Having downloaded and verified a fresh build, I set about looking at tutorials and examples of dissectors.  The intention is to capture network traffic arriving and leaving the iigcd process, currently JDBC and .NET over TCP/IP, and to dissect the packets.

I eventually stumbled on Creating Your Own Custom Wireshark Dissector by Ken Thompson and after a couple of hours had the inklings of a dissector.

The protocol is composed of a network level envelope around a transport level packet which surrounds a Data Access message.  The initial dissector will dissect the network and transport layers, but the message dissection was a bit more complicated than time allowed.

The code is available from https://bitbucket.org/notnull/idamp-dissector-plug-in/, feel free to contribute

Related posts

• Ingres Migration Toolset
• Ingres command line RPM installation
• Ingres doc search plug-in updated
• Ingres package install ain’t misbehavin
• Ingres Documentation site relaunched

The project was divided into the GUI and the migration library and the initial release was a re-factored version of the initial Swing application together with extensive release processes built around it.   Thank heavens for maven lifecycle plug-ins.

One of the more serious challenges was the incorporation of the antlr parser into our build that lead to the development of an ant plug-in that split the generated Java code into multiple interfaces.

As you will notice the source for the project is not hosted on the original Ingres Migration Toolset project; that was our original intention, but our attempts to maintain the development history in mercurial when integrating changes back to the subversion repository failed (lesson learned).

Related posts

• Debugging the Hibernate project with Eclipse
• Button clicks do nothing in Ingres Database Workbench, Eclipse and its derivatives
• Rapid
• Data Access Message Protocol – Wireshark dissector
• Ingres command line RPM installation

As a consequence if installing packages by-hand (not using the express install script or the GUI installer) the set-up process will not be run on any versions of Linux.  Post installation configuration is initiated by running either:

service ingresXX configure [response file name]

or

service IngresXX start

• XX should be replaced with the instance code in the package name used to install with II by default.
• A response file name should be supplied with configuration values that differ from the default.

Related posts

• Ingres command line RPM installation
• Data Access Message Protocol – Wireshark dissector
• Ingres Migration Toolset
• Ingres doc search plug-in updated
• Ingres Documentation site relaunched

Having been working at the periphery of the Hibernate source and submitting simple patches for the Ingres dialect and some tests I am now in a position to start debugging some of the issues discovered whilst testing. I have been dabbling with building maven projects from Eclipse using m2eclipse, but have not managed to perform source level debugging. I found this article Dealing with the Eclipse IDE that provides some clues on how it is done.

Essentially it involves a remote debug session from a container project to a running maven goal configured to listen.

Versions

The versions of software that I’ve been playing with

• Eclipse Galileo ~SR1 – Build id: 20090920-1017
• Eclipse Helios M5 – Build id: 20100204-0846 (I started to install the m2eclipse plugin and import the projects, but needs more work)
• Ingres 9.3.1 (int.lnx/106)
• java version “1.6.0_16″
• mvn Apache Maven 2.2.1 (r801777; 2009-08-06 20:16:01+0100)
• Apache Ant version 1.7.1 compiled on June 27 2008
• Hibernate 3.5.0-Final

Path: .
URL: http://anonsvn.jboss.org/repos/hibernate/core/tags/hibernate-3.5.0-Final
Repository Root: http://anonsvn.jboss.org/repos/hibernate
Repository UUID: 1b8cb986-b30d-0410-93ca-fae66ebed9b2
Revision: 19149
Node Kind: directory
Schedule: normal
Last Changed Author: steve.ebersole@jboss.com
Last Changed Rev: 19148
Last Changed Date: 2010-03-31 18:38:55 +0100 (Wed, 31 Mar 2010)


These notes assume that the software has been installed and configured. For example, the Maven local repository location is available and that the Maven remote repository is accessible.

Installing m2eclipse

The article Dealing with the Eclipse IDE includes links on how to install m2eclipse, but in summary, to install new software in Eclipse use the built-in update manager:

• Using the menus select
  • Help > Install New Software
  • In the dialog add the URL http://m2eclipse.sonatype.org/sites/m2e
  • Check the boxes of the packages that should be installed
    • NB” Version 0.9.8 should be un-installed before upgrading to 0.10.

Import the Hibernate project

Once the m2eclipse extensions have been installed into Eclipse the preparation for importing the Hibernate Project Object Model (POM) XML file into the IDE is complete. Importing the Hibernate project is optional and is only required if you intend to build Hibernate from Eclipse. The remote Java application perspective will connect to either a command line invoked maven process or an Eclipse invoked maven process.

• Start Eclipse
  • Create a new workspace for the Hibernate project.
• Using the menu File > Import
  • Select Maven > Existing Maven Projects
  • Click Next and use the browse button to specify the root directory of the Hibernate source code, this is the directory in which the top level pom.xml file exists.
  • The sub-projects appear in the tree view in addition to the hierarchy beneath the top level project.

The initial import and build of the workspace can take a while.

Create a Surefire Debug Configuration

Create a run configuration for a specific test class for debugging. In this example the filter.DynamicFilterTest has been cut down into filter.IngresDynamicFilterTest.

• Select the menu Run > Run configuration option or from the context menu using a right click.
• In the Run Configuration dialog select ”maven” and create a new configuration
  • Enter a name for the configuration
  • Surefire Debug
  • Set the base directory to the test suite directory by browsing the file system
  • Set the goals
  • test -Dmaven.surefire.debug
  • Use a JDBC profile if one is required and has been configured
  • Set the ”test” parameter to a specific test class intended for debugging
    • test=org.hibernate.test.filter.IngresDynamicFilterTest

Create a Debugging Container Project

The container java project does not contain any source and is used as the launch point for a remote debugging configuration.

• Using the File->New->Project->Java Project (or equivalent)
• Set the project name in the wizard
• Project Name: Maven Debug and finish

In order to debug a maven project a container project is used to connect to maven in debug mode.

Create Container Project from Ray Fan on Vimeo.

• Use the Run->Debug Configurations menu to create a configuration for the Remote Java Application
  • Set the nameName: Maven
  • Keep all the existing settings and apply

  

  • Select the Source tab and add source
    • File System Directory and browse to the Hibernate route source directory
    • Select the Search subfolders check box
    • Apply and close

    

• Use the Run > Debug Configurations menu to duplicate the Maven configuration for the Remote Java Application
  • Set the name
    • Name: Maven Debug
  • Change the port value
    • Port: 5005
  • Apply and close

  

Set breakpoints and start the test

At least one breakpoint should be set in the source prior to the run configuration Surefire Debug is started

• Browse the source tree in the package explorer to the test class
• Set a breakpoint
• Use the Run->Run Configurations menu and select the Maven->Surefire Debug configuration
  • Click debug to start maven

Eclipse breakpoint setting and starting maven from Ray Fan on Vimeo.

Using Eclipse to browse the project source and set a breakpoint prior to starting maven to run the test.

Start the debugger

• Use the Debug->Debug Configurations menu and select the Maven Debug remote debugging configuration
  • Click debug to start the debugging session
  • Switch to the debugging perspective when prompted
  • Once execution of the test starts the breakpoint set previously should be hit

Starting to debug from Ray Fan on Vimeo.

Starting to debug, switching perspective and hitting the breakpoint.

Related posts

• Hibernate 3.5.0-Final released
• Donnez-moi un café Ingres
• Rapid
• Ingres Migration Toolset
• Useful or useless? Follow on post …

Most notably, I extended the work started by Enrico Schenk in introducing additional Ingres dialects. There are now three possible dialects.

• IngresDialect – for use with Ingres II 9.2
• Ingres9Dialect – for use with Ingres II 9.3
• Ingres10Dialect – for use with Ingres II 10.0 – at the moment this is a place holder and uses the 9.3 dialect

The Ingres9Dialect switches uses the ISO date/time types and functions for mapping to their Hibernate equivalents. This changes the behaviour from the IngresDialect which used ingresdate type and functions.

Further changes to Ingres9Dialect will include the introduction of auto-increment columns; a whole host of additions will be required for the Ingres10Dialect and not forgetting the inclusions from the Ingres GeoSpatial project.
A list of new features introduced into each release is published on the “Ingres New Features Per Release” page.

Related posts

• Debugging the Hibernate project with Eclipse
• Useful or useless? Follow on post …
• In the market for JDBC properties
• Donnez-moi un café Ingres
• Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2008

The day continued with the same intensity as the preceding 3 days culminating in the closing session where the conference was wrapped up and the winners of prizes announced. Unexpectedly, I won a prize (looking like a real geek) for voter feedback; having been to many conferences I liked the system of soliciting feedback at Eclipsecon, making use of the +1, 0, -1 voting system.

This was my first ever Eclipsecon and the Eclipse Foundation Conference Committee organized a fantastic event in my opinion. Now I’ll have to try and get to Eclipse Summit Europe, just to see how they follow that.

Related posts

• Ingres Migration Toolset
• Vectorise your data
• Debugging the Hibernate project with Eclipse
• EclipseCon 2010 – day3
• Button clicks do nothing in Ingres Database Workbench, Eclipse and its derivatives

Demonstrations of simpler application deployment on Glassfish with Java modules or OSGi plug-ins together with annotated EJB integration showed how Java is loosing its ‘complex to use’ shackles. A quick JavaFX demonstration demonstrating video and audio support could mean the same deployment format for desktop to embedded devices and provide a replacement to Silverlight and Flash.

During my existence as a conference attendee I have never before experienced the lunch practice of rewarding with beer the filling of places at a table; that is until today. Thanks to Adrian Mos (the presenter on Mangrove SOA modelling framework that I attended) who diligently recruited people to sit at our table resulting in the awarding of beer served for lunch.

The Google presentations on Web toolkit and app engine were well attended, so well attended there wasn’t even standing room and I couldn’t get in. From the description of the atmosphere and odour in the room from a colleague I think I had a disappointing but lucky escape.

Now I’m slowly getting my head around some of the terms and the architectures the fog is slowly clearing.

Some random stuff

The first session of the day involved an introductory presentation on the e4rover challenge

– translation, control a remote vehicle in a Mars terrain simulation using the current version of Eclipse e4 with driving controls.

Followed by a three hour tutorial on “Working with OSGi” that developed “Toast” a sample fleet management application. Many of the presentations are highly technical and domain specific so finding presentations for a newbie like me is a challenge. Luckily, the lightning talks are 12.5 to 25 minutes of introduction to pitch for more detailed presentations later in the week.

What is striking is that some of the project proposals can have overlap with each other and compete for community attention. A point raised in the Eclipse Modelling Framework (EMF) panel discussion was the difficulty in picking a project for an application and being sure that a project is kept active.

A project proposal called Eclipse Scout is being an application framework and SDK that is being made open source by a Swiss Company BSI who have used it to create their own CRM application. I noted their intention to integrate with Jasperserver but the lack of Ingres on their database connectivity slide. I raised it with the presenter Matthias Zimmermann who said the only reason was lack of expertise in their engineering. An opportunity to get in on the ground floor I think.

Eclipse PHP Development Tools (PDT) was another lightning talk by the project lead Rob Ganor. I caught up with Rob and spoke to him about the latest developments in PTD. Incidentally, it’s moved on quite a way since the early syntax highlighting PHP editor. It now includes integration with xDebug or Zend debugger and path management. Adding the ability to provide code assist for the Ingres PHP driver would improve productivity and details on how to are on the wiki page.

The day ended with a short Eclipse Data Tools Platform (DTP) BoF meeting where we met with members of the project leadership. Brian Fitzpatrick informed us the Ingres Database Workbench had been submitted into DTP Enablement, so not part of the release stream but available from the source tree.

Some random stuff

drop ima_dbms_fis;
\p\g
register table ima_dbms_fis (
        server varchar(64) not null not default is
                'SERVER',
        id integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_id',
        complement integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_cmplmnt',
        type varchar(20) not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_type',
        flags integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_flags',
        opid integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_opid',
        args integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_numargs',
        dtresult integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_dtresult',
        dtarg1 integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_dtarg1',
        dtarg2 integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_dtarg2',
        dtarg3 integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_dtarg3',
        dtarg4 integer4 not null not default is
                'exp.adf.adg.fi_dtarg4'
)
as import from 'tables'
with dbms = IMA,
structure = sortkeyed,
key = (server);
\p\g
grant all on ima_dbms_fis to ingres;
\p\g
grant select on ima_dbms_fis to public;
\p\g

Adding this table to ima_dbms_types and ima_dbms_operators adds the ability to retrieve the list of functions and their signatures.  The query makes use of an internal function iitypename which translates the numeric type code into a name.

select
    a.name,
    case when a.type='COMPARISON' then
        trim(iitypename(b.dtresult)) + ' = ( ' +
        trim(iitypename(b.dtarg1)) + ' ' +
        a.name + ' ' +
        trim(iitypename(b.dtarg2)) + ' )'
        when a.type='OPERATOR' then
        trim(iitypename(b.dtresult)) + ' = ( ' +
        trim(iitypename(b.dtarg1)) + ' ' +
        a.name + ' ' +
        trim(iitypename(b.dtarg2)) + ' )'
    else
        trim(iitypename(b.dtresult)) + ' = ' +
        a.name + '( ' +
            case when b.dtarg1 != '' then trim(iitypename(b.dtarg1)) else '' end +
            case when b.dtarg2 != '' then ', ' + trim(iitypename(b.dtarg2)) else '' end +
            case when b.dtarg3 != '' then ', ' + trim(iitypename(b.dtarg3)) else '' end +
            case when b.dtarg4 != '' then ', ' + trim(iitypename(b.dtarg4)) else '' end
        + ' )'
    end as signature
from
    ima_dbms_operators a,
    ima_dbms_fis b
where
    a.opid = b.opid
group by a.name, 2
order by a.name

Some sample output from this query:

|name                          |signature                       |
|soundex                       |char = soundex( text )          |
|soundex                       |char = soundex( varchar )       |
|sqrt                          |float = sqrt( float )           |
|squeeze                       |nvarchar = squeeze( nchar )     |
|squeeze                       |nvarchar = squeeze( nvarchar )  |
|squeeze                       |text = squeeze( c )             |

So in answer to my own question; yes, it is useful.  I’ll be trying this on an IngresGeospatial build when I get my hands on one.

Related posts

• Debugging the Hibernate project with Eclipse
• Hibernate 3.5.0-Final released
• Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2008
• IMA Guru (Pronounced, I’m A Guru) – I definitely am not
• Data Access Message Protocol – Wireshark dissector

After some minutes of frustration and even more minutes searching for an answer on Google I found this https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=291257 Any way the temporary solution is to set the environment variable GDK_NATIVE_WINDOWS to 1 before invoking the Eclipse launcher.  For example, use a script that implements the following:

#!/bin/sh
export GDK_NATIVE_WINDOWS=1
/usr/local/Eclipse/eclipse/eclipse

Another workaround would be to try using the keyboard’s space bar to make a button selection, but this gets a bit tedious.

Alternatively wait patiently for the advent of 3.6.

Related posts

• Ingres Migration Toolset
• Vectorise your data
• Debugging the Hibernate project with Eclipse
• Rapid
• Data Access Message Protocol – Wireshark dissector