Equinox FrameworkAdmin

This document is under construction.

Motivation

Generally speaking, an OSGi framework (hereafter we call fw) needs some configuration files for its launch. A fw will be launched by invoking java command or by executing an executable launcher file. In the former case, configurations for fw implementation to read will be required. In the latter case, executable launcher file also might read some configuration files at its invocation.

• As in Eclipse, org.eclipse.osgi plug-in that contains main class of equinox fw implementation reads config.ini in a configuration area. In addition, eclipse.exe is provided as an executable launcher which reads eclipse.ini in the same directory and invokes fw.

Currently, the focus of OSGi Service Platform Specification has been to standardize a runtime infrastructure. On the other hand, how to configure and launch a fw is not addressed. Therefore, scenarios such as bootstrapping OSGi on a clean system are left difficult to manage in a fw independent way.

Overview:What FramerowkHandler enables?

We would like to address this problem by proposing a simple API that would allow to configure a non running framework and launch it in a fw independent way. Framework Handler provides fw independent way for a bundle running on a fw to do the followings.

• Set configurations required to launch a fw, such as
  • Java VM location,
  • Java VM arguments,
  • executable launcher location,
  • beginning start level and initial bundle start level,
  • Bundles to be installed and started with their start levels,
  • fw configuration location,
  • fw persistent date location,
• Launch a fw with the specified configurations, such as Java VM, Java VM arguments and so on.
• Expect its bundles state if the specified configurations are used for a fw launch.

Terminologies used in here

Fw config files

configuration files that will be read by a fw implementation at its launching, e.g. config.ini in the directory specified by osgi.configuration.area system property as for equinox.

Executable launcher

an executable fw launcher file, e.g. eclipse.exe as for Eclipse.

Launcher config files

configuration files that will be read by an executable launcher, e.g. eclipse.ini as for eclipse.exe.

Bundles state

state of bundles that represents what kinds of bundles are installed, resolved and to be started on a fw.

Senarios that the API would help

PDE UI

to ease the targeting of various frameworks

Provisioning agent

to setup a non running framework

Building an application

to create all the config files required to run

Running the framework

to configure and start a framework from java command

See [1] [2].

API: Package org.eclipse.core.fwhandler

Interfaces defined in org.eclipse.core.fwhandler package will be introduced briefly. See the codes and Java docs in detail.

FwHandlerAdmin

The only interface whose implementation will be registered into the OSGi service registry in this package is FwHandlerAdmin.

The client bundle will get the appropriate FwHandlerAdmin service object that can meet its requirements by filtering service properties in the service registry. An example of filtering is the target fw implementation and its version. As for filtering, later section will explain it in detail. Then, the client will get new instance of FwHandler which plays a main role in this API.

The interface has a method which might return the FwHandler object initialized according to the running fw and launcher state. Detail of this would be introduced later.

In addition, it also has a method to launch a fw according to the specified FwHandler object.

FwHandler

A client bundle can get a FwHandler object by FwHandlerAdmin.getFwHandler(). This object keeps both a FwConfigData object and a FwLauncherData object, each of which has setter and getter methods on parameters to be required for a fw launch. The client can set some parameters to be required for launching a fw via FwConfigData object or FwLauncherData object. The parameters set in this object can be saved. Where to save is determined according to the parameters set at that time in a way dependent on a target framework and launcher implementation.

The client also can load parameters from fw config files and launcher config files in the specified locations.

After parameters are set to this object either by setting via a FwConfigData or a FwLaucnherData or loading from configuration files, FwHandlerAdmin.launch(FwHandler, File) will launch a fw according to the current parameters set in this object. It might invoke a fw by java command or executing the specified launcher.

Remember if you have set parameters but not have saved yet, this launch might use other parameters because actual launch will use parameters retrieved from the configuration files.

In addition, FwHandler enables for a client bundle to expect bundles state if the specified configurations are used for launch without actual launch.

FwConfigData

FwConfigData is a class that keeps some parameters for a FwHandler object such as,

• Bundles list to be installed, with their persistently marked flag as started or not and their start level for its configuration.
• Beginning start level and initial bundle start level.
• System properties dependent on a fw implementation.
• System properties independent of a fw implementation.

For most fw implementations, these parameters will be saved into their fw config files. However, this API doesn't restrict where to save. For example, a fw implementation and a launcher implementation might need to save these parameters not in fw config files but in a launcher config files. It depends on the target implementations.

FwLauncherData

FwLauncherData is a class that keeps some parameters for a FwHandler object such as,

• Location of Java VM.
• Java VM arguments.
• Location of fw config files.
• Location of fw persistent data, where a fw implementation save information to be kept persistently, such as bundles state, permissions of bundles, start level information, private persistent storages for bundles, and so on.
• Clean flag: a flag to clean the specified location of fw persistent data.

For most fw implementations, these parameters will be saved into their launcher config files, if executable launcher is used. However, this API doesn't restrict where to save. As in Apache Felix, location of fw persistent data should be written in its fw config file. Therefore, the implementation of FwHandler for Felix should save it into not launcher config file but its fw config file.

FwBundleState

The implementating object of FwBundleState will be created by FwHandler object. At the time of its creation, this object will compose bundles state according to the parameters that the FwHandler object keeps. It means, bundles which can be obtained by FwHandler.getFwConfigData().getBundles() will be installed on a virtually launched fw using parameters about fw persistent data location. If the data location is not empty and clean flag is false, the installed bundles persistently recorded there should be taken into consideration to compose the bundles state.

After creating this object, this object also provides ways for a client to resolve bundles, install additional bundles, uninstall bundles virtually. Modification of this object never affects the parameters of the FwHandler object which created this object.

Provider of these APIs

First of all, we supposed that an implementation of this API for each fw implementation will be provided by the implementators of the target fw, because the persons who know the fw implementation the most are the implementators of the target fw.

For clients to filter the proper service object, the provider must register the FwHandlerAdmin object with service properties keyed by the followings.

FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_FW_NAME

String; name of the framework

FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_FW_VERSION

String; version of the framework

FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_LAUNCHER_NAME

String; name of the launcher

FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_LAUNCHER_VERSION

String; version of the launcher

• Current Limitation: there is no version range.Version Range might be required.
• Offline, the implemenentator of FwHandlerAdmin must declare these values and client must know them.

There is another service property name to be standardized.

FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_RUNNING_FW_FLAG

true if its getFwHandlerRunning() returns the initialized FwHandler object of running system.

• Detail of it would be introduced later.

Client of these APIs

A client bundle will get appropriate FwHandlerAdmin service object from an OSGi service registry by filtering the service properties described previously in order to get the FwHandler objects to handle the desired fw and launcher implementation.

TBD

Which interface should a method of launch operation belong to?

Currently, a method of launch operation belongs to FwHandlerAdmin interface. I can separate this API into another interface like "FwLauncher". But I am not sure how much merit of it would be.

• One merit of the separation is, we can restrict some bundles so that can configure a fw but cannot launch it, by not giving ServicePermission("GET","FwLauncher").
• One demerit of it is, number of interface will be increased by one, even if this interface only has one method.

Launching a fw instance in the Same Process

At this point, launching a fw instance in the same process is not considered yet in this API, explicitly. However, it will be supported in the future.

• What is not sure is “general way of launching a fw instance in the same process”. The API might be able to support it (JavaVM and JavaVM arguments are not used for it obviously).

How to handle running fw information?

There is a need for manipulating configurations of not only a non-running fw but also a running fw. While there are several ways to realize it, currently we adopt the following way. The alternatives to realize it are shown Alternatives of Handling a Running Fw.

Current our proposal

The bundle that registers a FwHandlerAdmin service for a particular fw and launcher implementation will do at its registration as follows;

1. A bundle checks if the bundle can register a FwHandlerAdmin object whose getFwHandlerRunning() returns not null but a FwHandler object initialized according to the running fw and launcher implementation, somehow. The way how the bundle checks it is dependent of its target fw and launcher implementation.
2. If no, the bundle registers a FwHandlerAdmin service for a target fw and launcher implementation, whose getFwHandlerRunning() returns null, with specified service properties including the ones representing fw name/version and launcher name/version.
3. If yes, the bundle registers a FwHandlerAdmin service for a target fw and launcher implementation, whose getFwHandlerRunning() returns a FwHandler object initialized according to the running fw and launcher implementation. The registration is done with specified service properties including not only the ones representing fw name/version and launcher name/version, but also FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_RUNNING_FW_FLAG="true".

Regarding when the bundle should register a FwHandlerAdmin service is not addressed. However, the typical timing is at its start up.

A client bundle can get the initialized FwHandler object as follows;

String filter = “(FwHandlerAdmin.SERVICE_PROP_KEY_RUNNING_FW_FLAG=true)”.
ServiceReference references[] = context.getServiceReferences(FwHandlerAdmin.class.getName(), filter);
FwHandlerAdmin fwHandlerAdmin = (FwHandlerAdmin) context.getService(references[0]);
FwHandler fwHandler = fwHandlerAdmin.getFwHandlerRunning(); < initialized.

Bundles provided by this incubator subproject

1. "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler": APIs related with FwHandler and Configurator which will be used by clients.
2. "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.equinox": Implementation of FwHandler for Equinox. See javadoc of BundleActivator of this plug-in.
   • It supports taking fw persistent data into consideration and supports resolving bundles.
   • It supports taking a configurator bundle into consideration.
   • Limitation of current implementation: A bundle must be JAR.
3. "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.felix": Implementation of FwHandler for Apache Felix. See javadoc of BundleActivator of this plug-in.
   • No supports for taking fw persistent data into consideration nor supports resolving bundles.
   • It supports taking a configurator bundle into consideration.
   • This bundle should be provided by the implementator of Felix.
4. "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.kf": Implementation of FwHandler for Knopflerfish. See javadoc of BundleActivator of this plug-in.
   • No supports for taking fw persistent data into consideration nor supports resolving bundles.
   • It supports taking a configurator bundle into consideration.
   • This bundle should be provided by the implementator of Knopflerfish.
5. "org.eclipse.core.simpleConfigurator": Implementation of SimpleConfigurator.
6. "org.eclipse.core.simpleConfigurator.manipulator": Implementation of ConfiguratorManipulator for SimpleConfigurator.
7. "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.internal.utils": Utility classes used for implementing "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.equinox", "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.kf", "org.eclipse.core.simpleConfigurator" and "org.eclipse.core.simpleConfigurator.manipulator".
8. "org.eclipse.core.fwhandler.examples": An example of client bundle of the APIs related with FwHandler.

To understand how a provider is implemented the APIs, see bundle 1 and 2. To understand how a client uses the APIs, see bundle 1 and 8.

References

1. Requirements for a new update manager (of Eclipse)
2. Requirements discussed in OSGi Alliance Enterprise Workshop
3. Equinox: Runtime options of Eclipse 3.2
4. Felix: Usage
5. Knopflerfish: Usage