MinIP Ping-Pong Implementation¤

Educational Protocol Plugin

MinIP (Minimal Internet Protocol) is a lightweight protocol implementation designed for educational purposes and basic networking tests. It provides an excellent starting point for understanding protocol testing concepts.

Plugin Type: Service (Implementation Under Test)

Verified Source Location: plugins/services/iut/minip/ping_pong/

Purpose and Overview¤

The MinIP Ping-Pong plugin provides an implementation of the MinIP (Minimal Internet Protocol) for testing client-server communication patterns. This lightweight protocol implementation focuses on basic ping-pong style request-response exchanges, making it ideal for baseline testing and educational purposes.

The MinIP Ping-Pong implementation is particularly valuable for:

Testing basic client-server communication patterns
Providing a lightweight reference implementation
Benchmarking minimal network overhead
Demonstrating protocol implementation concepts

Requirements and Dependencies¤

System Requirements

MinIP requires a C compiler and standard networking libraries. Ensure your system has GCC or compatible compiler installed before deployment.

The plugin requires:

C Compiler: GCC or compatible compiler
Standard C Libraries: For socket communications and basic functionality
Network: Functional IP networking between client and server

Docker-based deployment installs all necessary dependencies automatically.

Configuration Options¤

The MinIP Ping-Pong implementation accepts the following configuration parameters:

services:
  my_minip_service:
    name: "minip_service"
    implementation:
      name: "minip/ping_pong"
      type: "iut"
    protocol:
      name: "minip"
      version: "standard"
      role: "server"  # or "client"
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"  # Format: "host:container"

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`name`	string	Yes	-	Service name
`implementation.name`	string	Yes	"minip/ping_pong"	Implementation path
`implementation.type`	string	Yes	"iut"	Implementation type
`protocol.role`	string	Yes	-	Either "client" or "server"
`protocol.version`	string	No	"standard"	MinIP protocol version

Server Configuration¤

When configured as a server, the MinIP Ping-Pong implementation listens for incoming connections and responds to client requests:

services:
  minip_server:
    name: "minip_server"
    implementation:
      name: "minip/ping_pong"
      type: "iut"
    protocol:
      name: "minip"
      version: "standard"
      role: "server"
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"

Client Configuration¤

When configured as a client, the MinIP Ping-Pong implementation initiates connections to a server and sends ping requests:

services:
  minip_client:
    name: "minip_client"
    implementation:
      name: "minip/ping_pong"
      type: "iut"
    protocol:
      name: "minip"
      version: "standard"
      role: "client"
      target: "minip_server"  # Target server service name

Supported Versions¤

Version	Description
`standard`	Standard implementation with basic ping-pong functionality
`functional`	Enhanced implementation with advanced reliability features
`random`	Implementation with randomized message timing
`vulnerable`	Implementation with deliberate vulnerabilities for security testing
`flaky`	Implementation with intermittent failures for resilience testing
`fail`	Implementation that demonstrates failure modes

Usage Examples¤

Basic Client-Server Test¤

tests:
  - name: "minip_basic_test"
    description: "Basic MinIP client-server ping-pong test"
    network_environment: "docker_compose"
    services:
      minip_server:
        name: "minip_server"
        implementation:
          name: "minip/ping_pong"
          type: "iut"
        protocol:
          name: "minip"
          version: "standard"
          role: "server"
        ports:
          - "8000:8000"
      minip_client:
        name: "minip_client"
        implementation:
          name: "minip/ping_pong"
          type: "iut"
        protocol:
          name: "minip"
          version: "standard"
          role: "client"
          target: "minip_server"
    steps:
      wait: 5  # Wait 5 seconds for connection
    assertions:
      - type: "log_contains"
        service: "minip_client"
        pattern: "Connection successful"

Troubleshooting¤

Common Issues¤

Connection Failures:
Ensure the server is running before the client attempts to connect
Verify that network ports are correctly mapped in the configuration
Check network environment configuration for proper routing
Timeout Errors:
Increase the timeout value in service configuration
Check for network congestion or latency issues
Verify that the server is properly handling client requests
Version Mismatches:
Ensure client and server use compatible protocol versions
Check for any specific version requirements in test configuration