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
SessionAck previously only carried the responder's coordinates
(src_coords). When the return path diverged from the forward path
(e.g., after tree reconvergence), transit nodes on the return path
lacked the initiator's coordinates and couldn't route the SessionAck
back, causing handshake timeouts.
Add dest_coords (initiator's coordinates) to the SessionAck wire
format, mirroring SessionSetup's design. Transit nodes now cache both
endpoints' coordinates when forwarding a SessionAck, making the return
path self-sufficient regardless of path asymmetry.
Root cause confirmed by churn-20 sim log analysis: the n04-n14
handshake failure was caused by n15 (return-path transit) lacking
n04's coordinates, not by stale tree routes through a downed node.
Implement hybrid coordinate cache warming strategy: piggyback coords
via CP flag when they fit within transport MTU, send standalone
CoordsWarmup (0x14) message when they don't. On CoordsRequired or
PathBroken receipt, send CoordsWarmup immediately with source-side
rate limiting (default 2s per destination, configurable).
- Add CoordsWarmup = 0x14 session message type (empty body, CP flag)
- Add send_coords_warmup() following send_session_msg() pattern
- Restructure send_session_data() to send standalone warmup before
data packet when piggybacked coords exceed MTU
- Add immediate CoordsWarmup response in handle_coords_required()
and handle_path_broken() with per-destination rate limiting
- Add coords_response_interval_ms config (node.session)
- Add RoutingErrorRateLimiter::with_interval() constructor
- Zero transit-path changes: existing try_warm_coord_cache() handles
CoordsWarmup identically to CP-flagged data packets
- Update design docs (session layer, wire formats, mesh operation,
configuration)
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).
Johnathan Corgan