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-cluster.git
  61 lvm.git
  62 pve-access-control.git
  63 pve-storage.git
  64 pve-qemu-kvm.git
  65 qemu-server.git
  66 vncterm.git
  67 spiceterm.git
  68 #vzquota.git
  69 #vzctl.git
  70 #fence-agents-pve.git
  71 #resource-agents-pve.git
  72 pve-manager.git
  73 #pve-kernel-3.10.0.git
  74 libiscsi.git
  75 #gfs2-utils.git
  76 ksm-control-daemon.git
  77 pve-container.git
  78 pve-firewall.git
  79 pve-kernel.git
  80
  81 Most packages can be installed with 'make dinstall' command.
  82
  83 4.  Reboot the system.
  84 5.  Learn to use the quilt patch scripts.
  85 6.  Happy coding.
  86
  87 There is an experimental package containing the API documentation
  88 as ExtJS application:
  89
  90 pve2-api-doc.git
  91
  92 You can view the source code at:
  93
  94 https://git.proxmox.com
  95
  96
  97 = REST vs. SOAP =
  98
  99 We decided to change our SOAP API (1.X) and use a REST like API. The
 100 concept is described in [1] (Resource Oriented Architecture
 101 (ROA)). The main advantage is that we are able to remove a lot of code
 102 (the whole SOAP stack) to reduce software complexity.
 103
 104 We also moved away from server side content generation. Instead we use
 105 the ExtJS Rich Internet Application Framework
 106 (http://www.sencha.com).
 107
 108 That framework, like any other AJAX toolkit, can talk directly to the
 109 REST API using JSON. So we were able to remove the server side
 110 template toolkit completely.
 111
 112 = JSON and JSON Schema =
 113
 114 We use JSON as data format, because it is simple and parse-able by any
 115 web browser.
 116
 117 Additionally, we use JSON Schema [2] to formally describe our API. So
 118 we can automatically generate the whole API Documentation, and we can
 119 verify all parameters and return values.
 120
 121 A great side effect was that we are able to use JSON Schema to
 122 produce command line argument parsers automatically. In fact, the REST
 123 API and the command line tools use the same code.
 124
 125 Object linkage is done using the JSON Hyper Schema (links property).
 126
 127 A small utility called 'pvesh' exposes the whole REST API on the command
 128 line.
 129
 130 So here is a summary of the advantage:
 131
 132    - easy, human readable data format (native web browser format)
 133    - automatic parameter verification (we can also verify return values)
 134    - automatic generation of API documentation
 135    - easy way to create command line tools (using same API).
 136
 137 = API Implementation (PVE::RESTHandler) =
 138
 139 All classes exposing methods on the API use PVE::RESTHandler as base class.
 140
 141   use base qw(PVE::RESTHandler);
 142
 143 To expose methods, one needs to call register_method():
 144
 145   __PACKAGE__->register_method ($schema);
 146
 147 Where $schema is a PVE method schema as described in
 148 PVE::JSONSchema. It includes a description of parameters and return
 149 values, and a reference to the actual code
 150
 151 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 152     name => 'echo',
 153     path => 'echo',
 154     method => 'GET',
 155     description => "simple return value of parameter 'text'",
 156     parameters => {
 157         additionalProperties => 0,
 158         properties => {
 159             text => {
 160                  type => 'string',
 161             }
 162         },
 163     },
 164     returns => {
 165         type => 'string',
 166     },
 167     code => sub {
 168         my ($conn, $resp, $param) = @_;
 169
 170         return $param->{text};
 171     }
 172 });
 173
 174 The 'name' property is only used if you want to call the method
 175 directly from Perl. You can do that using:
 176
 177   print __PACKAGE__->echo({ text => "a test" });
 178
 179 We use Perl's AUTOLOAD feature to implement this. Note: You need to
 180 pass parameters a HASH reference.
 181
 182 There is a special helper method called cli_handler(). This is used by
 183 the CLIHandler Class for command line tools, where you want to pass
 184 arguments as array of strings. This uses Getopt::Long to parse parameters.
 185
 186 There is a second way to map names to methods - using the 'path'
 187 property.  And you can register subclasses. That way you can set up a
 188 filesystem like hierarchy to access methods.
 189
 190 Here is an example:
 191 ----------------------------
 192 package C1;
 193
 194 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 195     subclass => "C2",
 196     path => 'sub2',
 197 });
 198
 199
 200 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 201     name => 'list1',
 202     path => 'index',
 203     method => 'GET',
 204     ...
 205 });
 206
 207 package C2;
 208
 209 __PACKAGE__->register_method ({
 210     name => 'list2',
 211     path => 'index',
 212     method => 'GET',
 213     ...
 214 });
 215 -------------------------------
 216
 217 The utily method find_handler (in PVE::RESTHandler) can be use to do
 218 'path' related method lookups.
 219
 220 C1->find_handler('GET', "/index")      => C1::list1
 221 C1->find_handler('GET', "/sub2/index") => C2::list2
 222
 223 The HTTP server use the URL (a path) to find the corresponding method.
 224
 225
 226 = References =
 227
 228 [1] RESTful Web Services
 229 Web services for the real world
 230
 231 By
 232     Leonard Richardson, Sam Ruby
 233 Publisher:
 234     O'Reilly Media
 235 Released:
 236     May 2007
 237
 238 [2] JSON Schema links: http://json-schema.org/