Aspire :: Deployment of Filtering And Collection Server on OSGi

1 Introduction

Deployment of the Filtering And Collection Server on OSGi platform provides to the middleware two important properties:

  • Modularity: Extensions to the F&C server as addition of new readers or sensors should be provided in a modular fashion. Using OSGi approach, new readers are developed without introduce their driver code in the same archive (war) used to package the ALE Server.
  • Dynamicity: These new modules will be deployed (or undeployed) on the platform dynamically without stopping the applications that are currently in execution.
However, deployment on OSGi imposes some conditions on the F&C server provisioning. This document will explain how to deploy the Fosstrak ALE Server on OSGi platform. The document is organized as follows: first installation of OSGi platform is presented. Then, how the war archive is transformed in a compliant OSGi bundled is showed. Next, the installation of a reader driver is illustrated, follow by installation of a sensor driver. Finally, additional features installation is explained.

aleosgiarch.png

Figure : architecture of the ALEServer' OSGi profile (HiRes picture)

2 Transformation of ALE Server web application in an OSGi compliant bundle

This transformation consists only in the addition of a MANIFEST.MF file into the war archive. This manifest file must be OSGi compliant, indicating the bundle dependencies and capabilities and also other meta-data used by the OSGi platform. In OSGi profile, we have added the manifest file, also Sensor communication and JMX management features. In the project aleserver-bundle the specific files to support these features are found.

Instructions to build the F&C server are here

3 Deployment of F&C Server on OSGI platform

3.1 Installation of an OSGi platform with web application support

First download an OSGi distribution such as Apache Felix (current version is 2.0.1). Then, install Pax Web (implementation of OSGi Http Service) and their dependencies (current version is 0.7.2). Finally, install the Pax Web Extender (current version is 0.7.2) with provides a transparent (for JEE war archive) registration of servlets on the OSGi platform.

These steps can be performed easily using the Pax Runner tool (an intenet connection is required). Simply, download the Pax Runner, then in a console execute the command pax-run --platform=felix --dir=ale war config

This command install (and launch) the Felix platform into the directory ale. The last arguments indicate to Pax Runner which profiles it should install, war is the web support profile and config the configuration admin service.

In some windows system the command must be typed as pax-run "--platform=felix" "--dir=ale" war config

3.2 Other necessary bundles

In order to support sensor extensions is necessary also to install the Wire Admin bundle (compiled version wireadmin.jar ) and Wire Admin Binder (compiled version wireadmin-binder.jar) bundles.

Install the bundles using the associated command in your OSGi distribution. For Felix distribution use the next commands

install file:path/wireadmin.jar install file:path/wireadmin-binder.jar

3.3 Instalation of F&C server bundle

In Felix platform you can install the server bundle using the next command

install file:path/aleserver-bundle.war

4 Installation of Readers' Drivers

Readers' Drivers are installed as bundles on the OSGi platform. Next readers' drivers have been included in the OSGi profile:

Use the Felix command install to deploy each reader bundle and its dependencies.

5 Installation of the temperature sensors

Two temperature sensors are provided in this distribution, At first,a fictive sensor that can be used for test purposes, and a Temper sensor that is the driver of an usb sensor temperature device. Require bundles are also provided (iPojo version 1.4.0).

Readers' bundles and sensors' bundles are shown in the next osgi console snapshot:

ALE-OSGi.png

6 Installation of other features bundles

The platform can be enriched using other bundles to add different features. By example, a bundle allowing administration of OSGi platform using the Visual VM OSGi plugin is provided.

7 All-in-one distribution

A distribution with all required bundles is available here. Download the file and unzip it, then execute run.sh (or run.bat in Windows).

8 Misc

  • CiliaALE : a flexible and dynamically reconfigurable ALE Server for Android platforms (phones and tablets)