The code permits the testing and running of a cothority-system together with the applications. It is split up in deployment, application and protocols. The basic cryptographic code comes from DeDiS/crypto. The following modules are used:

Deploy

* Deter - running
* Go-routines - in preparation
* Future:
    * Docker
    * LXC

Applications

* timestamping
* signing - needs to collect more data
* vote - doesn't run yet.

Protocols

* collective signing
* joint threshold signing - work in progress

For the moment only the timestamping on Deterlab works:

In the top-level directory, type

go get ./...
go build
./cothority

then enter the name of the deterlab-installation, your username and your project-name, and you should be ready to go. The arguments are:

* -debug - number between 0 and 5 - 0 is silent, 5 is very verbose
* -deploy [deterlab,gochannels] - by default is "deterlab" - gochannels are next
* -app [server,client] - whether to run the application as server or client - not yet implemented

For the sake of easy development there are some switches that are to be used only for the deterlab implementation:

* -nobuild - don't build any of the helpers - useful if you're working on the main code
* -build "helper1,helper2" - only build the helpers, separated by a "," - speeds up recompiling
* -machines # - tells how many machines are to be used for the run

Configure(*Config)
Build() (error)
Deploy() (error)
Start() (error)
Stop() (error)

The Life of a simulation:

1. Configure
   • read configuration
   • compile eventual files
2. Build
   • builds all files
   • eventually for different platforms
3. Deploy
   • make sure the environment is up and running
   • copy files
4. Start
   • start all logservers
   • start all nodes
   • start all clients
5. Stop
   • abort after timeout OR
   • wait for final message
6. Stats - work in progress
   • copy everything to local

For the moment the only running application - it sets up servers that listen for client-requests, collect all requests and handle them to a root-node.

A simple mechanism that only receives a message, signs it, and returns it.

Not done yet

We want to compare different protocols for signing and timestamping uses.

This one runs well and is described in a pre-print from Dylan Visher.

A baseline-comparison being developed by the DeDiS-lab at EPFL.