PANTHER Protocol Plugins

Protocol Testing Framework

Protocol plugins define testing logic, validation rules, and configurations for specific network protocols. They work together with service plugins to provide comprehensive protocol testing capabilities.

Protocol-specific testing logic and configurations

Protocol plugins provide testing frameworks and configurations for specific network protocols. These plugins define how protocols should be tested, what parameters to validate, and how to interpret test results for different protocol specifications.

Protocol Categories

Protocol Selection Guide

Choose client-server protocols for traditional request-response testing, or peer-to-peer protocols for distributed system evaluation. Each category has specific testing methodologies and validation approaches.

Client-Server Protocols

Traditional client-server protocol testing where one endpoint initiates connections and the other responds.

Protocol	Description	Documentation
QUIC	HTTP/3 transport protocol	Documentation
HTTP	Hypertext Transfer Protocol	Documentation

Peer-to-Peer Protocols

Distributed protocols where endpoints can act as both clients and servers.

Protocol	Description	Documentation
BitTorrent	P2P file sharing protocol	Documentation

Quick Start

Using a Protocol Plugin

# filepath: example_protocol_usage.py
from panther.plugins.plugin_loader import PluginLoader

# Load QUIC protocol plugin
loader = PluginLoader()
quic_plugin = loader.load_plugin('protocols', 'client_server', 'quic')

# Configure protocol testing
config = {
    "version": "rfc9000",
    "test_scenarios": ["handshake", "data_transfer", "connection_close"],
    "validation_rules": ["conformance", "performance"]
}

quic_plugin.initialize(config)

Configuration Structure

Protocol plugins use standardized configuration schemas:

# filepath: /panther/plugins/protocols/config_schema.py
PROTOCOL_CONFIG_SCHEMA = {
    "protocol_name": str,
    "version": str,
    "test_scenarios": list,
    "validation_rules": list,
    "parameters": {
        # Protocol-specific parameters
    }
}

Directory Structure

protocols/
├── README.md                    # This file
├── development.md              # Development guide
├── protocol_interface.py       # Base protocol interface
├── config_schema.py           # Configuration validation
├── client_server/             # Client-server protocols
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── quic/                  # QUIC protocol testing
│   │   ├── README.md
│   │   ├── rfc9000/          # QUIC v1 (RFC 9000)
│   │   └── draft29/          # QUIC Draft 29
│   └── http/                 # HTTP protocol testing
└── peer_to_peer/             # P2P protocols
    ├── README.md
    └── bittorrent/           # BitTorrent protocol

Protocol Interface

All protocol plugins implement the base protocol interface:

# filepath: /panther/plugins/protocols/protocol_interface.py
from panther.plugins.plugin_interface import IPlugin

class ProtocolInterface(IPlugin):
    """Base interface for protocol testing plugins."""

    def get_test_scenarios(self):
        """Return available test scenarios for this protocol."""
        pass

    def validate_configuration(self, config):
        """Validate protocol-specific configuration."""
        pass

    def setup_test_environment(self, config):
        """Setup testing environment for this protocol."""
        pass

    def execute_test(self, scenario, config):
        """Execute a specific test scenario."""
        pass

Configuration

Common Configuration Options

All protocol plugins support these base options:

• protocol_name: Protocol identifier (e.g., "quic", "http")
• version: Protocol version to test
• test_scenarios: List of test scenarios to execute
• timeout: Test execution timeout
• validation_rules: Rules for test result validation

Protocol-Specific Options

Each protocol plugin defines additional configuration options:

QUIC Protocol

• connection_timeout: QUIC connection establishment timeout
• initial_max_data: Initial flow control limit
• max_packet_size: Maximum packet size for testing

HTTP Protocol

• http_version: HTTP version (1.1, 2, 3)
• request_methods: HTTP methods to test
• response_codes: Expected response codes

Test Scenarios

Protocol plugins define standard test scenarios:

Conformance Testing

• Basic Handshake: Protocol connection establishment
• Data Transfer: Reliable data transmission
• Error Handling: Protocol error response behavior
• Connection Termination: Clean connection closure

Performance Testing

• Throughput: Maximum data transfer rate
• Latency: Round-trip time characteristics
• Connection Setup Time: Time to establish connections
• Resource Usage: Memory and CPU consumption

Interoperability Testing

• Version Negotiation: Protocol version compatibility
• Extension Support: Optional feature negotiation
• Error Recovery: Handling of network issues

Development

For information on creating new protocol plugins:

• Protocol Plugin Development Guide: Comprehensive development documentation