Node class

[ahmedh409]

Nodes need to be detailed such that a user can create n nodes for the v0.2 simulation and have them communicate their processes.

[sambux1]

Much of the core functionality will be handled elsewhere - the simulation will manage the creation of nodes, and the comm library will handle all low level communication.

The node class itself is the entity that manages all the different function of a node. A node must be able to do the following:

• [x] take input from the command line
• [x] hash an image and prepare it to be added to the chain
• [x] broadcast a hash to all other nodes to actually add it to the chain (ignoring the consensus protocol for now)
• [x] search the chain for a given hash

Essentially, we want the creation of the blockchain to be facilitated by the nodes themselves rather than a central program, and we want to be able to control these nodes in a way similar to the interactive system test.

(Ahmed, if I left anything out, feel free to add to or edit this list)

[sambux1]

This is done. The node object is now the backbone of the entire system. It will undergo continuous changes, since all system changes will involve the nodes in some way, but the setup portion of the work is entirely done.