Extension of trace verifier for network-level testing framework

[kozross]

We would like to extend the trace verifier in this repository into a general network-level testing framework. The intent for this tool would be to act as a conformance testing stack for alternative implementations of Cardano nodes.

@ramsay-t - would this be something that interests you?

[ramsay-t]

Yes, using the trace verifier as an implementation-agnostic conformance testing system in my plan. Testing network events for their conformance to the spec is one angle; using the network interface as an implementation independent way to stimulate tests is another.

The trace verifier currently works on JSON "traces" taken from a running node's log files, or from a simulation. This is then checked against the Agda formal spec - currently only for Leios and Praos conformance events. I would like to expand the range of events we can check to include Ledger things since we have a good Agda spec for that, and Networking things, where we are working up an Agda spec that could be checked against.

We have begun some work on the semantics of what more general traces might look like (it is very initial today, because its Friday evening! It will expand next week).

The mechanisation of taking a JSON trace of events and pushing them into a network interface is something I am particularly interested to collaborate on.

[ramsay-t]

Its fair to mention: including all the fine grained network events, and enough TX detail to make Ledger events meaningful might mean that these traces contain a lot of data! I'm ok with that, since I think we would mostly handle short traces that cover interesting behaviour.

@bwbush and @yveshauser already did some work on generating traces with valid (artificial) TXs and such like in them, which is useful for test generation if we can make this framework work.