DynamoDS/DYN-8973: [SPIKE] Investigate why there is arbitrary network traffic even during Dynamo startup with no-network mode set to true#17158
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See the ticket for this pull request: https://jira.autodesk.com/browse/DYN-8973
Adds doc/no-network-mode-traffic-baseline.md with the reproduction procedure, expected first-party endpoints (derived from App.config files and code inspection), and the WebView2 / OS-level surfaces that are out of Dynamo's first-party control. Empirical capture tables are left as TODO sections to be filled in from a manual Wireshark / Process Monitor run on a clean Windows VM.
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Closes https://autodesk.atlassian.net/browse/DYN-8973
h1. Audit and Tighten {{--NoNetworkMode}} Startup Traffic Implementation Plan
h2. Overview
This spike asks why network traffic still appears during Dynamo startup when {{--NoNetworkMode}} is on. Investigation shows the flag correctly silences every Dynamo-authored HTTP/REST client. The residual traffic comes from WebView2 / Microsoft Edge runtime background services invoked when Dynamo opens its WebView2 surfaces (SplashScreen, HomePage, Library, DocumentationBrowser). None of those surfaces currently pass {{CoreWebView2EnvironmentOptions.AdditionalBrowserArguments}} to suppress Edge component update, SmartScreen, domain reliability, etc. A secondary issue is that the SplashScreen is constructed before {{NoNetworkMode}} is propagated to any view-side surface, so even a properly configured no-network WebView2 profile is bypassed for the first window the user sees.
Plan: (1) capture an empirical baseline of what fires under {{--NoNetworkMode}}; (2) thread the flag into every WebView2 initialization path; (3) configure WebView2 environment options to disable Edge background networking when the flag is set; (4) guard a small set of unconditional helpers; (5) document and lock the behavior with a regression test.
h2. Current State Analysis
h3. Key Discoveries:
h2. Desired End State
When Dynamo launches with {{--NoNetworkMode}}, a packet capture of the Dynamo process tree during "launch → idle home workspace" shows:
Verification: extend {{DynamoApplicationTests}} to launch {{DynamoCLI}} and {{DynamoWPFCLI}} with {{--NoNetworkMode}} while a global socket-creation hook fails the test on any non-loopback connection.
h2. What We're NOT Doing
h2. Implementation Approach
Sequenced as: (1) baseline measurement → (2) plumb flag to all WebView2 init sites → (3) build no-network WebView2 environment factory → (4) guard residual unconditional helpers → (5) regression test → (6) documentation. Each task ends with a single observable milestone.
h3. TASK 1: Capture an empirical baseline of all outbound traffic under {{--NoNetworkMode}} [HIGH PRIORITY]
Status: DONE
Milestone: A reproducible packet/process trace, committed as a markdown report under {{doc/}}, listing every observed remote endpoint and the process that initiated it, classified as (a) Dynamo first-party, (b) WebView2/Edge runtime, (c) OS-level (CER, IDSDK service, Edge updater).
Validation: Reviewer can rerun the procedure and reproduce the same endpoint set within tolerance.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Create:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
Use {{npcap}} filter {{ip and not host 127.0.0.1}} and Wireshark display filter {{tcp.flags.syn == 1 and tcp.flags.ack == 0}}. Cross-reference with Process Monitor {{Network Activity}} view to attach PIDs.
h3. TASK 2: Add a no-network WebView2 environment factory [HIGH PRIORITY]
Status: NOT STARTED
Milestone: Every WebView2 surface in Dynamo can opt into a hardened Edge profile in one line, and a unit test verifies the configured {{AdditionalBrowserArguments}} contains the expected Edge flags.
Validation: New NUnit test {{DynamoWebView2Tests.WhenNoNetworkModeEnabledThenAdditionalBrowserArgumentsContainsDisableBackgroundNetworking}} asserts the configured command line includes the expected flags.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
Edge command-line arguments are documented in Chromium switches; WebView2 inherits the Chromium command-line surface. {{OptimizationGuideModelDownloading}} suppresses Edge ML model downloads.
h3. TASK 3: Thread {{NoNetworkMode}} into SplashScreen and pass hardened options [HIGH PRIORITY]
Status: NOT STARTED
Milestone: With {{--NoNetworkMode}} set, splash WebView2 starts with Edge background networking disabled before any frame is rendered.
Validation: Run {{DynamoSandbox.exe --NoNetworkMode}}, take a Process Monitor capture of the splash {{msedgewebview2.exe}} child, confirm zero outbound connections to {{.msedge.net}}, {{.bing.com}}, {{*.googleapis.com}}, {{dl.delivery.mp.microsoft.com}}.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
Add a second constructor overload rather than changing the default-valued single ctor — public API hygiene per {{dynamo-core-rules.md}}.
h3. TASK 4: Thread {{NoNetworkMode}} into HomePage / Library / DocumentationBrowser [HIGH PRIORITY]
Status: NOT STARTED
Milestone: Every WebView2 surface created after the model exists initializes with the hardened Edge profile when {{NoNetworkMode}} is true.
Validation: With {{--NoNetworkMode}}, only splash and home WebView2 children should be running, with zero non-local connections.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
For view extensions, prefer the {{StartupParams.NoNetworkMode}} path since it's already in the contract.
h3. TASK 5: Guard residual unconditional helpers [MEDIUM PRIORITY]
Status: NOT STARTED
Milestone: No code path allocates network plumbing when {{NoNetworkMode}} is true.
Validation: Re-run Process Monitor; confirm no {{HttpClient}} is allocated by {{NetworkUtilities}}.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
For CER, the path is {{DynamoCoreSetup.cs:110 → viewModel.Model.OnRequestsCrashPrompt → CrashReportTool.ShowCrashWindow}}. Add a guard inside {{ShowCrashWindow}} reading {{args?.Model?.NoNetworkMode}}, or expose {{NoNetworkMode}} on {{CrashErrorReportArgs}}.
h3. TASK 6: Add a regression test that fails on any unexpected outbound socket [HIGH PRIORITY]
Status: NOT STARTED
Milestone: NUnit test in {{DynamoApplicationTests.cs}} launches DynamoCLI (and DynamoWPFCLI) with {{--NoNetworkMode}} and asserts no non-loopback TCP socket is opened by the process tree during a 30-second idle window.
Validation: {{dotnet test test/System/IntegrationTests --filter Name~NoNetworkMode}} passes.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
WebView2 children appear under the same parent PID; iterate {{Process.GetProcesses()}} and filter by {{Parent.Id == cliProcess.Id}} plus a name allow-list. Use NUnit {{Assert.That(..., Is.Empty)}}. Test should run on a clean dev machine or isolated CI agent to avoid Defender/proxy noise.
h3. TASK 7: Document the contract [MEDIUM PRIORITY]
Status: NOT STARTED
Milestone: Developer-facing doc lists every gated and ungated network surface, with rationale and the WebView2 caveat made explicit.
Validation: Reviewer reads the doc and can predict what a Wireshark capture will show.
Requirements from spec:
Files to Create:
Files to Modify:
Implementation Details:
Follow the structure of existing docs in {{doc/distrib/}}. Include the endpoint inventory verbatim from research.
h2. Testing Strategy
h3. Unit Tests:
h3. Integration Tests:
** Verify analytics, feature flags, IDSDK, Greg, notifications all skip startup work.
** Verify zero outbound TCP from Dynamo process tree (Task 6).
** Verify splash and home WebView2 children inherit the hardened Edge command line ({{Process.GetCommandLine()}} of {{msedgewebview2.exe}} children).
h3. Manual Testing Steps:
{{DynamoSandbox.exe}} (no flag) + Wireshark filter {{tcp.flags.syn == 1 and not ip.dst == 127.0.0.1}}. Confirm baseline traffic.
{{DynamoSandbox.exe --NoNetworkMode}}. Confirm zero first-party and zero WebView2 platform traffic.
{{DynamoCLI.exe --NoNetworkMode -o some.dyn -k}}. Confirm zero traffic.
Click around the home page; verify no YouTube embed fires a request.
Verify "Open Package Manager" is disabled.
Trigger a deliberate crash and confirm CER does not upload, or an in-product message warns.
Run Task 6 integration test.
h2. Performance Considerations
h2. Migration Notes