Using the Command Line Tools

The tools directory in the Wiretap Client SDK contains a number of executable programs that you can run from the command line. They are useful for becoming familiar with what the API can do. You can use them for troubleshooting as you develop your own Wiretap client, which can be a C++ application or a Python module. You can compare your results with the results returned by the tools. You can also use the command line tools if you want to access Wiretap servers without having to program or script your own Wiretap client.

This section contains some general information about the command line tools and recommends several tools that you can try to become familiar with Wiretap.

Note: While we take steps to preserve the forward- and backward-compatibility of the API (and advertise changes and deprecation when required), we cannot take such steps with the command line tools provided here. As such, they should only be used for testing or prototyping. Do not design mission critical software around the tools. Use the API.

Location of Command Line Tools

You will find the tools in this directory:

wiretap_install_dir/tools/platform_dirs

where,

wiretap_install_dir is the directory where you installed the Wiretap Client SDK.
platform_dirs is one or more nested directories corresponding to the version of the SDK you installed (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows).

Options and Help

Most of the command line tools accept options. Help is available for all the command line tools.

The most common option is -h for host. This option is available if a tool connects to a particular Wiretap server. Note the following points:

If you use the -h option, you can enter the name or IP address of a Wiretap host.
You can specify the type of server to query, using the Host:Server syntax, such as localhost:Backburner. Possible server values are IFFFS, Gateway, Backburner. Default is IFFFS. Be careful with the Gateway, as it exposes the whole filesystem structure.
If you do not use the -h option to specify a host, the tool attempts to connect to the localhost. This works if you are working on a computer that is running a Wiretap server.

To view help for a command line tool:

Enter the --h option after the command.
The help for a particular command lists the options for the command.

Pinging a Wiretap Server

As an initial check, to see if the Wiretap Client SDK is installed properly and that you can access a Wiretap server, you can run the command line tool wiretap_ping. You will find wiretap_ping in a platform-specific subdirectory of the tools directory under your wiretap_install_dir.

To run ping:

Determine the IP address or name of a Wiretap host.
It can be your own computer or any computer on which a Visual Effects and Finishing application is installed. If a Visual Effects and Finishing application is installed, the computer usually runs a Wiretap server as a daemon.
Enter the following command in a shell or terminal window:
pathToTools/wiretap_ping -h <host> [:<database>]

where,

pathToTools is a platform-specific subdirectory of the tools directory under your wiretap_install_dir directory.
host is the host name or IP address.
database is the database type of the server (IFFFS is the default).

Listing Wiretap Servers on the Network

The command line tool wiretap_server_dump displays a list of all the Wiretap hosts on the network to which your development machine is connected.

To list servers:

Enter this command in a shell or command prompt:
pathToTools/wiretap_server_dump [-p] [-U] [-d <db type>]

where,

pathToTools is a platform-specific subdirectory of the tools directory under your wiretap_install_dir.
-p displays server ports.
-U displays the Host UUIDs.
-d filters server of a given database type.

A list of Wiretap servers is displayed. For each server, the following information is displayed.

Column	Description
Wiretap Server	The server’s display name. For example:`reykjavik`
Host UUID	Displayed with the `-U` switch. Identifies which server runs on a machine. Use the host UUID in cases where the `hostname`can change as it identifies the machine without relying on network configuration. See `/opt/Autodesk/cfg/network.cfg` for additional details.
Storage ID	An identifier (unique in your network) for the storage device connected to the server. For example: `IFFFS-162`
Plug-In	This column lists three pieces of information about the server: vendor implementation (for example, IFFFS, Wiretap Gateway or Backburner) version For example: `Autodesk IFFFS 2017.0` `Autodesk Wiretap Gateway Server 2017.0` `Autodesk Backburner 2017.0`

Displaying a Wiretap Server’s Node Hierarchy

A Wiretap server uses a hierarchy of nodes to represent the directory structure of an underlying database. The command line tool wiretap_print_tree displays a tree of the nodes on a Wiretap host in text format. The command accepts a number of options which are explained in the procedure below.

To view a Wiretap server’s node hierarchy:

Enter this command:
wiretap_print_tree [-h host] [-d depth] [-n nodeID] [-k]

where,
- host is the host name or IP address. If you do not specify a host, it will default to localhost. You can specify the server type. If you have trouble, see Pinging a Wiretap Server.
- depth is the depth to which you want to display nodes. The default is 4.
- nodeID is the unique ID of the node at which you want print tree to start. For example, you could enter /projects/<projectName> to see the nodes under a particular project. The first time you enter the command, you cannot enter a node ID because you do not know any. However, node IDs are displayed when you run the command for the first time, so you can use them in the next step.
- -k can be used to continue on error. This option might be useful if some clip does not load correctly but you want to still print out the complete hierarchy.

Things to experiment:

Display a branch of the hierarchy by running the command with the -n option using one of the node IDs displayed when you ran the command before.
Run with different depths (the -d option) to view the hierarchy in more or less depth.