1 files changed, 103 insertions, 2 deletions
diff --git a/qa/rpc-tests/README.md b/qa/rpc-tests/README.md
index cfda8fe91f..c6d1721282 100644
--- a/qa/rpc-tests/README.md
+++ b/qa/rpc-tests/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-Regression tests of RPC interface
-=================================
+Regression tests
+================
 
 ### [python-bitcoinrpc](https://github.com/jgarzik/python-bitcoinrpc)
 Git subtree of [https://github.com/jgarzik/python-bitcoinrpc](https://github.com/jgarzik/python-bitcoinrpc).
@@ -12,6 +12,28 @@ Base class for new regression tests.
 ### [test_framework/util.py](test_framework/util.py)
 Generally useful functions.
 
+### [test_framework/mininode.py](test_framework/mininode.py)
+Basic code to support p2p connectivity to a bitcoind.
+
+### [test_framework/comptool.py](test_framework/comptool.py)
+Framework for comparison-tool style, p2p tests.
+
+### [test_framework/script.py](test_framework/script.py)
+Utilities for manipulating transaction scripts (originally from python-bitcoinlib)
+
+### [test_framework/blockstore.py](test_framework/blockstore.py)
+Implements disk-backed block and tx storage.
+
+### [test_framework/key.py](test_framework/key.py)
+Wrapper around OpenSSL EC_Key (originally from python-bitcoinlib)
+
+### [test_framework/bignum.py](test_framework/bignum.py)
+Helpers for script.py
+
+### [test_framework/blocktools.py](test_framework/blocktools.py)
+Helper functions for creating blocks and transactions.
+
+
 Notes
 =====
 
@@ -49,3 +71,82 @@ to recover with:
 rm -rf cache
 killall bitcoind
 ```
+
+P2P test design notes
+---------------------
+
+## Mininode
+
+* ```mininode.py``` contains all the definitions for objects that pass
+over the network (```CBlock```, ```CTransaction```, etc, along with the network-level
+wrappers for them, ```msg_block```, ```msg_tx```, etc).
+
+* P2P tests have two threads.  One thread handles all network communication
+with the bitcoind(s) being tested (using python's asyncore package); the other
+implements the test logic.
+
+* ```NodeConn``` is the class used to connect to a bitcoind.  If you implement
+a callback class that derives from ```NodeConnCB``` and pass that to the
+```NodeConn``` object, your code will receive the appropriate callbacks when
+events of interest arrive.  NOTE: be sure to call
+```self.create_callback_map()``` in your derived classes' ```__init__```
+function, so that the correct mappings are set up between p2p messages and your
+callback functions.
+
+* You can pass the same handler to multiple ```NodeConn```'s if you like, or pass
+different ones to each -- whatever makes the most sense for your test.
+
+* Call ```NetworkThread.start()``` after all ```NodeConn``` objects are created to
+start the networking thread.  (Continue with the test logic in your existing
+thread.)
+
+* RPC calls are available in p2p tests.
+
+* Can be used to write free-form tests, where specific p2p-protocol behavior
+is tested.  Examples: ```p2p-accept-block.py```, ```maxblocksinflight.py```.
+
+## Comptool
+
+* Testing framework for writing tests that compare the block/tx acceptance
+behavior of a bitcoind against 1 or more other bitcoind instances, or against
+known outcomes, or both.
+
+* Set the ```num_nodes``` variable (defined in ```ComparisonTestFramework```) to start up
+1 or more nodes.  If using 1 node, then ```--testbinary``` can be used as a command line
+option to change the bitcoind binary used by the test.  If using 2 or more nodes,
+then ```--refbinary``` can be optionally used to change the bitcoind that will be used
+on nodes 2 and up.
+
+* Implement a (generator) function called ```get_tests()``` which yields ```TestInstance```s.
+Each ```TestInstance``` consists of:
+  - a list of ```[object, outcome, hash]``` entries
+    * ```object``` is a ```CBlock```, ```CTransaction```, or
+    ```CBlockHeader```.  ```CBlock```'s and ```CTransaction```'s are tested for
+    acceptance.  ```CBlockHeader```s can be used so that the test runner can deliver
+    complete headers-chains when requested from the bitcoind, to allow writing
+    tests where blocks can be delivered out of order but still processed by
+    headers-first bitcoind's.
+    * ```outcome``` is ```True```, ```False```, or ```None```.  If ```True```
+    or ```False```, the tip is compared with the expected tip -- either the
+    block passed in, or the hash specified as the optional 3rd entry.  If
+    ```None``` is specified, then the test will compare all the bitcoind's
+    being tested to see if they all agree on what the best tip is.
+    * ```hash``` is the block hash of the tip to compare against. Optional to
+    specify; if left out then the hash of the block passed in will be used as
+    the expected tip.  This allows for specifying an expected tip while testing
+    the handling of either invalid blocks or blocks delivered out of order,
+    which complete a longer chain.
+  - ```sync_every_block```: ```True/False```.  If ```False```, then all blocks
+    are inv'ed together, and the test runner waits until the node receives the
+    last one, and tests only the last block for tip acceptance using the
+    outcome and specified tip.  If ```True```, then each block is tested in
+    sequence and synced (this is slower when processing many blocks).
+  - ```sync_every_transaction```: ```True/False```.  Analogous to
+    ```sync_every_block```, except if the outcome on the last tx is "None",
+    then the contents of the entire mempool are compared across all bitcoind
+    connections.  If ```True``` or ```False```, then only the last tx's
+    acceptance is tested against the given outcome.
+
+* For examples of tests written in this framework, see
+  ```invalidblockrequest.py``` and ```p2p-fullblocktest.py```.
+