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Download and Installation

Welcome to The Paranet! This guide walks you through setting up your development environment to start building on our solution. The Paranet is a platform that supports distributed intelligence and autonomous orchestration-backed workflows. As an early access user, your feedback is crucial to refining it.

What You’ll Do in This Guide​

  1. Set up prerequisite tools Install essential software like VSCode and Docker to prepare your system.
  2. Download our CLI (Para): Get the command-line interface for managing Paranet projects.
  3. Authenticate with your AWS: Log in using credentials from your welcome email.
  4. Create and deploy a simple "hello_world" project: Launch your first project to see The Paranet in action.
  5. Explore next steps: Discover how to to keep building and experimenting.

Prerequisites​

Before starting, ensure these tools are installed on your system (MacOS, Windows, or Linux):

1. CLI Installation​

Install the Para CLI (+ our VScode extension) to manage your Paranet projects.

  • Mac and Linux:

    • From a terminal window run the following command:

      curl -sSf https://parabolic.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/para-installer.sh | sh

    • Close the terminal window and open a new terminal.

Note that the para-installer.sh script attempts to configure your bash or zsh shell to include ~/.para/bin on your $PATH variable. If you are using a different shell, you will need to update the configuration accordingly to include ~/.para/bin in $PATH. If after installation you receive an error like:

para: command not found

This is most likely due to an incorrect $PATH.

  • Windows:
    • MSI (x86_64): Download latest
      1. "Windows Protected Your PC" pop up may appear, press more info and click proceed anyways.
      2. Once installed, close the terminal window and open a new terminal.
      • Note: ARM architecture is not supported; contact devsupport@otonoma.com if needed.
      • Note: for this initial release we strongly recommend not using a Windows Virtual Machine. If this is your configuration, please reach out to devsupport@otonoma.com

Verify that the CLI has been correctly installed by running the command para --version in the terminal.

1.1 Linux Quirks​

1.1.1 Docker CE vs Docker Desktop​

Note that on Linux it is possible to install the docker Container Engine to run natively, or Docker Desktop to run with virtualization. para supports either, however, it could be helpful to be familar with the docker context command to know which one you are using at a given time.

1.1.2 para devkit login fails with try "pass init"​

Docker Desktop by default wants to use a password manager to manage your login passwords, which defaults to pass on Linux. You have two options for handling this:

  1. Disable docker password manager use. To do this, edit your ~/.docker/config.json and remove the line for credsStore.
  2. Configure pass on your machine if you haven't already. A simple guide can be found here

2. AWS Cognito Authentication​

Authenticate with AWS Cognito using the credentials provided in your welcome email.

Run this command in your terminal:

para devkit login

How to Refresh When Expired: If your session expires, rerun para devkit login

Note: If you haven’t received credentials or face issues, contact devsupport@otonoma.com.

3. Hello World​

Let’s launch your first project with the "hello_world" kit.

A. Initiate the hello_world kit: para init --template hello_world

NOTE: This will initialize the template in the current directory. Please ensure that your AWS session is active before pulling the template.

  • What this does: The "hello_world" kit is a simple project demonstrating The Paranet’s core features, pre-configured and ready to deploy locally.

  • Interactive Setup Questions:
    When you execute the command, the Para CLI will ask a series of questions to customize your project. You can press Enter to accept the default values (shown below), or provide your own answers for more control. Here’s what each question means and how the defaults help:

    • 1. Paranet id: (default: hello-world)

      • Purpose: This is a unique identifier for your Paranet project, used to name your network and distinguish it from others.

    • 2. Paranet version: (default: 0.1.0)

      • Purpose: Specifies the version of your Paranet project, useful for tracking changes or compatibility with Paranet tools.
      • When to Change: Update this (e.g., 1.0.0) if you’re integrating with a specific version of Paranet services or documenting a production-ready project.

    • 3. Generate node: (default: yes)

      • Purpose: Determines whether to create a node—a core component of The Paranet that handles tasks like brokering or running services.
      • When to Change: Select no if you only want configuration files without a node, this is helpful if you plan on deploying this project to an existing node.

    • 4. Node type: (default: dev)

      • Purpose: Defines the type of node to generate, tailoring its settings for development or production use.
      • When to Change: Choose prod for a production-ready node or dev for a development purposes only.

B. Deploy your paranet node: para docker deploy node

NOTE: Please ensure Docker is running before executing this command.

  • What this does: This uses Docker to run your node’s containers locally. You’ll see Docker containers begin deploying, meaning the deployment is in progress.

C. Deploy your project package: para docker deploy package

  • What this does: This uses Docker to run your package containers locally. A package contains work specific to your current project (actors, skills, etc) while a node is built to persist and support multiple package deployments. You’ll see Docker containers begin deploying, meaning the deployment is in progress.

D. View your paranet in Paracord:

  • In a browser window, navigate to http://localhost:3023/
  • This launches Paracord, the primary tool for viewing deployed paranets.

4. Explore​

At this point, you now have:

  • Authorized credentials through our AWS authentication
  • The Para CLI, a powerful command line interface for paranet management.
  • A local Paracord client at localhost:3023, a visual interface for The Paranet (see Paracord docs).
  • A paranet node deployed locally, supporting advanced orchestration workflows.
  • A paranet package deployed locally consisting of several actors, ready to be engaged or developed further.
  • Registered actor skills to your paranet network, available to the broker as well as direct request.

Next Steps​

You’re now a Paraflow Developer! Here’s where to go next:

  • Join the Community: Discord Invite
  • Start a new blank project: In a new directory, run: para init
  • Explore Paranet Concepts: Dive into the platform’s architecture here.

NVIDIA Omniverse Developers​

For developers using NVIDIA’s Omniverse Isaac Sim (version 4.2), we offer integration and pre-built kits. Ensure Isaac Sim is installed first.

Check out our Nvidia Kits​

Explore our NVIDIA Isaac Sim kits to see Paranet in action with robotics and simulation scenarios. Each kit is a fully-fledged project you can initialize and run locally. Find detailed instructions in the linked documentation pages:

  • Hello Robot (Beginner): Initialize with para init --template hello_robot - A simple robotics demo combining NVIDIA’s Hello Robot tutorial with Paranet actorization. Learn more.
  • Spot Patrol (Intermediate): Initialize with para init --template spot_patrol - An autonomous patrol scenario featuring Boston Dynamics Spot robots. Learn more.
  • Small Warehouse (Advanced): Initialize with para init --template small-warehouse - A warehouse simulation showcasing heterogeneous robots and a simulated human. Learn more.