IPv6 Network Stack Implementation

A lightweight IPv6 network stack implementation focusing on fundamental network protocols and low-level packet processing. This project provides hands-on experience with network protocol implementation, system-level programming, and direct hardware interface communication.

Features

• Custom TUN/TAP interface driver for network device simulation
• IPv6 header parsing and handling
• ICMPv6 protocol implementation
• Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP)
  • ✅ Router Solicitation handling
  • ✅ Router Advertisement generation and sending
  • Neighbor Solicitation/Advertisement (in progress)
  • Redirect messages (planned)
• IPv6 Extension Headers support (planned)
• Binary packet manipulation and processing
• Efficient memory management with sk_buff

Technical Details

Packet Processing

The stack processes IPv6 packets through several stages:

1. TUN interface packet capture and raw packet inspection (L3)
2. IPv6 header parsing
3. Protocol-specific handling (e.g., ICMPv6)
4. NDP message processing and response generation

Memory Management

Uses a custom buffer management system (sk_buff) for efficient packet handling and memory allocation, including:

• Dynamic buffer allocation and deallocation
• Buffer data manipulation (push, pull, reset)
• Packet metadata tracking

Protocol Implementation

• IPv6 basic header (RFC 2460)
• ICMPv6 (RFC 4443)
• ✅ Router Advertisement/Solicitation (RFC 4861)
• Neighbor Discovery Protocol components (in progress)
• IPv6 Extension Headers (planned)