Introduction

eProsima Integration Service is a Linux tool that enables communication among an arbitrary number of protocols that speak different languages.

This project was born as a joint effort between Open Robotics and eProsima, which nowadays is in charge of maintaining it.

It works by translating the languages of the systems involved to a common representation language that follows the Extensible and Dynamic Topic Types for DDS (xTypes) standard by the OMG; specifically, Integration Service bases its intercommunication abilities on eProsima's open source implementation for the xTypes protocol, that is, eProsima xTypes.

The translation is mediated by system-specific plugins, or System Handles, allowing to communicate the middlewares involved with the core, that speaks the common xTypes representation language. This is carried out by interfacing each entity in the user application with a complimentary "mirror" proxy in the System Handle (SH), able to communicate with the former according to either a pub/sub or service pattern. Namely:

• A subscriber in the SH for a publisher in the user app.
• A publisher in the SH for a subscriber in the user app.
• A client in the SH for a server in the user app.
• A server in the SH for a client in the user app.

Integration Service can be launched using the command line, as follows:

~/is_ws$ integration-service <filename>.yaml

It is recommended to use colcon to build and install the Integration Service executable and its associated middleware plugins; for more information, please refer to the Installation manual section in the documentation chapter of this document.

Quick start

Download here the Integration Service docker image that contains pre-installed Fast DDS, ROS 1, ROS 2 and WebSocket System Handles and the documentation examples.

Dependencies

This section provides a list of the dependencies needed in order to compile Integration Service. These requirements will be different depending on the System Handles you want to use.

Integration Service Core

• YAML-cpp: A YAML parser and emiter for C++.

• Boost program options: Library that allows obtaining name-value pairs from the config file.

  These libraries can be installed using your Linux distribution package manager with the following command:

  sudo apt-get install -y libyaml-cpp-dev libboost-program-options-dev
  

FastDDS System Handle

• FastDDS: eProsima C++ implementation for DDS.

Fiware System Handle

• Asio: C++ library for network and low-level I/O programming.

• cURLpp: C++ wrapper for libcURL.

• cURL: Command-line tool for getting or sending data using URL syntax.

  These libraries can be installed using your Linux distribution package manager with the following command:

  sudo apt-get install -y libcurlpp-dev libasio-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev
  

ROS 1 System Handle

• ROS 1: Melodic/Noetic ROS 1 distribution.

ROS 2 System Handle

• ROS 2: Foxy/Galactic ROS 2 distribution.

WebSocket System Handle

• OpenSSL: Toolkit for the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols.

• WebSocket++: WebSocket Protocol C++ library implementation.

  These libraries can be installed using your Linux distribution package manager with the following command:

  sudo apt-get install -y libssl-dev libwebsocketpp-dev
  

Configuration

The Integration Service can be configured during runtime by means of a dedicated YAML file. This configuration file must follow a specific syntax, meaning that it is required that a number of compulsory section are opportunely filled for it to successfully configure and launch an Integration Service instance, while others are optional. Both kinds are listed and reviewed below:

• types (optional): It allows to list the IDL types used by the Integration Service to later define the topics and services types which will take part in the communication process.

  This field can be omitted for certain Integration Service instances where one or more System Handles already include(s) static type definitions and their corresponding transformation libraries (Middleware Interface Extension or mix files).

    types:
      idls:
        - >
          #include <GoodbyeWorld.idl>
  
          struct HelloWorld
          {
            string data;
            GoodbyeWorld bye;
          };
      paths: [ "/home/idl_files/goodbyeworld/" ]

  Several parameters can be configured within this section: (click to expand)

  • idls: List of IDL type definitions that can be directly embedded within the configuration file. If the types section is defined, this subsection is mandatory. The type can be entirely defined within the YAML file, or can be included from a preexisting IDL file; for the latter, the system path containing where the IDL file is stored must be placed into the paths section described below.

  • paths (optional): Using this parameter, an existing IDL type written in a separate file can be included within the Integration Service types section. If the IDL path is not listed here, the previous subsection #include preprocessor directive will fail.

• systems: Specifies which middlewares will be involved in the communication process, allowing to configure them individually.

  Some configuration parameters are common for all the supported middlewares within the Integration Service ecosystem; while others are specific of each middleware. To see which parameters are relevant for a certain middleware, please refer to its dedicated README section in its corresponding GitHub repository, under the name of https://github.com/eProsima/<MW_NAME>-SH.

    systems:
      foo: { type: foo }
      bar: { type: bar, types-from: foo }

  In relation to the common parameters, their behaviour is explained in the following section: (click to expand)

  • type: Middleware or protocol kind. To date, the supported middlewares are: fastdds, fiware, ros1, ros2, websocket_client and websocket_server. There is also a mock option, mostly used for testing purposes.

  • types-from (optional): Configures the types inheritance from a given system to another. This allows to use types defined within Middleware Interface Extension files for a certain middleware into another middleware, without the need of duplicating them or writing an equivalent IDL type for the rest of systems.

• routes: In this section, a list must be introduced, corresponding to which bridges are needed by Integration Service in order to fulfill the intercommunication requirements for a specific use case.

  At least one route is required; otherwise, running Integration Service would be useless.

    routes:
      foo_to_bar: { from: foo, to: bar }
      bar_to_foo: { from: bar, to: foo }
      foo_server: { server: foo, clients: bar }
      bar_server: { server: bar, clients: foo }

  There are two kinds of routes, corresponding to either a publication/subscription paradigm or a server/client paradigm: (click to expand)

  • from - to: Defines a route from one (or several) system(s) to one (or several) system(s). A from system expects to connect a publisher user application with a subscriber user application in the to system.

  • server - clients: Defines a route for a request/reply architecture in which there are one or several clients which forward request petitions and listen to responses coming from a server, which must be unique for each service route.

• topics: Specifies the topics exchanged over the routes listed above corresponding to the publication-subscription paradigm. The topics must be specified in the form of a YAML dictionary, meaning that two topics can never have the same name.

  For each topic, some configuration parameters are common for all the supported middlewares within the Integration Service ecosystem; while others are specific of each middleware. To see which topic parameters must/can be configured for a certain middleware, please refer to its dedicated README section in its corresponding GitHub repository, under the name of https://github.com/eProsima/<MW_NAME>-SH.

    topics:
      hello_foo:
        type: HelloWorld
        route: bar_to_foo
      hello_bar:
        type: HelloWorld
        route: foo_to_bar
        remap: { bar: { topic: HelloBar } }

  In relation to the common parameters, their behaviour is explained below: (click to expand)

  • type: The topic type name. This type must be defined in the types section of the YAML configuration file, or it must be loaded by means of a Middleware Interface Extension file by any of the middleware plugins or System Handles involved in the communication process.

  • route: Communication bridge to be used for this topic. The route must be one among those defined in the routes section described above.

  • remap (optional): Allows to establish equivalences between the topic name and its type, for any of the middlewares defined in the used route. This means that the topic name and type name may vary in each user application endpoint that is being bridged, but, as long as the type definition is equivalent, the communication will still be possible.

• services: Allows to define the services that Integration Service will be in charge of bridging, according to the service routes listed above for the client/server paradigm. The services must be specified in the form of a YAML dictionary, meaning that two services can never have the same name.

  For each service, some configuration parameters are common for all of the supported middlewares within the Integration Service ecosystem; while others are specific of each middleware. To see which parameters must/can be configured for a certain middleware in the context of a service definition, please refer to its dedicated README section in its corresponding GitHub repository, under the name of https://github.com/eProsima/<MW_NAME>-SH.

  services:
    serve_foo:
      request_type: FooRequest
      reply_type: FooReply
      route: foo_server
    serve_bar:
      request_type: BarRequest
      reply_type: BarReply
      route: bar_server
      remap: { foo: { request_type: bar_req, reply_type: bar_repl, topic: ServeBar } }

  Regarding the common parameters, they differ slightly from the topics section: (click to expand)

  • type (optional): The service type. As services usually are composed of a request and a reply, this field only makes sense for those services which consist solely of a request action with no reply. Usually, within the services context, it is not used at all.

  • request_type: The service request type. This type must be defined in the types section of the YAML configuration file, or must be loaded by means of a Middleware Interface Extension file by any of the middleware plugins, or System Handles, involved in the communication process.

  • reply_type: The service reply type. This type must be defined in the types section of the YAML configuration file, or must be loaded by means of a Middleware Interface Extension file by any of the middleware plugins, or System Handles, involved in the communication process.

  • route: Communication bridge to be used for this service. The route must be one among those defined in the routes section described above and must be a route composed of a server and one or more clients.

  • remap (optional): Allows to establish equivalences between the service name (topic field) and its request and reply type, for any of the middlewares defined in the used route. This means that the service name and types names may vary in each user application endpoint that is being bridged, but, as long as the type definition is equivalent, the communication will still be possible.

Finally, it is important to remark that both the services and topics sections are not mandatory, meaning that an Integration Service instance can be launched only for publication/subscription bridging, or solely to perform service type communications. However, they are not exclusive, and can coexist under the same YAML configuration file.

Supported middlewares and protocols

All of the currently protocols are integrated within Integration Service by means of dedicated plugins or System Handles.

The complete System Handles set for the Integration Service is currently composed of the following protocols:

• Fast DDS System Handle

• FIWARE System Handle

• ROS 1 System Handle

• ROS 2 System Handle

• WebSocket System Handle

Additionally, creating a System Handle is a relatively easy task and allows to integrate a new protocol to the Integration System infrastructure, which automatically provides the new protocol with communication capabilities towards all of the aforementioned middlewares and protocols.

For more information, please refer to the System Handle user manual and System Handle API reference sections, available in the official documentation.

Compilation flags

Integration Service uses CMake for building and packaging the project. There are several CMake flags, which can be tuned during the configuration step:

• BUILD_LIBRARY: This compilation flag can be used to completely disable the compilation of the Integration Service set of libraries, that is, the Integration Service Core and all the existing System Handles existing in the colcon workspace. It is enabled by default.

  This flag is useful, for example, to speed up the documentation generation process, when building the API Reference from the Doxygen source code comments.

  ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_LIBRARY=OFF

• BUILD_API_REFERENCE: It is used to generate all the necessary files for building the API Reference section of the documentation, starting from the source code comments written using a Doxygen-like format. It is disabled by default; to use it:

   ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_API_REFERENCE=ON

• BUILD_TESTS: When compiling Integration Service, use the -DBUILD_TESTS=ON CMake option to compile both the unitary tests for the Integration Service Core and the unitary and integration tests for all the System Handles present in the colcon workspace:

  ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_TESTS=ON

• BUILD_EXAMPLES: Allows to compile utilities that can be used for the several provided usage examples for Integration Service, located under the examples/utils folder.

  ⚠️	To use this flag, all the examples dependencies need to be installed.

  These applications can be used to test the Integration Service with some of the provided YAML configuration files, which are located under the examples/basic directory:

  ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=ON

• BUILD_FASTDDS_EXAMPLES: Allows to compile the FastDDS utilities that can be used for several of the provided usage examples for Integration Service, located under the examples/utils/dds folder.

  ⚠️	To compile these examples you need to have FastDDS (v.2.0.0 or superior) installed.

  These applications can be used to test the Integration Service with some of the provided YAML configuration files, which are located under the examples/basic directory:

  ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_FASTDDS_EXAMPLES=ON

  To date, the following FastDDS user application examples are available: (click to expand)

  • DDSHelloWorld: A simple publisher/subscriber application, running under Fast DDS. It publishes or subscribes to a simple string topic, named HelloWorldTopic.

    The executable resulting will be located inside the build/is-examples/dds folder and named DDSHelloWorld. Please execute DDSHelloWorld -h to see a full list of supported input parameters.

  • DDSAddTwoInts: A simple server/client C++ application, running under Fast DDS. It allows performing service requests and replies to a service named AddTwoIntsService, which consists of two integer numbers as request type and answers with a single value, indicating the sum of them.

    The executable resulting will be located inside the build/is-examples/dds folder and named DDSAddTwoInts. Please execute DDSAddTwoInts -h to see a full list of supported input parameters.

• BUILD_ROS1_EXAMPLES: Allows to compile the ROS 1 utilities that can be used for several of the provided usage examples for Integration Service, located under the examples/utils/ros1 folder.

  ⚠️	To compile this example you need to have ROS 1 (Melodic or superior) installed and sourced.

  These applications can be used to test the Integration Service with some of the provided YAML configuration files, which are located under the examples/basic directory:

  ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_ROS1_EXAMPLES=ON

  To date, the following ROS 1 userr-defined packages and application examples are available: (click to expand)

  • add_two_ints_server: A simple C++ server application, running under ROS 1. It listens to requests coming from ROS 1 clients and produces an appropriate answer for them; specifically, it is capable of listening to a ROS 1 service called add_two_ints, which consists of two integer numbers as request type and answers with a single value, indicating the sum of them.

    The resulting executable will be located inside the build/is-examples/ros1/add_two_ints_server folder, and named add_two_ints_server_node.

  • example_interfaces: ROS 1 package containing the service type definitions for the AddTwoInts services examples, for which the ROS 1 type support files will be automatically generated. As specified in the services examples tutorials, it must be compiled and installed in the system, using catkin:

    ~/is_ws$ cd examples/utils/ros1/catkin_ws/
    ~/is_ws/examples/utils/ros1/catkin_ws$ catkin_make -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=ON -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/ros/<ROS1_DISTRO> install

• BUILD_WEBSOCKET_EXAMPLES: Allows to compile the WebSocket utilities that can be used for several of the provided usage examples for Integration Service, located under the examples/utils/websocket folder.

  ⚠️	To compile this example you need to have OpenSSL and WebSocket++ installed.

  These applications can be used to test the Integration Service with some of the provided YAML configuration files, which are located under the examples/basic directory:

  ~/is_ws$ colcon build --cmake-args -DBUILD_WEBSOCKET_EXAMPLES=ON

  To date, the following WebSocket user application examples are available: (click to expand)

  • WebSocketAddTwoInts: A simple server/client C++ application, running under WebSocket++. It allows performing service requests and replies to a service named add_two_ints, which consists of two integer numbers as request type and answers with a single value, indicating the sum of them.

    The resulting executable will be located inside the build/is-examples/websocket folder, and named WebSocketAddTwoInts. Please execute WebSocketAddTwoInts -h to see a full list of supported input parameters.

Documentation

The official documentation for eProsima Integration Service is hosted by Read the Docs, and comprises the following sections:

• Introduction
• Installation Manual
• User Manual
• API Reference
• Examples
• Release Notes

License

This repository is open-sourced under the Apache-2.0 license. See the LICENSE file for more details.

Getting help

If you need support you can reach us by mail at support@eProsima.com or by phone at +34 91 804 34 48.