Network Initializer

Introduction 🧩

The Network Initializer is responsible for setting up and managing the entire network infrastructure. Its main tasks include:

• Constructing the Network Graph: It defines the structure of the network, establishing the relationships between different nodes (servers, clients, and drones). This ensures proper routing and communication between entities.
• Launching the Drones: The drones act as dynamic entities, allowing network discovery and packet forwarding.
• Launching Clients: It initializes and connects the client nodes, ensuring they can communicate with the servers on the network.
• Launching Servers: The servers are started with the appropriate configurations, enabling message handling, routing, and persistency mechanisms.

By orchestrating these components, the Network Initializer ensures that the network is correctly set up and ready for operation. 🚀

How to Set Up Logging in This Project ✏️

This project uses env_logger for logging. Follow the steps below to enable and configure logging:

1. Configure Log Levels

Log levels determine the verbosity of the output. The available levels are:

• error: Only logs critical errors.
• warn: Logs warnings and errors.
• info: Logs general information, warnings, and errors.
• debug: Logs debugging information, in addition to all the above levels.
• trace: Logs the most detailed information.

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2. Set the Log Level

You can configure the log level by setting the RUST_LOG environment variable.

• Example Commands:

  • Show only errors:

    RUST_LOG=error cargo run

  • Show general information and above:

    RUST_LOG=info cargo run

  • Enable detailed debugging:

    RUST_LOG=debug cargo run

• Per Module Log Levels: To configure log levels for specific modules or crates:

  RUST_LOG=my_crate=debug,other_module=info cargo run

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3. Example Usage in Code

Here’s how to use different log levels in the code:

log::error!("Critical error encountered!");
log::warn!("Warning: Check the configuration.");
log::info!("System running smoothly.");
log::debug!("Processing request with ID {}", request_id);
log::trace!("Detailed trace for debugging.");

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4. Additional Notes

• By default, the logger uses the info level if RUST_LOG is not set.
• The logger reads the RUST_LOG variable at runtime, so ensure it's set before running the application.
• It is also possible to set it to RustRover

UI 🎨

The UI is a crucial component of this project, providing users with a clear and intuitive way to understand the network’s behavior, including packet forwarding, network discovery, and overall packet statistics. It serves as a visual and interactive bridge between the user and the underlying system.

The UI is structured into three key elements:

• Simulation Controller: The omniscient component responsible for monitoring the entire network. It has the most thorough view of the system, ensuring deep insights into network topology and activity.
• Client: Provides a chat-like interface that allows users within the network to send and receive messages, enabling real-time communication.
• Server: Hosts a monitoring dashboard that displays key server statistics, performance metrics, and messages stored in its local database.