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Hello Federate

Initiation​

CLI Command: para init --template hello_federate

Why this project?​

Federation implies that independent systems agree to communicate using a common standard to exchange data while maintaining their own autonomy. Data can be shared without requiring a centralized authority or a single point of failure.

Federation & The Paranet​

Federation between nodes is a core pillar of the Paranet. To federate with other nodes in a production environment, each node must possess an Otonoma Certificate. This certificate-based trust allows our distributed-first network to maintain data integrity, privacy, and autonomy. It enables independent systems to collaborate on complex or sensitive workflows while remaining sovereign entities.

What this kit showcases​

This kit demonstrates the basics of node to node federation, where each node exists on the same local network.

When deployed, 4 nodes are created. 3 of the "color" variety, and 1 of the "painter" variety. The objective is to determine what colors are available to the painter, and then create a blended color with the cooperation of the nodes. This is a simple narrative that focuses on highlighting the needed scaffolding, and node interaction syntax. A multi node system like this is not required to accomplish the narrative goal... it is just a vehicle to demonstrate concepts.

How to run it​

This kit expects the user to have already run the basic hello_world examples.

Step 0: Ensure Devkit login​

Run the following command to ensure devkit resource access. (This is not required on every run, but is a good step to start a work session.)

para devkit login

Step 1: Deploy the Nodes and Packages​

Run the following command to deploy the Paranet nodes:

bash scripts/setup.sh

If everything deploys properly, you'll see this in the terminal:

Project Hello federate started successfully
Done
--------------------------------
 ID       PORT  PROJECT       PACKAGES       
 blue     3024  node-blue     hello-federate 
 painter  3026  node-painter  hello-federate 
 red      3023  node-red      hello-federate 
 yellow   3025  node-yellow   hello-federate 
RED: http://localhost:3023
BLUE: http://localhost:3024
YELLOW: http://localhost:3025
PAINTER: http://localhost:3026

Optional Step 2: Manually Re-Deploy the Packages​

If you experiment with adjustments to the paraflow, you can redeploy the packages without needing to set everything up again:

bash scripts/install-packages.sh

Step 3: Verify Deployment​

Open the displayed URL's in your browser to verify that the Paranet node and all actors are deployed correctly. (http://localhost:3023 -> 3026)

Optional Step 4: Shutdown​

The project can be shut down with the following command:

bash scripts/teardown.sh

Discussion:​

Using the demo​

  • Pilot the demo from the "painter" node. (http://localhost:3026) Consider the "color" nodes as seperate buisness or functional units. You have federated to them for help, but you do not have complete control of their behavior.
  • All nodes contain a system event trigger that resets the nodes into a "demo ready" state. This occurs when setup.sh is run.
    • Color nodes have their inventory of paint reset.
    • Painter node makes an initial test connection to all federated nodes, and stores what colors are available to it.
  • Optionally run "pallete/list_all_colors" from paracord to review some info about the color nodes, and the color they provide.
  • Run "pallete/color_blend" to accomplish the demo goal. Enter 2 colors as determined by "list_all_colors". (default: red, yellow, blue)
    • If inventory exists for both colors, the resultant blended color will be displayed.
    • In the background, the inventory for the included colors has been decremented. If you run "color_blend" enough times, you'll see the workflow fails due to lack of inventory on the relevant color node. Note this default inventory can be adjusted in /color/actors/color_tools.paraflow
  • Particulars of the demo (such as reseting inventory or reseting available colors) can be adjusted with skills like "color_tools/reset_inventory" and "pallete/reset_available_colors".
  • Reminder that adjustments made to paraflow generally require bash scripts/install-packages.sh to be run. Adjustments to tables or the node deployments require bash scripts/teardown.sh , then bash scripts/setup.sh to be run.

Demonstrated Infrastructure​

  • The demo highlights the particulars of multiple distinct nodes deployed on a local network. With additional config (and obviously a cloud VM or similar) one or more of the nodes could be deployed remotely, and federation is still possible.

  • For ease of use, multi node/package deployment is handled by the contents of the scripts directory. Take some time to node the details there, such as:

    • assigned ports
    • locations of specified node, and package config yaml files
    • the specification of federation, especially the bidirectional flag
    • in install-packages.sh note the inclusion of an ENV var (blue, red, yellow)
      • in color/paranet.yaml note the definition of that variable. This makes it available to the actor.
      • in color/actors/color_tools.paraflow note the constant $SELF = Env("COLOR");. This makes the color available to the workflow itself.