NetEmu interface API

Modules
	Emulated interfaces
	NetEmu interface implementations

Classes
class	senf::emu::Interface
	Interface API base class More...
class	senf::emu::Receiver
	Interface API base class for receive capable interfaces. More...
class	senf::emu::Transmitter
	Interface API base class for transmit capable interfaces. More...
class	senf::emu::WiredInterface
	Wired interface base class. More...
class	senf::emu::WiredReceiver
	Wired receiver base class. More...
class	senf::emu::WiredTransmitter
	Wired transmitter base class. More...
class	senf::emu::HardwareInterface
	Hardware interface base class. More...
class	senf::emu::WirelessInterface
	Interface API base class specialization for wireless interfaces. More...
class	senf::emu::WirelessReceiver
	Receive capable wireless interface base class. More...
class	senf::emu::WirelessTransmitter
	Transmit capable wireless interface base class. More...

Detailed Description

The NetEmu library includes a flexible group of classes to model network interfaces, emulated and hardware (non-emulated).

The Interfaces are grouped around a series of base classes providing a generic interface API.

• Every interface provides the senf::emu::Interface API
• If the interface can receive packets, it will provide the senf::emu::Receiver API
• If the interface can send packets, it will provide the senf::emu::Transmitter API

The interfaces will not directly derive from these classes. Instead they will derive from either WirelessInterface, WirelessTransmitter and WirelessReceiver or WiredInterface, WiredReceiver and WiredTransmitter.

For emulated interfaces, there is an additional set of interfaces: EmulatedInterface, EmulatedReceiver and EmulatedTransmitter. Again, implementations don't directly derive from these classes but from either EmulatedWirelessInterface, EmulatedWirelessReceiver and/or EmulatedWirelessTransmitter or from EmulatedWiredInterface, EmulatedWiredReceiver and/or EmulatedWiredTransmitter.

See also

senf::emu::InterfaceAPIBase for more details on how to implement a new interface type.

Interface decoration

    Applications utilizing the NetEmu interface classes will often need additional application
    specific modules to be added to each interface. To simplify this task (especially when using
    a larger number of dynamically configured interfaces), the concept of interface decoration
    is introduced.

    A decorated interface is an arbitrary interface which has been extended with additional
    modules in it's input and/or output chain. These modules are presented to NetEmu in the form
    of two PPI groups (or single modules): One group or module for the input, one for the
    output.

    The interface decoration is applied in two steps: First the type of decoration is defined:

struct MyInputGroup
{
    ppi::connector::PassiveInputJack<EthernetPacket> input;
    ppi::connector::ActiveOutputJack<EthernetPacket> output;

    // ...
};

struct MyOutputGroup
{
    ppi::connector::PassiveInputJack<EthernetPacket> input;
    ppi::connector::ActiveOutputJack<EthernetPacket> output;

    // ...
};

typedef senf::emu::ApplyInterfaceDecorator<MyInputGroup, MyOutputGroup> MyDecoration;

    This decoration can then be applied to any type of interface

typedef MyDecoration::apply<senf::emu::EmulatedWLANInterface>::type MyWLANInterface;

    When applying a decoration to an interface, receive only interface types will ignore the
    output group while transmit only interfaces will ignore the input group.

    All decorated interfaces implement the generic decorated interface API:
    \li senf::emu::InterfaceDecorator is implemented by every decorated interface
    \li senf::emu::ReceiverDecorator is implemented by receive enabled interfaces
    \li senf::emu::TransmitterDecorator is implemented by transmit enabled interfaces.

    In addition to the generic InterfaceDecorator API, there is a derived decorator base-class
    for each type of interface. This type is accessible as the \c Decorator member of the
    corresponding interface class:
    \li senf::emu::Interface::Decorator generic decorator API
    \li senf::emu::WirelessInterface::Decorator decorator API for wireless interfaces
    \li senf::emu::EmulatedWLANInterface::Decorator decorator API for EmulatedWLANInterface's

    The Receiver/Transmitter and EmulatedInterface classes to \e not have \c Decorator members
    to not make the inheritance hierarchy to complex. The only difference between those
    different Decorator classes is the return type of the \c interface() member which returns
    the wrapped interface reference.

    When defining a decoration, both the input and output module/group are optional. Thus every
    interface can always be decorated and the Interface::Decorator type is a very good candidate
    for a generic interface type (since it allows decorated or un- (null-) decorated interfaces
    to be referenced). Depending on the application requirements, use the correct base-class
    (e.g. WirelessInterface::Decorator to manage arbitrary decorated wireless interfaces).