CAN Framework

Content-Aware Networking (CAN) framework implementation in Rust.

Overview

This framework simulates a Content-aware Router (C-Router) architecture implementing the Scalable Content Routing (SCAN) protocol. It prioritizes healthcare data (DICOM) while navigating net neutrality constraints through intelligent, content-sensitive scheduling and routing.

Key Features

• Scalable Content Routing (SCAN): Probabilistic routing using Bloom Filters for efficient neighbor discovery.
• Persistent Content Caching: ACID-compliant disk-based storage for the Local Content Table (LCT) using redb.
• Advanced Deep Packet Inspection (DPI): Granular inspection of DICOM headers (Study UID, Series Description) for prioritized medical data handling.
• Time Slot Multicast: Synchronized content distribution for concurrent requests.
• Recursive Network Search: Automated discovery across multi-hop network topologies triggered by Bloom Filter matches.

Prerequisites

• Rust (Edition 2021)
• Cargo

Installing Rust

To install Rust and Cargo on Unix-like systems (Linux/macOS), run:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

For other platforms, please visit rust-lang.org for official installation instructions.

Build

To compile the framework and its dependencies:

cargo build

Running the Simulation

The built-in simulation verifies the research parity by executing several scenarios:

cargo run

Verified Scenarios:

• Scenario A: Basic Content Routing: Verifies LCT lookup and SCAN discovery.
• Scenario B: DICOM Priority: Demonstrates content-aware packet scheduling for healthcare data.
• Scenario C: Time Slot Multicast: Validates synchronized distribution to multiple requesters.
• Scenario D: Persistent Cache Recovery: Confirms that indexed content survives router reboots.
• Scenario E: Recursive Tree Search: Verifies multi-hop discovery across a complex network topology.

Testing

To run the framework's test suite:

cargo test

Technical Architecture

• Core (src/core): Content metadata models, Bloom Filter indexing, and persistent table management.
• Routing (src/routing): SCAN protocol logic, multicast scheduling, and recursive searching.
• Apps (src/apps): Specialized application routers (e.g., healthcare-specific DICOM router).
• Persistence: redb (Embedded NoSQL) with rmp-serde (MessagePack) serialization.