Project/Spitfire/Apps

There are several apps/scripts, running on our main Lab server (spitfire.initlab.org). They run as user apps.

To access them, login as root, and use the following command:

sudo -iu apps

Status monitoring and management

You can see the running apps using:

pm2 list

or see a log browser and live metrics using:

pm2 monit

These apps restart automatically on crash. In order to stop any of them, note its number in pm2 list, and issue the command:

pm2 stop 23 (where 23 is the ID of the app)

Then to start:

pm2 start 23

More info about PM2

If you want to check or manage the status the whole process manager (pm2), please use the systemd unit pm2-apps.service as root. It is responsible for starting the process manager and all apps on system boot.

systemctl start pm2-apps

systemctl stop pm2-apps

systemctl restart pm2-apps

systemctl status pm2-apps

Add a new app

As user apps:

• git clone URL-OF-APP

• cd DIR-OF-APP

• npm install

• create/adjust the app config, if necessary

• cd ..

• edit ecosystem.config.js, be careful about trailing commas

• pm2 reload ecosystem.config.js (this will start the new app, if properly added and configured)

• pm2 save (this will add the app to startup list)

Description of each app

• 433MHz<->MQTT (uart-rf-mqtt): Bridges the serial interface with Arduino board and RF 433MHz RX/TX boards, with the MQTT server so other apps can send commands to RF devices (door bells, door opening modules), and receive commands from RF-enabled devices (e.g. remote control fobs).

• BLE->MQTT (mi-hygrothermograph-mqtt): Receives Xiaomi thermo/humidity sensor readings on BLE, decrypts the packets and sends the readings over MQTT.

• MQTT->collectd (mqtt-proxy): Receives sensor or appliance readings on MQTT and writes the readings to collectd using the plain text protocol on collectd's UNIX socket.

• gosho (gosho): Provides Fauna-compliant API, and either presents a dummy data, or communicates with a NetControl device, to read and change init Lab's door lock (currently not operational, but prevents "undefined door status" message in Fauna).

• initLabNotifier (irc-notifier): An IRC bot, which announces some events that happen at the Lab, and has a couple of useful commands (use !help in the IRC channel, or on private message with the bot).

Diagram of the services