p2p network similation, testing and monitoring framework

p2ptesting.md

see slides of a talk on the p2p network similation, testing and monitoring framework http://swarm-gateways.net/bzz:/e5fbcaad92ede8a429896ff91d5653510a16a2cf86061697648340d32bbe40a8/

p2p: network testing framework and protocol abstraction ethereum/go-ethereum#3102

Overview

The purpose of this work is to have a comprehensive and modular network testing suite, which is able to drive test harnesses for p2p network behaviour. This includes simulations as well as cluster tests on an actual network.

• set up network models, to control, measure, test, benchmark network behaviour
• provide single peer with mock peer 'network' for protocol (module) unit testing
• provide various simulated test network environments with the same testing interface
• http server with REST API to the network controllers to serve as backend to cluster dashboards, simulations, visualisations

Context and Motivation

The context and motivation is coming from wanting a proper test environment for syncing, connectivity or even higher level network behaviour (latency benchmarks) for swarm given the following issues:

• syncing rewrite
• testing and fixing edge cases with kademlia overlay topology bootstrapping
• integration whisper/pss in status/raiden
• implementing and testing crash proof of custody
• implenenting and testing receipt passting, storage insurance logic, litigation
• implementing scan and repair for erasure coding

Network model and adapters

• the models use a network adapter to abstract out underlay connectivity implementation
• network model adapters include
  • rlpx
  • SimNet inprocess simulation
  • p2p.server inprocess simulation (p2p server dial/listen are using msgpipes)
  • multinode local cluster (communicate via IPC) test module
  • multinode remote cluster (comminicate via IPC test module and ssh)

Explore:

• multinetwork adapter
• IPFS/libp2p adapter

Events in the Journal

• event logged as entries in a journal, can be replayed (on a different network type)
• connectivity journal, message passing journal
• dynamic network visualisation using the REST Api (example with mocked journal)
• journal can be replayed to get a snapshot (connectivity or storage/msg passing)
• snapshots are portable across network types so can setup/bootstrap simulations

Demo:

• simple connectivity visualisation with mock generated journal
• network controller GET -> UpdateeCy(journal)

Journal controller:

• run history as a journal subscribing to events
• reset, record
• Read: without constraints, it reads all the events in the buffer,
• TimedRead: replay with acceleration (for simulation/visualisation) faithful to intervals
• Scheduler: play waiting for actual or fake event time
• UI to manually construct test setups

Test drivers

• snapshots are used to setup initial states
• journal can be used to schedule drive network scenarios
• trigger/expect testing pattern for p2p message exchange for protocol unit testing
• trigger/expect pattern for unicast and multicast overlay routing (how pss and whisper will be tested)
• suite of controllers provide a resourceful REST API to query and dynamically change the network, trigger events and query metrics (using the metrics package)
• The messengers can be used to meter bandwidth, throughput
• latency benchmarks could be simulated using parameters based on a real network measurements

UI

• connectivity and message passing visualisations using cytoscape.js http://js.cytoscape.org/
• cluster management and monitoring dashboard
• UI for simulation and aggregate stats