Equip Component Toolkit, aka Equip Infrastructure

This is a set of classes and applications for doing component-based system ("experience"?!) implementation, deployment and management. It uses EQUIP dataspace(s) for coordination and communication between native components (Java Beans, or IComponents in Equip4cs).

The model is one of software components that are "wired" together, and combines ideas from ACCORD, ECK and other component systems.

The initial designs/implementations are responding to EQUATOR "Curious Home" project scenarios, but the infrastructure is more general, and subject to further future generalisation (e.g. for P2P).

The component model design is described in docs/components-design.doc.

An initial implementation (esp. in terms of EQUIP shared data) is described in docs/components-types.doc.

The current (2003-03-01) codebase is a subset of this design...

To do:

* Generic (parameterised) Component Requests 

* Component request responses

* Property link requests based on component requests

* Property link responses

* Event linking between components

* Direct invocation linking between components

* Dataspace persistence for deployment persistence

* Full lifecycle management of components and links (i.e. removal as well as addition)

* Dataspace constants

* Migration of types to native types? (current wrapping tuples)

Structure:

src/
    equip/
        ect/ - common classes
            apps/ - applications
                ExporterGUI - java component hosting application
                browser/Browser - "expert" browser/management application
                actmonitor - abstract activity monitor
            components/ - sample Java bean components
                associationlearner/ - learns a map or function by example
                blogger/ - blogger client, from ACCORD
                camera/ - triggered still camera (twain?), from ACCORD/DYNAMO?
                chat/ - simple text bean
                dynamo/
                    mediaviewer - media viewer, from DYNAMO, e.g ppt, mpg, avi
                fileexporter/ - export local file as url, from DYNAMO
                floatfunction/ - float fn of three floats; kind of scripting example
                floatvalue/ - input a float, e.g. for training
                slider/ - input an int, e.g. for training
                smartit/ - simple fixed smartit bean, from ACCORD
                text/ - simple text component
            discovery/ - multicast server discovery support
            util/ - support classes (from DYNAMO?)
docs/ - docs
scripts/ - CVS template scripts
resources/ - supporting resources, e.g. external jars, dlls


Usage:

Build using ant

Run/customise scripts in install (created by build)

1) run a (discoverable) data space on the master machine

2) run exporter GUIs on component hosting machines (make sure that they find the dataspace master; provide equip url or distinct discovery group name as appropriate)

3) select beans (capabilities) and export them (make them available)

4) run a component browser; request component instantiation by double clicking on capabilities; add links by double clicking on component (source) properties and selecting target in dialog.


See also Equator/Equip4cs, especially the Phidget hosting component.


Chris Greenhalgh
2004-03-01