This repository contains an experimental and perhaps slightly crazy framework to visualize aspects of existing distributed systems. The basic idea is that information about the system under analysis is collected in both an automated and manual way and aggregated into a fact database. Based on this, further knowledge is inferred in a generic fashion, followed by a step of purpose- or view-specific inferring and structuring. The output of this is abstract but graphical/topological in nature and is then transformed into a visual diagram in a last step:

   -------------         -----------         -----------          -----------         -------- 
  | Information  ------->           |       |           |        | Specific  |       |        |
  |  collector  |       |           |       |            --------> Inferring  -------> Render  --->
   -------------        |           |       |           |        |           |       |        |
                        |           |       |           |        | Transform |       |        |
   -------------        |           |       |           |         -----------         -------- 
  | Information  ------->   Fact     ------->  Generic  |
  |  collector  |       | Database  |       | Inferring |
   -------------        |           |       |           |         -----------         -------- 
                        |           |       |           |        | Specific  |       |        |
   -------------        |           |       |            --------> Inferring  -------> Render  --->
  |   Manual     ------->           |       |           |        |           |       |        |
  |   Input     |       |           |       |           |        | Transform |       |        |
   -------------         -----------         -----------          -----------         -------- 

In order to collect input data, the contents of the "input.d" directory is examined recursively. This is done in lexicographic order, although the order should not matter.

If an executable script is encountered, it is run and the output to stdout is captured as facts (see below). Stderr is used for logging, an exit code other than 0 is treated as an error. Scripts have full access to the environment, so this is an

Non-executable scripts are just sourced as raw fact lists, so replacing an executable script with it's stdout output would yield teh same result (in the static case)

Outputs need to be prolog facts, and are simply concatenated together to form the fact database.

XXX No idea, need to play with prolog first...

XXX no diea, but we will need some form of common modules that can be shared

the output of the specific inferring and transformation stage is a single set of diagram entities, serialized via a custom but simple format of nested entities with a type an properties on them each. Please see XXX for an example of the format, as well as the types and properties supported.