net

A simple Rust reimplementation fundamental networking commands for learning purposes.

Overview

net is a project designed to delve deep into the intricacies of network programming using Rust. As of now, it encapsulates the functionality of the ping command, sending ICMP echo requests to network hosts.

This project also involves calling C functions directly from Rust, which is interesting for learning purpose.

Future Plans:

• Introduce the traceroute command.
• Incorporate functionalities resembling the nmap command.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/St0rmPetrel/net
   cd net

2. Build the project:

   cargo build --release

3. The executable will be available at target/release/net.

Usage

To use net, run:

sudo ./target/release/net ping [HOSTNAME_OR_IP]

Replace [HOSTNAME_OR_IP] with the desired target, e.g., google.com or 8.8.8.8.

Example

sudo ./target/release/net ping google.com

PING google.com (74.125.130.102): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 74.125.130.102: icmp_seq=0 time=69 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.130.102: icmp_seq=1 time=69 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.130.102: icmp_seq=2 time=70 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.130.102: icmp_seq=3 time=66 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.130.102: icmp_seq=4 time=69 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.130.102: icmp_seq=5 time=69 ms
^C
--- google.com ping statistics ---
6 packets transmitted, 6 packets received, 0.00 packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 66/68/70/1.41 ms

Required Permissions

To run net, you will need elevated privileges (e.g., sudo) because it utilizes raw sockets. Raw sockets provide more control over network communication compared to higher-level socket types. Specifically, they allow manual crafting of packets, which is essential for ICMP echo requests used in the ping command.

Why does the standard ping command not require sudo?

The standard ping command typically resides in a directory such as /bin or /sbin and is set with the setuid (Set User ID) bit. This means the ping command will always run with the file owner's permissions (usually root) regardless of who runs it. Thus, while the command can be executed by any user, it still has the necessary permissions to open raw sockets, negating the need to explicitly use sudo.

Features

• ping: Sends ICMP echo requests akin to the standard ping command.