<h1>Overview of AFB-DAEMON</h1>
<pre><code>version: 1
-Date: 29 mai 2016
+Date: 30 mai 2016
Author: José Bollo
</code></pre>
<li><a href="#Overview.of.AFB-DAEMON">Overview of AFB-DAEMON</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="#Roles.of.afb-daemon">Roles of afb-daemon</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Use.cases.of.the.binder.afb-daemon">Use cases of the binder afb-daemon</a>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#Remotely.running.application">Remotely running application</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Adding.native.features.to.HTML5.QML.applications">Adding native features to HTML5/QML applications</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Offering.services.to.the.system">Offering services to the system</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li><a href="#The.plugins.of.the.binder.afb-daemon">The plugins of the binder afb-daemon</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Launching.the.binder.afb-daemon">Launching the binder afb-daemon</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#Future.development.of.afb-daemon">Future development of afb-daemon</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul></p>
<p>On the following figure, you can use a typical use
of afb-daemon:</p>
+<p><a id="binder-fig-basis"><h4>Figure: binder afb-daemon, basis</h4></a></p>
+
<pre><code>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. Isolated security context .
. .
. | .
. +-------------------+----------------------+ .
. | : | .
+. | b i n d e r : | .
. | A F B - D A E M O N : PLUGINS | .
. | : | .
. +-------------------+----------------------+ .
to security enforcement for accessing hardware ressources or
for speeding parts of algorithm.</p></li>
</ol>
+
+
+<a name="Use.cases.of.the.binder.afb-daemon"></a>
+<h2>Use cases of the binder afb-daemon</h2>
+
+<p>This section tries to give a better understanding of the binder
+usage through several use cases.</p>
+
+<a name="Remotely.running.application"></a>
+<h3>Remotely running application</h3>
+
+<p>One of the most interresting aspect of using the binder afb-daemon
+is the ability to run applications remotely. This feature is
+possible because the binder afb-daemon implements native web
+protocols.</p>
+
+<p>So the <a href="#binder-fig-1">figure binder, basis</a> would become
+when the application is run remotely:</p>
+
+<p><a id="binder-fig-remote"><h4>Figure: binder afb-daemon and remotely running application</h4></a></p>
+
+<pre><code> +------------------------------+
+ | |
+ | A P P L I C A T I O N |
+ | |
+ +--------------+---------------+
+ |
+ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
+ : NETWORK :
+ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
+ |
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. Isolated security | .
+. context | .
+. | .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. . . .
+. . F I R E W A L L . .
+. . . .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. | .
+. +-------------------+----------------------+ .
+. | : | .
+. | A F B - D A E M O N : PLUGINS | .
+. | : | .
+. +-------------------+----------------------+ .
+. | .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+ |
+ v
+ AGL SYSTEM
+</code></pre>
+
+<a name="Adding.native.features.to.HTML5.QML.applications"></a>
+<h3>Adding native features to HTML5/QML applications</h3>
+
+<p>Applications can provide with their packaged delivery a plugin.
+That plugin will be instanciated for each application instance.
+The methods of the plugin will be accessible by applications and
+will be excuted within the security context.</p>
+
+<a name="Offering.services.to.the.system"></a>
+<h3>Offering services to the system</h3>
+
+<p>It is possible to run the binder afb-daemon as a daemon that provides the
+API of its plugins.</p>
+
+<p>This will be used for:</p>
+
+<ol>
+<li><p>offering common APIs</p></li>
+<li><p>provide application’s services (services provided as application)</p></li>
+</ol>
+
+
+<p>In that case, the figure showing the whole aspects is</p>
+
+<p><a id="binder-fig-remote"><h4>Figure: binder afb-daemon for services</h4></a></p>
+
+<pre><code>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. Isolated security context application .
+. .
+. +------------------------------+ .
+. | | .
+. | A P P L I C A T I O N | .
+. | | .
+. +--------------+---------------+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+. | . . Isolated security context A .
+. | . . .
+. +-----------------+------------------+ . . +------------------------------------+ .
+. | : | . . | : | .
+. | b i n d e r : | . . | b i n d e r : service | .
+. | A F B - D A E M O N : PLUGINS | . . | A F B - D A E M O N : PLUGINS | .
+. | : | . . | : A | .
+. +-----------------+------------------+ . . +-----------------+------------------+ .
+. | . . | .
+. . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . .
+ | |
+ v v
+ ================================================================================
+ D - B U S & C Y N A R A
+ ================================================================================
+ ^ ^
+ | |
+. . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . .
+. | . . | .
+. +-----------------+------------------+ . . +-----------------+------------------+ .
+. | : | . . | : | .
+. | b i n d e r : service | . . | b i n d e r : service | .
+. | A F B - D A E M O N : PLUGINS | . . | A F B - D A E M O N : PLUGINS | .
+. | : B | . . | : C | .
+. +------------------------------------+ . . +------------------------------------+ .
+. . . .
+. Isolated security context B . . Isolated security context C .
+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
+</code></pre>
+
+<a name="The.plugins.of.the.binder.afb-daemon"></a>
+<h2>The plugins of the binder afb-daemon</h2>
+
+<p>The binder can instanciate plugins. The primary use of plugins
+is to add native methods that can be accessed by applications
+written with any language through web technologies ala JSON RPC.</p>
+
+<p>This simple idea is declined to serves multiple purposes:</p>
+
+<ol>
+<li><p>add native feature to applications</p></li>
+<li><p>add common API available by any applications</p></li>
+<li><p>provide customers services</p></li>
+</ol>
+
+
+<p>A specific document shows</p>
+
+<a name="Launching.the.binder.afb-daemon"></a>
+<h2>Launching the binder afb-daemon</h2>
+
+<p>The launch options for binder <strong>afb-daemon</strong> are:</p>
+
+<pre><code> --help
+
+ Prints help with available options
+
+ --version
+
+ Display version and copyright
+
+ --verbose
+
+ Increases the verbosity, can be repeated
+
+ --port=xxxx
+
+ HTTP listening TCP port [default 1234]
+
+ --rootdir=xxxx
+
+ HTTP Root Directory [default $AFBDIR or else $HOME/.AFB]
+
+ --rootbase=xxxx
+
+ Angular Base Root URL [default /opa]
+
+ This is used for any application of kind OPA (one page application).
+ When set, any missing document whose url has the form /opa/zzz
+ is translated to /opa/#!zzz
+
+ --rootapi=xxxx
+
+ HTML Root API URL [default /api]
+
+ The plugins are available within that url.
+
+ --alias=xxxx
+
+ Maps a path located anywhere in the file system to the
+ a subdirectory. The syntax for mapping a PATH to the
+ subdirectory NAME is: --alias=/NAME:PATH.
+
+ Example: --alias=/icons:/usr/share/icons maps the
+ content of /usr/share/icons within the subpath /icons.
+
+ This option can be repeated.
+
+ --apitimeout=xxxx
+
+ Plugin API timeout in seconds [default 20]
+
+ Defines how many seconds maximum a method is allowed to run.
+ 0 means no limit.
+
+ --cntxtimeout=xxxx
+
+ Client Session Timeout in seconds [default 3600]
+
+ --cache-eol=xxxx
+
+ Client cache end of live [default 100000 that is 27,7 hours]
+
+ --sessiondir=xxxx
+
+ Sessions file path [default rootdir/sessions]
+
+ --session-max=xxxx
+
+ Maximum count of simultaneous sessions [default 10]
+
+ --ldpaths=xxxx
+
+ Load Plugins from given paths separated by colons
+ as for dir1:dir2:plugin1.so:... [default = $libdir/afb]
+
+ You can mix path to directories and to plugins.
+ The sub-directories of the given directories are searched
+ recursively.
+
+ The plugins are the files terminated by '.so' (the extension
+ so denotes shared object) that contain the public entry symbol.
+
+ --plugin=xxxx
+
+ Load the plugin of given path.
+
+ --token=xxxx
+
+ Initial Secret token to authenticate.
+
+ If not set, no client can authenticate.
+
+ If set to the empty string, then any initial token is accepted.
+
+ --mode=xxxx
+
+ Set the mode: either local, remote or global.
+
+ The mode indicate if the application is run locally on the host
+ or remotely through network.
+
+ --readyfd=xxxx
+
+ Set the #fd to signal when ready
+
+ If set, the binder afb-daemon will write "READY=1\n" on the file
+ descriptor whose number if given (/proc/self/fd/xxx).
+
+ --dbus-client=xxxx
+
+ Transparent binding to a binder afb-daemon service through dbus.
+
+ It creates an API of name xxxx that is implemented remotely
+ and queried via DBUS.
+
+ --dbus-server=xxxx
+
+ Provides a binder afb-daemon service through dbus.
+
+ The name xxxx must be the name of an API defined by a plugin.
+ This API is exported through DBUS.
+
+ --foreground
+
+ Get all in foreground mode (default)
+
+ --daemon
+
+ Get all in background mode
+</code></pre>
+
+<a name="Future.development.of.afb-daemon"></a>
+<h2>Future development of afb-daemon</h2>
+
+<ul>
+<li><p>The binder afb-daemon would launch the applications directly.</p></li>
+<li><p>The current setting of mode (local/remote/global) might be reworked to a
+mechanism for querying configuration variables.</p></li>
+<li><p>Implements “one-shot” initial token. It means that after its first
+authenticated use, the initial token is removed and no client can connect
+anymore.</p></li>
+<li><p>Creates some intrinsic APIs.</p></li>
+<li><p>Make the service connection using WebSocket not DBUS.</p></li>
+<li><p>Management of targetted events.</p></li>
+<li><p>Securisation of LOA.</p></li>
+<li><p>Integration of the protocol JSON-RPC for the websockets.</p></li>
+</ul>
</body>
</html>