[Paraview] Paraview 3.6.x connection definition files
Utkarsh Ayachit
utkarsh.ayachit at kitware.com
Mon Jan 11 14:05:27 EST 2010
Folks,
I've committed a fix for this. The updating of the user's servers.pvsc
file was totally unnecessary (there was code elsewhere that handled
BUG #5487). However the user selections for only those <Option />
elements that have the "save" attribute set to true are preserved
across sessions.
Refer to
http://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView:Server_Configuration#Case_Eight:_Starting_server_using_ssh
for details on the "save" attribute. I am wondering if that's even
needed and we can always save all options i.e. assume "save" is true
by default. What do you think?
Utkarsh
On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 10:45 AM, Moreland, Kenneth <kmorel at sandia.gov> wrote:
> I’ve submitted a bug on this issue:
>
> http://www.paraview.org/Bug/view.php?id=9866
>
> Please take a look at it and see if it and the suggested solution addresses
> the problem.
>
> -Ken
>
>
> On 11/5/09 12:25 PM, "Rick Angelini" <angel at arl.army.mil> wrote:
>
> Alan - I think that you do want to allow the user to create their own
> connection definitions files, so you need to maintain the functionality
> of item #2 & item #4. Maybe there's a check to make sure that the
> user-defined connection is not the same name as system-defined
> connection (thus won't overwrite?). Or, better yet, differentiate the
> connections with something like "User:BigRedCluster" and
> "Global:BigRedCluster" depending on where the definition was read from?
>
> Scott, W Alan wrote:
>> Seems to me that we really want ParaView to do the following:
>> * Read server connection information from a system level file.
>> * Read server connection information from a user level file. This
>> information shall not override anything read in from the system level
>> file. (Do we even need this file?)
>> * Read in the user's default connection information from a user level
>> file.
>> * Allow the user to edit the server information. (Do we even need this
>> step?)
>> * When ParaView finishes, write out the current server information
>> (from the system level and the user level) into a user level file. (Do
>> we even need this?)
>> * Write preferences into a preferences file.
>> Thoughts?
>> Alan
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* Moreland, Kenneth
>> *Sent:* Thursday, November 05, 2009 8:02 AM
>> *To:* Rick Angelini; Scott, W Alan
>> *Cc:* ParaView
>> *Subject:* Re: [Paraview] Paraview 3.6.x connection definition files
>>
>> It sounds like the major problem is that ParaView is taking the
>> server connection configurations from the system files and writing
>> them in the servers.pvsc configuration file the first time it
>> encounters them, where they forever override any changes to the
>> system files. I believe this behavior was introduced to save the
>> user’s last entries for the parameters as the default for the next
>> invocation (bug #5487).
>>
>> This is an important feature, but perhaps this is not the best way
>> to implement it. Perhaps ParaView should be saving the server
>> connection argument parameters in the regular settings key/value
>> file. That way you could leave the system server settings in the
>> system files and nothing would override them. Does that sound like
>> the right thing?
>>
>> -Ken
>>
>>
>> On 11/5/09 6:00 AM, "Rick Angelini" <angel at arl.army.mil> wrote:
>>
>> Alan, yes, you've demonstrated the problem I found with the pvsc
>> files. It's a difficult problem:
>>
>> Ideally, we want to provide
>> 1. Global server connection definitions
>> 2. User-defined server connection definitions
>> 3. the ability save persistent information (username, remote shell
>> executable, ProjectID, etc, etc) as defined by the pvsc definition
>> 4. Update the global connection definition and have it
>> override any
>> previous definition
>>
>> I think that it's a slightly larger issue than just managing
>> variables
>> that may exist between the user copy of the definition and the
>> global
>> copy - we need to provide the capability to drop in a totally
>> new global
>> pvsc file and have it override anything that may have been saved
>> locally. For instance, we just switched our queuing system
>> from LSF to
>> PBS and the entire pvsc file changed. Ideally, when the new global
>> server definition was dropped into the place, the user copy
>> for that
>> server would be totally replaced by the new definition.
>>
>> Scott, W Alan wrote:
>> >
>> > Rick,
>> > It sure looks wrong to me. I did as you said -
>> > * Deleted my local .config/ParaView/servers.pvsc file.
>> > * Ran ParaView, connected to a remote server, then closed
>> ParaView.
>> > - This read in my default_servers.pvsc file
>> > - Wrote out a new local .config/ParaView/servers.pvsc file.
>> > * I then changed one of the options to be wrong in the users
>> > servers.pvsc file. (I used max NODES, which should obviously
>> be from
>> > the system default_servers.pvsc). This information was still
>> correct
>> > in the default_server.pvsc file.
>> > * Upon rerunning ParaView, the wrong information was picked
>> up from
>> > the servers.pvsc file.
>> >
>> >
>> > What would be the correct behavior? We want to always use the
>> default
>> > value from the user's servers.pvsc file, but we want to use
>> all of the
>> > other variables from the default_servers.pvsc file. Right?
>> >
>> > Alan
>> >
>> > > -----Original Message-----
>> > > From: Rick Angelini [mailto:angel at arl.army.mil]
>> > > Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 8:36 AM
>> > > To: Scott, W Alan
>> > > Cc: ParaView; Moreland, Kenneth
>> > > Subject: Re: [Paraview] Paraview 3.6.x connection
>> definition files
>> > >
>> > > You're correct, the FIRST place it looks is for the system
>> default.
>> > > However, the SECOND place it looks is the user's area, which
>> > > OVERRIDES
>> > > the systems default, as best as I can tell. If HostA is
>> defined in
>> > > the default_servers.pvsc, the first time it gets loaded it
>> is then
>> > > saved into the user's local servers.pvsc file. I need to do
>> more
>> > > testing, but it looks like even if the default.pvsc file is
>> > > updated, the original definition that was saved off in the
>> > > users area is used.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > Scott, W Alan wrote:
>> > > > Rick,
>> > > > To be honest, I didn't even realize that there was a
>> > > servers.pvsc in
>> > > > the home directory. The first place that ParaView looks
>> for GUI
>> > > > connection information is in your Paraview install area.
>> > > On our LANS,
>> > > > this is .../3.6.2/Linux-x86_64/lib/paraview-3.6 (which is
>> really
>> > > > wherever_paraviews_root_is/lib/paraview-3.6) I have a
>> > > > default_servers.pvsc in there.
>> > > >
>> > > > For standalone Linux installs, I put this
>> > > default_servers.pvsc in the
>> > > > same place .../local_paraview_base/lib/paraview-3.6.
>> > > >
>> > > > In XP it goes in the ParaView install directory - c:/Program
>> > > > Files/ParaView 3.6.2/bin.
>> > > >
>> > > > Give me a call if you want to discuss.
>> > > >
>> > > > Alan
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > ------ Forwarded Message
>> > > > *From: *Rick Angelini <angel at arl.army.mil>
>> > > > *Date: *Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:55:10 -0600
>> > > > *To: *<ParaView at paraview.org>
>> > > > *Subject: *[Paraview] Paraview 3.6.x connection
>> definition files
>> > > >
>> > > > I have questions regarding the use of connection
>> > > definition files.
>> > > >
>> > > > I have created numerous connection definition files for
>> various
>> > > > clusters
>> > > > and compute systems that we have here. Up until
>> > > now, I've been
>> > > > distributing those pvsc files through a common
>> > > directory that all
>> > > > of my
>> > > > users have access to. They manually load the pvsc
>> > > files into their
>> > > > session, and those server definitions get automatically
>> > > saved into
>> > > > $HOME/.config/ParaView/servers.pvsc. The
>> > > connection definition
>> > > > files work great and are a huge time saver for Paraview
>> users -
>> > > > particularly in an environment where we need to
>> > > establish SSH tunnels,
>> > > > modify ports and connection IDs, etc.
>> > > >
>> > > > The problem lies in what happens when I want to change
>> > > one or more of
>> > > > those pvsc files (presumably to incorporate a change
>> > > that will improve
>> > > > functionality, performance, etc 8-) I update the
>> > > pvsc file in the
>> > > > common directory, and then I need to notify all of my
>> > > Paraview users
>> > > > that there's an update to the PVSC files and that they
>> need to
>> > > > delete/replace their existing definition with a new one.
>> This
>> > > > scenario
>> > > > is awkward and requires some effort on the users' part
>> > > - it would be
>> > > > nice if there were a more automatic solution.
>> > > >
>> > > > So, I've been looking at using a default_servers.pvsc
>> > > file which in
>> > > > theory is a great idea. All users would have access
>> > > to a common pvsc
>> > > > file that I can control and update as necessary, with no
>> updates
>> > > > required by the user. Well, unfortunately, it doesn't
>> > > seem to really
>> > > > work that way. The default_servers.pvsc file is read
>> > > in the first
>> > > > time ParaView is loaded, and then those server
>> > > definitions are saved
>> > > > back to the $HOME/.config/ParaView directory. The servers
>> are
>> > > > presumably saved off to preserve some of the
>> > > information as defined in
>> > > > the PVSC file - I have numerous fields (UserID,
>> ProjectID, SSH
>> > > > executable labeled with "save=true" so that that
>> information is
>> > > > carried
>> > > > over between sessions.
>> > > >
>> > > > This is where we start to run into problems.
>> > > According to the
>> > > > WIKI,
>> > > > the last server definition loaded take precedence, so if
>> I make
>> > > > changes
>> > > > to the "default_servers.pvsc" file, it gets loaded prior to
>> > > > "$HOME/.config/ParaView/servers.pvsc". Unless I'm missing
>> > > > something,
>> > > > once the server definitions are initialized the first
>> > > time they are
>> > > > recognized and saved off to the user's .config
>> > > directory, the default
>> > > > servers will never have precedence, even if I
>> change/update the
>> > > > contents. Unless the ServerName is changed for each
>> > > subsequent update
>> > > > of a particular server, any updated server in the
>> > > default servers file
>> > > > won't be loaded. Am I on the right track here - have
>> > > I missed or
>> > > > assumed something that I shouldn't have? It looks
>> > > like all of the
>> > > > hooks are *almost* there to manage the server definitions
>> .....
>> > > >
>> > > > Also, using 3.6.1, I went through the process of created a
>> > > > default_servers.pvsc, having those servers
>> > > automatically loaded in my
>> > > > ParaView session, and then have them saved off into a local
>> > > > servers.pvsc
>> > > > file. However, during the next Paraview session, the
>> > > definitions
>> > > > don't
>> > > > work properly - it seems as those the only the last item
>> in an
>> > > > enumerated list are available through the GUI, and in
>> > > general it just
>> > > > doesn't work correctly. If those same server
>> > > definitions are loaded
>> > > > manually by the user and saved locally, they work
>> > > fine. So, there's
>> > > > apparently an issue related to the use of the
>> > > default_servers.pvsc and
>> > > > how those definitions are saved out to the user's
>> > > server.pvsc file.
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > _______________________________________________
>> > > > Powered by www.kitware.com
>> > > >
>> > > > Visit other Kitware open-source projects at
>> > > > http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html
>> > > >
>> > > > Please keep messages on-topic and check the ParaView Wiki
>> at:
>> > > > http://paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView
>> > > >
>> > > > Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe:
>> > > > http://www.paraview.org/mailman/listinfo/paraview
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > ------ End of Forwarded Message
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> **** Kenneth Moreland
>> *** Sandia National Laboratories
>> ***********
>> *** *** *** email: kmorel at sandia.gov
>> ** *** ** phone: (505) 844-8919
>> *** web: http://www.cs.unm.edu/~kmorel
>> <http://www.cs.unm.edu/%7Ekmorel>
>>
>
>
>
>
> **** Kenneth Moreland
> *** Sandia National Laboratories
> ***********
> *** *** *** email: kmorel at sandia.gov
> ** *** ** phone: (505) 844-8919
> *** web: http://www.cs.unm.edu/~kmorel
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Powered by www.kitware.com
>
> Visit other Kitware open-source projects at
> http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html
>
> Please keep messages on-topic and check the ParaView Wiki at:
> http://paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView
>
> Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe:
> http://www.paraview.org/mailman/listinfo/paraview
>
>
More information about the ParaView
mailing list