vmark-node 0.3.5

An Ethernet software-based open source demarcation NID

vMark-node by Pathgate

An effort towards the first Ethernet software-based open source demarcation NID.

Latest version: 0.3.5 / Release notes: Link

🚀 Features:

• Modular tree-style CLI with tab autocompletions and '?' helper.
• Shell/Dispatcher/Modules/Plugins architecture.
• Complete Interface management.
• GPLv3 License.
• Add & delete sub.interfaces (QinQ / dual-tags supported) (v0.2)
• TWAMP Light implementation for End-to-End L3 tests. (ipv4 & ipv6, sender/responder modes). (v0.3)
• Pypi (pip) packaging. (v0.3.1)
• Remote Management via vMark. (v0.3.4)

🔧 Feature roadmap:

• Ethernet OAM. (IEEE 802.1ag / Y.1731)
• Timing protocols support (ITU-T G.8262 Sync-E and IEEE 1588v2)
• MEF3 Services deployment with 100% L2 transparency (l2tp).
• Automated MEF3 Service WAN failover.
• Remote loop testing with automatic timeout.
• RFC2544 Service Activation testing and reflector.
• open-BFDD implementation for service session assurance.
• fiber-interface management and optic levels monitoring.
• SNMP Support.
• Multi-vendor IPSec Tunnel support.
• VXLAN Tunneling.

# Overview

vMark-node is a software-based open-source Ethernet demarcation NID designed for flexibility and democratization in the Carrier industry.

The "-node"** refers to this being the client-side of vMark server. (vMark-node doenst need vMark to work).

# Architecture

Shell: Provides command-line auto-completion, some help-related features and dynamically builds the command tree based on the modules and installed plugins. This enables a modular, scalable and re-usable interactive CLI experience.

Dispatcher: Interprets user commands, determines the appropriate module to handle each command, and routes execution accordingly. The dispatcher acts as the central coordinator between the shell and the available modules/plugins, Web-UI and API interactions talk directly with the Dispatcher.

Modules: Shell modules encapsulate core command logic and define the command tree structure. Examples: 'show', 'config', and 'system', each representing a set of related commands and subcommands with item descriptions.

Plugins: Integrate external libraries or tools to extend functionality. For example, plugins can provide access to third-party systems such as OpenBFDD, allowing seamless integration with external services.

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📎 Installation methods

Quick Install

gh repo clone https://github.com/xmas-ar/vMark-node.git
cd vMark-node/vMark-node
pip3 install -r requirements.txt
python3 main.py

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PIP Install

pip install vmark-node
vmark-node

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🔄 Running as a Background Service (Production)

To ensure vmark-node stays running in the background (e.g., to keep the API server accessible by vMark), you can use systemd (recommended for Linux servers) or supervisord.

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✅ Option 1: systemd Service (Recommended for Linux)

1. Create a service file:

bash
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vmark-node.service

Paste this configuration:

[Unit]
Description=vMark-node Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/vmark-node
WorkingDirectory=/opt/vmark-node
Restart=always
RestartSec=3
User=nobody

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

⚠️ Replace /usr/local/bin/vmark-node and /opt/vmark-node with your actual install path (check with which vmark-node if installed via pip).

2. Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable vmark-node
sudo systemctl start vmark-node

2. Useful commands:

sudo systemctl status vmark-node
sudo journalctl -u vmark-node -f

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✅ Option 2: supervisord (Cross-platform alternative)

1. Install supervisord:

pip install supervisor
echo_supervisord_conf > supervisord.conf

2. Edit supervisord.conf: Add at the bottom:

[program:vmark-node]
command=vmark-node
autostart=true
autorestart=true
stderr_logfile=/var/log/vmark-node.err.log
stdout_logfile=/var/log/vmark-node.out.log

3. Start supervisord:

supervisord -c supervisord.conf

To manage the process, you can use supervisorctl or add it to your system startup routines.