Distributed System Recorder (SOLAR-CATS)

  A computer assisted teaching system for distributed systems
  A benchmark system for distributed systems

Takashi Yamanoue
Computing and Communications Center, Kagoshima University, Japan

This is a remoto-controllable, recordable, replay-able system 
which includs applications such like a draw and a programming environment.

- This is under development. Some parts of this system don't work correctly.

- This system includes remote controllable programs. This means
  that this system may have security holes. Please stop this system
  immediately after your use.

- Please use this sytem at your own risk. We don't comply with
  any claim for damages by using this sytem.

This system can followings.

- Remote-controlled draws, programming environments and Web browsers
  at computers, which are connected to a distributed system or a network, 
  simultaneously.  This function can be used for classes at computer 
  laboratories.

- Replaying operations of this system any times.

- Evaluating a distributed system by replaying same operations 
  on computers of the distributed system simultaneously .

This system consists of the following systems.

- node system
     This system runs on each computers or terminals.
     This system consists of applications such like a draw and
     a simple programing environment, operation recorder-player and
     communication node.
     
     There are two types of the node system. One is the teacher node
     (nodesystem.CommunicationNode.class) and another is the student node
     (nodesystem.StudentsNode.class). The teacher node has the right to control
     the all nodes' communication mode.
     There is the "RemoteControlManager" application for the controlling
     this mode.

- group manager
     This system manages connections between the node systems.

This directory includes the following files and directories.
If this directory can be shared by node systems, you can decrease chores
such like install procedures.

- classes ...     Java classes of this classes and its sources.
                  This directory will be the current PATH of this system.

- images  ...     image files for this classes.

- README.txt ...  This file

- commondata ...  This directory includes Graphic images and programs 
                  for common use by  node systems.

- nodedata   ...  This directory includes files for each node systems.
                  This directory must be writeable by all users.
                   ex. chmod 777 nodedata

- groupmanager .. A prototype for UNIX shell script which starts
                  the group manager (nodesystem.GroupManager.class). 
                  Please rewrite this script for your environment. 

- teacher     ..  A prototype for UNIX shell script which starts the 
                  group manager (nodesystem.GroupManager.class) and 
                  teacher node (nodesystem.CommunicationNode.class). 
                  Please rewrite this script for your environment. 

- teacher1    ..  A prototype for UNIX shell script which starts the 
                  teacher node only. Please rewrite this script for your 
                  environment. 

- student     ..  A prototype for UNIX shell script which starts the 
                  student node. Please rewrite this script for your 
                  environment. 

                  % student
                        or
                  % student -h <group manager's address>

- groupmanager.bat ... A prototype for Windows batch file which starts
                  the group manager. Please rewrite this script for
                  your environment. 

- teacher.bat ... A prototype for Windows batch file which starts 
                  the teacher node. Please rewrite this script for your 
                  environment. Please note, this doesn't start the
                  group manager. Please run this after start the
                  group manager.

- student.bat ... A prototype for Windows batch file which starts 
                  the student node. Please rewrite this script for your 
                  environment. 

- webleap.bat ... A prototype for Windows batch file which starts
                  the WebLEAP. Please rewrite this script for your 
                  environment. WebLEAP is a tool for helping in
                  English writing. Please see
                  http://yama-linux.cc.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/~webleap

-------------------------
[NOTES] 
- J2SE1.4.*(J2SDK1.4.*) must be installed. 
  There are something wrong with JDK5.0(J2SE1.5.0,J2SDK1.5.0)

- In order to run on X-windows, Windows must be apper
   without wire-frame for manual positioning.

- The directory "nodedata" must be writeable to all users.
  ex. chmod 777 nodedata

Usage 1. Running  a single node system

  start the teacher1 or teacher.bat after rewrite one of this
  for your environment.
  Select an application and click the  spawn button.
  The selected application start after some seconds.
  Click the show recorder button for show the operation-recorder-player
  window.

Usage 2. Running node systems simultaneously

  start the teacher (or groupmanager.bat and teacher.bat) after rewrite one 
  of this for your environment. You have to memorize the domain name or IP 
  address of the computer which runs this for the node system connection.

  start student or student.bat at each computers or 
  terminals after rewrite one of this  for your environment.

  Input the domain name or IP addres of the group manager at the
  "Group Manager" field of each node system window, and click the
  "Join" button. 

  Select the Draw from the application menu of the node system
  which is joined to the group manager first. Then the draw
  will shown on all joined node systems. All operations on the
  draw of the first node system performed by all other joined node
  systems.