Distributed Network Communication Protocol

CRSP-compliant distributed system with UDP socket programming

Project Overview

Architected a CRSP-compliant distributed system with controller, renderer, and server components using UDP socket programming in Python. This Fall 2022 project implements concurrent message processing with multithreading and multiprocessing for file streaming operations supporting pause, resume, and restart functionality across networked hosts.

System Architecture

Component Design

  • Controller: Central coordination and command processing
  • Renderer: Media processing and streaming capabilities
  • Server: Data storage and file management
  • Client: User interface and streaming consumption

Network Communication

  • Protocol: Custom UDP socket implementation
  • Concurrency: Multithreading and multiprocessing architecture
  • Reliability: Message acknowledgment and retry mechanisms
  • Flow Control: Pause, resume, and restart functionality

Key Features

File Streaming Operations

  • Real-time streaming with low latency UDP communication
  • Pause/Resume: Seamless interruption and continuation of file transfers
  • Restart capability: Recovery from network failures or interruptions
  • Concurrent connections: Multiple simultaneous client support

CRSP Compliance

  • Implementation follows Communication and Rendering Streaming Protocol standards
  • Message formatting with proper headers and payload structure
  • Error handling and recovery mechanisms
  • State management across distributed components

Technical Implementation

Socket Programming

# UDP socket creation and configuration
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
sock.bind((HOST, PORT))

Concurrent Processing

  • Multithreading: Separate threads for send/receive operations
  • Multiprocessing: Parallel processing of multiple client requests
  • Thread synchronization: Proper locking mechanisms for shared resources
  • Process communication: Inter-process communication for distributed coordination

Protocol Design

  • Header structure: Message type, sequence numbers, checksums
  • Payload optimization: Efficient data packaging for network transmission
  • Acknowledgment system: Reliable delivery confirmation
  • Timeout handling: Automatic retry and failure detection

Performance Characteristics

  • Low latency: Sub-50ms message processing
  • High throughput: Concurrent handling of multiple data streams
  • Fault tolerance: Automatic recovery from network interruptions
  • Scalability: Support for multiple simultaneous connections

Applications and Use Cases

This distributed system architecture is applicable to:

  • Media streaming services requiring reliable UDP communication
  • Real-time data processing across networked systems
  • File synchronization between distributed storage systems
  • Gaming applications requiring low-latency networking

Technologies Used

  • Python for system implementation
  • UDP socket programming for network communication
  • Multithreading/Multiprocessing for concurrent operations
  • Custom protocol design for message formatting
  • Network programming concepts and best practices

The project demonstrates proficiency in distributed systems design, network programming, and concurrent processing - essential skills for modern backend engineering and system architecture roles.