Network Packet Processing Simulation (C++)

This is a small C++ console project I made while learning about enums and basic C++ programming. The program simulates how different types of network packets (like DATA, CONTROL, ERROR, etc.) are processed and validated using simple logic.

What does it do?

• Creates several example network packets with different types and protocols (like TCP, UDP, HTTP, etc.).
• Shows the details of each packet before and after validation.
• Validates each packet to check if it is valid or invalid, based on its type and protocol.
• Prints the results to the console, so you can see how the status of each packet changes.

Example Output

When you run the program, you’ll see output like this:

	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: DATA
Protocol Name: UDP
Status Name: PENDING
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: DATA
Protocol Name: UDP
Status Name: VALID
---
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: CONTROL
Protocol Name: TCP
Status Name: PENDING
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: CONTROL
Protocol Name: TCP
Status Name: VALID
---
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: UNKNOWN
Protocol Name: TCP
Status Name: PENDING
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: UNKNOWN
Protocol Name: TCP
Status Name: INVALID
---
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: ERROR
Protocol Name: HTTP
Status Name: PENDING
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: ERROR
Protocol Name: HTTP
Status Name: VALID
---
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: GROUP
Protocol Name: IGMP
Status Name: PENDING
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: GROUP
Protocol Name: IGMP
Status Name: VALID
---
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: RESOLUTION
Protocol Name: ARP
Status Name: PENDING
	=== Packet ===
Packet Type Name: RESOLUTION
Protocol Name: ARP
Status Name: INVALID

Why did I make this?

I wanted to practice using enums, classes, and simple validation logic in C++. This project helped me understand how to use enums for different categories (like packet types and protocols) and how to write basic class methods.

How to Run

This project uses CMake build system generator for easy, cross-platform compilation. Follow these steps from the root directory of the project networkPacketProcessing/

1. Ensure CMake is installed:

• Make sure you have CMake (version 3.1- or higher please) and a C++ compiler (g++ or clang++) installed on your system.

2. Generate the build system (configure):

• Create a separated directory for the build files and run CMake inside it. Keeping source files clean

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..

3. Build:

• Use generated build system (make on Unix-like systems) to compile the executable.

make

4. Run the program:

• The executable (PacketProcessing) will be placed inside the build directory.

./PacketProcessing

IMPORTANT: Note for windows users:

• Windows developers have two ways to build the project using CMake.
  • Command line (MSYS2/Cygwin): If you use an environment like MSYS2 or WLS (Windows Subsystem for Linux), you can follow the Standard Build steps above exactly.
  • Visual Studio: CMake can generate a Visual Studio solution. Run CMake from your developer command prompt, specify the generator:

cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022"

Then, open the generated .sln file and build within Visual Studio IDE.

Author

Rodrigo Casio
My GitHub Profile