gnuTellaVision Installation

Instructions for Windows:

1) Install Python 2.0.
If you're running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT or 2000, all you need is the Windows installer, which you can get here. It includes Python, Tcl/Tk, and the documentation in HTML format. Simply download the installer and run it.

2) Unzip this file into one directory: gtv.zip (It contains four files: gnut.pyc, host.pyc, observer.pyc, gtv.py)

3) Click on gtv.py to run the application. You should see the interface pop up shortly.

Other platforms:

Download Python for your favorite platform here and TCL/TK here. Also download the python files in step 2 above and run gtv.py.

Things to notice:

The color of nodes and their borders indicate their connection state: when we first learn about a node, it appears in white. Blue indicates that we are trying to connect and yellow indicates that a connection has been successfully established. When we either can not connect to a node, because it has rejected us or because we have been suddenly dropped, it will appear grey.

Right-clicking on a particular node shows more detailed information about it on a status line at the bottom of the display: you will see the IP address and port number, the number of files offered, the total number of kilobytes of data offered, and a count of the types of messages we have seen from that node. The node momentarily turns pink to indicate that it has been clicked.

To test for the connectivity of nodes, you can initiate a query by clicking on a yellow connected node. This sends a query to the node, and the node flashes red on the display. As the query propagates through the network, you will see the message forwarded back; whenever this happens, the forwarding host also flashes in red and a message is displayed on the status line. This interactive test helps you determine whether a particular host is well connected.

Finally, try recentering the graph around a particular node by shift-clicking on it. The node turns purple to indicate that it has been selected, and will move to the central focus, while the other nodes quickly shift position. The new central node then returns to its original color.

If you have any problems running the application, would like to see the source code, or have any questions about the interface, please email us! (send email to the group)