Part A - Network Protocol Development in C ( from scratch )

🌟 Network Coding Project for Network Core Developers 🚀

What is this Course all about?

This course offers a deep dive into the realm of Network Protocol Development by implementing a Case Study on the Pseudo Interior Gateway Protocol, similar to OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) & ISIS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System). You'll explore the intricacies of link-state protocols and prepare to conquer the complexities of network programming. 📚✨

• Course Overview: The full course is structured into three parts - Part A, Part B, and Part C. While Part A and B are live, Part C is currently under development as of 26 Nov 2023.
• Implementing ISIS Protocol: You'll be implementing a simplified version of the actual ISIS protocol using our tcp-ip stack library. This hands-on experience will equip you with a profound understanding of what it takes to implement a typical Network protocol from scratch. 🛠️
• Real-world Impact: Mastering this project can significantly enhance your resume, making it stand out in the job market for network developer roles. It's a tangible proof of your capabilities and a conversation starter in interviews. 🌟🤓

Project Goals

The AIM of this case study is to guide you through an end-to-end implementation of a typical network protocol. We've chosen a routing protocol as an example, but the logistics are universal for any network protocol. Here's what you'll learn:

1. Configurable via CLIs
2. Show internal states and results through show CLIs
3. Respond to generic configuration changes
4. Compute results and install the results in Tables (Routing Information Base, MAC Tables, hardware Tables, etc.)
5. Respond to Topological Changes
6. Time-out stale Data structures if any
7. Periodically Generate Or Process Protocol packet
8. Add a new feature to the existing working Protocol Codebase 🔄✨

Expected Outcomes & Learning Objectives

This project is expected to be substantial, around 20k LOCs. It will serve as an excellent learning opportunity in:

1. Organizing Code: Structuring your code in header and src files.
2. Modularizing the Codebase: Keeping different features in separate src files.
3. Testing New Features: Ensuring that new features don't disrupt existing functionality.
4. Code Commits & Version Control: Utilizing GitHub for version control and commit history.
5. Bug Fixing: Employing various debugging techniques like gdb and Valgrind to identify and fix issues. 🐛✨

Pre-requisites to do this Course

To embark on this journey, you should have a solid grasp of Data Structures and Algorithms in C/C++. This project is challenging and requires a good understanding of Networking basics like L3 routing. It assumes no prior knowledge of specific routing protocols but will cover all necessary theories from the ground up. 📚👩‍🏫👨‍🎓

• Fundamentals: You must be comfortable with basic Computer Science fundamentals like LinkedList/Trees and have a grasp of concepts such as Heap Memory and Multithreading. 🚀
• Networking Basics: A working knowledge of L3 routing is essential, as the course will build upon these foundations.
• Learning Path: As we delve into implementation, you'll pick up new concepts in Networking, Project Planning, Feature Design, and Industry-level Coding Standards. 🛣️🔧

Join us on this exciting journey to master Network Protocol Development through a real-world coding project! 🚀🎉