README
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Relay
Relay is a set of tools and services to let you to host remote lab experiments, without opening firewall ports.
- Secure websocket relay and host adapter for sharing video and data, with read/write permissions
- Secure login shell relay, host adapter and client for end-to-end encrypted admin access without a jumpserver
- Booking server for connecting users to experiments
- Works with experiments behind firewalls and NAT because all communications are relayed
- No need to open firewall ports, or get public IPv4 addresses.
Background
Relay is the new core of the practable.io remote laboratory ecosystem. Some of the educational thinking behind this ecosystem can be found here [1].
Status
The system is currently suitable for single-tenacy operations, with a single administrative "zone". Additional automation of experiment and system provision has been developed and will be released once secret-handling has been separated out.
We've successfully used this code to run assessed coursework for over 250 students during Q1/Q2 of 2021, alongside some student recruitment events [2].
We've got over 50 experiments under management at the present time - with some of our latest in our new 1:6 scale ISO containers:
Overview
This repo contains a system for running experiments behind firewalls, including
session hostruns on the experiment to connect to thesession relayto stream data and receive commandssession relayruns in the cloud to connect experiments and users.book serveruns in the cloud (to handle bookings)shell hostruns on the experiment to connect to theshell relayto provide securedsshconnections to the experimentshell relayruns in the cloud (to connect experiments and administrators)shell clientruns on the administrators' systems to connect to theshell relay
More information
Additonal documentation (in various states of completeness) can be found on the following components here:
References
[1] Timothy D. Drysdale (corresponding author), Simon Kelley, Anne-Marie Scott, Victoria Dishon, Andrew Weightman, Richard James Lewis & Stephen Watts (2020) Opinion piece: non-traditional practical work for traditional campuses, Higher Education Pedagogies, 5:1, 210-222, DOI: 10.1080/23752696.2020.1816845
[2] David P. Reid, Joshua Burridge, David B. Lowe, and Timothy D. Drysdale (corresponding author), Open-source remote laboratory experiments for controls engineering education, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, Accepted 22 Jan 2022.
Documentation
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There is no documentation for this package.
Source Files
Directories
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| Path | Synopsis |
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cmd
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book
command
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session
command
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shell
command
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internal
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access/restapi
Package restapi Crossbar
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Package restapi Crossbar |
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booking
Package booking provides an API for booking experiments
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Package booking provides an API for booking experiments |
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booking/restapi
Package restapi Booking
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Package restapi Booking |
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crossbar
Package crossbar provides a message broker with topics
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Package crossbar provides a message broker with topics |
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limit
Package limit supports enforcing the maximum number of simultaneous time-limited resources by user
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Package limit supports enforcing the maximum number of simultaneous time-limited resources by user |
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manifest
Package manifest provides an alternative data format for representing poolstores that is easier to edit by hand, because default options can be specified for activities within a given pool, where usually the details are similar except for the stream details
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Package manifest provides an alternative data format for representing poolstores that is easier to edit by hand, because default options can be specified for activities within a given pool, where usually the details are similar except for the stream details |
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shellaccess
Package shellaccess provides an API for accessing shellbar.
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Package shellaccess provides an API for accessing shellbar. |
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shellaccess/restapi
Package restapi Shellaccess
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Package restapi Shellaccess |
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shellclient
Package shellclient provides a client which listens on a local tcp port and for each incoming connection makes a unique connection to a remote shellrelay
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Package shellclient provides a client which listens on a local tcp port and for each incoming connection makes a unique connection to a remote shellrelay |
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shellhost
Package shellhost manages connections between
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Package shellhost manages connections between |
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tcpconnect
Package tcpconnect provides a tcp dialer with a two-channel []byte{} interface (In, Out)
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Package tcpconnect provides a tcp dialer with a two-channel []byte{} interface (In, Out) |
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uicfg
Package uicfg holds models of the json format config files for ui
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Package uicfg holds models of the json format config files for ui |