UEx-IcePy

This repository has been created for the ZeroC Ice lab session of the Distributed Computing subject at the University of Extremadura (UEx).

Table of contents

• Getting started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
  • Usage
• Code examples
• License

Getting started

The instructions below help you replicate this repository.

Prerequisites

Anaconda distribution is recommended. You can install it following the official installation guide.

Check if Anaconda is installed (--version):

conda -V

Installation

The file environment.yml contains all the necessary packages to use this project inside the environment provided with the name icepy. You can create a conda environment from the .yml file as follows (--file):

conda env create -f environment.yml

Usage

Activate the conda environment:

conda activate icepy

Compile the Slice definition to generate Python proxies and skeletons:

slice2py <filename>.ice

where <filename> must be replaced by the name of the target Slice definitions.

Start the server on a terminal or dedicated hardware, then start the client on another terminal or hardware unit.

Code examples

The examples are organized in folders:

• P04_1_printer contains an example (based on the one given here) where the client sends to the server a message to be "printed" via the terminal.
• P04_2_basic_calculator is the solution to the first lab exercise where the client sends two values to a single server (the calculator) which does all the operations and returns the result.
• P05_1_calculator_pro is the solution to the second lab exercise. The client receives the IP addresses and ports of the servers via the terminal. One server performs addition and subtraction and the other division and multiplication, each returning the result to the client.
• P05_2_bank as an example of a simulation of a real-life problem or situation. It requires the compilers slice2py (currently under the Anaconda environment) and slice2cpp (installation details can be found here). Makefile included. It currently only works with localhost.
• PE_1_guessing_game is part of the 2022-2023 regular exam schedule. It features a guessing game where the client makes a guess and sends it to the server. The server then checks if the guess is correct. This process repeats until the correct number is guessed.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.