README.dev

   1 = Setup PVE Development Environment =
   2
   3 1. Install Debian 'jessie'
   4 2. Configure pvetest repository in apt sources.list
   5
   6  deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian jessie pvetest
   7
   8 3. Add our repository key with apt-key:
   9
  10  wget -O- "http://download.proxmox.com/debian/key.asc" | apt-key add -
  11
  12 4. make sure you have a read IP address for your hostname in /etc/hosts
  13    (using 127.0.1.1 will not work)
  14
  15 5. run: apt-get update
  16 6. run: apt-get dist-upgrade
  17 7. run: apt-get install proxmox-ve-3.10.0
  18
  19 You should now have a working Proxmox VE installation.
  20
  21 = Install build prerequisites for development environment =
  22
  23 apt-get -y install build-essential git-core debhelper autotools-dev \
  24 autogen dh-autoreconf dkms doxygen check pkg-config groff quilt dpatch \
  25 automake autoconf libtool lintian libdevel-cycle-perl libjson-perl \
  26 libcommon-sense-perl liblinux-inotify2-perl libio-stringy-perl \
  27 libstring-shellquote-perl dh-systemd rpm2cpio libsqlite3-dev sqlite3 \
  28 libglib2.0-dev librrd-dev librrds-perl rrdcached libdigest-hmac-perl \
  29 libxml-parser-perl gdb libcrypt-openssl-random-perl \
  30 libcrypt-openssl-rsa-perl libnet-ldap-perl libauthen-pam-perl \
  31 libjson-xs-perl libterm-readline-gnu-perl oathtool libmime-base32-perl \
  32 liboath0 libpci-dev texi2html libsdl1.2-dev libgnutls28-dev \
  33 libspice-protocol-dev xfslibs-dev libnuma-dev libaio-dev \
  34 pve-libspice-server-dev libusbredirparser-dev glusterfs-common \
  35 libusb-1.0-0-dev librbd-dev libpopt-dev iproute bridge-utils numactl \
  36 glusterfs-common ceph-common python-ceph libgoogle-perftools4 \
  37 libfile-chdir-perl lvm2 glusterfs-client liblockfile-simple-perl \
  38 libsystemd-daemon-dev libreadline-gplv2-dev libio-multiplex-perl \
  39 libnetfilter-log-dev libipset3 ipset socat libsasl2-dev libogg-dev \
  40 python-pyparsing libfilesys-df-perl libcrypt-ssleay-perl \
  41 libfile-readbackwards-perl libanyevent-perl libanyevent-http-perl \
  42 unzip liblocale-po-perl vlan ifenslave-2.6 libfile-sync-perl cstream \
  43 lzop dtach apt-transport-https hdparm gdisk parted ttf-dejavu-core \
  44 liblzma-dev dosfstools mtools libxen-dev libfuse-dev libcorosync-pve-dev \
  45 libqb-dev libapparmor-dev docbook2x libcap-dev dh-apparmor libcgmanager-dev \
  46 graphviz libseccomp-dev libglib-perl libgtk3-perl libnss3-dev libdlm-dev \
  47 libudev-dev
  48
  49 = Compile PVE packages from Source =
  50
  51 Download and install the following git modules in order from top to bottom:
  52
  53 # git clone git://git.proxmox.com/git/<PACKAGE.git>
  54
  55 You currently need the following packages:
  56
  57 libqb.git
  58 corosync-pve.git
  59 pve-common.git
  60 pve-docs.git
  61 pve-cluster.git
  62 lvm.git
  63 pve-access-control.git
  64 pve-storage.git
  65 pve-qemu-kvm.git
  66 qemu-server.git
  67 vncterm.git
  68 spiceterm.git
  69 #vzquota.git
  70 #vzctl.git
  71 #fence-agents-pve.git
  72 #resource-agents-pve.git
  73 pve-manager.git
  74 #pve-kernel-3.10.0.git
  75 libiscsi.git
  76 #gfs2-utils.git
  77 ksm-control-daemon.git
  78 pve-container.git
  79 pve-firewall.git
  80 pve-kernel.git
  81
  82 Most packages can be installed with 'make dinstall' command.
  83
  84 4.  Reboot the system.
  85 5.  Learn to use the quilt patch scripts.
  86 6.  Happy coding.
  87
  88 There is an experimental package containing the API documentation
  89 as ExtJS application:
  90
  91 pve2-api-doc.git
  92
  93 You can view the source code at:
  94
  95 https://git.proxmox.com
  96
  97
  98 = REST vs. SOAP =
  99
 100 We decided to change our SOAP API (1.X) and use a REST like API. The
 101 concept is described in [1] (Resource Oriented Architecture
 102 (ROA)). The main advantage is that we are able to remove a lot of code
 103 (the whole SOAP stack) to reduce software complexity.
 104
 105 We also moved away from server side content generation. Instead we use
 106 the ExtJS Rich Internet Application Framework
 107 (http://www.sencha.com).
 108
 109 That framework, like any other AJAX toolkit, can talk directly to the
 110 REST API using JSON. So we were able to remove the server side
 111 template toolkit completely.
 112
 113 = JSON and JSON Schema =
 114
 115 We use JSON as data format, because it is simple and parse-able by any
 116 web browser.
 117
 118 Additionally, we use JSON Schema [2] to formally describe our API. So
 119 we can automatically generate the whole API Documentation, and we can
 120 verify all parameters and return values.
 121
 122 A great side effect was that we are able to use JSON Schema to
 123 produce command line argument parsers automatically. In fact, the REST
 124 API and the command line tools use the same code.
 125
 126 Object linkage is done using the JSON Hyper Schema (links property).
 127
 128 A small utility called 'pvesh' exposes the whole REST API on the command
 129 line.
 130
 131 So here is a summary of the advantage:
 132
 133    - easy, human readable data format (native web browser format)
 134    - automatic parameter verification (we can also verify return values)
 135    - automatic generation of API documentation
 136    - easy way to create command line tools (using same API).
 137
 138 = API Implementation (PVE::RESTHandler) =
 139
 140 All classes exposing methods on the API use PVE::RESTHandler as base class.
 141
 142   use base qw(PVE::RESTHandler);
 143
 144 To expose methods, one needs to call register_method():
 145
 146   __PACKAGE__->register_method ($schema);
 147
 148 Where $schema is a PVE method schema as described in
 149 PVE::JSONSchema. It includes a description of parameters and return
 150 values, and a reference to the actual code
 151
 152 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 153     name => 'echo',
 154     path => 'echo',
 155     method => 'GET',
 156     description => "simple return value of parameter 'text'",
 157     parameters => {
 158         additionalProperties => 0,
 159         properties => {
 160             text => {
 161                  type => 'string',
 162             }
 163         },
 164     },
 165     returns => {
 166         type => 'string',
 167     },
 168     code => sub {
 169         my ($conn, $resp, $param) = @_;
 170
 171         return $param->{text};
 172     }
 173 });
 174
 175 The 'name' property is only used if you want to call the method
 176 directly from Perl. You can do that using:
 177
 178   print __PACKAGE__->echo({ text => "a test" });
 179
 180 We use Perl's AUTOLOAD feature to implement this. Note: You need to
 181 pass parameters a HASH reference.
 182
 183 There is a special helper method called cli_handler(). This is used by
 184 the CLIHandler Class for command line tools, where you want to pass
 185 arguments as array of strings. This uses Getopt::Long to parse parameters.
 186
 187 There is a second way to map names to methods - using the 'path'
 188 property.  And you can register subclasses. That way you can set up a
 189 filesystem like hierarchy to access methods.
 190
 191 Here is an example:
 192 ----------------------------
 193 package C1;
 194
 195 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 196     subclass => "C2",
 197     path => 'sub2',
 198 });
 199
 200
 201 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 202     name => 'list1',
 203     path => 'index',
 204     method => 'GET',
 205     ...
 206 });
 207
 208 package C2;
 209
 210 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 211     name => 'list2',
 212     path => 'index',
 213     method => 'GET',
 214     ...
 215 });
 216 -------------------------------
 217
 218 The utily method find_handler (in PVE::RESTHandler) can be use to do
 219 'path' related method lookups.
 220
 221 C1->find_handler('GET', "/index")      => C1::list1
 222 C1->find_handler('GET', "/sub2/index") => C2::list2
 223
 224 The HTTP server use the URL (a path) to find the corresponding method.
 225
 226
 227 = References =
 228
 229 [1] RESTful Web Services
 230 Web services for the real world
 231
 232 By
 233     Leonard Richardson, Sam Ruby
 234 Publisher:
 235     O'Reilly Media
 236 Released:
 237     May 2007
 238
 239 [2] JSON Schema links: http://json-schema.org/