Diapositive 1

2007 ASR end of studies project

The Integration of

Web Services

Supervision: Christian Bac, Olivier Berger

By Ilf Moussa & Asako Nakano

February 7. 2007

2

Outline


Introduction


Main issues


Step by step


Problem analysis


Solution


Progress


Technical problems


Taking things further


Conclusion

3

Introduction


Needs of developers for a project management


Independence of each tool but no harmonization


“Picolibre project”



Uses PhpGroupWare as a basis


Merges free applications: SVN, Sympa, Twiki


Goal




A single interface with a “single sign
-
on” system

4

Main issues
–

part 1/3


Open source mailing list software


Data stored in database (MySql, Oracle…)


Archives


Mail


Focused on customization possibilities


Scalable: small working groups, newsletter…


Web interface

What is Sympa?

5

HOST 1

Main issues
–

part 2/3

Web interface

: Picolibre

PhpGroupWare

-

SVN

-

Sympa

-

Twiki

…

Sympa

Sympa

DATABASE

Daemon

Queries for Sympa

DATABASE

SENDING

QUERIES

DIRTY

ACCESS

6

HOST 1

Main issues
–

part 3/3

The ideal version of Picolibre

Web interface

: Picolibre

PhpGroupWare

-

SVN

-

Sympa

-

Twiki

…

ACCESS by


Sympa application

Sympa

Sympa

DATABASE

Daemon

Queries for Sympa

DATABASE

7

Outline


Introduction


Main issues


Step by step


Problem analysis


Solution


Progress


Technical problems


Taking things further


Conclusion

8

Step by Step
-

Problem analysis


Search in Sympa


Only a SOAP server available


Many SOAP functions to control remotely


Search in Picolibre


Possibility of a SOAP client to send requests


A “nusoap” library



Choice of the SOAP solution

9

Step by Step
–

Solution
–

part 1/2



What is SOAP?


Simple Object Access Protocol


Exchange XML based messages


Existence different types of messaging patterns



RPC (Remote Procedure Call)



Exchange messages between Client


Server

10

HOST 1

Step by Step
–

Solution
–

part 2/2

Sympa

vers. 5.x

Sympa

DATABASE

SOAP

Server

REQUEST

ANSWER

Web interface

: Picolibre

PhpGroupWare

-

SVN

-

Sympa

-

Twiki

…

SOAP

Client

11

Outline


Introduction


Main issues


Step by step


Problem analysis


Solution


Progress


Technical problems


Taking things further


Conclusion

12

Step by step
-

Progress

1.
Configuration

2.
Testing the SOAP server

3.
Building a generic function

4.
Search for functions to add/modify in
Picolibre

5.
Integration of the SOAP version in the
project

6.
Final integration tests

7.
Documentation

13

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 1/7


Configuration


Sympa update: Version 4.X to 5.3a.10


SOAP server startup in Sympa






SOAP client (“NuSOAP”) update in Picolibre


File : /etc/httpd.conf



FastCgiServer /home/sympa/bin/sympa_soap_server.fcgi
-
processes 1

ScriptAlias /sympasoap /home/sympa/bin/sympa_soap_server.fcgi

<Location /sympasoap>


SetHandler fastcgi
-
script

</Location>

14

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 2/7


Testing the SOAP server


Independent

scripts

add

which

info

Sympa

SOAP_server

SOAP:add

SOAP:which

SOAP:info

…

…

15

Picolibre

Sympa_bo

generic

Sympa

SOAP_server

SOAP:createList

SOAP:closeList

SOAP:subscribe

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 3/7


Building a generic function


Picolibre

Sympa_bo

createList

closeList

subscribe

Sympa

SOAP_server

SOAP:createList

SOAP:closeList

SOAP:subscribe

Operation1 & param.

Operation2 & param
.

Operation3 & param.

16

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 4/7


Search for functions to add/modify in
Picolibre


Subscribe


Addlist


Closelist


And other minor changes concerning the cookie
setting, the creation of objects…

17


function

addlist
($email,$s_title,$list_name){


$commands

= createobject('picolibre_current.write_commands');


$sympa_scripts_path

= 'sympa_scripts';


$sep

= filesystem_separator();


return $commands
-
>append("$sympa_scripts_path$sep".'
sympa_addlist.sh

'."$email $s_title $list_name");

}

Before


Integration of the SOAP version in the
project


Generic_sympa_soap


Modified sympa_bo class:






Correct display


function

addlist
($email,$s_title,$list_name){


$parameters_sent

= array('list'=>"$s_title
-
$list_name",'topics'=>$s_title,'template'=>'discussion_list',



'subject'=>$list_name,'description'=>$list_name);


$ret

= $this
-
>sympa_soap
-
>generic_reception_treatment("
createList
",
$parameters_sent
);


return
$ret
;

}

After

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 5/7

18

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 6/7


Final integration tests


Create a list


Close a list


Subscribe a user to a list


Verify return information


Verify return errors


…

START

Test:function

Function work?

END

Yes

No

19

Step by step
–

Progress
–

Part 7/7


Documentation


Comment on source codes


Create a joint report




Source codes

available and usable by all
developers

20

Outline


Introduction


Main issues


Step by step


Problem analysis


Solution


Progress


Technical problems


Taking things further


Conclusion

21

Technical problems


Configuration of the computer system to use
Sympa (and SOAP) with Picolibre


Addition of missing functions in Sympa SOAP








Configuration of the single sign
-
on

Function :
add/del/closeList

<operation name="
%Name_of_the_function%
">


<soap:operation soapAction="urn:sympasoap#
%Name_of_the_function%
"/>


<input>


<soap:body use="encoded" namespace="urn:sympasoap" encodingStyle="…"/>


</input>


<output>


<soap:body use="encoded"



namespace="urn:sympasoap" encodingStyle="…"/>


</output>

</operation>

22

Host 1

Taking things further
–

part 1/2

Host

PICOLIBRE

Symp
a

Twiki

…

Host 2

SOAP

server


SYMPA

SOAP

client

PICOLIBR
E

Twiki

…


Internet
/ LAN

Toward distributed applications ?

23

Current
-

Picolibre

Picolibre

class soap for sympa

class for twiki

…

Sympa

Twiki

Possible evolution
-

Picolibre

Picolibre

Generic Soap Class

…

Sympa

Twiki

Taking things further
–

part 2/2


Expand the generic function to all the
applications using SOAP server

24

Conclusion


Asynchronous to synchronous
communication


New:


Acquiring knowledge about SOAP protocol


Learning more about Picolibre platform


Managing the project in a collaborative manner

25

Thank you for your attention

Questions ?