Universal Communication Protocol (UCP)

The Universal Communication Protocol (UCP) is a lightweight, scalable communication framework built on MQTT. It enables real-time, bidirectional communication between devices, making it ideal for IoT, distributed systems, and collaborative device networks.

Architecture

1. MQTT Broker (Fezzan):
   • Central hub for message routing using a publish/subscribe model.
2. Device Agents:
   • Each device runs a Python agent to:
     • Subscribe to commands (ucl/commands/<device_id>).
     • Publish status updates (ucl/status/<device_id>).
3. Connected Devices:
   • Example devices include:
     • Odin: MacBook Air for command processing.
     • Neue-Sanssouci: Orange Pi for edge computing.
     • Hildegard: Raspberry Pi for monitoring.

Features

• Lightweight: Minimal resource usage with MQTT.
• Real-Time: Instant messaging and responses.
• Scalable: Easily add devices and expand functionality.
• Modular: Independent device operation through dynamic topics.

Quick Start

1. Install the MQTT Broker

On Fezzan:

sudo apt install mosquitto mosquitto-clients
sudo systemctl enable mosquitto
sudo systemctl start mosquitto

2. Deploy the UCP Agents

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone <repository_url>
cd ucp
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run the server or a client:

# Start the server
python main.py server

# Start a client
python main.py client <device_id>

3. Test Communication

Publish a test command:

mosquitto_pub -h <broker_ip> -t "ucl/commands/<device_id>" -m '{"action": "ping"}'

Subscribe to responses:

mosquitto_sub -h <broker_ip> -t "ucl/status/<device_id>"

Topics

• Commands: ucl/commands/<device_id> — Devices receive instructions.
• Status: ucl/status/<device_id> — Devices send status and responses.
• Broadcast: ucl/broadcast — System-wide updates.