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.
Documents the tradeoff between metadata privacy and route error feedback:
- Intermediate routers see src_addr/dest_addr (traffic analysis possible)
- Source address needed for CoordsRequired/PathBroken error messages
- Deliberate choice: explicit feedback over silent drops + app timeouts
- Partial mitigation: addresses are SHA-256(npub), not npubs themselves
- Notes onion routing as alternative with different tradeoffs
Add comprehensive wire format diagrams with byte offsets, field sizes,
and concrete examples to three protocol documents:
fips-wire-protocol.md (Appendix A):
- Encrypted frame (0x00) with plaintext structure breakdown
- Noise IK msg1/msg2 with payload breakdown
- Complete handshake flow diagram
fips-gossip-protocol.md (Appendix A):
- TreeAnnounce with ancestry entry structure and size table
- FilterAnnounce with bloom filter layout
- LookupRequest/LookupResponse with examples
- Message flow showing packet nesting
fips-session-protocol.md (§8):
- SessionSetup, SessionAck, DataPacket, CoordsRequired, PathBroken
- Full nested packet example showing link + session layers
fips-routing.md:
- Refactored Part 4 to "Route Cache Management"
- Moved wire format content to fips-session-protocol.md
Session protocol (fips-session-protocol.md):
- Clarified DNS entry point applies to IP-based apps; native FIPS uses npub
- Updated transport failover examples (UDP → WiFi, WiFi → LTE)
- Added roaming description to session independence section
- Expanded §5 with coords-on-demand mechanism for route cache recovery
- Added Noise IK vs XK privacy tradeoff note to §6
Routing (fips-routing.md):
- DataPacket now has optional coordinates (COORDS_PRESENT flag)
- Updated handle_data_packet to cache coords from packets
- Sender state machine: WARM/COLD based on CoordsRequired errors
- Updated packet type summary table
Architecture (fips-architecture.md):
- Fixed cross-references to session protocol sections
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
Wire format:
- Add HandshakeMessageType enum (NoiseIKMsg1=0x01, NoiseIKMsg2=0x02)
- Define unified TLV framing for handshake and post-handshake messages
- Update fips-design.md and fips-protocol-flow.md with wire format details
Initialization:
- Defer TUN setup until after peer connections initiated
- Order: packet channel → transports → peers → TUN
Logging cleanup:
- Consolidate node/TUN info logs into aligned multi-line format
- TUN shutdown: single start/stop message, remove intermediate noise
- Remove ip link show callout and redundant Starting node message
- Change UDP transport stopped to debug level
Align terminology and cross-references across all FIPS design documents
based on decisions made in fips-protocol-flow.md (Session 39).
Key changes:
- Distinguish "Routing Session" (hop-by-hop cache) from "Crypto Session"
(end-to-end Noise KK encryption) throughout all docs
- Add handshake_payload field to SessionSetup/SessionAck for combined
establishment of routing and crypto sessions
- Update fips-design.md encryption section to reference Noise KK
- Add SessionSetup (0x06), SessionAck (0x07), CoordsRequired (0x08)
message types
- Add Crypto Session Management config section to fips-architecture.md
- Add cross-references to fips-protocol-flow.md in all design docs
- Update reconciliation tracking in protocol-flow.md §7
Create comprehensive architecture document covering:
- Core entities: Node, Transport, Link, Peer hierarchy
- Transport vs Link distinction (interface vs connection)
- State machines for Transport, Link, and Peer lifecycles
- Reference transport types: UDP/IP, Ethernet, WiFi, Tor
- Spanning tree and Bloom filter state requirements
- Self-healing protocol design (no ack/retry needed)
- Leaf-only operation for constrained devices
- Comprehensive sysctl-style configuration reference
Also add architecture review document capturing identified
issues to resolve before implementation begins.
Create fips-routing.md covering the complete routing architecture:
- Bloom filter design: 4KB filters, K=2 scope, event-driven updates
- Discovery protocol: LookupRequest/Response with signed proofs
- Greedy tree routing using coordinates from discovery
- Session establishment model for minimal data packet overhead
- Router coordinate caching with LRU eviction
Key design decisions:
- Leaf-only mode for constrained devices (single peer handles routing)
- Separation of discovery (find destination) from routing (deliver packets)
- Session setup pays coordinate cost once; data packets carry only addresses
- 36-byte data packet header comparable to IPv6
Update design docs README to include new document.
Move design documents from working directory into source tree:
- fips-design.md - Full protocol design specification
- spanning-tree-dynamics.md - Spanning tree protocol dynamics study
Add README index files for docs/ and docs/design/.
Johnathan Corgan