Network Simulator

A Rust-based network simulator is an educational tool that mimics packet transportation, routing, and other network behaviors, designed to help visualize and test network configurations and behaviors. The project includes a variety of features such as packet forwarding, static routing, error simulation, and a planned GUI for enhanced interactivity.

Tech

• Rust: Core language used for developing the simulator.
• Cargo: Rust's package manager and build tool.
• Egui: For handling terminal-based interaction and GUI.
• Multithreading: Multithreading supports sending responses to incoming packets or forwarding packets through the network.
• Synchronization (Mutex): Maintains atomicity and prevents race conditions with multithreading.

Features

Core Features:

• Packet Simulation:
  • Simulate the creation, forwarding, and modification of network packets.
  • Include packet fragmentation and reassembly.
• Routing:
  • Static routing tables to forward packets.
• Error Simulation:
  • Simulate packet loss, corruption, retransmissions, and delays.
  • Configurable bandwidth constraints on routers and switches.
• TTL (Time-To-Live): The TTL field in the packet header decreases as the packet travels through routers.
• TCP/IP Behavior Simulation: Support for simple behaviors of TCP/IP packets for testing.

GUI Features:

• Network Graph: A graphical representation of the network showing devices, links, and packet flow.
• Animations: Visual animations of packets forwarded through the network.
• Interactive Nodes: Clickable network nodes (hosts, switches, routers) to inspect packet history and routing tables.
• Real-time Updates: Display packet state changes, routing updates, and error simulations in real-time.

Classes Implemented:

• Packet:
  • Represents a network packet with properties such as source/destination IP, source/destination MAC addresses, and data.
  • Handles ARP requests and responses.
• Router:
  • Static routing table.
  • Will support dynamic routing protocols in future updates.
  • Can forward packets based on the destination network.
• Switch:
  • Maintains a CAM/MAC table (MAC → port).
  • Can forward frames to the correct port.
• Host:
  • Can generate packets.
  • Maintains ARP table (IP → MAC).
  • Sends/receives ARP requests.
• Device:
  • Interface for hosts/routers/switches.

Future Enhancements:

• Dynamic Routing: Implementation of routing protocols such as RIP and OSPF.
• Protocol Expansion: More complex protocol simulations like ICMP, ARP, and HTTP.

Installation

To get started with the simulator, clone the repository and compile the project:

git clone https://github.com/yashkukrecha/network-simulator.git
cd network-simulator
cargo run

Have fun learning about networking! Here is a basic demonstration:

Network_Simulator_Demo.mp4