Fixed bridging issues with ipvlan which allows comms from container to host but not the other way around. Macvlan not working, which would be ideal for network isolation and 2 way comms. 3rd route to manually bridge xbnet0 and eth0 interfaces over br0, but this is least appealing. Need to find a way to make macvlan work

.env

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # Configuration for xbnet0
 XBEE0_PORT=/dev/ttyUSB0
 XBEE0_BAUDRATE=230400
-XBEE0_NET_SRC_IP=192.168.1.10   # Note: This requires the subnet 192.168.1... (to match with the default gateway, or use Masquerade if changing the subnet)
+XBEE0_NET_SRC_IP=192.168.1.10   # Ensure this IP matches the macvlan network in Docker Compose
-XBEE0_NET_DST_IP=192.168.1.11   # Note: This requires the subnet 192.168.1... (to match with the default gateway, or use Masquerade if changing the subnet)
+XBEE0_NET_DST_IP=192.168.1.11   # Ensure this IP matches the network range
 XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME=xbnet0
 
 # Configuration for xbnet1
@@ -12,3 +12,5 @@ XBEE1_NET_SRC_IP=192.168.1.11   # Note: This requires the subnet 192.168.1... (t
 XBEE1_NET_DST_IP=192.168.1.10   # Note: This requires the subnet 192.168.1... (to match with the default gateway, or use Masquerade if changing the subnet)
 XBEE1_NET_IFACE_NAME=xbnet1
 
+# Default Gateway
+DEFAULT_GATEWAY=192.168.1.1

Dockerfile

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Use an official Rust image as the base
 FROM rust:latest
 
-# Install necessary packages including supervisord
+# Install necessary packages 
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
     libudev-dev \
     iproute2 \
@@ -10,31 +10,40 @@ RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
     bridge-utils \
     iptables \
     supervisor \
+    traceroute \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 # Clone the xbnet repository
+# The xbnet repository contains the source code needed to set up and manage the XBee network
 RUN git clone https://github.com/jgoerzen/xbnet.git /usr/src/xbnet
 
 # Build xbnet
+# We build the xbnet project from source using Cargo, Rust's package manager and build system
 WORKDIR /usr/src/xbnet
 RUN cargo build --release
 
 # Copy the built binary to /usr/local/bin
+# The xbnet binary will be placed in /usr/local/bin to be accessible system-wide
 RUN cp target/release/xbnet /usr/local/bin/xbnet
 
 # Copy the entrypoint script
+# The entrypoint script handles the setup and monitoring of the XBee network
 COPY ./scripts/entrypoint.sh /entrypoint.sh
 RUN chmod +x /entrypoint.sh
 
 # Copy the supervisor config file
+# Supervisor configuration ensures that the XBee network service is managed and stays running
 COPY supervisord.conf /etc/supervisor/conf.d/supervisord.conf
 
 # Copy the health check script
+# The health check script will be used by Docker to monitor the health of the container
 COPY ./scripts/health_check.sh /health_check.sh
 RUN chmod +x /health_check.sh
 
 # Start supervisord as the main command
+# Supervisord will manage and monitor the services, including the XBee network
 CMD ["/usr/bin/supervisord", "-c", "/etc/supervisor/conf.d/supervisord.conf"]
 
 # Add healthcheck
+# The health check command periodically checks the health of the container using a custom script
 HEALTHCHECK CMD /health_check.sh || exit 1

README.md

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 # SERVICES-XBEE-NET
 
 This project contains a Dockerized setup to create and manage an XBee network using the `xbnet` utility. The network interface is bridged with a host Wi-Fi interface, enabling internet access for connected devices.
+##### Note: This project uses the `tap` xbnet protocol, which is a layer 2 protocol. This supports full ethernet pipeline. For a simple IP level protocol support, the `tun` xbnet protocol can be used. 
 
 ## File Structure
 ```

docker-compose.yml

@@ -6,14 +6,40 @@ services:
     container_name: xbee_node
     privileged: true
     env_file: .env 
-    restart: always  
     networks:
-      default:
+      # xbee_net:
-        ipv4_address: ${XBEE0_NET_SRC_IP}
+      #   ipv4_address: ${XBEE0_NET_SRC_IP}  # Ensure this IP belongs to the xbee_net subnet
+      ipvlan_net:
+        ipv4_address: 192.168.1.20  # Assign an IP within the same range as your host's Wi-Fi
+      # macvlan_net:
+      #   ipv4_address: 192.168.1.20  # Assign an IP within the same range as your host's Wi-Fi
+    
 
 networks:
-  default:
+  # 1. Docker's internal way of communicating between host and containers - Support 2 way comms
-    driver: bridge
+  # xbee_net:
+  #   driver: bridge
+  #   ipam:
+  #     config:
+  #       - subnet: 192.168.2.0/24  # Ensure your xbnet IPs are in this range
+  
+  # 2. ipvlan working ok for comms from container to host, but not host to container
+  ipvlan_net:
+    driver: ipvlan
+    driver_opts:
+      mode: l3  # Use L3 mode, which is simpler for most setups
+      parent: wlp0s20f3  # This should be your host's Wi-Fi or Ethernet interface
     ipam:
       config:
-        - subnet: 192.168.1.0/24  # Note: the xbnet assigned IPs must be on this subnet (if Masquerade is not used)
+        - subnet: 192.168.1.0/24  # Match the Wi-Fi network range
+          gateway: 192.168.1.1  # Your router's gateway
+  
+  # 3. macvlan not working for some reason
+  macvlan_net:
+    # driver: macvlan
+    # driver_opts:
+    #   parent: wlp0s20f3  # This should be your host's Wi-Fi interface
+    # ipam:
+    #   config:
+    #     - subnet: 192.168.1.0/24  # Match the Wi-Fi network range
+    #       gateway: ${DEFAULT_GATEWAY}  # Your router's gateway

scripts/enable_host_macvlan.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Enable IP forwarding
+sudo sysctl net.ipv4.ip_forward
+
+# Delete the existing macvlan0 interface if it exists
+if ip link show macvlan0 &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "Deleting existing macvlan0 interface..."
+    sudo ip link delete macvlan0
+fi
+
+# Create a new macvlan0 interface
+echo "Creating macvlan0 interface..."
+sudo ip link add link wlp0s20f3 macvlan0 type macvlan mode bridge
+sudo ip addr add 192.168.1.100/24 dev macvlan0  # Use an IP in the same range as the container network but different from any assigned IP
+sudo ip link set macvlan0 up
+
+echo "macvlan0 interface created and set up successfully."

scripts/entrypoint.sh

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 # Source the get_connected_wifi_info.sh script
-source ./get_connected_wifi_info.sh
+source /scripts/get_connected_wifi_info.sh
 
 # Check if the script is running with root privileges
 check_root() {
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ cleanup() {
 }
 
 # Function to check if the XBee device is connected
+# - Ensures that the XBee device is present at the specified port before proceeding
 check_xbee_device() {
     if [ -e "$XBEE0_PORT" ]; then
         echo "XBee device found at $XBEE0_PORT. Proceeding with setup..."
@@ -43,21 +44,25 @@ check_xbee_device() {
 }
 
 # Start the xbnet interface
-#   - Also check if the starting the xbnet interface was successful 
+# - Attempts to start the xbnet interface in tap mode
-#       - And return appropriate status codes
+# - Verifies if the interface is successfully created and returns the appropriate status code
 start_xbnet_interface() {
     echo "Starting XBee network interface..."
     xbnet -d --serial-speed $XBEE0_BAUDRATE $XBEE0_PORT tap &
 
+    # Wait until the xbnet interface is created
     while [ ! -d "/sys/class/net/$XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME" ]; do
         echo "Waiting for interface $XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME to be created..."
         sleep 1
     done
 
+    # Get the xbnet interface name (e.g., xbnet0) automatically
     XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME=$(ls /sys/class/net | grep 'xbnet')
 
+    # Check if the xbnet interface is found
     if [ -z "$XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME" ]; then
-        echo "Error: No XBee network interface found."
+        echo "Error: No XBee network interface found. Retrying setup..."
+        cleanup
         return 1
     else
         echo "XBee network interface $XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME created successfully."
@@ -66,10 +71,9 @@ start_xbnet_interface() {
 }
 
 # Configure the network interface and bridge
-#   - Create interface with name specified by XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME in .env file
+# - Creates the network interface with the name specified by XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME in .env file
-#   - Create bridge interface (this bridge will be used to connect xbnet to host wifi)
+# - Creates a bridge interface and attaches the xbnet interface to it
-#   - Attach xbnet to bridge
+# - Brings up the bridge interface
-#   - Start the bridge interface 
 configure_network_and_bridge() {
     ip addr add $XBEE0_NET_SRC_IP/24 dev $XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME
     ip link set dev $XBEE0_NET_IFACE_NAME up
@@ -80,10 +84,9 @@ configure_network_and_bridge() {
 }
 
 # Monitor and bridge Wi-Fi
-#   - If a connected wifi interface is found
+# - Continuously checks for a connected Wi-Fi interface
-#       - Add it to the bridge interface with xbnet
+# - Bridges the Wi-Fi interface with the xbnet interface when found
-# - Else
+# - If no Wi-Fi interface is found, continues checking every 5 seconds
-#     - keep looking for a newly established connection with a wifi interface
 monitor_and_bridge_wifi() {
     while true; do
         HOST_WIFI_IFACE=$(get_connected_wifi_device)
@@ -106,6 +109,8 @@ monitor_and_bridge_wifi() {
 }
 
 # Function to monitor the XBee device and restart setup if disconnected
+# - Periodically checks if the XBee device is still connected
+# - If the device is disconnected, triggers cleanup and restarts the setup process
 monitor_xbee_device() {
     while [ -e "$XBEE0_PORT" ]; do
         sleep 5
@@ -116,6 +121,8 @@ monitor_xbee_device() {
 }
 
 # Main function to set up the XBee network
+# - Runs the setup process in a loop to ensure continuous operation
+# - If any step fails, it retries the entire process after a short delay
 setup_xbee_network() {
     while true; do
         check_xbee_device