Description of code

seed.py

• It maintains a list of clients.
• On acquiring a connection request from a client, it first verifies the client and sends it the client list.
• It then waits till the client is initialized and then adds the client to client list.
• This process is repeated forever until a SIGINT is sent.
• After it receives SIGINT, it sends a message to all the connected clients to start mining.
• After sending the message, it exits.

client.py

• Client first connects to the seed node and gets client list. From that it selects few neighbours and connects to them.
• This is the initialization part of client after which it informs the seed but doesn't close the connection as the seed sends the message to start mining.
• Then the client waits for incomming connections from new clients until it receives a message to start mine from the seed.
• After receiving the message from the seed to start mine, it starts mining following the protocol.

Code usage

• Initialization - Change IP in seed_node.txt to IP of machine with seed node

• For seed node - python3 seed.py

• For client node - (each on a different machine) python3 client.py --hashPower [0-100] --seed [any random seed] --port [port number of miner] --adversary [0/1] --drawGraph [0/1] --simulationTime [simulation time in sec] --interArrivalTime [time in sec]

After Simulation

• After simulation is over two files will be generated

  • blockchain_[port].txt : containing the serialized blockchain with a creator bool for each block representing whether that block is mined by that miner or not.

  • stats_[port].txt : containing the stats of the blockchain along with the forks.

    • First line representing the length of longest chain in the blockchain
    • Second line represents the total number of blocks including the forks
    • Third line represents the number of blocks in the largest chain of block mined by that miner

  • PublicBlockChainFor_[port].png : this will only be generated when the showGraph is true. It shows the graphical image of the public blockchain

  • AdverserialBlockChainFor_[port].png : this will be created when the miner is adversary and showGraph is true.