mptcpd

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mptcpd is a daemon for Linux that performs Multipath TCP path management related operations in the user space 😈

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# Multipath TCP Daemon
The Multipath TCP Daemon - `mptcpd` - is a daemon for Linux based
operating systems that performs [multipath
TCP](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8684.html) [path
management](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8684.html#section-3.4)
related operations in the user space.  It interacts with the Linux
kernel through a generic netlink connection to track per-connection
information (e.g. available remote addresses), available network
interfaces, request new MPTCP subflows, handle requests for subflows,
etc.

## Behavior
By default, this daemon will load the `addr_adv` plugin, which will
add MPTCP endpoints with the `subflow` flag ("client" mode) for the
default in-kernel path-manager. Note that this is something
[NetworkManager 1.40 or newer](https://networkmanager.dev/blog/networkmanager-1-40/#mptcp-support)
does by default. Having several daemons configuring the MPTCP
endpoints at the same time should be avoided. This daemon is usually
recommended when NetworkManager 1.40 or newer is not available, or
when advanced per-connection path management is needed, using the
userspace path-manager and a custom made
[plugin](https://github.com/multipath-tcp/mptcpd/wiki/Plugins) using
the [C API](https://mptcpd.mptcp.dev/doc/html/).

To change this behavior, with NetworkManager, look for the
`connection.mptcp-flags` option in the
[settings](https://networkmanager.dev/docs/api/latest/nm-settings-nmcli.html#nm-settings-nmcli.property.connection.mptcp-flags),
while for `mptcpd`, look at the `/etc/mptcpd/mptcpd.conf` config
file, or disable the service if it is not needed. Make sure not to
have both NetworkManager and `mptcpd` conflicting to configure the
MPTCP endpoints.

## Installing `mptcpd`
`mptcpd` is packaged in most major distributions:

[![Packaging status](https://repology.org/badge/vertical-allrepos/mptcpd.svg)](https://repology.org/project/mptcpd/versions)

Do not hesitate to help with the packaging.

## Building `mptcpd`
`mptcpd` is built in much the same way most
[Autotool](https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/manual/html_node/Autotools-Introduction.html)-enabled
software packages are built.  This includes the build approach for both
clones of the `mptcpd` Git repository and self-contained `mptcpd`
release `tar` archive (e.g. `mptcpd-0.1.tar.gz`).

### Dependencies
Build dependencies for `mptcpd` vary depending on whether or not you
are building from a self-contained maintainer generated `mptcpd` `tar`
archive or from a cloned Git `mptcpd` repository, for example.

* Basic `mptcpd` Build Dependencies
  * C compiler (C99 compliant)
  * [Embedded Linux Library](https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/libs/ell/ell.git) >= v0.30
  * Argp library (either the GNU libc
    [built-in](https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Argp.html)
    or [standalone](http://www.lysator.liu.se/~nisse/misc/))
  * Linux kernel MPTCP user API headers
  * [pkg-config](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/pkg-config/)
* Additional Build Dependencies for Maintainers, and `mptcpd` Git
  Repository Clones
  * [GNU Autoconf](https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/)
  * [GNU Automake](https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/)
  * [GNU Libtool](https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/)
  * [GNU Autoconf Archive](https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf-archive/)
  * [Pandoc](https://pandoc.org/) >= 2.2.1 (needed to convert `README.md`
    contents from the GitHub markdown format content to plain text)
  * [Doxygen](http://www.doxygen.nl/) (only needed to build
    documentation)

### Bootstrapping
Bootstrapping the `mptcpd` source distribution is only necessary when
building a clone of the `mptcpd` Git repository for the first time, or
possibly after making modifications to the `mptcpd` build
infrastructure (e.g. `configure` `Makefile`, etc).  There is no need
to bootstrap self-contained `mptcpd` releases generated by the
canonical `make dist` command.

Assuming all maintainer related build dependencies listed above are
installed, bootstrapping `mptcpd` simply requires running the
`bootstrap` script in the top-level source directory, e.g.:

```sh
$ ./bootstrap
```

Move on to the common build steps below once bootstrapping is
complete.

### Build Steps
`mptcpd` shares the usual build procedure found in all Autotool
enabled software packages, i.e. running the `configure` script in the
desired build directory, and running `make` afterward:

```sh
./configure
make
```

or for an alternate build directory:

```sh
mkdir the_build
cd the_build
../configure
make
```

Run `configure --help` to list all command line build configuration
options.  Further generic configuration and build details may be found
in the `INSTALL` file.

#### Unit Tests

Unit tests included in the `mptcpd` source distribution may be run
like so:

```sh
./configure
make check
```

Once again, these steps may be performed in an alternate build
directory.

### Compile-time Debugging Support
Whether or not debugging support (e.g. debug symbols) is compiled by
default into `mptcpd` binaries depends on how the `mptcpd` source was
obtained, i.e. as a cloned `git` repository or as a "released" `tar`
archive.  It boils downs to the existence of a "`.git`" directory in
the top level `mptcpd` source directory.  Debug symbols will be
enabled and optimization disabled by default if such a directory
exists, and vice versa if doesn't exist.  The default behavior may be
overriden by using the `--enable-debug` configuration option:

```
  --enable-debug=[yes/info/profile/no]
                          compile with debugging
```

The usual build flags, such as `CFLAGS`, `LDFLAGS`, etc, may be
provided on the `configure` script command line.  See the output from
`./configure --help`, or the `INSTALL` file, for additional details.

### Code Coverage
To aid with identifying areas of the `mptcpd` code that are or are not
exercised by its unit tests or when deployed, `mptcpd` may be
instrumented for code coverage when it is built with GCC.  Code
coverage reports will also require the tools `gcov`, `lcov` and
`genhtml` to be installed as well.

To enable `mptcpd` code coverage instrumentation, and generate reports
from unit tests in the top level source directory, for example, build
`mptcpd` like so:

```sh
./configure --enable-code-coverage
make check-code-coverage
```

The location of the HTML formatted code coverage results will be
displayed after the report is generated.

### Documentation Generation
HTML formatted code documentaton for `mptcpd` may be generated if
Doxygen is installed by running the `doxygen-doc` `make` target, e.g.:

```sh
./configure
make doxygen-doc
```

Generated documentation will be placed in the `doc/html` directory.
PostScript and PDF formatted documentation generation is disabled by
default but may be explicitly generated using the `doxygen-ps` and
`doxygen-pdf` `make` targets.

Additional Doxygen based documentation generation options are
described in the `configure` script help output (e.g. `./configure
--help`).

## Installation
The `mptcpd` source package provides the same installation related
`make` targets found in most GNU style and Autotool enabled software
packages.  The most basic way to install `mptcpd` is:

```sh
make install
```

By default `mptcpd` will be installed in appropriate directories under
the directory `/usr/local`.  Fine tuning of installation directories
may be done using several `configure` script command line options.
See the help output from `./configure --help` as well as the `INSTALL`
file for details.

Super user (`root`) permissions may be necessary if installing into
directories owned by `root`.

### `systemd`
If `systemd` is detected a [service
file](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.service.html)
will be installed in the appropriate location
(e.g. `/lib/systemd/system`).  That installation directory is
independendent of the default directories mentioned above.  If
necessary, the systemd service file installation directory may be
changed using the following `configure` script command line option.

```
  --with-systemdsystemunitdir=DIR
                          Directory for systemd service files
```

## Execution
`mptcpd` may be started in a number of ways depending on whether or
not `systemd` is used to run installed binaries, or if it is run
directly from the source tree (e.g. when debugging development
versions) without installation.

### Executing an Installed `mptcpd`
#### Without `systemd`
`mptcpd` currently does not provide traditional System V "init
scripts".  In general the `mptcpd` program may be run directly from
the installed directory, e.g.:

```sh
/usr/bin/mptcpd
```

However, it may be necessary to explicitly set the library load path
through the `LD_LIBRARY_PATH` environment path if `mptcpd` is
installed in a set of directories unknown to the dynamic linker, e.g.:

```sh
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH /usr/local/bin/mptcpd
```

or:

```sh
# Assumes Bourne shell style environment variable assignment.
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
/usr/local/bin/mptcpd
```

Alternatively, update the dynamic linker run-time bindings by running
[`ldconfig`](https://linux.die.net/man/8/ldconfig) after installation
of `mptcpd`.

*NOTE:* `mptcpd` requires the `CAP_NET_ADMIN`
[capability](https://linux.die.net/man/7/capabilities) to be fully
functional.  If not using the provided `systemd` service file
[`mptcp.service`](src/mptcp.service), the necessary capability may be
granted to `mptcpd` by any of the following:
   * Run as `root` (generally not desirable)
   * Run with a wrapper such as,
     [`capsh`](https://linux.die.net/man/1/capsh)
   * Attach the required capabilities to the installed `mptcpd`
     executable through [`setcap`](https://linux.die.net/man/8/setcap)

#### With `systemd`
To start `mptcpd` immediately after installation using `systemd` run
the following commands:

```sh
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl start mptcp.service
```

These steps are not necessary if the system is rebooted after
installation of `mptcpd`.

### Execution of `mptcpd` in the Source Distribution
Since `mptcpd` is built with `libtool` support it is generally best to
execute `mptcpd` using `libtool`.  For example, to run `mptcpd` under
the `gdb` debugger one could do the following, assuming `mptcpd` was
configured and built from the top level source directory:

```
./libtool --mode=execute gdb ./src/mptcpd
```

## Community Resources
Further help is available through the Linux kernel MPTCP community:
* E-mail: [MPTCP mailing list](https://subspace.kernel.org/lists.linux.dev.html?highlight=mptcp)
* IRC: [\#mptcp](ircs://irc.libera.chat:6697/%23mptcp) on
       [Libera.Chat](https://libera.chat/)

mptcpd

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