feat: add ping() to all comms RPC clients

Adds a `ping()` function to all comms RPC clients. `ping()` sends an RPC
request with the `ACK` flag set. The server will immediately reply with
an `ACK` response. This accurately measures RPC latency without a
potentially slow backend. `ping()` is now used in the wallet monitor.

Previously, `get_last_request_latency` was used which will increase
whenever the blockchain db is busy, for e.g:
- the base node is syncing
- another node(s) syncing from the base node
- one or many wallets scanning UTXOs from the base node
- one or many wallets running a recovery from the base node
- large reorg

A client wallet would, of course, have no idea that this is occurring
and simply display poor latency. This could be perceived to be a poor
RPC performance, when in fact, there are a number or non-network/RPC
related reasons why a multi-second ping is displayed.

`get_last_request_latency` is a better measure when determining
base node performance (depending on the RPC method impl). However,
it is misleading to use this as a user-facing value presented as network latency.

base_layer/wallet/src/base_node_service/monitor.rs

@@ -123,7 +123,6 @@ impl<T: WalletBackend + 'static> BaseNodeMonitor<T> {
                 .obtain_base_node_wallet_rpc_client()
                 .await
                 .ok_or(BaseNodeMonitorError::NodeShuttingDown)?;
-            let latency = client.get_last_request_latency().await?;
 
             let tip_info = client.get_tip_info().await?;
 
@@ -134,14 +133,15 @@ impl<T: WalletBackend + 'static> BaseNodeMonitor<T> {
                     ChainMetadata::try_from(metadata).map_err(BaseNodeMonitorError::InvalidBaseNodeResponse)
                 })?;
 
+            let latency = client.ping().await?;
             let is_synced = tip_info.is_synced;
             debug!(
                 target: LOG_TARGET,
                 "Base node {} Tip: {} ({}) Latency: {} ms",
                 peer_node_id,
                 chain_metadata.height_of_longest_chain(),
                 if is_synced { "Synced" } else { "Syncing..." },
-                latency.unwrap_or_default().as_millis()
+                latency.as_millis()
             );
 
             self.db.set_chain_metadata(chain_metadata.clone()).await?;
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ impl<T: WalletBackend + 'static> BaseNodeMonitor<T> {
                 chain_metadata: Some(chain_metadata),
                 is_synced: Some(is_synced),
                 updated: Some(Utc::now().naive_utc()),
-                latency,
+                latency: Some(latency),
                 online: OnlineStatus::Online,
             })
             .await;

comms/rpc_macros/src/generator.rs

@@ -211,6 +211,10 @@ impl RpcCodeGenerator {
                 self.inner.get_last_request_latency().await
             }
 
+            pub async fn ping(&mut self) -> Result<std::time::Duration, #dep_mod::RpcError> {
+                self.inner.ping().await
+            }
+
             pub fn close(&mut self) {
                 self.inner.close();
             }

comms/src/noise/socket.rs

@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ pub struct Handshake<TSocket> {
 impl<TSocket> Handshake<TSocket> {
     pub fn new(socket: TSocket, state: HandshakeState) -> Self {
         Self {
-            socket: NoiseSocket::new(socket, Box::new(state).into()),
+            socket: NoiseSocket::new(socket, state.into()),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -585,8 +585,8 @@ where TSocket: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin
 
 #[derive(Debug)]
 enum NoiseState {
-    HandshakeState(Box<HandshakeState>),
-    TransportState(Box<TransportState>),
+    HandshakeState(HandshakeState),
+    TransportState(TransportState),
 }
 
 macro_rules! proxy_state_method {
@@ -619,20 +619,20 @@ impl NoiseState {
 
     pub fn into_transport_mode(self) -> Result<Self, snow::Error> {
         match self {
-            NoiseState::HandshakeState(state) => Ok(NoiseState::TransportState(Box::new(state.into_transport_mode()?))),
+            NoiseState::HandshakeState(state) => Ok(NoiseState::TransportState(state.into_transport_mode()?)),
             _ => Err(snow::Error::State(StateProblem::HandshakeAlreadyFinished)),
         }
     }
 }
 
-impl From<Box<HandshakeState>> for NoiseState {
-    fn from(state: Box<HandshakeState>) -> Self {
+impl From<HandshakeState> for NoiseState {
+    fn from(state: HandshakeState) -> Self {
         NoiseState::HandshakeState(state)
     }
 }
 
-impl From<Box<TransportState>> for NoiseState {
-    fn from(state: Box<TransportState>) -> Self {
+impl From<TransportState> for NoiseState {
+    fn from(state: TransportState) -> Self {
         NoiseState::TransportState(state)
     }
 }
@@ -662,8 +662,8 @@ mod test {
 
         let (dialer_socket, listener_socket) = MemorySocket::new_pair();
         let (dialer, listener) = (
-            NoiseSocket::new(dialer_socket, Box::new(dialer_session).into()),
-            NoiseSocket::new(listener_socket, Box::new(listener_session).into()),
+            NoiseSocket::new(dialer_socket, dialer_session.into()),
+            NoiseSocket::new(listener_socket, listener_session.into()),
         );
 
         Ok((

comms/src/protocol/rpc/client.rs

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ use crate::{
     protocol::{
         rpc::{
             body::ClientStreaming,
-            message::BaseRequest,
+            message::{BaseRequest, RpcMessageFlags},
             Handshake,
             NamedProtocolService,
             Response,
@@ -136,6 +136,11 @@ impl RpcClient {
         self.connector.get_last_request_latency()
     }
 
+    /// Sends a ping and returns the latency
+    pub fn ping(&mut self) -> impl Future<Output = Result<Duration, RpcError>> + '_ {
+        self.connector.send_ping()
+    }
+
     async fn call_inner(
         &mut self,
         request: BaseRequest<Bytes>,
@@ -276,6 +281,17 @@ impl ClientConnector {
         reply_rx.await.map_err(|_| RpcError::RequestCancelled)
     }
 
+    pub async fn send_ping(&mut self) -> Result<Duration, RpcError> {
+        let (reply, reply_rx) = oneshot::channel();
+        self.inner
+            .send(ClientRequest::SendPing(reply))
+            .await
+            .map_err(|_| RpcError::ClientClosed)?;
+
+        let latency = reply_rx.await.map_err(|_| RpcError::RequestCancelled)??;
+        Ok(latency)
+    }
+
     pub fn is_connected(&self) -> bool {
         !self.inner.is_closed()
     }
@@ -319,7 +335,7 @@ pub struct RpcClientWorker<TSubstream> {
     // sent determines the byte size. A u16 will be more than enough for the purpose
     next_request_id: u16,
     ready_tx: Option<oneshot::Sender<Result<(), RpcError>>>,
-    latency: Option<Duration>,
+    last_request_latency: Option<Duration>,
     protocol_id: ProtocolId,
 }
 
@@ -339,7 +355,7 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
             framed,
             next_request_id: 0,
             ready_tx: Some(ready_tx),
-            latency: None,
+            last_request_latency: None,
             protocol_id,
         }
     }
@@ -365,7 +381,7 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
                     self.protocol_name(),
                     latency
                 );
-                self.latency = Some(latency);
+                self.last_request_latency = Some(latency);
                 if let Some(r) = self.ready_tx.take() {
                     let _ = r.send(Ok(()));
                 }
@@ -389,7 +405,13 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
                     }
                 },
                 GetLastRequestLatency(reply) => {
-                    let _ = reply.send(self.latency);
+                    let _ = reply.send(self.last_request_latency);
+                },
+                SendPing(reply) => {
+                    if let Err(err) = self.do_ping_pong(reply).await {
+                        error!(target: LOG_TARGET, "Unexpected error: {}. Worker is terminating.", err);
+                        break;
+                    }
                 },
             }
         }
@@ -404,6 +426,52 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
         );
     }
 
+    async fn do_ping_pong(&mut self, reply: oneshot::Sender<Result<Duration, RpcStatus>>) -> Result<(), RpcError> {
+        let ack = proto::rpc::RpcRequest {
+            flags: RpcMessageFlags::ACK.bits() as u32,
+            deadline: self.config.deadline.map(|t| t.as_secs()).unwrap_or(0),
+            ..Default::default()
+        };
+
+        let start = Instant::now();
+        self.framed.send(ack.to_encoded_bytes().into()).await?;
+
+        debug!(
+            target: LOG_TARGET,
+            "Ping (protocol {}) sent in {:.2?}",
+            self.protocol_name(),
+            start.elapsed()
+        );
+        let resp = match self.read_reply().await {
+            Ok(resp) => resp,
+            Err(RpcError::ReplyTimeout) => {
+                debug!(target: LOG_TARGET, "Ping timed out after {:.0?}", start.elapsed());
+                let _ = reply.send(Err(RpcStatus::timed_out("Response timed out")));
+                return Ok(());
+            },
+            Err(err) => return Err(err),
+        };
+
+        let status = RpcStatus::from(&resp);
+        if !status.is_ok() {
+            let _ = reply.send(Err(status.clone()));
+            return Err(status.into());
+        }
+
+        let resp_flags = RpcMessageFlags::from_bits_truncate(resp.flags as u8);
+        if !resp_flags.contains(RpcMessageFlags::ACK) {
+            warn!(target: LOG_TARGET, "Invalid ping response {:?}", resp);
+            let _ = reply.send(Err(RpcStatus::protocol_error(format!(
+                "Received invalid ping response on protocol '{}'",
+                self.protocol_name()
+            ))));
+            return Err(RpcError::InvalidPingResponse);
+        }
+
+        let _ = reply.send(Ok(start.elapsed()));
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     async fn do_request_response(
         &mut self,
         request: BaseRequest<Bytes>,
@@ -424,43 +492,29 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
         let start = Instant::now();
         self.framed.send(req.to_encoded_bytes().into()).await?;
 
-        let (mut response_tx, response_rx) = mpsc::channel(1);
+        let (mut response_tx, response_rx) = mpsc::channel(10);
         if reply.send(response_rx).is_err() {
             debug!(target: LOG_TARGET, "Client request was cancelled.");
             response_tx.close_channel();
         }
 
         loop {
-            // Wait until the timeout, allowing an extra grace period to account for latency
-            let next_msg_fut = match self.config.timeout_with_grace_period() {
-                Some(timeout) => Either::Left(time::timeout(timeout, self.framed.next())),
-                None => Either::Right(self.framed.next().map(Ok)),
-            };
-
-            let resp = match next_msg_fut.await {
-                Ok(Some(Ok(resp))) => {
+            let resp = match self.read_reply().await {
+                Ok(resp) => {
                     let latency = start.elapsed();
                     trace!(
                         target: LOG_TARGET,
                         "Received response ({} byte(s)) from request #{} (protocol = {}, method={}) in {:.0?}",
-                        resp.len(),
+                        resp.message.len(),
                         request_id,
                         self.protocol_name(),
                         method,
                         latency
                     );
-                    self.latency = Some(latency);
-                    proto::rpc::RpcResponse::decode(resp)?
-                },
-                Ok(Some(Err(err))) => {
-                    return Err(err.into());
+                    self.last_request_latency = Some(latency);
+                    resp
                 },
-                Ok(None) => {
-                    return Err(RpcError::ServerClosedRequest);
-                },
-
-                // Timeout
-                Err(_) => {
+                Err(RpcError::ReplyTimeout) => {
                     debug!(
                         target: LOG_TARGET,
                         "Request {} (method={}) timed out after {:.0?}",
@@ -472,6 +526,7 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
                     response_tx.close_channel();
                     break;
                 },
+                Err(err) => return Err(err),
             };
 
             match Self::convert_to_result(resp, request_id) {
@@ -480,7 +535,14 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
                     // We just ignore that as we still want obey the protocol and receive messages until the FIN flag or
                     // the connection is dropped
                     let is_finished = resp.is_finished();
-                    if !response_tx.is_closed() {
+                    if response_tx.is_closed() {
+                        warn!(
+                            target: LOG_TARGET,
+                            "Response receiver was dropped before the response/stream could complete for protocol {}, \
+                             the stream will continue until completed",
+                            self.protocol_name()
+                        );
+                    } else {
                         let _ = response_tx.send(Ok(resp)).await;
                     }
                     if is_finished {
@@ -496,7 +558,8 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
                     response_tx.close_channel();
                     break;
                 },
-                Err(err @ RpcError::ResponseIdDidNotMatchRequest { .. }) => {
+                Err(err @ RpcError::ResponseIdDidNotMatchRequest { .. }) |
+                Err(err @ RpcError::UnexpectedAckResponse) => {
                     warn!(target: LOG_TARGET, "{}", err);
                     // Ignore the response, this can happen when there is excessive latency. The server sends back a
                     // reply before the deadline but it is only received after the client has timed
@@ -510,6 +573,21 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    async fn read_reply(&mut self) -> Result<proto::rpc::RpcResponse, RpcError> {
+        // Wait until the timeout, allowing an extra grace period to account for latency
+        let next_msg_fut = match self.config.timeout_with_grace_period() {
+            Some(timeout) => Either::Left(time::timeout(timeout, self.framed.next())),
+            None => Either::Right(self.framed.next().map(Ok)),
+        };
+
+        match next_msg_fut.await {
+            Ok(Some(Ok(resp))) => Ok(proto::rpc::RpcResponse::decode(resp)?),
+            Ok(Some(Err(err))) => Err(err.into()),
+            Ok(None) => Err(RpcError::ServerClosedRequest),
+            Err(_) => Err(RpcError::ReplyTimeout),
+        }
+    }
+
     fn next_request_id(&mut self) -> u16 {
         let next_id = self.next_request_id;
         // request_id is allowed to wrap around back to 0
@@ -524,6 +602,11 @@ where TSubstream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send
         let resp_id = u16::try_from(resp.request_id)
             .map_err(|_| RpcStatus::protocol_error(format!("invalid request_id: must be less than {}", u16::MAX)))?;
 
+        let flags = RpcMessageFlags::from_bits_truncate(resp.flags as u8);
+        if flags.contains(RpcMessageFlags::ACK) {
+            return Err(RpcError::UnexpectedAckResponse);
+        }
+
         if resp_id != request_id {
             return Err(RpcError::ResponseIdDidNotMatchRequest {
                 expected: request_id,
@@ -551,4 +634,5 @@ pub enum ClientRequest {
         reply: oneshot::Sender<mpsc::Receiver<Result<Response<Bytes>, RpcStatus>>>,
     },
     GetLastRequestLatency(oneshot::Sender<Option<Duration>>),
+    SendPing(oneshot::Sender<Result<Duration, RpcStatus>>),
 }

comms/src/protocol/rpc/error.rs

@@ -59,6 +59,12 @@ pub enum RpcError {
     PeerManagerError(#[from] PeerManagerError),
     #[error("Connectivity error: {0}")]
     ConnectivityError(#[from] ConnectivityError),
+    #[error("Reply Timeout")]
+    ReplyTimeout,
+    #[error("Received an invalid ping response")]
+    InvalidPingResponse,
+    #[error("Unexpected ACK response. This is likely because of a previous ACK timeout")]
+    UnexpectedAckResponse,
     #[error(transparent)]
     UnknownError(#[from] anyhow::Error),
 }

comms/src/protocol/rpc/test/greeting_service.rs

@@ -372,6 +372,10 @@ impl GreetingClient {
         self.inner.get_last_request_latency().await
     }
 
+    pub async fn ping(&mut self) -> Result<Duration, RpcError> {
+        self.inner.ping().await
+    }
+
     pub fn close(&mut self) {
         self.inner.close();
     }