Files
fips/testing/chaos
Johnathan Corgan 0d93a19e07 Implement cost-based parent selection with periodic re-evaluation
Cost-based parent selection:
- Replace depth-only parent selection with effective_depth = depth + link_cost
- link_cost computed from locally measured MMP metrics: etx * (1.0 + srtt_ms / 100.0)
- Prevents bottleneck subtrees in heterogeneous networks where a LoRa link
  at depth 1 would otherwise always beat fiber at depth 2
- Configurable hysteresis (default 0.2) prevents marginal parent switches
- Configurable hold-down timer (default 30s) suppresses re-evaluation
  after parent switch
- Mandatory switches (parent lost, root change) bypass both safeguards
- Link costs passed as HashMap parameter to keep TreeState pure

Periodic re-evaluation:
- evaluate_parent() was only called on TreeAnnounce receipt or parent loss;
  after tree stabilization, link degradation went undetected
- Added timer-based re-evaluation (reeval_interval_secs, default 60s) that
  calls evaluate_parent() from the tick handler with current MMP link costs
- Respects existing hold-down and hysteresis safeguards
- Short-circuits when disabled or <2 peers

Design documentation:
- Update 7 design docs to reflect cost-based parent selection
- Replace depth-only algorithm descriptions with effective_depth model
- Replace rejected cumulative path cost spec with local-only design rationale
- Rewrite Example 2 (heterogeneous links) for local-only cost model
- Update config docs: parent_switch_threshold replaced by parent_hysteresis,
  hold_down_secs, reeval_interval_secs

Chaos simulation enhancements:
- fips_overrides with deep merge for per-scenario FIPS config customization
- Explicit topology algorithm for deterministic test graphs
- Control socket querying via fipsctl for tree/MMP snapshot collection
- Edge existence validation in netem manager
- Per-link netem policy overrides
- 9 new chaos scenarios covering cost avoidance, depth-vs-cost tradeoffs,
  stability, mixed topologies, periodic re-evaluation, and bottleneck parent

12 new unit tests, 667 total passing, clippy clean.
2026-02-23 17:15:20 +00:00
..

Stochastic Network Simulation

Automated stochastic network testing for FIPS. Generates random topologies, spins up Docker containers, and applies configurable stressors (network impairment, link flaps, traffic generation, node churn) over a timed simulation run. Logs are collected and analyzed automatically.

Prerequisites

  • Docker with the compose plugin
  • Rust toolchain (for building the FIPS binary)
  • Python 3 with pyyaml and jinja2 packages

Quick Start

./testing/chaos/scripts/build.sh
./testing/chaos/scripts/chaos.sh smoke-10

Available Scenarios

Scenario Nodes Topology Duration Netem Link Flaps Traffic Node Churn Bandwidth
smoke-10 10 random_geometric 60s -- -- -- -- --
chaos-10 10 random_geometric 120s yes yes yes -- --
churn-10 10 random_geometric 600s yes yes yes yes --
churn-20 20 erdos_renyi 600s yes yes yes yes yes

CLI Options

Option Description
-v, --verbose Enable debug logging
--seed N Override the scenario's random seed
--duration secs Override the scenario's duration
--list List available scenarios

The scenario argument accepts either a name (churn-10) or a file path (scenarios/churn-10.yaml).

Scenario YAML Format

Annotated example based on churn-10.yaml:

scenario:
  name: "churn-10"
  seed: 42                          # deterministic RNG seed
  duration_secs: 600                # total simulation time

topology:
  num_nodes: 10
  algorithm: random_geometric       # or erdos_renyi, chain
  params:
    radius: 0.5                     # algorithm-specific parameter
  ensure_connected: true            # retry until graph is connected
  subnet: "172.20.0.0/24"
  ip_start: 10                      # first node gets .10

netem:
  enabled: true
  default_policy:
    delay_ms: { min: 5, max: 50 }
    jitter_ms: { min: 1, max: 10 }
    loss_pct: { min: 0, max: 2 }
  mutation:
    interval_secs: { min: 20, max: 45 }  # re-roll interval
    fraction: 0.3                         # fraction of links mutated
    policies:                             # named policy profiles
      normal:
        delay_ms: [5, 20]
        loss_pct: [0, 1]
      degraded:
        delay_ms: [50, 100]
        jitter_ms: [10, 30]
        loss_pct: [3, 8]

link_flaps:
  enabled: true
  interval_secs: { min: 30, max: 60 }
  max_down_links: 2
  down_duration_secs: { min: 10, max: 30 }
  protect_connectivity: true        # never partition the graph

traffic:
  enabled: true
  max_concurrent: 3
  interval_secs: { min: 10, max: 30 }
  duration_secs: { min: 5, max: 15 }
  parallel_streams: 4

node_churn:
  enabled: true
  interval_secs: { min: 60, max: 180 }
  max_down_nodes: 1
  down_duration_secs: { min: 30, max: 90 }
  protect_connectivity: true        # never kill the last path

bandwidth:
  enabled: false                    # per-link HTB rate limiting
  tiers_mbps: [1, 10, 100, 1000]   # each link randomly assigned a tier

logging:
  rust_log: "debug"
  output_dir: "./sim-results"

Topology Algorithms

Algorithm Parameters Description
random_geometric radius (default 0.5) Place nodes in unit square, connect pairs within radius
erdos_renyi p (default 0.3) Include each edge independently with probability p
chain -- Linear chain: n01--n02--...--nN

When ensure_connected is true (default), the generator retries up to 50 times to produce a connected graph.

Directed Outbound Configs

The config generator assigns each edge to exactly one node for outbound connection using a BFS spanning tree rooted at the lowest node ID. Tree edges are assigned parent-to-child; non-tree edges are assigned from the lower node ID to the higher. This eliminates the dual-connect race condition where both sides initiate simultaneously, and creates a clear "owning side" for each link — relevant for auto-reconnect testing.

Output

Results written to sim-results/ (configurable via logging.output_dir):

  • analysis.txt -- Summary: panics, errors, sessions, metrics
  • metadata.txt -- Seed, node count, edges, adjacency list
  • runner.log -- Orchestration events (topology, netem, churn, traffic) with timestamps
  • fips-node-nXX.log -- Per-node log output

Exit code 0 on success, 2 if panics detected.

Creating Custom Scenarios

  1. Copy an existing scenario from scenarios/.
  2. Adjust topology size, algorithm, and stressor parameters.
  3. Run with ./testing/chaos/scripts/chaos.sh path/to/custom.yaml.