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Reticulum Network Stack Documentation

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Welcome to the documentation for Reticulum. This document aims to provide you +

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Reticulum Network Stack Manual

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Welcome to the manual for Reticulum. This document aims to provide you with all the information you need to understand Reticulum, develop programs using it, or to participate in the development of Reticulum itself.

@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ using it, or to participate in the development of Reticulum itself.

Table of Contents

  • -
    The link request packet contains the destination hash Hd , and an asymmetrically encrypted -part containing the following data: The source hash Hs , a symmetric key Lk , a truncated -hash of a random number Hr , and a signature S of the plaintext values of Hd , Hs , Lk and Hr.
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    The link request is addressed to the destination hash of the desired destination, and +contains the following data: The newly generated X25519 public key LKi. The contents +are encrypted with the RSA public key of the destination and tramsitted over the network.
  • @@ -468,66 +469,56 @@ previously.
    Any node that forwards the link request will store a link id in it’s link table , along with the amount of hops the packet had taken when received. The link id is a hash of the entire link request packet. If the path is not proven within some set amount of time, the entry will be -dropped from the table again.
    +dropped from the link table again.
  • -
    When the destination receives the link request packet, it will decide whether to accept the -request. If it is accepted, it will create a special packet called a proof. A proof is a simple -construct, consisting of a truncated hash of the message that needs to be proven, and a -signature (made by the destination’s private key) of this hash. This proof effectively verifies -that the intended recipient got the packet, and also serves to verify the discovered path -through the network. Since the proof hash matches the path id in the intermediary nodes’ -path tables , the intermediary nodes can forward the proof all the way back to the source.
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    When the destination receives the link request packet, it will decrypt it and decide whether to +accept the request. If it is accepted, the destination will also generate a new X25519 private/public +key pair, and perform a Diffie Hellman Key Exchange, deriving a new symmetric key that will be used +to encrypt the channel, once it has been established.
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    +
    • +
  • +
    A link proof packet is now constructed and transmitted over the network. This packet is +addressed to the link id of the link. It contains the following data: The newly generated X25519 +public key LKr and an RSA-1024 signature of the link id and LKr.
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    +
    • +
  • +
    By verifying this link proof packet, all nodes that originally transported the link request +packet to the destination from the originator can now verify that the intended destination received +the request and accepted it, and that the path they chose for forwarding the request was valid. +In sucessfully carrying out this verification, the transporting nodes marks the link as active. +An abstract bi-directional communication channel has now been established along a path in the network.
  • When the source receives the proof , it will know unequivocally that a verified path has been -established to the destination, and that information can now be exchanged reliably and -securely.
    +established to the destination. It can now also use the X25519 public key contained in the +link proof to perform it’s own Diffie Hellman Key Exchange and derive the symmetric key +that is used to encrypt the channel. Information can now be exchanged reliably and securely.

    • It’s important to note that this methodology ensures that the source of the request does not need to -reveal any identifying information. Only the intended destination will know “who called”, so to -speak. This is a huge improvement to protocols like IP, where by design, you have to reveal your -own address to communicate with anyone, unless you jump through a lot of hoops to hide it. -Reticulum offers initiator anonymity by design.

    -

    When using links , Reticulum will automatically verify anything sent over the link, and also -automates retransmissions if parts of a message was lost along the way. Due to the caching features -of Reticulum, such a retransmission does not need to travel the entire length of an established path. -If a packet is lost on the 8th hop of a 12 hop path, it can be fetched from the last hop that received it -reliably.

    +reveal any identifying information about itself. The link initiator remains completely anonymous.

    +

    When using links, Reticulum will automatically verify all data sent over the link, and can also +automate retransmissions if Resources are used.