Fix Intersection Destination - Doubled Advance

Fix Serialization

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,620 @@
+# Sistema de Simulação de Tráfego Distribuído
+
+Sistema distribuído de simulação de tráfego.
+---
+
+## Índice
+
+- [Visão Geral](#visão-geral)
+- [Arquitetura](#arquitetura)
+- [Protocolo de Comunicação](#protocolo-de-comunicação)
+- [Estrutura do Projeto](#estrutura-do-projeto)
+- [Instalação e Execução](#instalação-e-execução)
+- [Documentação](#documentação)
+- [Desenvolvimento](#desenvolvimento)
+
+---
+
+## Visão Geral
+
+Este projeto implementa uma simulação distribuída de tráfego veicular numa rede de cruzamentos. O sistema utiliza:
+
+- **Processos independentes** para cada cruzamento
+- **Threads** para controlar os semáforos dentro de cada cruzamento
+- **Comunicação via sockets** para transferência de veículos entre cruzamentos
+- **Simulação de eventos discretos** (DES) para gerir o tempo de simulação
+
+### Características Principais
+
+- Simulação determinística e reproduzível
+- Comunicação assíncrona entre processos
+- Protocolo de mensagens baseado em JSON
+- Dashboard em tempo real (planeado)
+- Estatísticas detalhadas de desempenho
+
+---
+
+## Arquitetura
+
+### Visão Geral do Sistema
+
+```
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│                    SISTEMA DISTRIBUÍDO                           │
+├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│                                                                   │
+│  ┌──────────────┐                          ┌──────────────┐     │
+│  │  Coordenador │ ────────────────────────>│  Dashboard   │     │
+│  │  / Gerador   │                          │              │
+│  └──────┬───────┘                          └──────▲───────┘     │
+│         │                                          │             │
+│         │ Gera veículos                    Stats  │             │
+│         │                                          │             │
+│         ▼                                          │             │
+│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────┐     │
+│  │          Rede de Cruzamentos (Processos)              │     │
+│  │                                                         │     │
+│  │  ┌────┐         ┌────┐         ┌────┐                 │     │
+│  │  │Cr1 │◄───────►│Cr2 │◄───────►│Cr3 │                 │     │
+│  │  └─┬──┘         └─┬──┘         └─┬──┘                 │     │
+│  │    │              │              │                     │     │
+│  │    │         ┌────▼────┐         │                     │     │
+│  │    └────────►│   Cr4   │◄────────┘                     │     │
+│  │              └────┬────┘                               │     │
+│  │                   │                                     │     │
+│  │              ┌────▼────┐                               │     │
+│  │              │   Cr5   │                               │     │
+│  │              └────┬────┘                               │     │
+│  └───────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────┤     │
+│                      │                                     │     │
+│                      ▼                                     │     │
+│               ┌──────────────┐                            │     │
+│               │  Nó de Saída │                            │     │
+│               │      (S)     │                            │     │
+│               └──────────────┘                            │     │
+│                                                            │     │
+└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘     │
+```
+
+### Componentes
+
+1. **Coordenador/Gerador**: Gera veículos e injeta no sistema
+2. **Cruzamentos (Cr1-Cr5)**: Processos independentes que gerem tráfego local
+3. **Nó de Saída (S)**: Recolhe estatísticas de veículos que saem do sistema
+4. **Dashboard Server**: Agrega e exibe dados em tempo real
+
+---
+
+## Protocolo de Comunicação
+
+### Formato de Serialização: JSON (Gson)
+
+O sistema utiliza JSON como formato de serialização por ser mais rápido, seguro e legível que a serialização em Java.
+
+### Estrutura de Mensagens
+
+Todas as mensagens seguem o formato base:
+
+```json
+{
+  "messageId": "uuid",
+  "type": "MESSAGE_TYPE",
+  "senderId": "sender_id",
+  "destinationId": "destination_id",
+  "timestamp": 1729595234567,
+  "payload": { ... }
+}
+```
+
+### Tipos de Mensagens
+
+#### 1. VEHICLE_TRANSFER
+
+Transfere um veículo entre cruzamentos.
+
+**Estrutura:**
+```json
+{
+  "messageId": "a3c5e7f9-1234-5678-90ab-cdef12345678",
+  "type": "VEHICLE_TRANSFER",
+  "senderId": "Cr1",
+  "destinationId": "Cr2",
+  "timestamp": 1729595234567,
+  "payload": {
+    "id": "V123",
+    "type": "LIGHT",
+    "entryTime": 15.7,
+    "route": ["Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr5", "S"],
+    "currentRouteIndex": 1,
+    "totalWaitingTime": 3.2,
+    "totalCrossingTime": 1.8
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Fluxo:**
+1. Veículo completa travessia no Cr1
+2. Cr1 serializa mensagem VEHICLE_TRANSFER
+3. Envia para Cr2 via socket
+4. Cr2 desserializa e adiciona veículo à fila
+
+#### 2. STATS_UPDATE
+
+Envia estatísticas de um cruzamento para o Dashboard.
+
+**Estrutura:**
+```json
+{
+  "messageId": "b4d6e8f0-2345-6789-01bc-def123456789",
+  "type": "STATS_UPDATE",
+  "senderId": "Cr3",
+  "destinationId": "Dashboard",
+  "timestamp": 1729595234789,
+  "payload": {
+    "intersectionId": "Cr3",
+    "queueLengths": {
+      "North": 5,
+      "South": 3,
+      "East": 7,
+      "West": 2
+    },
+    "vehiclesProcessed": 142,
+    "averageWaitTime": 4.5,
+    "currentTime": 123.45
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Frequência:** A cada 10 segundos (configurável)
+
+#### 3. VEHICLE_EXIT
+
+Notifica quando um veículo sai do sistema.
+
+**Estrutura:**
+```json
+{
+  "messageId": "c5e7f9a1-3456-7890-12bc-def123456789",
+  "type": "VEHICLE_EXIT",
+  "senderId": "Cr5",
+  "destinationId": "ExitNode",
+  "timestamp": 1729595234890,
+  "payload": {
+    "id": "V123",
+    "type": "LIGHT",
+    "entryTime": 15.7,
+    "exitTime": 45.2,
+    "totalSystemTime": 29.5,
+    "totalWaitingTime": 8.3,
+    "totalCrossingTime": 4.8,
+    "routeTaken": ["Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr5", "S"]
+  }
+}
+```
+
+#### 4. HEARTBEAT
+
+Mantém a ligação ativa e monitoriza a saúde dos processos.
+
+**Estrutura:**
+```json
+{
+  "messageId": "d6e8f0a2-4567-8901-23cd-ef1234567890",
+  "type": "HEARTBEAT",
+  "senderId": "Cr1",
+  "destinationId": "Coordinator",
+  "timestamp": 1729595235000,
+  "payload": {
+    "status": "RUNNING",
+    "uptime": 120.5,
+    "vehiclesInQueue": 12
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Frequência:** A cada 5 segundos
+
+#### 5. LIGHT_CHANGE
+
+Notifica mudança de estado de semáforo (para logging/debugging).
+
+**Estrutura:**
+```json
+{
+  "messageId": "e7f9a1b3-5678-9012-34de-f12345678901",
+  "type": "LIGHT_CHANGE",
+  "senderId": "Cr1-North",
+  "destinationId": "Dashboard",
+  "timestamp": 1729595235100,
+  "payload": {
+    "lightId": "Cr1-North",
+    "previousState": "RED",
+    "newState": "GREEN",
+    "queueSize": 5
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Tipos de Veículos
+
+```json
+{
+  "BIKE": {
+    "probability": 0.20,
+    "crossingTime": 1.5
+  },
+  "LIGHT": {
+    "probability": 0.60,
+    "crossingTime": 2.0
+  },
+  "HEAVY": {
+    "probability": 0.20,
+    "crossingTime": 4.0
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Estados dos Semáforos
+
+```
+RED    → Veículos aguardam na fila
+GREEN  → Veículos podem atravessar
+```
+
+### Exemplo de Comunicação Completa
+
+```
+Tempo    Processo    Ação                                    Mensagem
+------   ---------   -------------------------------------   ------------------
+15.7s    Gerador     Gera veículo V123                      -
+15.7s    Gerador →   Injeta V123 em Cr1                     VEHICLE_TRANSFER
+18.2s    Cr1         V123 inicia travessia                  -
+20.2s    Cr1         V123 completa travessia                -
+20.2s    Cr1 → Cr2   Transfere V123 para Cr2                VEHICLE_TRANSFER
+23.5s    Cr2         V123 inicia travessia                  -
+25.5s    Cr2         V123 completa travessia                -
+25.5s    Cr2 → Cr5   Transfere V123 para Cr5                VEHICLE_TRANSFER
+28.0s    Cr5         V123 inicia travessia                  -
+30.0s    Cr5         V123 completa travessia                -
+30.0s    Cr5 → Exit  V123 sai do sistema                    VEHICLE_EXIT
+30.0s    Exit → Dash Estatísticas de V123                   STATS_UPDATE
+```
+
+---
+
+## Estrutura do Projeto
+
+```
+Trabalho-Pratico-SD/
+├── README.md                          # Este ficheiro
+├── TODO.md                            # Plano de desenvolvimento
+├── main/
+│   ├── pom.xml                        # Configuração do Maven
+│   ├── docs/
+│   │   ├── README.md                  # Índice da documentação
+│   │   ├── SERIALIZATION_SPECIFICATION.md
+│   │   ├── SERIALIZATION_DECISION.md
+│   │   ├── SERIALIZATION_SUMMARY.md
+│   │   └── SERIALIZATION_ARCHITECTURE.md
+│   ├── src/
+│   │   ├── main/java/sd/
+│   │   │   ├── Entry.java             # Ponto de entrada
+│   │   │   ├── config/
+│   │   │   │   └── SimulationConfig.java
+│   │   │   ├── engine/
+│   │   │   │   └── SimulationEngine.java
+│   │   │   ├── model/
+│   │   │   │   ├── Event.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── EventType.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── Intersection.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── Message.java          # Estrutura de mensagens
+│   │   │   │   ├── MessageType.java      # Tipos de mensagens
+│   │   │   │   ├── TrafficLight.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── Vehicle.java
+│   │   │   │   └── VehicleType.java
+│   │   │   ├── serialization/            # Sistema de serialização
+│   │   │   │   ├── MessageSerializer.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── SerializationException.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── JsonMessageSerializer.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── SerializerFactory.java
+│   │   │   │   ├── SerializationExample.java
+│   │   │   │   └── README.md
+│   │   │   └── util/
+│   │   │       ├── RandomGenerator.java
+│   │   │       ├── StatisticsCollector.java
+│   │   │       └── VehicleGenerator.java
+│   │   └── test/java/
+│   │       ├── SimulationTest.java
+│   │       └── sd/serialization/
+│   │           └── SerializationTest.java
+│   └── target/                        # Ficheiros compilados
+└── .vscode/                           # Configuração do VS Code
+```
+
+---
+
+## Instalação e Execução
+
+### Pré-requisitos
+
+- **Java 17** ou superior
+- **Maven 3.8+**
+- **Git**
+
+### Instalação
+
+```bash
+# Clonar o repositório
+git clone https://github.com/davidalves04/Trabalho-Pratico-SD.git
+cd Trabalho-Pratico-SD/main
+
+# Compilar o projeto
+mvn clean compile
+
+# Executar os testes
+mvn test
+```
+
+### Execução
+
+#### Simulação Básica (Single Process)
+
+```bash
+mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="sd.Entry"
+```
+
+#### Exemplo de Serialização
+
+```bash
+mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="sd.serialization.SerializationExample"
+```
+
+#### Configuração
+
+Editar `src/main/resources/simulation.properties`:
+
+```properties
+# Duração da simulação (segundos)
+simulation.duration=60.0
+
+# Modelo de chegada: FIXED ou POISSON
+arrival.model=POISSON
+
+# Taxa de chegada (veículos/segundo)
+arrival.rate=0.5
+
+# Intervalo de atualização de estatísticas (segundos)
+stats.update.interval=10.0
+
+# Distribuição de tipos de veículos
+vehicle.type.bike.probability=0.20
+vehicle.type.light.probability=0.60
+vehicle.type.heavy.probability=0.20
+
+# Tempos de travessia por tipo (segundos)
+vehicle.type.bike.crossing.time=1.5
+vehicle.type.light.crossing.time=2.0
+vehicle.type.heavy.crossing.time=4.0
+```
+
+---
+
+## Documentação
+
+### Documentação de Serialização
+
+A documentação completa sobre o protocolo de serialização está disponível em:
+
+- **[Índice Completo](./main/docs/README.md)** - Navegação da documentação
+- **[Especificação](./main/docs/SERIALIZATION_SPECIFICATION.md)** - Design detalhado
+- **[Guia de Decisão](./main/docs/SERIALIZATION_DECISION.md)** - Porquê JSON?
+- **[Resumo](./main/docs/SERIALIZATION_SUMMARY.md)** - Estado de implementação
+- **[Arquitetura](./main/docs/SERIALIZATION_ARCHITECTURE.md)** - Diagramas visuais
+
+### Guias de Utilização
+
+- **[Serialization README](./main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/README.md)** - Como utilizar os serializers
+
+### Exemplos de Código
+
+```java
+// Criar serializer
+MessageSerializer serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+
+// Serializar mensagem
+Vehicle vehicle = new Vehicle("V123", VehicleType.LIGHT, 10.5, route);
+Message message = new Message(
+    MessageType.VEHICLE_TRANSFER,
+    "Cr1",
+    "Cr2",
+    vehicle
+);
+byte[] data = serializer.serialize(message);
+
+// Enviar via socket
+outputStream.write(data);
+
+// Receber e desserializar
+byte[] received = inputStream.readAllBytes();
+Message msg = serializer.deserialize(received, Message.class);
+Vehicle v = msg.getPayloadAs(Vehicle.class);
+```
+
+---
+
+## Desenvolvimento
+
+### Estado do Projeto
+
+| Componente | Estado | Notas |
+|------------|--------|-------|
+| Modelo de Dados | Completo | Vehicle, Message, Event, etc. |
+| Simulação DES | Completo | Single-process funcional |
+| Serialização | Completo | JSON e Java implementados |
+| Testes | 14/14 | Suite de serialização |
+| Processos Distribuídos | Planeado | Próxima etapa |
+| Comunicação Sockets | Planeado | Em design |
+| Dashboard | Planeado | UI web |
+
+### Roteiro de Desenvolvimento
+
+#### Fase 1: Fundações (Concluído)
+- Modelação de classes
+- Simulação DES single-process
+- Design de protocolo de serialização
+- Implementação JSON/Java serialization
+- Testes unitários
+
+#### Fase 2: Distribuição (Em Curso)
+- Implementar comunicação via sockets
+- Separar cruzamentos em processos
+- Implementar threads de semáforos
+- Testar comunicação entre processos
+
+#### Fase 3: Dashboard e Monitorização
+- Dashboard server
+- UI web em tempo real
+- Visualização de estatísticas
+- Logs estruturados
+
+#### Fase 4: Optimização e Análise
+- Testes de carga
+- Análise de diferentes políticas
+- Recolha de métricas
+- Relatório final
+
+### Executar Testes
+
+```bash
+# Todos os testes
+mvn test
+
+# Apenas testes de serialização
+mvn test -Dtest=SerializationTest
+
+# Com relatório de cobertura
+mvn test jacoco:report
+```
+
+### Contribuir
+
+1. Fork o projeto
+2. Criar uma branch para a funcionalidade (`git checkout -b feature/MinhaFuncionalidade`)
+3. Commit das alterações (`git commit -m 'Adiciona MinhaFuncionalidade'`)
+4. Push para a branch (`git push origin feature/MinhaFuncionalidade`)
+5. Abrir um Pull Request
+
+---
+
+## Métricas de Desempenho
+
+### Serialização
+
+| Formato | Tamanho | Latência | Throughput |
+|---------|---------|----------|------------|
+| JSON | 300 bytes | 40.79 μs | ~24k msgs/s |
+| Java | 657 bytes | 33.34 μs | ~30k msgs/s |
+
+**Conclusão**: JSON é 54% menor com overhead desprezível (7 μs)
+
+### Simulação
+
+- **Veículos gerados/s**: ~0.5-1.0 (configurável)
+- **Throughput**: ~0.2 veículos/s (saída)
+- **Tempo de execução**: 140ms para 60s de simulação
+- **Overhead**: < 0.25% do tempo simulado
+
+---
+
+## Protocolo de Mensagens - Resumo
+
+### Formato Base
+
+```
++------------------+
+| Message Header   |
+|------------------|
+| messageId        | UUID único
+| type             | Enum MessageType
+| senderId         | ID do processo remetente
+| destinationId    | ID do processo destino (null = broadcast)
+| timestamp        | Tempo de criação (ms)
++------------------+
+| Payload          |
+|------------------|
+| Object           | Dados específicos do tipo de mensagem
++------------------+
+```
+
+### Serialização
+
+- **Formato**: JSON (UTF-8)
+- **Biblioteca**: Gson 2.10.1
+- **Codificação**: UTF-8
+- **Compressão**: Opcional (gzip)
+
+### Transporte
+
+- **Protocolo**: TCP/IP
+- **Porta base**: 5000+ (configurável)
+- **Timeout**: 30s
+- **Keep-alive**: Heartbeat a cada 5s
+
+---
+
+## Segurança
+
+### Considerações
+
+1. **Validação de Mensagens**
+   - Verificar tipos esperados
+   - Validar intervalos de valores
+   - Rejeitar mensagens malformadas
+
+2. **Autenticação** (Planeado)
+   - Autenticação baseada em token
+   - Whitelist de processos
+
+3. **Encriptação** (Opcional)
+   - TLS/SSL para produção
+   - Não necessário para ambiente de desenvolvimento local
+
+---
+
+## Licença
+
+Este projeto é desenvolvido para fins académicos no âmbito da disciplina de Sistemas Distribuídos (SD) do Instituto Politécnico do Porto.
+
+---
+
+## Equipa
+
+**Instituição**: Instituto Politécnico do Porto  
+**Curso**: Sistemas Distribuídos  
+**Ano Letivo**: 2025-2026 (1º Semestre)
+
+---
+
+## Suporte
+
+Para questões ou problemas:
+
+1. Consultar a [documentação](./main/docs/README.md)
+2. Ver [exemplos de código](./main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/SerializationExample.java)
+3. Executar testes: `mvn test`
+4. Abrir issue no GitHub
+
+---
+
+## Ligações Úteis
+
+- [Documentação do Projeto](./main/docs/README.md)
+- [Plano de Desenvolvimento](./TODO.md)
+- [Especificação de Serialização](./main/docs/SERIALIZATION_SPECIFICATION.md)
+- [Guia de Serialização](./main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/README.md)
+
+---
+
+**Última actualização**: 23 de outubro de 2025  
+**Versão**: 1.0.0  
+**Estado**: Em Desenvolvimento Activo

main/pom.xml

@@ -22,6 +22,47 @@
             <version>5.10.0</version>
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
+
+        <!-- Gson for JSON serialization -->
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>com.google.code.gson</groupId>
+            <artifactId>gson</artifactId>
+            <version>2.10.1</version>
+        </dependency>
     </dependencies>
 
+    <build>
+        <plugins>
+            <!-- Maven Exec Plugin for running examples -->
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
+                <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
+                <version>3.1.0</version>
+                <configuration>
+                    <mainClass>sd.Entry</mainClass>
+                </configuration>
+            </plugin>
+            <plugin>
+                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+                <artifactId>maven-shade-plugin</artifactId>
+                <version>3.5.2</version>
+                <executions>
+                    <execution>
+                        <phase>package</phase>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>shade</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                        <configuration>
+                            <transformers>
+                                <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ManifestResourceTransformer">
+                                    <mainClass>sd.Entry</mainClass>
+                                </transformer>
+                            </transformers>
+                        </configuration>
+                    </execution>
+                </executions>
+            </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+    </build>
+
 </project>

main/src/main/java/sd/IntersectionProcess.java

@@ -0,0 +1,501 @@
+package sd;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.ServerSocket;
+import java.net.Socket;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
+import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+import sd.config.SimulationConfig;
+import sd.model.Intersection;
+import sd.model.MessageType;
+import sd.model.TrafficLight;
+import sd.model.TrafficLightState;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.protocol.MessageProtocol;
+import sd.protocol.SocketConnection;
+
+/**
+ * Main class for an Intersection Process in the distributed traffic simulation.
+ * * Each IntersectionProcess runs as an independent Java application (JVM instance)
+ * representing one of the five intersections (Cr1-Cr5) in the network.
+ */
+public class IntersectionProcess {
+
+    private final String intersectionId;
+    
+    private final SimulationConfig config;
+    
+    private final Intersection intersection;
+    
+    private ServerSocket serverSocket;
+    
+    private final Map<String, SocketConnection> outgoingConnections;
+    
+    private final ExecutorService connectionHandlerPool;
+    
+    private final ExecutorService trafficLightPool;
+    
+    private volatile boolean running;   //Quando uma thread escreve um valor volatile, todas as outras
+                                        //threads veem a mudança imediatamente.
+    
+    /**
+     * Constructs a new IntersectionProcess.
+     *
+     * @param intersectionId The ID of this intersection (e.g., "Cr1").
+     * @param configFilePath Path to the simulation.properties file.
+     * @throws IOException If configuration cannot be loaded.
+     */
+    public IntersectionProcess(String intersectionId, String configFilePath) throws IOException {
+        this.intersectionId = intersectionId;
+        this.config = new SimulationConfig(configFilePath);
+        this.intersection = new Intersection(intersectionId);
+        this.outgoingConnections = new HashMap<>();
+        this.connectionHandlerPool = Executors.newCachedThreadPool();
+        this.trafficLightPool = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(4); // Max 4 directions
+        this.running = false;
+        
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+        System.out.println("INTERSECTION PROCESS: " + intersectionId);
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+    }
+    
+    public void initialize() {
+        System.out.println("\n[" + intersectionId + "] Initializing intersection...");
+        
+        createTrafficLights();
+        
+        configureRouting();
+        
+        startTrafficLights();
+        
+        System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Initialization complete.");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates traffic lights for this intersection based on its physical connections.
+     * Each intersection has different number and directions of traffic lights
+     * according to the network topology.
+     */
+    private void createTrafficLights() {
+        System.out.println("\n[" + intersectionId + "] Creating traffic lights...");
+        
+        String[] directions = new String[0];
+        switch (intersectionId) {
+            case "Cr1":
+                directions = new String[]{"East", "South"};
+                break;
+            case "Cr2":
+                directions = new String[]{"West", "East", "South"};
+                break;
+            case "Cr3":
+                directions = new String[]{"West", "South"};
+                break;
+            case "Cr4":
+                directions = new String[]{"East"};
+                break;
+            case "Cr5":
+                directions = new String[]{"East"};
+                break;
+        }
+        
+        for (String direction : directions) {
+            double greenTime = config.getTrafficLightGreenTime(intersectionId, direction);
+            double redTime = config.getTrafficLightRedTime(intersectionId, direction);
+            
+            TrafficLight light = new TrafficLight(
+                intersectionId + "-" + direction,
+                direction,
+                greenTime,
+                redTime
+            );
+            
+            intersection.addTrafficLight(light);
+            System.out.println("  Created traffic light: " + direction + 
+                             " (Green: " + greenTime + "s, Red: " + redTime + "s)");
+        }
+    }
+    
+    private void configureRouting() {
+        System.out.println("\n[" + intersectionId + "] Configuring routing...");
+        
+        switch (intersectionId) {
+            case "Cr1":
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr2", "East");
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr4", "South"); 
+                break;
+                
+            case "Cr2":
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr1", "West");
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr3", "East");
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr5", "South");
+                break;
+                
+            case "Cr3":
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr2", "West");
+                intersection.configureRoute("S", "South");
+                break;
+                
+            case "Cr4":
+                intersection.configureRoute("Cr5", "East");
+                break;
+                
+            case "Cr5":
+                intersection.configureRoute("S", "East");
+                break;
+                
+            default:
+                System.err.println("  Error: unknown intersection ID: " + intersectionId);
+        }
+        
+        System.out.println("  Routing configured.");
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Starts all traffic light threads.
+     */
+    private void startTrafficLights() {
+        System.out.println("\n[" + intersectionId + "] Starting traffic light threads...");
+        
+        for (TrafficLight light : intersection.getTrafficLights()) {
+            trafficLightPool.submit(() -> runTrafficLightCycle(light));
+            System.out.println("  Started thread for: " + light.getDirection());
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * The main loop for a traffic light thread.
+     * Continuously cycles between GREEN and RED states.
+     *
+     * @param light The traffic light to control.
+     */
+    private void runTrafficLightCycle(TrafficLight light) {
+        System.out.println("[" + light.getId() + "] Traffic light thread started.");
+        
+        while (running) {
+            try {
+                // Green state
+                light.changeState(TrafficLightState.GREEN);
+                System.out.println("[" + light.getId() + "] State: GREEN");
+                
+                // Process vehicles while green
+                processGreenLight(light);
+                
+                // Wait for green duration
+                Thread.sleep((long) (light.getGreenTime() * 1000));
+                
+                // RED state
+                light.changeState(TrafficLightState.RED);
+                System.out.println("[" + light.getId() + "] State: RED");
+                
+                // Wait for red duration
+                Thread.sleep((long) (light.getRedTime() * 1000));
+                
+            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                System.out.println("[" + light.getId() + "] Traffic light thread interrupted.");
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        
+        System.out.println("[" + light.getId() + "] Traffic light thread stopped.");
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Processes vehicles when a traffic light is GREEN.
+     * Dequeues vehicles and sends them to their next destination.
+     *
+     * @param light The traffic light that is currently green.
+     */
+    private void processGreenLight(TrafficLight light) {
+        while (light.getState() == TrafficLightState.GREEN && light.getQueueSize() > 0) {
+            Vehicle vehicle = light.removeVehicle();
+            
+            if (vehicle != null) {
+                // Get crossing time based on vehicle type
+                double crossingTime = getCrossingTimeForVehicle(vehicle);
+                
+                // Simulate crossing time
+                try {
+                    Thread.sleep((long) (crossingTime * 1000));
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+                    break;
+                }
+                
+                // Update vehicle statistics
+                vehicle.addCrossingTime(crossingTime);
+                
+                // Update intersection statistics
+                intersection.incrementVehiclesSent();
+                
+                // Send vehicle to next destination
+                sendVehicleToNextDestination(vehicle);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Gets the crossing time for a vehicle based on its type.
+     *
+     * @param vehicle The vehicle.
+     * @return The crossing time in seconds.
+     */
+    private double getCrossingTimeForVehicle(Vehicle vehicle) {
+        switch (vehicle.getType()) {
+            case BIKE:
+                return config.getBikeVehicleCrossingTime();
+            case LIGHT:
+                return config.getLightVehicleCrossingTime();
+            case HEAVY:
+                return config.getHeavyVehicleCrossingTime();
+            default:
+                return config.getLightVehicleCrossingTime();
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Sends a vehicle to its next destination via socket connection.
+     *
+     * @param vehicle The vehicle that has crossed this intersection.
+     */
+    private void sendVehicleToNextDestination(Vehicle vehicle) {
+        String nextDestination = vehicle.getCurrentDestination();
+        
+        try {
+            // Get or create connection to next destination
+            SocketConnection connection = getOrCreateConnection(nextDestination);
+            
+            // Create and send message
+            MessageProtocol message = new VehicleTransferMessage(
+                intersectionId,
+                nextDestination,
+                vehicle
+            );
+            
+            connection.sendMessage(message);
+            
+            System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Sent vehicle " + vehicle.getId() + 
+                             " to " + nextDestination);
+            
+            // Note: vehicle route is advanced when it arrives at the next intersection
+            
+        } catch (IOException | InterruptedException e) {
+            System.err.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Failed to send vehicle " + 
+                             vehicle.getId() + " to " + nextDestination + ": " + e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Gets an existing connection to a destination or creates a new one.
+     *
+     * @param destinationId The ID of the destination node.
+     * @return The SocketConnection to that destination.
+     * @throws IOException If connection cannot be established.
+     * @throws InterruptedException If connection attempt is interrupted.
+     */
+    private synchronized SocketConnection getOrCreateConnection(String destinationId) 
+            throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        
+        if (!outgoingConnections.containsKey(destinationId)) {
+            String host = getHostForDestination(destinationId);
+            int port = getPortForDestination(destinationId);
+            
+            System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Creating connection to " + 
+                             destinationId + " at " + host + ":" + port);
+            
+            SocketConnection connection = new SocketConnection(host, port);
+            outgoingConnections.put(destinationId, connection);
+        }
+        
+        return outgoingConnections.get(destinationId);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Gets the host address for a destination node from configuration.
+     *
+     * @param destinationId The destination node ID.
+     * @return The host address.
+     */
+    private String getHostForDestination(String destinationId) {
+        if (destinationId.equals("S")) {
+            return config.getExitHost();
+        } else {
+            return config.getIntersectionHost(destinationId);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Gets the port number for a destination node from configuration.
+     *
+     * @param destinationId The destination node ID.
+     * @return The port number.
+     */
+    private int getPortForDestination(String destinationId) {
+        if (destinationId.equals("S")) {
+            return config.getExitPort();
+        } else {
+            return config.getIntersectionPort(destinationId);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Starts the server socket and begins accepting incoming connections.
+     * This is the main listening loop of the process.
+     *
+     * @throws IOException If the server socket cannot be created.
+     */
+    public void start() throws IOException {
+        int port = config.getIntersectionPort(intersectionId);
+        serverSocket = new ServerSocket(port);
+        running = true;
+        
+        System.out.println("\n[" + intersectionId + "] Server started on port " + port);
+        System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Waiting for incoming connections...\n");
+        
+        // Main accept loop
+        while (running) {
+            try {
+                Socket clientSocket = serverSocket.accept();
+                
+                // Handle each connection in a separate thread
+                connectionHandlerPool.submit(() -> handleIncomingConnection(clientSocket));
+                
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                if (running) {
+                    System.err.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Error accepting connection: " + 
+                                     e.getMessage());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Handles an incoming connection from another process.
+     * Continuously listens for vehicle transfer messages.
+     *
+     * @param clientSocket The accepted socket connection.
+     */
+    private void handleIncomingConnection(Socket clientSocket) {
+        try (SocketConnection connection = new SocketConnection(clientSocket)) {
+            
+            System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] New connection accepted from " +
+                             clientSocket.getInetAddress().getHostAddress());
+            
+            // Continuously receive messages while connection is active
+            while (running && connection.isConnected()) {
+                try {
+                    MessageProtocol message = connection.receiveMessage();
+                    
+                    if (message.getType() == MessageType.VEHICLE_TRANSFER) {
+                        Vehicle vehicle = (Vehicle) message.getPayload();
+                        
+                        System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Received vehicle: " + 
+                                         vehicle.getId() + " from " + message.getSourceNode());
+                        
+                        // Add vehicle to appropriate queue
+                        intersection.receiveVehicle(vehicle);
+                    }
+                    
+                } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+                    System.err.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Unknown message type received: " + 
+                                     e.getMessage());
+                }
+            }
+            
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            if (running) {
+                System.err.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Connection error: " + e.getMessage());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Stops the intersection process gracefully.
+     * Shuts down all threads and closes all connections.
+     */
+    public void shutdown() {
+        System.out.println("\n[" + intersectionId + "] Shutting down...");
+        running = false;
+        
+        // Close server socket
+        try {
+            if (serverSocket != null && !serverSocket.isClosed()) {
+                serverSocket.close();
+            }
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            System.err.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Error closing server socket: " + 
+                             e.getMessage());
+        }
+        
+        // Shutdown thread pools
+        trafficLightPool.shutdown();
+        connectionHandlerPool.shutdown();
+        
+        try {
+            if (!trafficLightPool.awaitTermination(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS)) {
+                trafficLightPool.shutdownNow();
+            }
+            if (!connectionHandlerPool.awaitTermination(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS)) {
+                connectionHandlerPool.shutdownNow();
+            }
+        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+            trafficLightPool.shutdownNow();
+            connectionHandlerPool.shutdownNow();
+        }
+        
+        // Close all outgoing connections
+        for (Map.Entry<String, SocketConnection> entry : outgoingConnections.entrySet()) {
+            try {
+                entry.getValue().close();
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                System.err.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Error closing connection to " + 
+                                 entry.getKey() + ": " + e.getMessage());
+            }
+        }
+        
+        System.out.println("[" + intersectionId + "] Shutdown complete.");
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+    }
+    
+    // --- Inner class for Vehicle Transfer Messages ---
+    
+    /**
+     * Implementation of MessageProtocol for vehicle transfers between processes.
+     */
+    private static class VehicleTransferMessage implements MessageProtocol {
+        private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+        
+        private final String sourceNode;
+        private final String destinationNode;
+        private final Vehicle payload;
+        
+        public VehicleTransferMessage(String sourceNode, String destinationNode, Vehicle vehicle) {
+            this.sourceNode = sourceNode;
+            this.destinationNode = destinationNode;
+            this.payload = vehicle;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public MessageType getType() {
+            return MessageType.VEHICLE_TRANSFER;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public Object getPayload() {
+            return payload;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public String getSourceNode() {
+            return sourceNode;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public String getDestinationNode() {
+            return destinationNode;
+        }
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/coordinator/CoordinatorProcess.java

@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+package sd.coordinator;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import sd.config.SimulationConfig;
+import sd.model.Message;
+import sd.model.MessageType;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.serialization.SerializationException;
+import sd.util.VehicleGenerator;
+
+/**
+ * Coordinator process responsible for:
+ * 1. Vehicle generation (using VehicleGenerator)
+ * 2. Distributing vehicles to intersection processes via sockets
+ * 3. Managing simulation timing and shutdown
+ * 
+ * This is the main entry point for the distributed simulation architecture.
+ */
+public class CoordinatorProcess {
+    
+    private final SimulationConfig config;
+    private final VehicleGenerator vehicleGenerator;
+    private final Map<String, SocketClient> intersectionClients;
+    private double currentTime;
+    private int vehicleCounter;
+    private boolean running;
+    private double nextGenerationTime;
+    
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+        System.out.println("COORDINATOR PROCESS - DISTRIBUTED TRAFFIC SIMULATION");
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+        
+        try {
+            // 1. Load configuration
+            String configFile = args.length > 0 ? args[0] : "src/main/resources/simulation.properties";
+            System.out.println("Loading configuration from: " + configFile);
+            
+            SimulationConfig config = new SimulationConfig(configFile);
+            CoordinatorProcess coordinator = new CoordinatorProcess(config);
+            
+            // 2. Connect to intersection processes
+            System.out.println("\n" + "=".repeat(60));
+            coordinator.initialize();
+            
+            // 3. Run the sim
+            System.out.println("\n" + "=".repeat(60));
+            coordinator.run();
+            
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            System.err.println("Failed to load configuration: " + e.getMessage());
+            System.exit(1);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            System.err.println("Coordinator error: " + e.getMessage());
+            System.exit(1);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    public CoordinatorProcess(SimulationConfig config) {
+        this.config = config;
+        this.vehicleGenerator = new VehicleGenerator(config);
+        this.intersectionClients = new HashMap<>();
+        this.currentTime = 0.0;
+        this.vehicleCounter = 0;
+        this.running = false;
+        this.nextGenerationTime = 0.0;
+        
+        System.out.println("Coordinator initialized with configuration:");
+        System.out.println("  - Simulation duration: " + config.getSimulationDuration() + "s");
+        System.out.println("  - Arrival model: " + config.getArrivalModel());
+        System.out.println("  - Arrival rate: " + config.getArrivalRate() + " vehicles/s");
+    }
+    
+    public void initialize() {
+        System.out.println("Connecting to intersection processes...");
+        
+        String[] intersectionIds = {"Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr3", "Cr4", "Cr5"};
+        
+        for (String intersectionId : intersectionIds) {
+            try {
+                String host = config.getIntersectionHost(intersectionId);
+                int port = config.getIntersectionPort(intersectionId);
+                
+                SocketClient client = new SocketClient(intersectionId, host, port);
+                client.connect();
+                intersectionClients.put(intersectionId, client);
+                
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                System.err.println("Failed to connect to " + intersectionId + ": " + e.getMessage());
+            }
+        }
+        
+        System.out.println("Successfully connected to " + intersectionClients.size() + " intersection(s)");
+        
+        if (intersectionClients.isEmpty()) {
+            System.err.println("WARNING: No intersections connected. Simulation cannot proceed.");
+        }
+    }
+    
+    public void run() {
+        double duration = config.getSimulationDuration();
+        running = true;
+        
+        System.out.println("Starting vehicle generation simulation...");
+        System.out.println("Duration: " + duration + " seconds");
+        System.out.println();
+        
+        nextGenerationTime = vehicleGenerator.getNextArrivalTime(currentTime);
+        final double TIME_STEP = 0.1;
+        
+        while (running && currentTime < duration) {
+            if (currentTime >= nextGenerationTime) {
+                generateAndSendVehicle();
+                nextGenerationTime = vehicleGenerator.getNextArrivalTime(currentTime);
+            }            
+            currentTime += TIME_STEP;
+        }
+        
+        System.out.println();
+        System.out.println("Simulation complete at t=" + String.format("%.2f", currentTime) + "s");
+        System.out.println("Total vehicles generated: " + vehicleCounter);
+        
+        shutdown();
+    }
+    
+    private void generateAndSendVehicle() {
+        Vehicle vehicle = vehicleGenerator.generateVehicle("V" + (++vehicleCounter), currentTime);
+        
+        System.out.printf("[t=%.2f] Vehicle %s generated (type=%s, route=%s)%n",
+            currentTime, vehicle.getId(), vehicle.getType(), vehicle.getRoute());
+        
+        if (vehicle.getRoute().isEmpty()) {
+            System.err.println("ERROR: Vehicle " + vehicle.getId() + " has empty route!");
+            return;
+        }
+        
+        String entryIntersection = vehicle.getRoute().get(0);
+        sendVehicleToIntersection(vehicle, entryIntersection);
+    }
+    
+    private void sendVehicleToIntersection(Vehicle vehicle, String intersectionId) {
+        SocketClient client = intersectionClients.get(intersectionId);
+        
+        if (client == null || !client.isConnected()) {
+            System.err.println("ERROR: No connection to " + intersectionId + " for vehicle " + vehicle.getId());
+            return;
+        }
+        
+        try {
+            Message message = new Message(
+                MessageType.VEHICLE_SPAWN,
+                "COORDINATOR",
+                intersectionId,
+                vehicle
+            );
+            
+            client.send(message);
+            System.out.printf("->Sent to %s%n", intersectionId);
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException | IOException e) {
+            System.err.println("ERROR: Failed to send vehicle " + vehicle.getId() + " to " + intersectionId);
+            System.err.println("Reason: " + e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+    
+    public void shutdown() {
+        System.out.println();
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+        System.out.println("Shutting down coordinator...");
+        
+        for (Map.Entry<String, SocketClient> entry : intersectionClients.entrySet()) {
+            String intersectionId = entry.getKey();
+            SocketClient client = entry.getValue();
+            
+            try {
+                if (client.isConnected()) {
+                    Message personalizedShutdown = new Message(
+                        MessageType.SHUTDOWN,
+                        "COORDINATOR",
+                        intersectionId,
+                        "Simulation complete"
+                    );
+                    client.send(personalizedShutdown);
+                    System.out.println("Sent shutdown message to " + intersectionId);
+                }
+            } catch (SerializationException | IOException e) {
+                System.err.println("Error sending shutdown to " + intersectionId + ": " + e.getMessage());
+            } finally {
+                client.close();
+            }
+        }
+        
+        System.out.println("Coordinator shutdown complete");
+        System.out.println("=".repeat(60));
+    }
+    
+    public void stop() {
+        System.out.println("\nStop signal received...");
+        running = false;
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/coordinator/SocketClient.java

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+package sd.coordinator;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.net.Socket;
+
+import sd.model.Message;
+import sd.serialization.MessageSerializer;
+import sd.serialization.SerializationException;
+import sd.serialization.SerializerFactory;
+
+/**
+ * Socket client for communication with a single intersection process.
+ * 
+ * Handles a persistent TCP connection to one intersection,
+ * providing a simple way to send serialized messages.
+ */
+public class SocketClient {
+    
+    private final String intersectionId;
+    private final String host;
+    private final int port;
+    private Socket socket;
+    private OutputStream outputStream;
+    private MessageSerializer serializer;
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a new SocketClient for a given intersection.
+     *
+     * @param intersectionId Intersection ID (ex. "Cr1")
+     * @param host Host address (ex. "localhost")
+     * @param port Port number
+     */
+    public SocketClient(String intersectionId, String host, int port) {
+        this.intersectionId = intersectionId;
+        this.host = host;
+        this.port = port;
+        this.serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Connects to the intersection process via TCP.
+     * 
+     * @throws IOException if the connection cannot be established
+     */
+
+    public void connect() throws IOException {
+        try {
+            socket = new Socket(host, port);
+            outputStream = socket.getOutputStream();
+            System.out.println("Connected to " + intersectionId + " at " + host + ":" + port);
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            System.err.println("Failed to connect to " + intersectionId + " at " + host + ":" + port);
+            throw e;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Sends a message to the connected intersection.
+     * The message is serialized and written over the socket.
+     *
+     * @param message The message to send
+     * @throws SerializationException if serialization fails
+     * @throws IOException if the socket write fails
+     */
+    public void send(Message message) throws SerializationException, IOException {
+        if (socket == null || socket.isClosed()) {
+            throw new IOException("Socket is not connected to " + intersectionId);
+        }
+        
+        try {
+            byte[] data = serializer.serialize(message);
+            
+            // Prefix with message length (so receiver knows how much to read)
+            int length = data.length;
+            outputStream.write((length >> 24) & 0xFF);
+            outputStream.write((length >> 16) & 0xFF);
+            outputStream.write((length >> 8) & 0xFF);
+            outputStream.write(length & 0xFF);
+            
+            outputStream.write(data);
+            outputStream.flush();
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException | IOException e) {
+            System.err.println("Error sending message to " + intersectionId + ": " + e.getMessage());
+            throw e;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Closes the socket connection safely.
+     * Calling it multiple times won’t cause issues.
+     */
+    public void close() {
+        try {
+            if (outputStream != null) {
+                outputStream.close();
+            }
+            if (socket != null && !socket.isClosed()) {
+                socket.close();
+                System.out.println("Closed connection to " + intersectionId);
+            }
+        } catch (IOException e) {
+            System.err.println("Error closing connection to " + intersectionId + ": " + e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * @return true if connected and socket is open, false otherwise
+     */
+    public boolean isConnected() {
+        return socket != null && socket.isConnected() && !socket.isClosed();
+    }
+    
+    public String getIntersectionId() {
+        return intersectionId;
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return String.format("SocketClient[intersection=%s, host=%s, port=%d, connected=%s]",
+            intersectionId, host, port, isConnected());
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/model/Intersection.java

@@ -104,16 +104,28 @@ public class Intersection {
      * Accepts an incoming vehicle and places it in the correct queue.
      * * This method:
      * 1. Increments the {@link #totalVehiclesReceived} counter.
-     * 2. Gets the vehicle's *next* destination (from {@link Vehicle#getCurrentDestination()}).
+     * 2. Advances the vehicle's route (since it just arrived here)
-     * 3. Uses the {@link #routing} map to find the correct *direction* for that destination.
+     * 3. Gets the vehicle's *next* destination (from {@link Vehicle#getCurrentDestination()}).
-     * 4. Adds the vehicle to the queue of the {@link TrafficLight} for that direction.
+     * 4. Uses the {@link #routing} map to find the correct *direction* for that destination.
+     * 5. Adds the vehicle to the queue of the {@link TrafficLight} for that direction.
      *
      * @param vehicle The {@link Vehicle} arriving at the intersection.
      */
     public void receiveVehicle(Vehicle vehicle) {
         totalVehiclesReceived++;
 
+        // Note: Route advancement is handled by SimulationEngine.handleVehicleArrival()
+        // before calling this method, so we don't advance here.
+        
         String nextDestination = vehicle.getCurrentDestination();
+        
+        // Check if vehicle reached final destination
+        if (nextDestination == null) {
+            System.out.printf("[%s] Vehicle %s reached final destination%n", 
+                this.id, vehicle.getId());
+            return;
+        }
+        
         String direction = routing.get(nextDestination);
 
         if (direction != null && trafficLights.containsKey(direction)) {

main/src/main/java/sd/model/Message.java

@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+package sd.model;
+
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+/**
+ * Represents a message exchanged between processes in the distributed simulation.
+ * Each message has a unique ID, a type, a sender, a destination, and a payload.
+ * This class implements {@link Serializable} to allow transmission over the network.
+ */
+public class Message implements Serializable {
+    
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+    
+    /**
+     * Unique identifier for this message.
+     */
+    private final String messageId;
+    
+    /**
+     * The type of this message (e.g., VEHICLE_TRANSFER, STATS_UPDATE).
+     */
+    private final MessageType type;
+    
+    /**
+     * Identifier of the process that sent this message.
+     */
+    private final String senderId;
+    
+    /**
+     * Identifier of the destination process. Can be null for broadcast messages.
+     */
+    private final String destinationId;
+    
+    /**
+     * The actual data being transmitted. Type depends on the message type.
+     */
+    private final Object payload;
+    
+    /**
+     * Timestamp when this message was created (simulation time or real time).
+     */
+    private final long timestamp;
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a new message with all parameters.
+     *
+     * @param type The message type
+     * @param senderId The ID of the sending process
+     * @param destinationId The ID of the destination process (null for broadcast)
+     * @param payload The message payload
+     * @param timestamp The timestamp of message creation
+     */
+    public Message(MessageType type, String senderId, String destinationId, 
+                   Object payload, long timestamp) {
+        this.messageId = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+        this.type = type;
+        this.senderId = senderId;
+        this.destinationId = destinationId;
+        this.payload = payload;
+        this.timestamp = timestamp;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a new message with current system time as timestamp.
+     *
+     * @param type The message type
+     * @param senderId The ID of the sending process
+     * @param destinationId The ID of the destination process
+     * @param payload The message payload
+     */
+    public Message(MessageType type, String senderId, String destinationId, Object payload) {
+        this(type, senderId, destinationId, payload, System.currentTimeMillis());
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a broadcast message (no specific destination).
+     *
+     * @param type The message type
+     * @param senderId The ID of the sending process
+     * @param payload The message payload
+     */
+    public Message(MessageType type, String senderId, Object payload) {
+        this(type, senderId, null, payload, System.currentTimeMillis());
+    }
+    
+    //Getters
+    
+    public String getMessageId() {
+        return messageId;
+    }
+    
+    public MessageType getType() {
+        return type;
+    }
+    
+    public String getSenderId() {
+        return senderId;
+    }
+    
+    public String getDestinationId() {
+        return destinationId;
+    }
+    
+    public Object getPayload() {
+        return payload;
+    }
+    
+    public long getTimestamp() {
+        return timestamp;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Checks if this is a broadcast message (no specific destination).
+     *
+     * @return true if destinationId is null, false otherwise
+     */
+    public boolean isBroadcast() {
+        return destinationId == null;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Gets the payload cast to a specific type.
+     * Use with caution and ensure type safety.
+     *
+     * @param <T> The expected payload type
+     * @return The payload cast to type T
+     * @throws ClassCastException if the payload is not of type T
+     */
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    public <T> T getPayloadAs(Class<T> clazz) {
+        return (T) payload;
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public String toString() {
+        return String.format("Message[id=%s, type=%s, from=%s, to=%s, timestamp=%d]",
+                           messageId, type, senderId, 
+                           destinationId != null ? destinationId : "BROADCAST",
+                           timestamp);
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/model/MessageType.java

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+package sd.model;
+
+/**
+ * Enumeration representing all possible message types for distributed communication.
+ * These types are used for inter-process communication between different components
+ * of the distributed traffic simulation system.
+ */
+public enum MessageType {
+    
+    /**
+     * Message to transfer a vehicle between intersections or processes.
+     * Payload: Vehicle object with current state
+     */
+    VEHICLE_TRANSFER,
+    
+    /**
+     * Message to update statistics across the distributed system.
+     * Payload: Statistics data (waiting times, queue sizes, etc.)
+     */
+    STATS_UPDATE,
+    
+    /**
+     * Message to synchronize traffic light states between processes.
+     * Payload: TrafficLight state and timing information
+     */
+    TRAFFIC_LIGHT_SYNC,
+    
+    /**
+     * Heartbeat message to check if a process is alive.
+     * Payload: Process ID and timestamp
+     */
+    HEARTBEAT,
+    
+    /**
+     * Request to join the distributed simulation.
+     * Payload: Process information and capabilities
+     */
+    JOIN_REQUEST,
+    
+    /**
+     * Response to a join request.
+     * Payload: Acceptance status and configuration
+     */
+    JOIN_RESPONSE,
+    
+    /**
+     * Message to notify about a new vehicle generation.
+     * Payload: Vehicle generation parameters
+     */
+    VEHICLE_SPAWN,
+    
+    /**
+     * Message to request the current state of an intersection.
+     * Payload: Intersection ID
+     */
+    STATE_REQUEST,
+    
+    /**
+     * Response containing the current state of an intersection.
+     * Payload: Complete intersection state
+     */
+    STATE_RESPONSE,
+    
+    /**
+     * Message to signal shutdown of a process.
+     * Payload: Process ID and reason
+     */
+    SHUTDOWN,
+    
+    /**
+     * Acknowledgment message for reliable communication.
+     * Payload: Message ID being acknowledged
+     */
+    ACK,
+    
+    /**
+     * Error message to report problems in the distributed system.
+     * Payload: Error description and context
+     */
+    ERROR
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/protocol/MessageProtocol.java

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+package sd.protocol;
+
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import sd.model.MessageType; // Assuming MessageType is in sd.model or sd.protocol
+
+/**
+ * Interface defining the contract for all messages exchanged in the simulator.
+ * Ensures that any message can be identified and routed.
+ * * This interface extends Serializable to allow objects that implement it
+ * to be sent over Sockets (ObjectOutputStream).
+ *
+ */
+public interface MessageProtocol extends Serializable {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the type of the message, indicating its purpose.
+     * @return The MessageType (e.g., VEHICLE_TRANSFER, STATS_UPDATE).
+     */
+    MessageType getType();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the data object (payload) that this message carries.
+     * The type of object will depend on the MessageType.
+     * * - If getType() == VEHICLE_TRANSFER, the payload will be a {@link sd.model.Vehicle} object.
+     * - If getType() == STATS_UPDATE, the payload will be a statistics object.
+     * * @return The data object (payload), which must also be Serializable.
+     */
+    Object getPayload();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the ID of the node (Process) that sent this message.
+     * @return String (e.g., "Cr1", "Cr5", "S").
+     */
+    String getSourceNode();
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the ID of the destination node (Process) for this message.
+     * @return String (e.g., "Cr2", "DashboardServer").
+     */
+    String getDestinationNode();
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/protocol/SocketConnection.java

@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+package sd.protocol; 
+
+import java.io.Closeable;
+import java.io.DataInputStream;
+import java.io.DataOutputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.net.ConnectException;
+import java.net.Socket;
+import java.net.SocketTimeoutException;
+import java.net.UnknownHostException;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+import sd.serialization.MessageSerializer;
+import sd.serialization.SerializationException;
+import sd.serialization.SerializerFactory;
+
+
+/**
+ * Wrapper class that simplifies communication via Sockets.
+ * Includes connection retry logic for robustness.
+ */
+public class SocketConnection implements Closeable {
+
+    private final Socket socket;
+    private final OutputStream outputStream;
+    private final InputStream inputStream;
+    private final MessageSerializer serializer;
+
+    // --- Configuration for Retry Logic ---
+    /** Maximum number of connection attempts. */
+    private static final int MAX_RETRIES = 5; 
+    /** Delay between retry attempts in milliseconds. */
+    private static final long RETRY_DELAY_MS = 1000; 
+
+    /**
+     * Constructor for the "Client" (who initiates the connection).
+     * Tries to connect to a process that is already listening (Server).
+     * Includes retry logic in case of initial connection failure.
+     *
+     * @param host The host address (e.g., "localhost" from your simulation.properties)
+     * @param port The port (e.g., 8001 from your simulation.properties)
+     * @throws IOException If connection fails after all retries.
+     * @throws UnknownHostException If the host is not found (this error usually doesn't need retry).
+     * @throws InterruptedException If the thread is interrupted while waiting between retries.
+     */
+    public SocketConnection(String host, int port) throws IOException, UnknownHostException, InterruptedException {
+        Socket tempSocket = null;
+        IOException lastException = null;
+
+        System.out.printf("[SocketConnection] Attempting to connect to %s:%d...%n", host, port);
+
+        // --- Retry Loop ---
+        for (int attempt = 1; attempt <= MAX_RETRIES; attempt++) {
+            try {
+                // Try to establish the connection
+                tempSocket = new Socket(host, port);
+
+                // If successful, break out of the retry loop
+                System.out.printf("[SocketConnection] Connected successfully on attempt %d.%n", attempt);
+                lastException = null; // Clear last error on success
+                break;
+
+            } catch (ConnectException | SocketTimeoutException e) {
+                // These are common errors indicating the server might not be ready.
+                lastException = e;
+                System.out.printf("[SocketConnection] Attempt %d/%d failed: %s. Retrying in %d ms...%n",
+                        attempt, MAX_RETRIES, e.getMessage(), RETRY_DELAY_MS);
+
+                if (attempt < MAX_RETRIES) {
+                    // Wait before the next attempt
+                    TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.sleep(RETRY_DELAY_MS);
+                }
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                // Other IOExceptions might be more permanent, but we retry anyway.
+                 lastException = e;
+                 System.out.printf("[SocketConnection] Attempt %d/%d failed with IOException: %s. Retrying in %d ms...%n",
+                        attempt, MAX_RETRIES, e.getMessage(), RETRY_DELAY_MS);
+                 if (attempt < MAX_RETRIES) {
+                     TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.sleep(RETRY_DELAY_MS);
+                 }
+            }
+        } // --- End of Retry Loop ---
+
+        // If after all retries tempSocket is still null, it means connection failed permanently.
+        if (tempSocket == null) {
+            System.err.printf("[SocketConnection] Failed to connect to %s:%d after %d attempts.%n", host, port, MAX_RETRIES);
+            if (lastException != null) {
+                 throw lastException; // Throw the last exception encountered
+            } else {
+                 // Should not happen if loop ran, but as a fallback
+                 throw new IOException("Failed to connect after " + MAX_RETRIES + " attempts, reason unknown.");
+            }
+        }
+
+        // If connection was successful, assign to final variable and create streams
+        this.socket = tempSocket;
+          
+        this.outputStream = socket.getOutputStream();
+        this.inputStream = socket.getInputStream();
+        this.serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * Constructor for the "Server" (who accepts the connection).
+     * Receives a Socket that has already been accepted by a ServerSocket.
+     * No retry logic needed here as the connection is already established.
+     *
+     * @param acceptedSocket The Socket returned by serverSocket.accept().
+     * @throws IOException If stream creation fails.
+     */
+    public SocketConnection(Socket acceptedSocket) throws IOException {
+        this.socket = acceptedSocket;
+        this.outputStream = socket.getOutputStream();
+        this.inputStream = socket.getInputStream();
+        this.serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+        
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Sends (serializes) a MessageProtocol object over the socket.
+     *
+     * @param message The "envelope" (which contains the Vehicle) to be sent.
+     * @throws IOException If writing to the stream fails or socket is not connected.
+     */
+    public void sendMessage(MessageProtocol message) throws IOException {
+   if (socket == null || !socket.isConnected()) {
+            throw new IOException("Socket is not connected");
+        }
+
+        try {
+            // Serializa para bytes JSON
+            byte[] data = serializer.serialize(message);
+            
+            // Write 4-byte length prefix
+            DataOutputStream dataOut = new DataOutputStream(outputStream);
+            dataOut.writeInt(data.length);
+            dataOut.write(data);
+            dataOut.flush();
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to serialize message", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Tries to read (deserialize) a MessageProtocol object from the socket.
+     *
+     * @return The "envelope" (MessageProtocol) that was received.
+     * @throws IOException If the connection is lost, the stream is corrupted, or socket is not connected.
+     * @throws ClassNotFoundException If the received object is unknown.
+     */
+    public MessageProtocol receiveMessage() throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException {
+       if (socket == null || !socket.isConnected()) {
+            throw new IOException("Socket is not connected");
+        }
+
+        try {
+            // Lê um prefixo de 4 bytes - indicador de tamanho
+            DataInputStream dataIn = new DataInputStream(inputStream);
+            int length = dataIn.readInt();
+            
+            if (length <= 0 || length > 10_000_000) { // Sanity check (10MB max)
+                throw new IOException("Invalid message length: " + length);
+            }
+            
+            // Ler dados da mensagem
+            byte[] data = new byte[length];
+            dataIn.readFully(data);
+            
+            // Deserialize do JSON
+            return serializer.deserialize(data, MessageProtocol.class);
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException e) {
+            throw new IOException("Failed to deserialize message", e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Closes the socket and all streams (Input and Output).
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void close() throws IOException {
+        if (inputStream != null) inputStream.close();
+        if (outputStream != null) outputStream.close();
+        if (socket != null) socket.close();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @return true if the socket is still connected and not closed.
+     */
+    public boolean isConnected() {
+        return socket != null && socket.isConnected() && !socket.isClosed();
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/JsonMessageSerializer.java

@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+package sd.serialization;
+
+import com.google.gson.Gson;
+import com.google.gson.GsonBuilder;
+import com.google.gson.JsonSyntaxException;
+
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+
+/**
+ * JSON-based implementation of {@link MessageSerializer} using Google's Gson library.
+ * 
+ * This serializer converts objects to JSON format for transmission, providing:
+ * - Human-readable message format (easy debugging)
+ * - Cross-platform compatibility
+ * - Smaller message sizes compared to Java native serialization
+ * - Better security (no code execution during deserialization)
+ * 
+ * The serializer is configured with pretty printing disabled by default for
+ * production use, but can be enabled for debugging purposes.
+ * 
+ * Thread-safety: This class is thread-safe as Gson instances are thread-safe.
+ * 
+ * @see MessageSerializer
+ */
+public class JsonMessageSerializer implements MessageSerializer {
+    
+    private final Gson gson;
+    private final boolean prettyPrint;
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a new JSON serializer with default configuration (no pretty printing).
+     */
+    public JsonMessageSerializer() {
+        this(false);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a new JSON serializer with optional pretty printing.
+     * 
+     * @param prettyPrint If true, JSON output will be formatted with indentation
+     */
+    public JsonMessageSerializer(boolean prettyPrint) {
+        this.prettyPrint = prettyPrint;
+        GsonBuilder builder = new GsonBuilder();
+        
+        if (prettyPrint) {
+            builder.setPrettyPrinting();
+        }
+        
+        // Register custom type adapters here if needed
+        // builder.registerTypeAdapter(Vehicle.class, new VehicleAdapter());
+        
+        this.gson = builder.create();
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public byte[] serialize(Object object) throws SerializationException {
+        if (object == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot serialize null object");
+        }
+        
+        try {
+            String json = gson.toJson(object);
+            return json.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            throw new SerializationException(
+                "Failed to serialize object of type " + object.getClass().getName(), e);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public <T> T deserialize(byte[] data, Class<T> clazz) throws SerializationException {
+        if (data == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot deserialize null data");
+        }
+        if (clazz == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Class type cannot be null");
+        }
+        
+        try {
+            String json = new String(data, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            return gson.fromJson(json, clazz);
+        } catch (JsonSyntaxException e) {
+            throw new SerializationException(
+                "Failed to parse JSON for type " + clazz.getName(), e);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            throw new SerializationException(
+                "Failed to deserialize object of type " + clazz.getName(), e);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public String getName() {
+        return "JSON (Gson)";
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the underlying Gson instance for advanced usage.
+     * 
+     * @return The Gson instance
+     */
+    public Gson getGson() {
+        return gson;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Checks if pretty printing is enabled.
+     * 
+     * @return true if pretty printing is enabled
+     */
+    public boolean isPrettyPrint() {
+        return prettyPrint;
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/MessageSerializer.java

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package sd.serialization;
+
+/**
+ * Interface for serializing and deserializing objects for network transmission.
+ * 
+ * This interface provides a common abstraction for different serialization strategies
+ * allowing the system to switch between implementations without changing the communication layer.
+ * 
+ * Implementations must ensure:
+ * - Thread-safety if used in concurrent contexts
+ * - Proper exception handling with meaningful error messages
+ * - Preservation of object state during round-trip serialization
+ * 
+ * @see JsonMessageSerializer
+ */
+public interface MessageSerializer {
+    
+    /**
+     * Serializes an object into a byte array for transmission.
+     * 
+     * @param object The object to serialize (must not be null)
+     * @return A byte array containing the serialized representation
+     * @throws SerializationException If serialization fails
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException If object is null
+     */
+    byte[] serialize(Object object) throws SerializationException;
+    
+    /**
+     * Deserializes a byte array back into an object of the specified type.
+     * 
+     * @param <T> The expected type of the deserialized object
+     * @param data The byte array containing serialized data (must not be null)
+     * @param clazz The class of the expected object type (must not be null)
+     * @return The deserialized object
+     * @throws SerializationException If deserialization fails
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException If data or clazz is null
+     */
+    <T> T deserialize(byte[] data, Class<T> clazz) throws SerializationException;
+    
+    /**
+     * Gets the name of this serialization strategy (e.g., "JSON", "Java Native").
+     * Useful for logging and debugging.
+     * 
+     * @return The serializer name
+     */
+    String getName();
+    
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/SerializationExample.java

@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+package sd.serialization;
+
+import sd.model.Message;
+import sd.model.MessageType;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.model.VehicleType;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Demonstration of JSON serialization usage in the traffic simulation system.
+ * 
+ * This class shows practical examples of how to use JSON (Gson) serialization
+ * for network communication between simulation processes.
+ */
+public class SerializationExample {
+    
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        System.out.println("=== JSON Serialization Example ===\n");
+        
+        // Create a sample vehicle
+        List<String> route = Arrays.asList("Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr5", "S");
+        Vehicle vehicle = new Vehicle("V001", VehicleType.LIGHT, 10.5, route);
+        vehicle.addWaitingTime(2.3);
+        vehicle.addCrossingTime(1.2);
+        
+        // Create a message containing the vehicle
+        Message message = new Message(
+            MessageType.VEHICLE_TRANSFER,
+            "Cr1",
+            "Cr2",
+            vehicle
+        );
+        
+        // ===== JSON Serialization =====
+        demonstrateJsonSerialization(message);
+        
+        // ===== Factory Usage =====
+        demonstrateFactoryUsage(message);
+        
+        // ===== Performance Test =====
+        performanceTest(message);
+    }
+    
+    private static void demonstrateJsonSerialization(Message message) {
+        System.out.println("--- JSON Serialization ---");
+        
+        try {
+            // Create JSON serializer with pretty printing for readability
+            MessageSerializer serializer = new JsonMessageSerializer(true);
+            
+            // Serialize to bytes
+            byte[] data = serializer.serialize(message);
+            
+            // Display the JSON
+            String json = new String(data);
+            System.out.println("Serialized JSON (" + data.length + " bytes):");
+            System.out.println(json);
+            
+            // Deserialize back
+            Message deserialized = serializer.deserialize(data, Message.class);
+            System.out.println("\nDeserialized: " + deserialized);
+            System.out.println("✓ JSON serialization successful\n");
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException e) {
+            System.err.println("❌ JSON serialization failed: " + e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+    
+    private static void demonstrateFactoryUsage(Message message) {
+        System.out.println("--- Using SerializerFactory ---");
+        
+        try {
+            // Get default serializer (JSON)
+            MessageSerializer serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+            System.out.println("Default serializer: " + serializer.getName());
+            
+            // Use it
+            byte[] data = serializer.serialize(message);
+            Message deserialized = serializer.deserialize(data, Message.class);
+            
+            System.out.println("Message type: " + deserialized.getType());
+            System.out.println("From: " + deserialized.getSenderId() + 
+                             " → To: " + deserialized.getDestinationId());
+            System.out.println("✓ Factory usage successful\n");
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException e) {
+            System.err.println("❌ Factory usage failed: " + e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+    
+    private static void performanceTest(Message message) {
+        System.out.println("--- Performance Test ---");
+        
+        int iterations = 1000;
+        
+        try {
+            MessageSerializer compactSerializer = new JsonMessageSerializer(false);
+            MessageSerializer prettySerializer = new JsonMessageSerializer(true);
+            
+            // Warm up
+            for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
+                compactSerializer.serialize(message);
+            }
+            
+            // Test compact JSON
+            long compactStart = System.nanoTime();
+            byte[] compactData = null;
+            for (int i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+                compactData = compactSerializer.serialize(message);
+            }
+            long compactTime = System.nanoTime() - compactStart;
+            
+            // Test pretty JSON
+            byte[] prettyData = prettySerializer.serialize(message);
+            
+            // Results
+            System.out.println("Iterations: " + iterations);
+            System.out.println("\nJSON Compact:");
+            System.out.println("  Size: " + compactData.length + " bytes");
+            System.out.println("  Time: " + (compactTime / 1_000_000.0) + " ms total");
+            System.out.println("  Avg:  " + (compactTime / iterations / 1_000.0) + " μs/operation");
+            
+            System.out.println("\nJSON Pretty-Print:");
+            System.out.println("  Size: " + prettyData.length + " bytes");
+            System.out.println("  Size increase: " + 
+                String.format("%.1f%%", ((double)prettyData.length / compactData.length - 1) * 100));
+            
+        } catch (SerializationException e) {
+            System.err.println("❌ Performance test failed: " + e.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/SerializationException.java

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+package sd.serialization;
+
+/**
+ * Exception thrown when serialization or deserialization operations fail.
+ * 
+ * This exception wraps underlying errors (I/O exceptions, parsing errors, etc.)
+ * and provides context about what went wrong during the serialization process.
+ */
+public class SerializationException extends Exception {
+    
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; // Long(64bits) instead of int(32bits)
+    
+    /**
+     * Constructs a new serialization exception with the specified detail message.
+     * 
+     * @param message The detail message
+     */
+    public SerializationException(String message) {
+        super(message);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Constructs a new serialization exception with the specified detail message
+     * and cause.
+     * 
+     * @param message The detail message
+     * @param cause The cause of this exception
+     */
+    public SerializationException(String message, Throwable cause) {
+        super(message, cause);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Constructs a new serialization exception with the specified cause.
+     * 
+     * @param cause The cause of this exception
+     */
+    public SerializationException(Throwable cause) {
+        super(cause);
+    }
+}

main/src/main/java/sd/serialization/SerializerFactory.java

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package sd.serialization;
+
+/**
+ * Factory for creating {@link MessageSerializer} instances.
+ * 
+ * This factory provides a centralized way to create and configure JSON serializers
+ * using Gson, making it easy to configure serialization throughout the application.
+ * 
+ * The factory can be configured via system properties for easy deployment configuration.
+ * 
+ * Example usage:
+ * <pre>
+ * MessageSerializer serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+ * byte[] data = serializer.serialize(myObject);
+ * </pre>
+ */
+public class SerializerFactory {
+    
+    /**
+     * System property key for enabling pretty-print in JSON serialization.
+     * Set to "true" for debugging, "false" for production.
+     */
+    public static final String JSON_PRETTY_PRINT_PROPERTY = "sd.serialization.json.prettyPrint";
+    
+    // Default configuration
+    private static final boolean DEFAULT_JSON_PRETTY_PRINT = false;
+    
+    /**
+     * Private constructor to prevent instantiation.
+     */
+    private SerializerFactory() {
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Factory class cannot be instantiated");
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a JSON serializer based on system configuration.
+     * 
+     * Pretty-print is determined by checking the system property
+     * {@value #JSON_PRETTY_PRINT_PROPERTY}. If not set, defaults to false.
+     * 
+     * @return A configured JsonMessageSerializer instance
+     */
+    public static MessageSerializer createDefault() {
+        boolean prettyPrint = Boolean.getBoolean(JSON_PRETTY_PRINT_PROPERTY);
+        return new JsonMessageSerializer(prettyPrint);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a JSON serializer with default configuration (no pretty printing).
+     * 
+     * @return A JsonMessageSerializer instance
+     */
+    public static MessageSerializer createSerializer() {
+        return createSerializer(DEFAULT_JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Creates a JSON serializer with specified pretty-print setting.
+     * 
+     * @param prettyPrint Whether to enable pretty printing
+     * @return A JsonMessageSerializer instance
+     */
+    public static MessageSerializer createSerializer(boolean prettyPrint) {
+        return new JsonMessageSerializer(prettyPrint);
+    }
+}

main/src/test/java/IntersectionProcessTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,473 @@
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
+import java.net.Socket;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertDoesNotThrow;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Timeout;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import sd.IntersectionProcess;
+import sd.model.MessageType;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.model.VehicleType;
+
+/**
+ * Tests for IntersectionProcess - covers initialization, traffic lights, 
+ * vehicle transfer and network stuff
+ */
+public class IntersectionProcessTest {
+
+    @TempDir
+    Path tempDir;
+
+    private Path configFile;
+    private IntersectionProcess intersectionProcess;
+
+    // setup test config before each test
+    @BeforeEach
+    public void setUp() throws IOException {
+        // create temp config file
+        configFile = tempDir.resolve("test-simulation.properties");
+        
+        String configContent = """
+                # Test Simulation Configuration
+                
+                # Intersection Network Configuration
+                intersection.Cr1.host=localhost
+                intersection.Cr1.port=18001
+                intersection.Cr2.host=localhost
+                intersection.Cr2.port=18002
+                intersection.Cr3.host=localhost
+                intersection.Cr3.port=18003
+                intersection.Cr4.host=localhost
+                intersection.Cr4.port=18004
+                intersection.Cr5.host=localhost
+                intersection.Cr5.port=18005
+                
+                # Exit Configuration
+                exit.host=localhost
+                exit.port=18099
+                
+                # Dashboard Configuration
+                dashboard.host=localhost
+                dashboard.port=18100
+                
+                # Traffic Light Timing (seconds)
+                trafficLight.Cr1.East.greenTime=5.0
+                trafficLight.Cr1.East.redTime=5.0
+                trafficLight.Cr1.South.greenTime=5.0
+                trafficLight.Cr1.South.redTime=5.0
+                trafficLight.Cr1.West.greenTime=5.0
+                trafficLight.Cr1.West.redTime=5.0
+                
+                trafficLight.Cr2.West.greenTime=4.0
+                trafficLight.Cr2.West.redTime=6.0
+                trafficLight.Cr2.East.greenTime=4.0
+                trafficLight.Cr2.East.redTime=6.0
+                trafficLight.Cr2.South.greenTime=4.0
+                trafficLight.Cr2.South.redTime=6.0
+                
+                trafficLight.Cr3.West.greenTime=3.0
+                trafficLight.Cr3.West.redTime=7.0
+                trafficLight.Cr3.East.greenTime=3.0
+                trafficLight.Cr3.East.redTime=7.0
+                
+                trafficLight.Cr4.East.greenTime=6.0
+                trafficLight.Cr4.East.redTime=4.0
+                
+                trafficLight.Cr5.East.greenTime=5.0
+                trafficLight.Cr5.East.redTime=5.0
+                
+                # Vehicle Crossing Times (seconds)
+                vehicle.bike.crossingTime=2.0
+                vehicle.light.crossingTime=3.0
+                vehicle.heavy.crossingTime=5.0
+                """;
+        
+        Files.writeString(configFile, configContent);
+    }
+
+    // cleanup after tests
+    @AfterEach
+    public void tearDown() {
+        if (intersectionProcess != null) {
+            intersectionProcess.shutdown();
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ==================== Initialization Tests ====================
+
+    @Test
+    public void testConstructor_Success() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        assertNotNull(intersectionProcess);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testConstructor_InvalidConfig() {
+        Exception exception = assertThrows(IOException.class, () -> {
+            new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", "non-existent-config.properties");
+        });
+        assertNotNull(exception);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testInitialize_Cr1() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> intersectionProcess.initialize());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testInitialize_Cr2() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr2", configFile.toString());
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> intersectionProcess.initialize());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testInitialize_Cr3() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr3", configFile.toString());
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> intersectionProcess.initialize());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testInitialize_Cr4() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr4", configFile.toString());
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> intersectionProcess.initialize());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testInitialize_Cr5() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr5", configFile.toString());
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> intersectionProcess.initialize());
+    }
+
+    // traffic light creation tests
+
+    @Test
+    public void testTrafficLightCreation_Cr1_HasCorrectDirections() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        // cant access private fields but initialization succeds
+        assertNotNull(intersectionProcess);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testTrafficLightCreation_Cr3_HasCorrectDirections() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr3", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        // Cr3 has west and south only
+        assertNotNull(intersectionProcess);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testTrafficLightCreation_Cr4_HasSingleDirection() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr4", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        // Cr4 only has east direction
+        assertNotNull(intersectionProcess);
+    }
+
+    // server startup tests
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    public void testServerStart_BindsToCorrectPort() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        // start server in seperate thread
+        Thread serverThread = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                intersectionProcess.start();
+            } catch (IOException e) {
+                // expected on shutdown
+            }
+        });
+        serverThread.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500); // wait for server to start
+        
+        // try connecting to check if its running
+        try (Socket clientSocket = new Socket("localhost", 18001)) {
+            assertTrue(clientSocket.isConnected());
+        }
+        
+        intersectionProcess.shutdown();
+        serverThread.join(2000);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    public void testServerStart_MultipleIntersections() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        // test 2 intersections on diferent ports
+        IntersectionProcess cr1 = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        IntersectionProcess cr2 = new IntersectionProcess("Cr2", configFile.toString());
+        
+        cr1.initialize();
+        cr2.initialize();
+        
+        Thread thread1 = new Thread(() -> {
+            try { cr1.start(); } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        
+        Thread thread2 = new Thread(() -> {
+            try { cr2.start(); } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        
+        thread1.start();
+        thread2.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500);
+        
+        // check both are running
+        try (Socket socket1 = new Socket("localhost", 18001);
+             Socket socket2 = new Socket("localhost", 18002)) {
+            assertTrue(socket1.isConnected());
+            assertTrue(socket2.isConnected());
+        }
+        
+        cr1.shutdown();
+        cr2.shutdown();
+        thread1.join(2000);
+        thread2.join(2000);
+    }
+
+    // vehicle transfer tests
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(10)
+    public void testVehicleTransfer_ReceiveVehicle() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        // setup reciever intersection
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr2", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        Thread serverThread = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                intersectionProcess.start();
+            } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        serverThread.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500);
+        
+        // create test vehicle
+        java.util.List<String> route = Arrays.asList("Cr2", "Cr3", "S");
+        Vehicle vehicle = new Vehicle("V001", VehicleType.LIGHT, 0.0, route);
+        
+        // send vehicle from Cr1 to Cr2
+        try (Socket socket = new Socket("localhost", 18002)) {
+            ObjectOutputStream out = new ObjectOutputStream(socket.getOutputStream());
+            
+            TestVehicleMessage message = new TestVehicleMessage("Cr1", "Cr2", vehicle);
+            out.writeObject(message);
+            out.flush();
+            
+            Thread.sleep(1000); // wait for procesing
+        }
+        
+        intersectionProcess.shutdown();
+        serverThread.join(2000);
+    }
+
+    // routing config tests
+
+    @Test
+    public void testRoutingConfiguration_Cr1() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        // indirect test - if init works routing should be ok
+        assertNotNull(intersectionProcess);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testRoutingConfiguration_Cr5() throws IOException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr5", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        // Cr5 routes to exit
+        assertNotNull(intersectionProcess);
+    }
+
+    // shutdown tests
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    public void testShutdown_GracefulTermination() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        Thread serverThread = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                intersectionProcess.start();
+            } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        serverThread.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500);
+        
+        // shutdown should be fast
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> intersectionProcess.shutdown());
+        
+        serverThread.join(2000);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    public void testShutdown_ClosesServerSocket() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        Thread serverThread = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                intersectionProcess.start();
+            } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        serverThread.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500);
+        
+        // verify server running
+        try (Socket socket = new Socket("localhost", 18001)) {
+            assertTrue(socket.isConnected());
+        }
+        
+        intersectionProcess.shutdown();
+        serverThread.join(2000);
+        
+        // after shutdown conection should fail
+        Thread.sleep(500);
+        Exception exception = assertThrows(IOException.class, () -> {
+            Socket socket = new Socket("localhost", 18001);
+            socket.close();
+        });
+        assertNotNull(exception);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    public void testShutdown_StopsTrafficLightThreads() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        intersectionProcess = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        intersectionProcess.initialize();
+        
+        Thread serverThread = new Thread(() -> {
+            try {
+                intersectionProcess.start();
+            } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        serverThread.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500);
+        
+        int threadCountBefore = Thread.activeCount();
+        
+        intersectionProcess.shutdown();
+        serverThread.join(2000);
+        
+        Thread.sleep(500); // wait for threads to die
+        
+        // thread count should decrese (traffic light threads stop)
+        int threadCountAfter = Thread.activeCount();
+        assertTrue(threadCountAfter <= threadCountBefore);
+    }
+
+    // integration tests
+
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(15)
+    public void testIntegration_TwoIntersectionsVehicleTransfer() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        // setup 2 intersections
+        IntersectionProcess cr1 = new IntersectionProcess("Cr1", configFile.toString());
+        IntersectionProcess cr2 = new IntersectionProcess("Cr2", configFile.toString());
+        
+        cr1.initialize();
+        cr2.initialize();
+        
+        // start both
+        Thread thread1 = new Thread(() -> {
+            try { cr1.start(); } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        
+        Thread thread2 = new Thread(() -> {
+            try { cr2.start(); } catch (IOException e) { }
+        });
+        
+        thread1.start();
+        thread2.start();
+        
+        Thread.sleep(1000); // wait for servers
+        
+        // send vehicle to Cr1 that goes to Cr2
+        java.util.List<String> route = Arrays.asList("Cr1", "Cr2", "S");
+        Vehicle vehicle = new Vehicle("V001", VehicleType.LIGHT, 0.0, route);
+        
+        try (Socket socket = new Socket("localhost", 18001)) {
+            ObjectOutputStream out = new ObjectOutputStream(socket.getOutputStream());
+            
+            TestVehicleMessage message = new TestVehicleMessage("Entry", "Cr1", vehicle);
+            out.writeObject(message);
+            out.flush();
+            
+            Thread.sleep(2000); // time for processing
+        }
+        
+        cr1.shutdown();
+        cr2.shutdown();
+        thread1.join(2000);
+        thread2.join(2000);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testMain_MissingArguments() {
+        // main needs intersection ID as argument
+        // cant test System.exit easily in modern java
+        assertTrue(true, "Main method expects intersection ID as first argument");
+    }
+
+    // helper class for testing vehicle messages
+    private static class TestVehicleMessage implements sd.protocol.MessageProtocol {
+        private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+        
+        private final String sourceNode;
+        private final String destinationNode;
+        private final Vehicle payload;
+        
+        public TestVehicleMessage(String sourceNode, String destinationNode, Vehicle vehicle) {
+            this.sourceNode = sourceNode;
+            this.destinationNode = destinationNode;
+            this.payload = vehicle;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public MessageType getType() {
+            return MessageType.VEHICLE_TRANSFER;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public Object getPayload() {
+            return payload;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public String getSourceNode() {
+            return sourceNode;
+        }
+        
+        @Override
+        public String getDestinationNode() {
+            return destinationNode;
+        }
+    }
+}

main/src/test/java/sd/coordinator/CoordinatorIntegrationTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+package sd.coordinator;
+
+import java.io.DataInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.ServerSocket;
+import java.net.Socket;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentLinkedQueue;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Timeout;
+
+import sd.model.Message;
+import sd.model.MessageType;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.serialization.MessageSerializer;
+import sd.serialization.SerializerFactory;
+
+/**
+ * Integration tests for the Coordinator-side networking.
+ *
+ * What we’re checking here:
+ *  1. A SocketClient can actually connect to something listening
+ *  2. Messages go over the wire and can be deserialized
+ *  3. Vehicle payloads survive the trip
+ *  4. Shutdown messages can be broadcast to multiple intersections
+ *
+ * We do this by spinning up a tiny mock intersection server in-process.
+ */
+class CoordinatorIntegrationTest {
+    
+    private List<MockIntersectionServer> mockServers;
+    private static final int BASE_PORT = 9001; // keep clear of real ports
+    
+    @BeforeEach
+    void setUp() {
+        mockServers = new ArrayList<>();
+    }
+    
+    @AfterEach
+    void tearDown() {
+        // Stop all mock servers
+        for (MockIntersectionServer server : mockServers) {
+            server.stop();
+        }
+        mockServers.clear();
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Can the client open a TCP connection to our fake intersection?
+     */
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    void testSocketClientConnection() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        MockIntersectionServer server = new MockIntersectionServer("Cr1", BASE_PORT);
+        server.start();
+        mockServers.add(server);
+        
+        // tiny pause to let the server bind
+        Thread.sleep(100);
+        
+        SocketClient client = new SocketClient("Cr1", "localhost", BASE_PORT);
+        client.connect();
+        
+        assertTrue(client.isConnected(), "Client should be connected to mock intersection");
+        
+        client.close();
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * End-to-end: send a message, make sure the server actually receives it.
+     */
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    void testMessageTransmission() throws Exception {
+        MockIntersectionServer server = new MockIntersectionServer("Cr1", BASE_PORT);
+        server.start();
+        mockServers.add(server);
+        
+        Thread.sleep(100);
+        
+        SocketClient client = new SocketClient("Cr1", "localhost", BASE_PORT);
+        client.connect();
+        
+        Message testMessage = new Message(
+            MessageType.VEHICLE_SPAWN,
+            "COORDINATOR",
+            "Cr1",
+            "Test payload"
+        );
+        
+        client.send(testMessage);
+        
+        // give the server a moment to read and deserialize
+        Thread.sleep(200);
+        
+        assertFalse(
+            server.getReceivedMessages().isEmpty(),
+            "Mock server should have received at least one message"
+        );
+        
+        Message receivedMsg = server.getReceivedMessages().poll();
+        assertNotNull(receivedMsg, "Server should have actually received a message");
+        assertEquals(MessageType.VEHICLE_SPAWN, receivedMsg.getType(), "Message type should match what we sent");
+        assertEquals("COORDINATOR", receivedMsg.getSenderId(), "Sender ID should be preserved");
+        assertEquals("Cr1", receivedMsg.getDestinationId(), "Destination ID should be preserved");
+        
+        client.close();
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Make sure vehicle payloads survive the trip and arrive non-null.
+     */
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    void testVehicleSpawnMessage() throws Exception {
+        MockIntersectionServer server = new MockIntersectionServer("Cr1", BASE_PORT);
+        server.start();
+        mockServers.add(server);
+        
+        Thread.sleep(100);
+        
+        SocketClient client = new SocketClient("Cr1", "localhost", BASE_PORT);
+        client.connect();
+        
+        // fake a vehicle like the coordinator would send
+        List<String> route = List.of("Cr1", "Cr4", "Cr5", "S");
+        Vehicle vehicle = new Vehicle("V1", sd.model.VehicleType.LIGHT, 0.0, route);
+        
+        Message spawnMessage = new Message(
+            MessageType.VEHICLE_SPAWN,
+            "COORDINATOR",
+            "Cr1",
+            vehicle
+        );
+        
+        client.send(spawnMessage);
+        
+        Thread.sleep(200);
+        
+        Message receivedMsg = server.getReceivedMessages().poll();
+        assertNotNull(receivedMsg, "Mock server should receive the spawn message");
+        assertEquals(MessageType.VEHICLE_SPAWN, receivedMsg.getType(), "Message should be of type VEHICLE_SPAWN");
+        assertNotNull(receivedMsg.getPayload(), "Payload should not be null (vehicle must arrive)");
+        
+        client.close();
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Broadcast shutdown to multiple mock intersections and see if all of them get it.
+     */
+    @Test
+    @Timeout(5)
+    void testShutdownMessageBroadcast() throws Exception {
+        // Start a couple of fake intersections
+        for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
+            MockIntersectionServer server = new MockIntersectionServer("Cr" + i, BASE_PORT + i - 1);
+            server.start();
+            mockServers.add(server);
+        }
+        
+        Thread.sleep(200);
+        
+        // Connect to all of them
+        List<SocketClient> clients = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (int i = 1; i <= 3; i++) {
+            SocketClient client = new SocketClient("Cr" + i, "localhost", BASE_PORT + i - 1);
+            client.connect();
+            clients.add(client);
+        }
+        
+        Message shutdownMessage = new Message(
+            MessageType.SHUTDOWN,
+            "COORDINATOR",
+            "ALL",
+            "Simulation complete"
+        );
+        
+        for (SocketClient client : clients) {
+            client.send(shutdownMessage);
+        }
+        
+        Thread.sleep(200);
+        
+        for (MockIntersectionServer server : mockServers) {
+            assertFalse(
+                server.getReceivedMessages().isEmpty(),
+                "Server " + server.getIntersectionId() + " should have received the shutdown message"
+            );
+            
+            Message msg = server.getReceivedMessages().poll();
+            assertEquals(MessageType.SHUTDOWN, msg.getType(), "Server should receive a SHUTDOWN message");
+        }
+        
+        for (SocketClient client : clients) {
+            client.close();
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Tiny TCP server that pretends to be an intersection.
+     * It:
+     *  - listens on a port
+     *  - accepts connections
+     *  - reads length-prefixed messages
+     *  - deserializes them and stores them for the test to inspect
+     */
+    private static class MockIntersectionServer {
+        private final String intersectionId;
+        private final int port;
+        private ServerSocket serverSocket;
+        private Thread serverThread;
+        private volatile boolean running;
+        private final ConcurrentLinkedQueue<Message> receivedMessages;
+        private final MessageSerializer serializer;
+        
+        public MockIntersectionServer(String intersectionId, int port) {
+            this.intersectionId = intersectionId;
+            this.port = port;
+            this.receivedMessages = new ConcurrentLinkedQueue<>();
+            this.serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+            this.running = false;
+        }
+        
+        public void start() throws IOException {
+            serverSocket = new ServerSocket(port);
+            running = true;
+            
+            System.out.printf("Mock %s listening on port %d%n", intersectionId, port);
+            
+            serverThread = new Thread(() -> {
+                try {
+                    while (running) {
+                        Socket clientSocket = serverSocket.accept();
+                        handleClient(clientSocket);
+                    }
+                } catch (IOException e) {
+                    if (running) {
+                        System.err.println("Mock " + intersectionId + " server error: " + e.getMessage());
+                    }
+                }
+            }, "mock-" + intersectionId + "-listener");
+            
+            serverThread.start();
+        }
+        
+        private void handleClient(Socket clientSocket) {
+            new Thread(() -> {
+                try (DataInputStream input = new DataInputStream(clientSocket.getInputStream())) {
+                    while (running) {
+                        // Read length prefix (4 bytes, big-endian)
+                        int length = input.readInt();
+                        byte[] data = new byte[length];
+                        input.readFully(data);
+                        
+                        Message message = serializer.deserialize(data, Message.class);
+                        receivedMessages.offer(message);
+                        
+                        System.out.println("Mock " + intersectionId + " received: " + message.getType());
+                    }
+                } catch (IOException e) {
+                    if (running) {
+                        System.err.println("Mock " + intersectionId + " client handler error: " + e.getMessage());
+                    }
+                } catch (Exception e) {
+                    System.err.println("Mock " + intersectionId + " deserialization error: " + e.getMessage());
+                }
+            }, "mock-" + intersectionId + "-client").start();
+        }
+        
+        public void stop() {
+            running = false;
+            try {
+                if (serverSocket != null && !serverSocket.isClosed()) {
+                    serverSocket.close();
+                }
+                if (serverThread != null) {
+                    serverThread.interrupt();
+                    serverThread.join(1000);
+                }
+                System.out.printf("Mock %s stopped%n", intersectionId);
+            } catch (IOException | InterruptedException e) {
+                System.err.println("Error stopping mock server " + intersectionId + ": " + e.getMessage());
+            }
+        }
+        
+        public ConcurrentLinkedQueue<Message> getReceivedMessages() {
+            return receivedMessages;
+        }
+        
+        public String getIntersectionId() {
+            return intersectionId;
+        }
+    }
+}

main/src/test/java/sd/coordinator/CoordinatorProcessTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+package sd.coordinator;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import sd.config.SimulationConfig;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.util.VehicleGenerator;
+
+/**
+ * Tests for the Coordinator/vehicle-generation layer.
+ *
+ * What we’re checking here:
+ *  1. Coordinator can be created with a valid config
+ *  2. Vehicle arrival times are monotonic and sane
+ *  3. Vehicle IDs are created in the format we expect (V1, V2, ...)
+ *  4. Generated vehicles have proper routes (start at CrX, end at S)
+ *  5. Config actually has intersection info
+ *  6. Duration in config is not something crazy
+ */
+class CoordinatorProcessTest {
+    
+    private SimulationConfig config;
+    private static final String TEST_CONFIG = "src/main/resources/simulation.properties";
+    
+    @BeforeEach
+    void setUp() throws IOException {
+        config = new SimulationConfig(TEST_CONFIG);
+    }
+    
+    @AfterEach
+    void tearDown() {
+        config = null;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Basic smoke test: can we build a coordinator with this config?
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testCoordinatorInitialization() {
+        CoordinatorProcess coordinator = new CoordinatorProcess(config);
+        assertNotNull(coordinator, "Coordinator should be created with a valid config");
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Make sure the VehicleGenerator is giving us increasing arrival times,
+     * i.e. time doesn’t go backwards and intervals look reasonable.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testVehicleGenerationTiming() {
+        VehicleGenerator generator = new VehicleGenerator(config);
+        
+        double currentTime = 0.0;
+        List<Double> arrivalTimes = new ArrayList<>();
+        
+        // generate a small batch to inspect
+        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+            double nextArrival = generator.getNextArrivalTime(currentTime);
+            arrivalTimes.add(nextArrival);
+            currentTime = nextArrival;
+        }
+        
+        // times should strictly increase
+        for (int i = 1; i < arrivalTimes.size(); i++) {
+            assertTrue(
+                arrivalTimes.get(i) > arrivalTimes.get(i - 1),
+                "Arrival times must increase — got " + arrivalTimes.get(i - 1) + " then " + arrivalTimes.get(i)
+            );
+        }
+        
+        // and they shouldn't be nonsense
+        for (double time : arrivalTimes) {
+            assertTrue(time >= 0, "Arrival time should not be negative (got " + time + ")");
+            assertTrue(time < 1000, "Arrival time looks suspiciously large: " + time);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * We generate V1..V5 manually and make sure the IDs are exactly those.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testVehicleIdGeneration() {
+        VehicleGenerator generator = new VehicleGenerator(config);
+        
+        List<Vehicle> vehicles = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
+            Vehicle v = generator.generateVehicle("V" + i, 0.0);
+            vehicles.add(v);
+            assertEquals("V" + i, v.getId(), "Vehicle ID should be 'V" + i + "' but got " + v.getId());
+        }
+        
+        // just to be safe, no duplicates in that small set
+        long distinctCount = vehicles.stream().map(Vehicle::getId).distinct().count();
+        assertEquals(5, distinctCount, "Vehicle IDs in this batch should all be unique");
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * A generated vehicle should:
+     *  - have a non-empty route
+     *  - start in a known intersection (Cr1..Cr5)
+     *  - end in S (exit)
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testVehicleRouteValidity() {
+        VehicleGenerator generator = new VehicleGenerator(config);
+        
+        for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
+            Vehicle vehicle = generator.generateVehicle("V" + i, 0.0);
+            
+            assertNotNull(vehicle.getRoute(), "Vehicle route should not be null");
+            assertFalse(vehicle.getRoute().isEmpty(), "Vehicle route should not be empty");
+            
+            String firstHop = vehicle.getRoute().get(0);
+            assertTrue(
+                firstHop.matches("Cr[1-5]"),
+                "First hop should be a valid intersection (Cr1..Cr5), got: " + firstHop
+            );
+            
+            String lastHop = vehicle.getRoute().get(vehicle.getRoute().size() - 1);
+            assertEquals("S", lastHop, "Last hop should be exit 'S' but got: " + lastHop);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Whatever is in simulation.properties should give us a sane duration.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testSimulationDuration() {
+        double duration = config.getSimulationDuration();
+        assertTrue(duration > 0, "Simulation duration must be positive");
+        assertTrue(duration >= 1.0, "Simulation should run at least 1 second (got " + duration + ")");
+        assertTrue(duration <= 86400.0, "Simulation should not run more than a day (got " + duration + ")");
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Check that the 5 intersections defined in the architecture
+     * actually exist in the config and have valid network data.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testIntersectionConfiguration() {
+        String[] intersectionIds = {"Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr3", "Cr4", "Cr5"};
+        
+        for (String id : intersectionIds) {
+            String host = config.getIntersectionHost(id);
+            int port = config.getIntersectionPort(id);
+            
+            assertNotNull(host, "Host should not be null for " + id);
+            assertFalse(host.isEmpty(), "Host should not be empty for " + id);
+            assertTrue(port > 0, "Port should be > 0 for " + id + " (got " + port + ")");
+            assertTrue(port < 65536, "Port should be a valid TCP port for " + id + " (got " + port + ")");
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Quick sanity check: over a bunch of generated vehicles,
+     * we should eventually see the different vehicle types appear.
+     *
+     * Note: this is probabilistic, so we're not being super strict.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testVehicleTypeDistribution() {
+        VehicleGenerator generator = new VehicleGenerator(config);
+        
+        boolean hasBike = false;
+        boolean hasLight = false;
+        boolean hasHeavy = false;
+        
+        // 50 is enough for a "we're probably fine" test
+        for (int i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
+            Vehicle vehicle = generator.generateVehicle("V" + i, 0.0);
+            
+            switch (vehicle.getType()) {
+                case BIKE -> hasBike = true;
+                case LIGHT -> hasLight = true;
+                case HEAVY -> hasHeavy = true;
+            }
+        }
+        
+        // at least one of them should have shown up — if not, RNG is cursed
+        assertTrue(
+            hasBike || hasLight || hasHeavy,
+            "Expected to see at least one vehicle type after 50 generations"
+        );
+    }
+}

main/src/test/java/sd/serialization/SerializationTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+package sd.serialization;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.DisplayName;
+import sd.model.Message;
+import sd.model.Vehicle;
+import sd.model.VehicleType;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+
+/**
+ * Test suite for JSON serialization.
+ * 
+ * Tests JSON serialization to ensure:
+ * - Correct serialization and deserialization
+ * - Data integrity during round-trip conversion
+ * - Proper error handling
+ */
+class SerializationTest {
+    
+    private MessageSerializer jsonSerializer = new JsonMessageSerializer();
+    
+    private Vehicle testVehicle = new Vehicle("V001", VehicleType.LIGHT, 10.5,
+            Arrays.asList("Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr5", "S"));
+    private Message testMessage = new Message(
+            sd.model.MessageType.VEHICLE_TRANSFER,
+            "Cr1",
+            "Cr2",
+            testVehicle
+    );
+    
+    
+    // ===== JSON Serialization Tests =====
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("JSON: Should serialize and deserialize Vehicle correctly")
+    void testJsonVehicleRoundTrip() throws SerializationException {
+        // Serialize
+        byte[] data = jsonSerializer.serialize(testVehicle);
+        assertNotNull(data);
+        assertTrue(data.length > 0);
+        
+        // Print JSON for inspection
+        System.out.println("JSON Vehicle:");
+        System.out.println(new String(data));
+        
+        // Deserialize
+        Vehicle deserialized = jsonSerializer.deserialize(data, Vehicle.class);
+        
+        // Verify
+        assertNotNull(deserialized);
+        assertEquals(testVehicle.getId(), deserialized.getId());
+        assertEquals(testVehicle.getType(), deserialized.getType());
+        assertEquals(testVehicle.getEntryTime(), deserialized.getEntryTime());
+        assertEquals(testVehicle.getRoute(), deserialized.getRoute());
+        assertEquals(testVehicle.getTotalWaitingTime(), deserialized.getTotalWaitingTime());
+        assertEquals(testVehicle.getTotalCrossingTime(), deserialized.getTotalCrossingTime());
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("JSON: Should serialize and deserialize Message correctly")
+    void testJsonMessageRoundTrip() throws SerializationException {
+        // Serialize
+        byte[] data = jsonSerializer.serialize(testMessage);
+        assertNotNull(data);
+        
+        // Print JSON for inspection
+        System.out.println("\nJSON Message:");
+        System.out.println(new String(data));
+        
+        // Deserialize
+        Message deserialized = jsonSerializer.deserialize(data, Message.class);
+        
+        // Verify
+        assertNotNull(deserialized);
+        assertEquals(testMessage.getType(), deserialized.getType());
+        assertEquals(testMessage.getSenderId(), deserialized.getSenderId());
+        assertEquals(testMessage.getDestinationId(), deserialized.getDestinationId());
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("JSON: Should throw exception on null object")
+    void testJsonSerializeNull() {
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> {
+            jsonSerializer.serialize(null);
+        });
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("JSON: Should throw exception on null data")
+    void testJsonDeserializeNull() {
+        assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> {
+            jsonSerializer.deserialize(null, Vehicle.class);
+        });
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("JSON: Should throw exception on invalid JSON")
+    void testJsonDeserializeInvalid() {
+        byte[] invalidData = "{ invalid json }".getBytes();
+        assertThrows(SerializationException.class, () -> {
+            jsonSerializer.deserialize(invalidData, Vehicle.class);
+        });
+    }
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("JSON: Should preserve data integrity for complex objects")
+    void testDataIntegrity() throws SerializationException {
+        // Create a more complex vehicle
+        Vehicle vehicle = new Vehicle("V999", VehicleType.HEAVY, 100.5,
+            Arrays.asList("Cr1", "Cr2", "Cr3", "Cr4", "Cr5", "S"));
+        vehicle.addWaitingTime(10.5);
+        vehicle.addWaitingTime(5.3);
+        vehicle.addCrossingTime(2.1);
+        vehicle.advanceRoute();
+        vehicle.advanceRoute();
+        
+        // Serialize and deserialize
+        byte[] jsonData = jsonSerializer.serialize(vehicle);
+        Vehicle deserialized = jsonSerializer.deserialize(jsonData, Vehicle.class);
+        
+        // Verify all fields match
+        assertEquals(vehicle.getId(), deserialized.getId());
+        assertEquals(vehicle.getType(), deserialized.getType());
+        assertEquals(vehicle.getTotalWaitingTime(), deserialized.getTotalWaitingTime());
+        assertEquals(vehicle.getCurrentRouteIndex(), deserialized.getCurrentRouteIndex());
+    }
+    
+    // ===== Factory Tests =====
+    
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("Factory: Should create JSON serializer by default")
+    void testFactoryDefault() {
+        MessageSerializer serializer = SerializerFactory.createDefault();
+        assertNotNull(serializer);
+        assertEquals("JSON (Gson)", serializer.getName());
+    }
+}