Introduction

This documents presents 'NeL Net', the NeL network library.

The NeL Net comprises code libraries for inter-server communication and server-client communication. It also provides implementations of the service executables required by the higher level layers of the code libraries.

Mission Statement

The first objective of NeL Net is to provide a complete data transfer system that abstracts system specific code and provides mechanisms for complete control of bandwidth usage by the application code.

NeL Net has a further objective of providing a complete toolkit, comprising further layers of library code and core service implementations, for the development of performance critical distributed program systems for massively multi user universe servers.

The current feature requirement list for NeL Net corresponds to the application architecture for Nevrax' first product. This notably includes the requirement for a centralised login validation system at a separate geographical location from the universe servers.

Nevrax is currently developing a TCP/IP implementation of the low level network layers. A UDP implementation may be developed at a later date.

Statement of requirements

The Network library addresses the following problems:

Client -> Server communication

• The product code (also referred to as app code) on the Client needs to be able to pass blocks of information to the network layer for communication to the server. The network code is responsible for ensuring that the blocks of data arrive complete server-side. In the majority of cases the blocks of data from the client will be significantly smaller than the maximum packet size, which means that the network code should not need to split data blocks across network packets.
• In order for the app code to control the flow of data to the server, the network code should buffer sends until either an app-definable time has elapsed or an app-definable packet size has been reached.
• Note: The information sent from the client to the server will generally be small in size, typically representing player actions such as movement.

Server -> Client communication

• The app code on the Server needs to be able to pass blocks of information to the network layer for communication to the client. This problem is exactly the same as the Client -> Server problem, described above.
• The app code is responsible for limiting the amount of data sent to each player each second by prioritising the information to be dispatched. In order to achieve this, the network code should buffer sends until the app code explicitly requests a buffer flush. The network API should provide the app code with the means of tracking the growth of the output buffer.
• Note: The information sent from the server to the client will often be large in size, as the server must inform the player of changes of state and position of all other characters and objects in the player's vicinity.

Inter-Process communication across servers

• The different processes that make up the game need to be able to send messages to each other to request or exchange information.
• There needs to be a transparent routing mechanism that locates the services to which messages are addressed and dispatches them.
• There needs to be a standard framework that handles the queue of incoming messages and manages the dispatch of messages to different modules within a process. (e.g. A process that manages a set of AI controlled characters may have one module that handles incoming environment information, another that treats other processes' information requests, and so on).

On the fly backup management

• There needs to be a reliable centralised system for backing up and retrieving world data.
• The system must be capable of treating large volumes of data as 'transactions'. This means that if a server goes down - when it comes back up transactions will never be 'half complete'. Any transactions that had been begun but not finished must be automatically undone.
• The backup system must be capable of managing a 'backup schedule' under which it sends backup requests to scheduled processes and treats the return data.
• The backup system must be capable of handling spontaneous backups from different processes (particularly the player management processes who are capable of backing up players at any time).
• The backup system will be called upon to retrieve player data whenever a player logs in. This operation must be reasonably fast.
• The backup system will be called upon to supply data to each system at system initialisation time. The backup system should supply such systems with their complete data sets.

General requirements

• The app code is responsible for network traffic and must be capable of much lower level access to the Network library than the above requirements suggest.

Login/ logout management

• The product that Nevrax is developing handles multiple instances of the game world running on different server sets (known as 'Shards') with a single centralised login manager.
• The login manager must:
  • Receive login requests from client machines
  • Validate login requests with the account management system
  • Provide the client with the active shard list
  • Negotiate a connection with the shard of the client's choice
  • Dispatch the shard's IP address and a unique login key to the client
• The login manager must refuse attempts to login multiple times under the same user account. This implies that the login manager must be warned when players log out.
• The login system should include client and shard modules that provide a high level interface to the login manager, encapsulating communication.

Account management

• No choice has been made as to what solution to take to account management at NeL.
• It is sufficient to know that we need a standard API for the account management system capable of validating logins.

Technical design details

Design outline

The NeL network library provides a single solution which caters for all of the Server -> Client, Client -> Server and Inter-Process communication requirements.

This solution is structured as a number of layers that are stacked on top of each other. The API gives the app programmers direct access to all of the layers.

There is a program skeleton for the programs within a shard who are capable of communicating with each other via layer 5 messages. Programs of this form are referred to as 'Services'.

The backup system is a standalone service (a service being a process which exposes a standard message interface) which will encapsulate a 3rd party database.

The login manager and account manager are standalone programs at an isolated site.

In a nutshell the network support layers include:

Layer 4 (Top Layer) Inter-Service message addressing layer. Handles routing of messages to services, encapsulating connection to naming service and handling of lost connections.
Layer 3 Message management layer. (Handling of asynchronous message passing, and callbacks)
Layer 2 Serialised data management layer. Supports the standard serial() mechanism provided by NeL for handling data streams.
Layer 1 Data block management layer. (buffering and structuring of data with generic serialization system). Also provides multi-threading listening system for services.
Layer 0 (Bottom Layer) Data transfer layer. Abstraction of the network API and links (PC may be across a network, or local messaging)

Layer 0

Layer 0 includes the following classes:

• CSock : Base interface and behavior definition for hierarchical descendents
• CTcpSock : Implementation of a socket class for the TCP/IP protocol
• CUdpSock : Implementation of a socket class for the UDP protocol

Layer 1

Layer 1 includes the following classes:

• CBufNetBase : Buffer functionality common to client and server
• CBufClient : Implements client-specific buffer functionality
• CBufServer : Implements server-specific buffer functionality

Layer 2

Layer 2 includes the following classes:

• CStreamNetBase : Stream functionality common to client and server
• CStreamClient : Client-specific stream functionality
• CStreamServer : Server-specific stream functionality

Layer 3

Layer 3 includes the following classes:

• CCallbackNetBase : Functionality common to client and server
• CCallbackClient : Client-specific functionality
• CCallbackServer : Server-specific functionality

Layer 4

Document under construction

System Services

The following system services are provided as part of NeL. For each of these services there exists an API class that may be instantiated in any app-specific service in order to encapsulate the system service's functionality.

The Naming Service

A standalone program used by all services to reference each other.

• All services connect to the naming service when they are initialised. They inform the naming service of their name and whereabouts.
• The naming service is capable of informing any service of the whereabouts of any other service.

API class: CNamingClient

• Generates dynamic port numbers
• Registers the application service's name with the naming service.
• Retrieves the IP address and port number for a named service.
• See technical documentation for details

The Service Skeleton

The network library presents a generic service skeleton, which includes the base functions of a distributed service. At initialisation time it performs the following:

• Reads and interprets configuration file and command line parameters
• Redirects the system signals to NeL handler routines
• Creates and registers callbacks for network layer 3
• Sets up the service's 'listen' socket
• Registers itself with the Naming Service

The skeleton also handles exceptions and housekeeping when the program exits (whether cleanly or not)