\item {\bf Unix style authentication}
- Unix like operating systems store a plain text file (/etc/shadow) of usernames and encrypted passwords. To check a password is valid, it is encrypted and then compared to the stored encrypted password. The actual password is never stored anywhere. The /etc/shadow file must be maintained by shell commands run directly from the beaglebone. Alternatively a web based system to upload a similar file may be created.
+ Unix like operating systems store a plain text file (/etc/shadow) of usernames and encrypted passwords. To check a password is valid, it is encrypted and then compared to the stored encrypted password. The actual password is never stored anywhere. The /etc/shadow file must be maintained by shell commands run directly from the BeagleBone. Alternatively a web based system to upload a similar file may be created.
\item {\bf Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)}
LDAP is a widely used data base for storing user information. A central server is required to maintain the LDAP database; programs running on the same network can query the server for authentication purposes.
- The UWA user management system (pheme) employs an LDAP server for storing user information and passwords. The software has been designed so that it can interface with an LDAP server configured similarly to the server on UWA's network. Unfortunately we were unable to gain permission to query this server. However an alternative server could be setup to provide this authentication mechanism for our system.
+ The UWA user management system (Pheme) employs an LDAP server for storing user information and passwords. The software has been designed so that it can interface with an LDAP server configured similarly to the server on UWA's network. Unfortunately we were unable to gain permission to query this server. However an alternative server could be setup to provide this authentication mechanism for our system.
\item {\bf MySQL Database}
\subsection{Server API - Cookies}\label{Cookies}
-The system makes use of HTTP cookies to keep track of who is logged in at any point. The cookie is a small token of information that gets sent by the server, which is then stored automatically by the web browser. The cookie then gets sent back automatically on subsequent requests to the server. If the cookie sent back matches what is expected, the user is ‘logged in'. Almost all web sites in existence that has some sort of login use cookies to keep track of this sort of information, so this method is standard practice.
-In the server code, this information is referred to as the ‘control key'. A control key is only provided to a user if they provide valid login credentials, and no one else is logged in at that time.
+The system makes use of HTTP cookies to keep track of who is logged in at any point. The cookie is a small token of information that gets sent by the server, which is then stored automatically by the web browser. The cookie then gets sent back automatically on subsequent requests to the server. If the cookie sent back matches what is expected, the user is `logged in'. Almost all web sites in existence that has some sort of login use cookies to keep track of this sort of information, so this method is standard practice.
+In the server code, this information is referred to as the `control key'. A control key is only provided to a user if they provide valid login credentials, and no one else is logged in at that time.
The control key used is the SHA-1 hash of some randomly generated data, in hexadecimal format. In essence, this is just a string of random numbers and letters that uniquely identifies the current user.
% BEGIN James' section
\subsection{Design Considerations}
-There are many considerations that are required to be taken into account for the successful creation of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows Human Computer Interaction. A poorly design GUI can make a system difficult and frustrating to use. A GUI made with no considerations to the underlying software can make a system inoperable or block key features. Without a well designed GUI the Human Computer Interaction becomes difficult and discourages any interaction with the system at all.
+There are many considerations that are required to be taken into account for the successful creation of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows Human Computer Interaction. A poorly designed GUI can make a system difficult and frustrating to use. A GUI made with no considerations to the underlying software can make a system inoperable or block key features. Without a well designed GUI the Human Computer Interaction becomes difficult and discourages any interaction with the system at all.
One of the key considerations made during the design of the GUI was the functionality it required. Originally this was limited to just allowing for simple control of the system including a start and stop and a display of system pressures however as the project progressed this was expanded to include a user login, limited admin functionality, graphing, image streaming and live server logs. The addition of these features came as a result of changing requirements from the initial brief as well as logical progression of the GUI's capabilities. This gradual progression represents a continual improvement in Human Computer interaction for the system.
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_creation.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_creation.png}
\caption{First Test GUI}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_creation.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_creation.png}
\caption{Testing GUI}
\end{figure}
-This gui was running over a free domain name which allowed us to play with control and command.
+This GUI was running over a free domain name which allowed us to play with control and command.
\subsection{Iterations}
-After the basic testing of the initial GUIs we started playing with gui design ideas which would be aesthetic, easy to use and reflect on UWA in a positive way. To do this we looked into how professional websites were made by opening their source code and investigating techniques into layout, structure and style. Then we went away and completed some gui design trees, where there would be a clear flow between pages.
+After the basic testing of the initial GUIs we started playing with GUI design ideas which would be aesthetic, easy to use and reflect on UWA in a positive way. To do this we looked into how professional websites were made by opening their source code and investigating techniques into layout, structure and style. Then we went away and completed some GUI design trees, where there would be a clear flow between pages.
\subsection{Parallel GUI Design}
-During the GUI development phase, several GUIs were created. Some used graphical development software, while others used hard codded HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Due to no organization within the group and a lack in communication a “final gui” was made by several of the team members. Some of theses are shown below.
+During the GUI development phase, several GUIs were created. Some used graphical development software, while others used hard codded HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Due to no organization within the group and a lack in communication a ``final GUI'' was made by several of the team members. Some of theses are shown below.
\subsection{GUI Aesthetics}
-Once we had decided on our core GUI design, we decided that, although not yet complete we would get Adrain Keatings opinion on the GUI design. While the gui design was simple and functional Dr. Keating pointed out the design was bland. He encouraged us to release our artistic flair onto our GUI and make it more graphical and easy to use. Taking this into account we Began work on another final GUI designing almost from scratch. We kept our GUI design flow, and worked largely on the look and feel of the GUI rather the functionality the gui needed.
+Once we had decided on our core GUI design, we decided that, although not yet complete we would get Adrain Keatings opinion on the GUI design. While the GUI design was simple and functional Dr. Keating pointed out the design was bland. He encouraged us to release our artistic flair onto our GUI and make it more graphical and easy to use. Taking this into account we began work on another final GUI designing almost from scratch. We kept our GUI design flow, and worked largely on the look and feel of the GUI rather the functionality the GUI needed.
\subsection{HTML Structure}
-The way our GUI works, in a nutshell, is that we use Basic HTML code to lay out what the page needs, then we have CSS(Styles) on top which lays out and formats the basic HTML code. We the put JavaScript files into the HTML code so that graphs and images and be streamed. In out GUI we have chosen to use JQuery to ask the server for information from the client and jFlot for javascripts graphing functionality.
+The way our GUI works, in a nutshell, is that we use Basic HTML code to lay out what the page needs, then we have CSS(Styles) on top which lays out and formats the basic HTML code. We the put JavaScript files into the HTML code so that graphs and images and be streamed. In our GUI we have chosen to use JQuery to ask the server for information from the client and flot for graphing functionality.
\subsection{Graphical Development VS Hard Coding}
-From the Multiple GUI we had accidently created during the GUI design phase we noticed a large Varity in the styles of GUIs that came out (Which shouldn’t of happened) GUIs were created using HTML CSS and JavaScript being hard codded, from development software like Dreamweaver, and various java based development platforms.
+From the Multiple GUI we had accidently created during the GUI design phase we noticed a large variety in the styles of GUIs that came out (Which shouldn't have happened) GUIs were created using HTML CSS and JavaScript being hard coded, from development software like Dreamweaver, and various Java based development platforms.
\subsection{Final Design}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_final.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_final.png}
\caption{Final GUI}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_experiment.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_experiment.png}
\caption{The Experiment (While disconnected from the server in the pic above) displays the Warnings and the experiment state to allow device use by only 1 student and avoid nasty conflicting control}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_results.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_results.png}
\caption{The Experimental Results page (also currently disconnected)}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_data.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_data.png}
\caption{The experimental data page shows the start the sensors and actuators are reading, useful for checking the condition and measuring the experiment. }
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_pintest.png}
- \caption{The BBB Pin test page is for the software team only so that we can test and debug the experiment we errors are found in the gui or software. }
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_pintest.png}
+ \caption{The BBB Pin test page is for the software team only so that we can test and debug the experiment we errors are found in the GUI or software. }
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
- \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/gui_help.png}
+ \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{figures/GUI_help.png}
\caption{The help page, which links to the wiki information from all the teams and allows new users to look at all aspects of the project to be further developed and finished. }
\end{figure}
\section{System Overview}
-To aid understanding of the context of the software project, a brief overview of the system as a whole is presented below. Essentially, the MCTX3420 project apparatus is designed to test the behaviour of a pressure vessel as air pressure inside it is gradually increased. A very basic system diagram showing the main components is shown in Figure \ref{system_overview.png}, with control components in \textcolor{red}{ red}, electronics in \textcolor{green}{ green}, sensors in \textcolor{Purple}{ purple}, pneumatics in \textcolor{blue}{ blue}, and experimental targets in \textcolor{Orange}{ orange}.
+To aid understanding of the context of the software project, a brief overview of the system as a whole is presented below. Essentially, the MCTX3420 project apparatus is designed to test the behaviour of a pressure vessel as air pressure inside it is gradually increased. A very basic system diagram showing the main components is shown in Figure \ref{system_overview.png}, with control components in \textcolor{red}{ red}, electronics in \textcolor{green}{ green}, sensors in \textcolor{Purple}{ purple}, pneumatics in \textcolor{blue}{ blue}, and experimental targets in \textcolor{Orange}{ orange}.
\begin{figure}[H]
\centering
\end{itemize}
-The system software essentially is defined by the “control” component: allowing a user to control the experiment hardware. To do this, the software must successfully interface with all of the system areas above so that the desired experiment can be run.
+The system software essentially is defined by the ``control'' component: allowing a user to control the experiment hardware. To do this, the software must successfully interface with all of the system areas above so that the desired experiment can be run.
\section{Development Process}
The development process is outlined below. Each part of the software followed the same general process, which is discussed in more detail for each section later in the report.
\subsection{Planning and Design}
-First, the actual software task to be completed is identified; this is organised with group input. The software component is then designed according to the requirements. Parameters and features are chosen based on the project guidelines and how the component interacts with other software.
+First, the actual software task to be completed is identified; this is organised with group input. The software component is then designed according to the requirements. Parameters and features are chosen based on the project GUIdelines and how the component interacts with other software.
\subsection{Coding}
Another important aspect of the coding process is coding style. Throughout the project, all code that was written adhered to the same style to make it consistent and easier to read. One aspect of styling, for example, is use of capitals when defining function names (for example, \funct{Actuator_Init}), variable names (\var{g_num_actuators}), or definitions of constants (\var{ACTUATORS_MAX}), to make it immediately clear whether something is a function, variable or constant. Other aspects include use of indentation, the ordering of functions, and frequent use of comments. Essentially, styling is used to ensure the code is consistent, easy to follow, and can therefore be worked on by multiple people.
-Coding style is also important when following general code standards. The C language features many standards and style guidelines which were also adhered to, to make the code readable by wider industry professionals. Some examples of this include beginning global variables with \texttt{g_} and correct use of brackets as separators\cite{mellon}. All efforts were made to follow common C and HTML code standards. The use of a common coding style and standards will hopefully make the project software easily expandable by others in the future.
+Coding style is also important when following general code standards. The C language features many standards and style GUIdelines which were also adhered to, to make the code readable by wider industry professionals. Some examples of this include beginning global variables with \texttt{g_} and correct use of brackets as separators\cite{mellon}. All efforts were made to follow common C and HTML code standards. The use of a common coding style and standards will hopefully make the project software easily expandable by others in the future.
Code was also expected to adhere to safety standards. In the first weeks of the project, a document\cite{kruger_safety} was created that outlined all aspects of software safety - both for the software design itself, and ensuring that the system was still safe if the software failed. The results of this are explained further later in the report, with one example being the server's ``sanity check'' functions.
\subsection{Communication} \label{Communication}
The primary time for collaboration was during the team's weekly meetings. Meetings occurred at 2pm-4pm on the Monday of every week, and were generally attended by all group members. While most work was expected to be done outside this time, the meetings were valuable for planning and scheduling purposes, for tackling problems and making design decisions as a group. Team members were able to work together in the meetings to complete certain tasks much more effectively. Importantly, at the end of each meeting, a report of the work done during the prior week and a list of tasks to do the following week was produced, giving the project a continuous, clear direction.
-GitHub was used as the group's repository for software work. The usefulness of GitHub was explained previously in the “General Development Process” section, but essentially, it is a very effective tool for managing and synchronising a large, multi-person software project. GitHub also features a notifications and issue-tracking system, which was useful for keeping track of tasks and immediately notifying team members of any changes.
+GitHub was used as the group's repository for software work. The usefulness of GitHub was explained previously in the ``General Development Process'' section, but essentially, it is a very effective tool for managing and synchronising a large, multi-person software project. GitHub also features a notifications and issue-tracking system, which was useful for keeping track of tasks and immediately notifying team members of any changes.
Outside of meetings, email was the main form of communication. Email threads exist for all of the project's main areas, discussing any ideas, changes or explanations. Email was also used for announcements and to organise additional meetings. For less formal communication, the software group created their own IRC channel. This was essentially a chat channel that could be used to discuss any aspect of the project and for communication about current work.
\subsection{Scheduling}
-At the beginning of the project, an overall software schedule was created, outlining the main tasks to be completed and their target dates. While this was useful for planning purposes and creating an overall impression of the task, it became less relevant as the semester continued. The nature of the software team's work meant that it was often changing from week to week; varying hardware requirements from other teams, unexpected issues and some nebulous project guidelines led to frequent schedule modifications. For instance: use of the BeagleBone turned out to be a significant time-sink, requiring a lot of troubleshooting due to lack of documentation; and a sophisticated login system was not mentioned until late in the project, so resources had to be diverted to implement this. Essentially, while the software group did attempt to keep an overall schedule, this was only useful in planning stages due to the changing priorities of tasks.
+At the beginning of the project, an overall software schedule was created, outlining the main tasks to be completed and their target dates. While this was useful for planning purposes and creating an overall impression of the task, it became less relevant as the semester continued. The nature of the software team's work meant that it was often changing from week to week; varying hardware requirements from other teams, unexpected issues and some nebulous project GUIdelines led to frequent schedule modifications. For instance: use of the BeagleBone turned out to be a significant time-sink, requiring a lot of troubleshooting due to lack of documentation; and a sophisticated login system was not mentioned until late in the project, so resources had to be diverted to implement this. Essentially, while the software group did attempt to keep an overall schedule, this was only useful in planning stages due to the changing priorities of tasks.
Far more useful was the weekly scheduling system. As mentioned in the ``Communication'' section\ref{Communication}, a weekly task list was created on each Monday, giving the team a clear direction. This suited the flexibility of the software well; tasks could be shuffled and re-prioritised easily and split between team members. It was still very important to keep the project's overall deadline in mind, and the weekly task lists could be used to do this by looking separately at the main areas of software (such as GUI design, sensors, and so on) and summarising the remaining work appropriately. Brief weekly reports also covered what had been completed so far, providing a further measure of progress.
git.ucc.asn.au / matches / MCTX3420.git / commitdiff
UCC git Repository :: git.ucc.asn.au