path: root/torrus/doc/devdoc/architecture.pod

#  architecture.pod: The Torrus internals
#  Copyright (C) 2002-2005  Stanislav Sinyagin
#
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# $Id: architecture.pod,v 1.1 2010-12-27 00:04:37 ivan Exp $
# Stanislav Sinyagin <ssinyagin@yahoo.com>
#
#

=head1 Torrus Framework Architecture

=head2 Configuration Processing

The XML configuration is compiled into the database representation by
operator's manual request.

The compiled version of configuration is not a one-to-one
representation of the XML version. All aliases and templates are
expanded. The backwards restoration of XML from the database
is available with the snapshot utility.

Aliases are the way to represent the data in a more convenient format.
An alias can point to a subtree or a leaf, and it works similarly as
a symbolic link in a filesystem.

A template defines a piece of configuration which can be used in
multiple places. Templates can be nested.

The configuration can consist of several XML files. They will be
processed in the specified order. Each new file is treated as an additive
information to the existing tree.

The XML configuration compiler validates all the mandatory parameters.


=head2 Database Architecture

All runtime data is stored in
B<Berkeley DB> database environment (http://www.sleepycat.com).

The compiled version of the configuration XML is stored in
the B<ds_config_DSINST.db> and B<other_config_OINST.db>.
These databases have similar structure, and
B<ds_config_DSINST.db> keeps all datasource-related information.
C<DSINST> and C<OINST> stand for the productive instance number,
and have values of 0 or 1.
Current productive instance numbers are stored in B<db_config_instances.db>
database.

For each datasource tree, the database files are resided in
F</var/torrus/db/sub/E<gt>tree_nameE<lt>> directory.

The runtime modules access the configuration via C<ConfigTree> objects.

Each datasource subtree or leaf is identified by a I<token>.
A token is a short alphanumeric string, generated internally.
Two types of tokens are recognized: single tokens and token sets.

Single token starts with letter I<T>. The rest is made with decimal digts.

Token set name starts with letter I<S>. The rest is an arbitrary sequence of
word characters.

The special token I<SS> is reserved for tokensets list. Also tokenset
parameters are inherited from this token's parameters.

View and monitor names must be unique, and must
start with a lower case letter.

B<db_config_instances.db> is a I<Hash> database, with keys of form
C<ds:E<lt>tree_nameE<gt>> or C<other:E<lt>tree_nameE<gt>>, and 0 or 1 as
values. Also the compiler adds an entry C<compiling:E<lt>tree_nameE<gt>>
during the compilation time, in order to avoid two compiler processes
running at the same time on the same tree.

B<ds_config_DSINST.db> is a I<Btree> database, with the keys and values
defined as follows:

=over 4

=item * tp:E<lt>pathE<gt> -- E<lt>tokenE<gt>

Gives the token correspondig to the given element name.

=item * pt:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>pathE<gt>

Gives the path name by the given token.

=item * c:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>ctokenE<gt>,...

For given subtree, contains the list of child tokens separated by comma.

=item * p:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>ptokenE<gt>

For given subtree or leaf, contains the parent token.

=item * P:E<lt>tokenE<gt>:E<lt>pnameE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

Contains the parameter value for specified leaf or subtree.
Each leaf or subtree inherits parameters from its parent.
Thus, we must climb up the tree in order to get the parameter's
value if not defined locally.

=item * Pl:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>pnameE<gt>,...

Contains the list of parameter names for specified leaf or subtree.

=item * a:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>tokenE<gt>

If this subtree or leaf is an alias, specifies the reference to the real node.

=item * ar:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>tokenE<gt>,...

Specifies all alias subtrees or leaves pointing to this token.

=item * d:E<lt>nameE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

Definition value for the given name

=item * D: -- E<lt>nameE<gt>,E<lt>nameE<gt>,...

List of all known definitions

=item * n:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>typeE<gt>

Defines a node type. Type is a number with the following values:
0 for subtree, 1 for leaf, 2 for alias.

=back

B<other_config_OINST.db> is a I<Btree> database, with the keys and values
defined as follows:

=over 4

=item * ConfigurationReady -- 1:0

When nonzero, the configuration is ready for usage.
Otherwise, the configuration status is undefined.

=item * P:E<lt>nameE<gt>:E<lt>pnameE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

Contains the parameter value for specified view, monitor or action.

=item * Pl:E<lt>nameE<gt> -- E<lt>pnameE<gt>,...

Contains the list of parameter names for specified  view,
monitor, or action.

=item * V: -- E<lt>vnameE<gt>,...

Specifies comma-separated list of all views defined.

=item * v:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>vnameE<gt>,...

Specifies comma-separated list of view names for the path given.
The first view in the list is interpreted as default.

=item * M: -- E<lt>mnameE<gt>,...

Specifies comma-separated list of all monitor names defined

=item * A: -- E<lt>anameE<gt>,...

Comma-separated list of actions defined

=back




B<paramprops_DSINST.db> is a I<Btree> database for storing the
datasource parameter properties, such as expandable, list parameters,
searchable, etc.:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>pnameE<gt>:E<lt>propertyE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

=back





B<aliases_DSINST.db> is a I<Btree> database with alias paths as keys
and target tokens as values. It is used for quick alias expansion.

B<tokensets_DSINST.db> is a I<Hash> database containing the token sets.
The keys and values are as follows:

=over 4

=item * S: -- E<lt>tokensetE<gt>,...

Keeps the list of all known token sets.

=item * s:E<lt>tokensetE<gt> -- E<lt>tokenE<gt>,...

For given tokenset, keeps its contents.

=item * o:E<lt>tokensetE<gt>:E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>originE<gt>

Defines the origin of the member. Currently two types of origin are known:
C<static> and C<monitor>

=back

B<nodepcache_DSINST.db> is a I<Btree> database containing the cached
node parameter values. The keys and values are as follows:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>nameE<gt>:E<lt>pnameE<gt> -- E<lt>statusE<gt>E<lt>valueE<gt>

Keeps the status and the value for a given token and parameter.
Status is a one-byte prefix, with values C<U> for undefined parameter, and
C<D> for a parameter with value.

=back


B<nodeid_DSINST.db> is a I<Btree> database that stores the mapping between
NodeID values and tokens. Database keys are NodeID strings, and values
are tokens. One NodeID corresponds to maximum one token.



B<config_readers.db> is a I<Hash> database which contains the informaton
about active processes which read the configuration. The configuration
compiler waits until all readers finish using the current configuration
database. Process IDs are used as keys, and the values contain timestamps.

B<timestamps.db> is a I<Hash> database containing various kinds of
timestamps. The timestamp name is the key, and the number of seconds
since epoch is the value.

B<render_cache.db> keeps the status information about the graphs
ready to display. Last known timestamp of the configuration is
compared with the actual one. When the actual timestamp
differs from known, the renderer cache is cleaned up.
This is a I<Hash> database, with the following
keys and values:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>tokenE<gt>:E<lt>vnameE<gt> --
 E<lt>t_renderE<gt>:E<lt>t_expiresE<gt>:E<lt>filenameE<gt>:E<lt>mime_typeE<gt>

For the leaf/subtree and view name given, specifies two timestamps: the
moment of last rendering and expiration time. The filename is automatically
generated unique name in the spool directory. The contents type is determined
by the MIME type.

=back

B<monitor_cache.db> is a I<Hash> database used in order to avoid the
unneccessary configuration tree walk. The keys are the leaf tokens, and
the values are comma-separated monitor names. At each monitor invocation,
the confguration timestamp is compared against the last known, and the
cache database is rebuilt if needed.

B<monitor_alarms.db> is a I<Hash> database that keeps alarm status information
from previous runs of Monitor, with the keys and values as follows:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>mnameE<gt>:E<lt>pathE<gt> --
E<lt>t_setE<gt>:E<lt>t_expiresE<gt>:E<lt>statusE<gt>:
E<lt>t_last_changeE<gt>

Key consists of the monitor name and leaf path. In the value, B<t_set>
is the time when the alarm was raised. If two subsequent runs of Monitor
raise the same alarm, B<t_set> does not change. B<t_expires> is the
timestamp that shows when it's still important to keep the entry after the
alarm is cleared. B<status> is 1 if the alarm is active, and 0 otherwise.
B<t_last_change> is the timestamp of last status change.

When B<status> is 1, the record is kept regardless of timestamps.
When B<status> is 0, and the current time is more than B<t_expires>,
the record is not reliable and may be deleted by Monitor.

=back

B<collector_tokens_X_Y.db> is a I<Hash> database used in order to avoid the
unneccessary configuration tree walk. X is the collector instance number, and
Y is the datasource configuration instance number.
Keys and values are as follows:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>tokenE<gt> -- E<lt>periodE<gt>:E<lt>offsetE<gt>

For each leaf token, period and time offset values are stored.

=back


B<scheduler_stats.db> is a I<Btree> database which stores the runtime
statistics of Scheduler tasks. Each key is of structure
B<E<lt>tasknameE<gt>:E<lt>periodE<gt>:E<lt>offsetE<gt>:E<lt>variableE<gt>>,
and the value is a number representing the current value of the variable.
Depending on variable purpose, the number is floating point or integer.


B<users.db> is a I<Hash> database containing user details, passwords,
and group membership:

=over 4

=item * ua:E<lt>uidE<gt>:E<lt>attrE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

User attributes, such as C<cn> (Common name) or C<userPassword>, are stored
here. For each user, there is a record consisting of the attribute C<uid>,
with the value equal to the user identifier.

=item * uA:E<lt>uidE<gt> -- E<lt>attrE<gt>, ...

Comma-separated list of attribute names for the given user.

=item * gm:E<lt>uidE<gt> -- E<lt>groupE<gt>, ...

For each user ID, stores the comma-separated list of groups it belongs to.

=item * ga:E<lt>groupE<gt>:E<lt>attrE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

Group attributes, such as group description.

=item * gA:E<lt>groupE<gt> -- E<lt>attrE<gt>, ...

Comma-separated list of attribute names for the given group.

=item * G: -- E<lt>groupE<gt>, ...

List of all groups

=back


B<acl.db> is a I<Hash> database containing group privileges information:

=over 4

=item * u:E<lt>groupE<gt>:E<lt>objectE<gt>:E<lt>privilegeE<gt> -- 1

The entry exists if and only if the group members have this privilege
over the object given. Most common privilege is C<DisplayTree>, where
the object is the tree name.

=back


B<serviceid_params.db> is a I<Btree> database containing properties
for each Service ID (exported collector information, usually stored in
an SQL database):

=over 4

=item * a: E<lt>serviceidE<gt>,...

Lists all known service IDs

=item * t:E<lt>treeE<gt> -- E<lt>serviceidE<gt>,...

Lists service IDs exported by a given datasource tree.

=item * p:E<lt>serviceidE<gt>:E<lt>paramE<gt> -- E<lt>valueE<gt>

Parameter value for a given service ID. Mandatory parameters are:
C<tree>, C<token>, C<dstype>. Optional: C<units>.

=item * P:E<lt>serviceidE<gt> -- E<lt>paramE<gt>, ...

List of parameter names for a service ID.

=back


B<searchwords.db> is a I<Btree> database with DB_DUP and DB_DUPSORT flags.
It contains the search strings for the given tree:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>keywordE<gt> -- E<lt>pathE<gt>[:E<lt>paramE<gt>]

For a given keyword, refer to a path of a node that contains this word.
If the node name matches the keyword, the I<param> element
is omitted. Otherwise it refers to the parameter that matches the keyword.

=back



B<globsearchwords.db> is a I<Btree> database with DB_DUP and DB_DUPSORT flags.
It contains the search strings for all trees:

=over 4

=item * E<lt>keywordE<gt> -- E<lt>treeE<gt>:E<lt>pathE<gt>[:E<lt>paramE<gt>]

For a given keyword, refer to a path of a node that contains this word.
If the node name matches the keyword, the I<param> element
is omitted. Otherwise it refers to the parameter that matches the keyword.

=back


B<snmp_failures_X.db> is a I<Btree> database containing SNMP collector
failures information for a given collector instance for a tree.

=over 4

=item * c:E<lt>counterE<gt> -- E<lt>NE<gt>

A counter with a name. Known names: I<unreachable>, I<removed>.


=item * h:E<lt>hosthashE<gt> -- E<lt>failureE<gt>:E<lt>timestampE<gt>

SNMP host failure information. Hosthash is a concatenation of hostname, UDP
port, and SNMP community, separated by "|". Known failures: I<unreachable>,
I<removed>. Timestamp is a UNIX time of the event.

=item * m:E<lt>hosthashE<gt> -- E<lt>pathE<gt>:E<lt>timestampE<gt>

MIB failures (I<noSuchObject>, I<noSuchInstance>, and I<endOfMibView>)
for a given host, with the tree path of their occurence and the UNIX timestamp.

=item * M:E<lt>hosthashE<gt> -- E<lt>NE<gt>

Count of MIB failures per SNMP host.

=back







=head2 Modular Structure

The Torrus framework consists of several functional modules:

=over 4

=item * Configuration management

Once the configuration XML files get changed, the configuration compiler
should be run manually. This guarantees that the actual framework
configuration is changed only when the files are ready.

The configuration management module provides access methods for
enumeration and enquery of the configuratin objects.

=item * Data Collector module

Collector program runs as a separate process for each datasource tree.
Upon startup, it first runs all registered collectors. After that,
the collectors are grouped depending on period and time offset, and launched
periodically at the moments defined by formula:

  time + period - (time mod period) + timeoffset

The datasources are grouped by collector type.
For SNMP collector type, the datasources are grouped by host.
SNMP requests are sent in non-blocking mode (see Net::SNMP Perl module
manual).

For each SNMP host, system uptime is verified. For RRD datasource types
"COUNTER", if the device reload is
detected, the corresponding RRD file is updated with "undefined"
value at the calculated moment of reload.

=item * Data threshold monitoring

This module performs the monitoring tasks periodically, based on each
monitored leaf schedule.
It checks the conditions for each leaf having a monitor.
In case of the alarm, it executes the action instructions synchronously.

=item * Rendering module

Upon a request, this module generates the graph and HTML files for the
requested view and its subviews. It first checks availability of
cached objects and avoids unneeded regeneration. It must be possible
to force the renderer to flush the cache.

=item * Web interface module

Web interface module passes the Renderer output to an HTTP client.


=back

=head1 Author

Copyright (c) 2002-2005 Stanislav Sinyagin ssinyagin@yahoo.com