mirror of
https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips.git
synced 2026-07-30 19:46:15 +00:00
Johnathan Corgan
5abf9a9325
Restructures /docs/ by reader purpose (tutorials, how-to, reference, design), adds the new-user-progression and operator-recipe content the prior layout lacked, runs an accuracy pass against current source across the pre-existing design docs, and rewrites the gateway feature-set documentation end-to-end around its actual operational profile (a niche feature designed for systems already serving DHCP/DNS to a LAN, with two independent halves — outbound LAN→mesh, inbound mesh→LAN — sharing one nftables table, one binary, and one control socket). Top-level README and getting-started rewritten around two equally-weighted deployment modes (overlay on existing IP networks; ground-up over non-IP transports). ## Additions - 11 new tutorials in docs/tutorials/: an 8-step new-user progression from single-daemon test-mesh peering through to a ground-up two-device mesh, an IPv6-adapter side-trip walkthrough, an Advanced Tutorials index, and a hand-held OpenWrt walk-through for fips-gateway deployment that exercises both halves of the feature. - 12 new how-tos in docs/how-to/: firewall activation, Nostr discovery (resolve / advertise / open across five scenarios), Tor onion (directory + control_port modes), UDP buffer tuning, unprivileged-user setup, persistent identity, host aliases, Bluetooth LE peering, MTU diagnostics, manual Linux-host gateway deployment (covers both halves), gateway troubleshooting (organised by half), and a section index. - 9 new reference docs in docs/reference/: configuration, wire formats, control-socket protocol, four CLI references (fips, fipsctl, fipstop, fips-gateway), security posture matrix, and Nostr events catalog. Configuration and wire-formats are renamed-and-extended from prior design/ versions; the other seven are net-new. - 6 new design docs: fips-concepts, fips-architecture, and fips-prior-work split out of the deleted fips-intro.md; consolidated fips-mmp and fips-mtu aggregations; and a new generic port-advertisement-and-nat-traversal doc (Nostr-signaled port advertisement plus UDP NAT-traversal protocol, FIPS as an example implementation, suitable for eventual NIP submission). - Top-level docs/getting-started.md walking through the binary-installer-only Install story. - packaging/common/hosts pre-populated with the eight public test-mesh nodes so shortnames resolve out of the box on every fresh install. ## Changes - 23 wire-format diagrams relocated to reference/diagrams/ alongside the wire-formats move. - 4 design diagrams corrected against source code (fips-protocol-stack, fips-identity-derivation, fips-coordinate-discovery, fips-routing-decision). - 10 pre-existing design docs reconciled with current source. Numeric corrections: stale link-MMP report bounds (now [1s, 5s] with 200 ms cold-start floor); UDP default MTU (now 1280, IPv6 minimum); node_addr formula (SHA-256(pubkey)[..16]); Noise patterns (IK at link, XK at session); peer-ACL semantics (strict allowlist requires ALL in peers.deny); daemon DNS upstream ([::1]:5354); on-the-wire bloom-filter size (1,071 bytes); obsolete Cargo-feature references (PR #79 dropped them) removed. - Transport framing tightened across the docs: TCP is for UDP-filtered networks (not NAT traversal); Tor is a deployment mode (not failover); WebSocket dropped (not a shipped FIPS transport); WiFi promoted to Implemented via Ethernet in infrastructure mode; classic-Bluetooth row removed (BLE is the only Bluetooth-mode transport). - docs/design/fips-gateway.md rewritten end-to-end to lead with the niche-feature framing and the two-halves structure. Title moved from "FIPS Outbound LAN Gateway" to "FIPS Gateway"; architecture section describes the common machinery (the fips-gateway service, the nftables table, the control socket) before splitting into separate "Outbound Half" and "Inbound Half" sections of equal weight; security considerations split per-half; no Future Work section (speculative directions live in the project tracker, not in protocol design docs). Inbound port forwarding is a first-class half rather than a buried "Implemented Extensions" subsection. - Gateway terminology unified across all gateway docs as a separate Linux service running alongside the fips daemon (its own systemd unit / OpenWrt init script). Container- pattern terms (sidecar) are reserved for the Docker/Kubernetes sidecar deployment examples — the testing/sidecar/ tree, examples/k8s-sidecar/, examples/sidecar-nostr-relay/, examples/wireguard-sidecar-macos/, and the related CHANGELOG / top-level README entries — where the term carries its standard container meaning. - Net-new design body content: rekey section in fips-mesh-layer (Noise IK msg1/msg2 over the established link, K-bit cutover, drain window, smaller-NodeAddr-wins tie-breaker on dual-init); Mesh Size Estimation and Antipoison FPR Cap sections in fips-bloom-filters; Mesh-Interface Query Filter subsection in fips-ipv6-adapter; failure-suppression knobs and clock- skew tolerance in fips-nostr-discovery; loop-rejection and mid-chain ancestor swap added to spanning-tree propagation / stability rules; Priority Chain in fips-mesh-operation renumbered to match the routing-decision diagram. - Top-level README: dropped the stale nostr-discovery cargo-feature parenthetical. docs/README.md and the four section READMEs (tutorials, how-to, reference, design) refreshed for the new structure; index rows reflect both halves of the gateway feature and the new fips-gateway CLI reference. - Cargo.toml [package.metadata.deb] assets path updated for the fips-security.md move; .gitignore /reference/ rule anchored to repo root so docs/reference/ is trackable. - packaging/openwrt-ipk/files/etc/fips/fips.yaml configuration-doc URL updated to the new docs/reference/configuration.md location. ## Deletions - docs/design/fips-intro.md (split into the three new intro design docs). - docs/design/document-relationships.svg (orphan, no longer referenced). - docs/proposals/ tree removed; the only proposal it contained (the Nostr UDP hole-punch protocol) was rewritten as the new generic design/port-advertisement-and-nat-traversal.md.
167 lines
9.3 KiB
Markdown
167 lines
9.3 KiB
Markdown
# Control Socket Protocol
|
|
|
|
The FIPS daemon and `fips-gateway` each expose a local control socket
|
|
that accepts line-delimited JSON requests and returns line-delimited
|
|
JSON responses. `fipsctl` and `fipstop` are clients of this protocol;
|
|
operators can also drive it directly with any tool that can speak
|
|
length-bounded JSON over a stream socket.
|
|
|
|
## Connection
|
|
|
|
### Linux / macOS
|
|
|
|
A Unix domain socket. The default path is resolved in this order:
|
|
|
|
1. `/run/fips/control.sock` (or `/run/fips/gateway.sock` for the
|
|
gateway), if `/run/fips` exists. This is what the `fips.service`
|
|
systemd unit creates.
|
|
2. `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/fips/control.sock` otherwise.
|
|
3. `/tmp/fips-control.sock` if neither of the above is available.
|
|
|
|
The daemon `chown`s the socket file and its parent directory to the
|
|
`fips` group at bind time and sets mode `0770`. Members of the `fips`
|
|
group can therefore connect without root. Add a user with
|
|
`sudo usermod -aG fips $USER` (re-login required).
|
|
|
|
The path can be overridden at the daemon side via
|
|
`node.control.socket_path` in the YAML config, and at the client side
|
|
via `fipsctl -s PATH` or `fipstop -s PATH`.
|
|
|
|
### Windows
|
|
|
|
A TCP listener bound to `127.0.0.1`. The daemon's port is `21210` by
|
|
default; the gateway's is `21211`. Only loopback connections are
|
|
accepted. Override via `node.control.socket_path` (which takes a port
|
|
number string on Windows).
|
|
|
|
Windows TCP does not provide filesystem-level ACLs — any local user
|
|
can connect. See the security note in
|
|
[configuration.md](configuration.md#control-socket-nodecontrol).
|
|
|
|
## Request Format
|
|
|
|
One JSON object per line, terminated by `\n`. Maximum request size is
|
|
4096 bytes; longer requests are dropped with `request too large`.
|
|
|
|
```json
|
|
{"command": "<name>", "params": {<object>}}
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|
|
| ----- | ---- | -------- | ----------- |
|
|
| `command` | string | yes | Command name. See [Daemon command catalog](#daemon-command-catalog) and [Gateway command catalog](#gateway-command-catalog). |
|
|
| `params` | object | only for commands that take parameters | Parameter object. Unknown fields are ignored; missing required fields produce an error response. |
|
|
|
|
Unknown top-level fields in the request are silently ignored.
|
|
|
|
## Response Format
|
|
|
|
One JSON object per line.
|
|
|
|
```json
|
|
{"status": "ok", "data": {<object>}}
|
|
{"status": "error", "message": "<reason>"}
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
| Field | Type | When present |
|
|
| ----- | ---- | ------------ |
|
|
| `status` | string | always; one of `"ok"` or `"error"`. |
|
|
| `data` | object | on `ok` responses. |
|
|
| `message` | string | on `error` responses. |
|
|
|
|
### I/O timeouts
|
|
|
|
The daemon enforces a 5-second timeout for both the request read and
|
|
the response write. If the connection idles longer than that, the
|
|
daemon closes it with no response.
|
|
|
|
### Common error messages
|
|
|
|
| Message | Cause |
|
|
| ------- | ----- |
|
|
| `empty request` | Connection closed before a newline was received. |
|
|
| `invalid request: <serde error>` | Malformed JSON or missing `command`. |
|
|
| `request too large` | Request exceeded 4096 bytes. |
|
|
| `read timeout` / `read error: ...` | Slow client or transport failure. |
|
|
| `unknown command: <name>` | Command not registered with this daemon. |
|
|
| `missing params for <name>` | Command requires `params` but none were provided. |
|
|
| `missing '<field>' parameter` | Required parameter missing. |
|
|
| `query timeout` | Internal handler did not respond within 5 seconds. |
|
|
| `node shutting down` | Daemon is exiting. |
|
|
| `gateway not yet initialized` | (Gateway socket only) snapshot has not been published yet. |
|
|
|
|
## Daemon Command Catalog
|
|
|
|
Read-only queries are dispatched in `src/control/queries.rs`;
|
|
mutating commands are dispatched in `src/control/commands.rs`. The
|
|
table below lists every command currently registered.
|
|
|
|
### Read-only queries
|
|
|
|
| Command | Params | `data` shape (top-level keys) |
|
|
| ------- | ------ | ----------------------------- |
|
|
| `show_status` | — | `version`, `npub`, `node_addr`, `ipv6_addr`, `state`, `is_leaf_only`, `peer_count`, `session_count`, `link_count`, `transport_count`, `connection_count`, `tun_state`, `tun_name`, `effective_ipv6_mtu`, `control_socket`, `pid`, `exe_path`, `uptime_secs`, `estimated_mesh_size`, `forwarding`, `sparklines`. |
|
|
| `show_acl` | — | `allow_file`, `deny_file`, `enforcement_active`, `effective_mode`, `default_decision`, `allow_all`, `deny_all`, `allow_file_entries`, `deny_file_entries`, `allow_entries`, `deny_entries`. |
|
|
| `show_peers` | — | `peers[]` — per-peer object: `node_addr`, `npub`, `display_name`, `ipv6_addr`, `connectivity`, `link_id`, `direction`, `transport_addr`, `transport_type`, `is_parent`, `is_child`, `tree_depth`, `stats`, `noise`, `current_k_bit`, `mmp`, plus optional `nostr_traversal`, `rekey_in_progress`, `rekey_draining`. |
|
|
| `show_links` | — | `links[]` — `link_id`, `transport_id`, `remote_addr`, `direction`, `state`, `created_at_ms`, `stats`. |
|
|
| `show_tree` | — | `my_node_addr`, `root`, `is_root`, `depth`, `my_coords[]`, `parent`, `parent_display_name`, `declaration_sequence`, `declaration_signed`, `peer_tree_count`, `peers[]`, `stats`. |
|
|
| `show_sessions` | — | `sessions[]` — `remote_addr`, `npub`, `display_name`, `state` (`established`, `initiating`, `awaiting_msg3`, `unknown`), `is_initiator`, `last_activity_ms`, `stats`, optional `mmp`, `current_k_bit`, `is_draining`. |
|
|
| `show_bloom` | — | `own_node_addr`, `is_leaf_only`, `sequence`, `leaf_dependent_count`, `leaf_dependents[]`, `peer_filters[]`, `stats`. |
|
|
| `show_mmp` | — | `peers[]` (link-layer per peer), `sessions[]` (session-layer per session). Each entry includes loss/RTT/ETX/goodput, smoothed values, trends. |
|
|
| `show_cache` | — | `count`, `max_entries`, `fill_ratio`, `default_ttl_ms`, `expired`, `avg_age_ms`, `entries[]` — per-destination coords, depth, age, last-used, optional `path_mtu`. |
|
|
| `show_connections` | — | `connections[]` — pending handshakes: `link_id`, `direction`, `handshake_state`, `started_at_ms`, `idle_ms`, `resend_count`, optional `expected_peer`. |
|
|
| `show_transports` | — | `transports[]` — `transport_id`, `type`, `state`, `mtu`, `name`, `local_addr`, optional `tor_mode`, `onion_address`, `tor_monitoring`, `stats`. |
|
|
| `show_routing` | — | `coord_cache_entries`, `identity_cache_entries`, `pending_lookups[]`, `pending_tun_destinations`, `pending_tun_packets`, `recent_requests`, `retries[]`, `forwarding`, `discovery`, `error_signals`, `congestion`. |
|
|
| `show_identity_cache` | — | `entries[]`, `count`, `max_entries`. Each entry: `node_addr`, `npub`, `display_name`, `ipv6_addr`, `last_seen_ms`, `age_ms`. |
|
|
| `show_stats_list` | — | `metrics[]` (each with `name`, `unit`, `scope`), `fast_ring_seconds`, `slow_ring_minutes`, `peer_retention_seconds`. |
|
|
| `show_stats_history` | `metric` (req), `peer` (req for per-peer metrics), `window` (`<N>s` / `<N>m` / `<N>h`, default `10m`), `granularity` (`1s` / `1m`, default `1s`) | A single `Series`: `metric`, `unit`, `granularity_seconds`, `values[]`. |
|
|
| `show_stats_all_history` | `peer` (optional npub), `window`, `granularity` | `granularity_seconds`, `window_seconds`, `peer`, `series[]` (one per metric). |
|
|
| `show_stats_peers` | — | `peers[]`, `count`. Each entry: `npub`, `node_addr`, `display_name`, `is_active`, `first_seen_secs_ago`, `last_contact_secs_ago`. |
|
|
| `show_stats_history_all_peers` | `metric` (req per-peer name), `window`, `granularity` | `metric`, `unit`, `granularity_seconds`, `window_seconds`, `peers[]` (each with `node_addr`, `display_name`, `is_active`, `values[]`). |
|
|
|
|
The schema of each query response is pinned by snapshot tests in
|
|
`src/control/snapshots/`; intentional schema changes regenerate those
|
|
fixtures.
|
|
|
|
### Mutating commands
|
|
|
|
| Command | Required params | Behaviour |
|
|
| ------- | --------------- | --------- |
|
|
| `connect` | `npub` (bech32), `address` (transport endpoint), `transport` (`udp`, `tcp`, `tor`, `ethernet`) | Asks the node to dial the peer over the named transport. Returns the API result on success or an error string on failure. |
|
|
| `disconnect` | `npub` (bech32) | Asks the node to drop the link to the named peer. |
|
|
|
|
Both commands run on the daemon's main task and may block briefly
|
|
while the node mutates its state.
|
|
|
|
## Gateway Command Catalog
|
|
|
|
`fips-gateway` exposes a separate control socket with its own command
|
|
set. Dispatch lives in `src/gateway/control.rs`.
|
|
|
|
| Command | Params | `data` shape |
|
|
| ------- | ------ | ------------ |
|
|
| `show_gateway` | — | `pool_total`, `pool_allocated`, `pool_active`, `pool_draining`, `pool_free`, `nat_mappings`, `dns_listen`, `uptime_secs`, `pool_cidr`, `lan_interface`, `dns_upstream`, `dns_ttl`, `pool_grace_period`. |
|
|
| `show_mappings` | — | `mappings[]` — `virtual_ip`, `mesh_addr`, `node_addr`, `dns_name`, `state` (`Allocated`, `Active`, `Draining`), `sessions`, `age_secs`, `last_ref_secs`. |
|
|
|
|
Until the first snapshot has been published (very early in startup),
|
|
both commands return `gateway not yet initialized`.
|
|
|
|
## Driving the Socket Directly
|
|
|
|
```sh
|
|
# Linux / macOS
|
|
echo '{"command":"show_status"}' | sudo nc -U /run/fips/control.sock
|
|
|
|
# Windows (PowerShell with a TCP-capable tool of your choice)
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The newline at the end of the request is required: the daemon reads
|
|
one line per connection. The connection is closed after the single
|
|
response is written.
|
|
|
|
## See also
|
|
|
|
- [`fipsctl`](cli-fipsctl.md) — full-featured client.
|
|
- [`fipstop`](cli-fipstop.md) — read-only TUI.
|
|
- [configuration.md](configuration.md) — `node.control.*` keys.
|