parent selection intro explaining self-organization role
- Fix tree distance example: 4 hops, not 2
- Clarify timestamp field as advisory only
- Remove unimplemented ROOT_TIMEOUT and TREE_ENTRY_TTL from timing
parameters and implementation status tables
Bloom filter design review (fips-bloom-filters.md):
- Add "What Is a Bloom Filter?" intro section
- Rewrite Purpose section to frame filters as routing path identification
- Correct FPR analysis (old values were 3-50x overstated)
- Add Filter Occupancy Model based on network size and tree position
- Fix filter expiration to describe actual MMP-based cleanup
- Combine Scale Considerations with Size Classes after Wire Format
- Fix stale FPR values in src/bloom/mod.rs comments
Session layer review (fips-session-layer.md):
- Add inline prior art attributions: Noise Protocol Framework, WireGuard,
DTLS (RFC 6347), IKEv2 (RFC 7296), RFC 1191 PMTUD, Yggdrasil, NIP-44
- Replace warmup state machine ASCII art with SVG diagram
- Convert CoordsWarmup wire format code block to prose
- Add External References section with full citations
Level 5 implementation doc cleanup:
- Delete fips-software-architecture.md (redundant with protocol layer docs)
- Delete fips-state-machines.md (Rust tutorial, not protocol design)
- Add fipsctl command reference to README.md
- Update cross-references in fips-intro.md, docs/design/README.md,
fips-transport-layer.md, fips-configuration.md
Fixes:
- Correct fd::/8 to fd00::/8 in fips-session-layer.md,
fips-identity-derivation.svg, and fips-node-architecture.svg
- Fix config example MTU: 1197 → 1472 in fips-configuration.md
File organization:
- Move all SVG diagrams into docs/design/diagrams/ subdirectory
- Update all diagram references to use new paths
Cost-based parent selection:
- Replace depth-only parent selection with effective_depth = depth + link_cost
- link_cost computed from locally measured MMP metrics: etx * (1.0 + srtt_ms / 100.0)
- Prevents bottleneck subtrees in heterogeneous networks where a LoRa link
at depth 1 would otherwise always beat fiber at depth 2
- Configurable hysteresis (default 0.2) prevents marginal parent switches
- Configurable hold-down timer (default 30s) suppresses re-evaluation
after parent switch
- Mandatory switches (parent lost, root change) bypass both safeguards
- Link costs passed as HashMap parameter to keep TreeState pure
Periodic re-evaluation:
- evaluate_parent() was only called on TreeAnnounce receipt or parent loss;
after tree stabilization, link degradation went undetected
- Added timer-based re-evaluation (reeval_interval_secs, default 60s) that
calls evaluate_parent() from the tick handler with current MMP link costs
- Respects existing hold-down and hysteresis safeguards
- Short-circuits when disabled or <2 peers
Design documentation:
- Update 7 design docs to reflect cost-based parent selection
- Replace depth-only algorithm descriptions with effective_depth model
- Replace rejected cumulative path cost spec with local-only design rationale
- Rewrite Example 2 (heterogeneous links) for local-only cost model
- Update config docs: parent_switch_threshold replaced by parent_hysteresis,
hold_down_secs, reeval_interval_secs
Chaos simulation enhancements:
- fips_overrides with deep merge for per-scenario FIPS config customization
- Explicit topology algorithm for deterministic test graphs
- Control socket querying via fipsctl for tree/MMP snapshot collection
- Edge existence validation in netem manager
- Per-link netem policy overrides
- 9 new chaos scenarios covering cost avoidance, depth-vs-cost tradeoffs,
stability, mixed topologies, periodic re-evaluation, and bottleneck parent
12 new unit tests, 667 total passing, clippy clean.
Gate peer_inbound_filters() to only collect from tree peers (parent
and children), so outgoing filter computation merges only tree-sourced
information. All peers still receive FilterAnnounce messages and store
filters locally for routing queries — the restriction is only on what
gets merged into outgoing filters.
This prevents bloom filter saturation where mesh shortcuts cause every
node's filter to converge toward the full network. With tree-only
merge, filters contain subtree (from children) + complement (from
parent) + single-hop mesh views.
Implementation:
- Add is_tree_peer() helper to determine tree parent/child relationship
- Gate peer_inbound_filters() to tree peers only (single control point)
- Trigger bloom filter exchange on tree relationship changes
- Add est_entries, set_bits, fill ratio, and tree_peer fields to
FilterAnnounce send/receive debug logs
- Add test_bloom_filter_split_horizon test verifying directional
asymmetry: upward filters contain only the child's subtree, downward
filters contain only the complement
- Add print_filter_cardinality diagnostic helper for test inspection
Design docs:
- fips-bloom-filters.md: Add directional asymmetry and mesh peer filter
subsections, update per-peer filter model, saturation mitigation,
implementation status table
- fips-mesh-operation.md: Update filter propagation description, add
directional asymmetry, tree relationship change trigger
- fips-intro.md: Rewrite bloom propagation paragraph for tree-only merge
Rename FIPS Link Protocol (FLP) to FIPS Mesh Protocol (FMP)
The "Link Protocol" name understated the layer's scope — spanning tree
construction, bloom filter routing, greedy forwarding, and mesh-wide
coordination go well beyond link-level concerns. Rename fips-link-layer.md
to fips-mesh-layer.md, update FLP→FMP throughout docs and source code
(FLP_VERSION→FMP_VERSION, wire.rs, rx_loop.rs, spanning_tree.rs).
New SVG illustrations
- Protocol stack: color-coded layer diagram replacing ASCII art
- OSI mapping: side-by-side comparison with traditional networking layers
- Bloom filter propagation: 6-node tree with sender-colored filter boxes
showing split-horizon computation per link
- Routing decision flowchart: 5-step priority chain with candidate ranking
by tree distance and link performance
- Coordinate discovery: sequence diagram showing LookupRequest propagation,
response caching, and SessionSetup cache warming
Redesigned existing SVGs
- Architecture overview: uniform node layout, U-shaped encrypted link
connectors, separate end-to-end session line
- Node architecture: split Router Core into FSP and FMP layers, reorganize
transports into Overlay/Shared Medium/Point-to-Point categories
- Identity derivation: wider boxes, visible encode arrow, dashed npub line
fips-intro.md revisions
- Add inline references to prior work: Yggdrasil/Ironwood for coordinate
routing, Noise Protocol Framework for IK handshakes, WireGuard for
index-based session dispatch, Wikipedia for bloom filters, split-horizon,
and greedy embedding
- Add explanatory paragraphs after bloom filter diagram describing
split-horizon filter computation and candidate selection behavior
- Simplify transport abstraction language, remove I2P/LoRa references
- Fix LookupRequest wording ("propagates" not "floods"), note intermediate
node coordinate caching on lookup responses
- Rewrite architecture overview prose to match redesigned diagrams
Bring all 9 design documents into alignment with the current
implementation. Major additions include MMP coverage at both link and
session layers, wire format tables for SenderReport and ReceiverReport,
UDP socket buffer sizing, PathMtuNotification status updates, and
configuration parameter fixes (default_ttl key name, idle timeout MMP
exclusion semantics).
Add fips-identity-derivation.svg showing the derivation chain from
pubkey to npub, node_addr, and IPv6 address with protocol roles and
privacy boundary. Replaces the code block in Node Address Derivation
with the diagram and consolidated descriptive text.
- fips-architecture.md → fips-software-architecture.md with all
cross-references updated (4 files)
- fips-transport-abstraction.svg → fips-node-architecture.svg, moved
from Transport Abstraction section to Architecture Overview in
fips-intro.md
- Added descriptive paragraph for node architecture diagram covering
three-layer design (application interfaces, router core, transports)
Replace three ASCII art diagrams in fips-intro.md with SVG images:
- Architecture overview: 5-node 4-hop path with layered node boxes
- Mesh topology: 8-node network with spanning tree highlighted
- Transport abstraction: full node stack with 10 transport plugins
Add src_addr to SessionDatagram envelope (34-byte header: msg_type +
src_addr + dest_addr + hop_limit) so transit routers can route error
signals back to the packet's originator.
Reclassify CoordsRequired/PathBroken as link-layer error signals
(plaintext inside SessionDatagram) rather than e2e encrypted session
messages. Transit routers generate these when forwarding fails and
route them to src_addr; if source is also unreachable, drop silently.
Remove redundant src_addr/dest_addr/hop_limit from SessionSetup,
SessionAck, and DataPacket (now in envelope). DataPacket header
reduced from 36 to 4 bytes. Remove PathBroken.original_src.
Fix routing loop vulnerability: gate bloom filter path on having
cached dest_coords to prevent blind forwarding between peers.
Simplify select_best_candidate() to require coordinates.
Fix gossip protocol type codes (0x11->0x20, 0x12->0x30, 0x13->0x31)
for consistency across all design docs.
All 5 design docs updated and cross-checked for consistency.
335 tests pass, zero warnings.
Noise IK parity fix:
- Pre-message hash normalizes responder static key to even parity (0x02)
so initiator and responder hash chains match regardless of actual parity
- ECDH uses shared_secret_point() + SHA-256(x-only) instead of
SharedSecret::new() which includes a parity-dependent version byte
- Fixes handshake failure for ~50% of keys when initiator has only npub
Graceful disconnect protocol (link message 0x50):
- DisconnectReason enum with 8 reason codes
- Disconnect struct with encode/decode
- send_encrypted_link_message() reusable helper
- handle_disconnect() with immediate peer removal
- send_disconnect_to_all_peers() called during Node::stop()
Cross-connection fix in handle_msg1():
- addr_to_link check now distinguishes inbound duplicates (reject) from
outbound links (cross-connection, allow and resolve via tie-breaker)
- remove_link() only clears addr_to_link if entry maps to same link_id
- Link cleanup and addr_to_link restoration in cross-connection branches
Handshake timeout cleanup:
- RX loop uses tokio::select! with 1-second interval tick
- check_timeouts() scans for stale (>30s) and failed connections
- cleanup_stale_connection() removes all associated state
Tests: 279 passing (4 new: cross-connection, stale cleanup, failed
cleanup, odd-parity handshake)
Add test_run_rx_loop_handshake exercising the full packet dispatch
path (UDP → channel → run_rx_loop → process_packet → handler) using
tokio::select! with timeout to release &mut self for assertions.
Correct session layer documentation: sessions are always established
between communicating nodes regardless of adjacency, not only for
non-adjacent traffic. Add adjacent-peer encryption flow example,
fix table description, rename Link Layer subsection to "Hop-by-Hop".
267 tests pass (266 existing + 1 new).
Rename NodeId to NodeAddr and npub to pubkey throughout documentation
and source code for consistency with the established identity model.
Add FIPS API vs IPv6 adapter overview to session protocol document.
Add transport address terminology note to wire protocol document.
Design change: Session layer now uses Noise IK pattern (previously KK),
matching the link layer. Rationale: initiator knows destination npub,
responder learns initiator identity from handshake - same asymmetry as
link connections.
Document consistency fixes:
- Auth* events → Noise IK msg1/msg2 terminology in state machines
- PeerId → NodeId in routing code examples
- BloomUpdate → FilterAnnounce terminology
- Updated cross-references and tables
