IP Utils Summary

IP-Utils is a collection of C++ Classes that enable data communication via a simple API for various IP-based networking protocols. Designed as a layered architecture (mimicking the ISO layers), it uses file descriptor reference counting to provide safe copying of networking objects. An application requests either a half-tuple (e.g., TCPConn tcp_connection;) or an entire flow (e.g., TCPSession tcp_session(FRAMING_TYPE);) and communicates data over those objects using a specific message framing (e.g., HTTPFraming). Different message framing is achieved within flows by encapsulating the different framing headers within a single Class (i.e., MsgHdr), which the flow Classes (e.g., TCPSession) interface with. The IP-Util Classes can be used individually, or the collection can be built into a library archive.

Additional utility Classes for error handling, logging, URL handling and file management are also included and used by the networking Classes. Since C++ exception handling is *not* looked on favorably, error handling is done through the ErrorHandling Class, which provides a global structure that Classes can use to initiate and append to *events* for processing by the application. Likewise, logging is done through the Logger Class, which similarly uses a mechanism based on a global object. The Logger object allows Classes to report events by both priority (syslog(3)) and mechanism (e.g., stderr, syslog, file, script), however, logging will *not* be enabled unless the code that links with IP-Utils is complied using the flag “-DUSE_LOGGER”. A minimal Class to parse and generate URLs is used by the HTTPFraming class, referred to as URL. And finally, the File Class handles all disk I/O used by the networking Classes, both low-level I/O and streaming FILE* I/O. All four non-networking utility Classes can be used outside of IP-Utils, if so desired. Features of IP-Utils Classes, include:

– DOxygen comments included in header files.

– Handles IPv4 or IPv6 communications.

– Provides TCP or UDP objects.

– Currently supports *struct-based* and HTTP framing (including MIME-type handling).

– Code written to Google C++ Style Guide <https://code.google.com/p/google-styleguide/>

The layered design of IP-Utils allows easy expansion. For example, with little work a UDP flow Class could be generated (technically, UDP is connection-less, however, flows can exist nonetheless). Moreover, multiple message framing could be supported by IP-Utils simply by adding the appropriate Class (e.g., SNMP) and adding the hooks within the MsgHdr Class.