Using the VistA Appliance

Project Goal

Create a plug and play VistA virtual appliance to support training and demonstration activities.

Development Milestones

Virtual environment selection: QEMU

• Host Configuration: 10%
• Guest Configuration: 33%
• Installer design and development: 2%
• Security cerrtification: 0%
• User documentation: 5%
• Technical documentation: 1%
• Testing and User Acceptance: 0%

Development Steps

Host architecture

• Directory structure & Initial Set-up (Pre-Installer Work Envinonment)

QEMU

Extracted files from downloaded file, 'qemu-0.8.2-windows.zip'
Directory 'qemu-0.8.2-windows' is produced when extaction is complete
Moved 'qemu-0.8.2-windows' directory to 'C:\Program Files\qemu-0.8.2-windows'

QEMU Accelerator Module

Extracted files from downloaded file, 'kqemu-1.3.0pre9.tar.gz'
Directory 'kqemu-1.3.0pre9' is produced when extaction is complete
Moved 'kqemu-1.3.0pre9' directory to 'C:\Program Files\kqemu-1.3.0pre9'
Right click on 'kqemu.inf' and select 'Install' from pop-up menu

VA VistA Demo Toaster 20060926

Extracted files from downloaded file, 'VAVistADemo20060912.zip'
File 'xxxx' is produced when extaction is complete
Moved 'xxxx' directory to 'C:\Program Files\qemu-0.8.2-windows'

Updates to VA VistA Demo Toaster appliance: http://groups.google.com/group/Hardhats/browse_thread/thread/89ba7bbdf941b19?hl=en

Modifications to inetd configuration (courtesy KS BHaskar):

To enable inetd to start automatically, 
execute each of the following commands once.  When you reboot your 
Toaster, inetd will start automatically: 

sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc2.d/S20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc3.d/S20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc4.d/S20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc5.d/S20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc1.d/K20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc2.d/K20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc3.d/K20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc4.d/K20inetd 
sudo ln -s /etc/init.d/inetd /etc/rc5.d/K20inetd 

Enhancement to automatically start and stop Taskaman (courtesy KS BHaskar):

Edit the file /etc/init.d/VAVistADemo20060926 (e.g., with "sudo 
beaver /etc/init.d/VAVistADemo20060926" which gives you a WYSIWYG GUI 
editor), and make it look like this: 

---------------------------------------------- 
#!/bin/sh 

PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin 

source /usr/local/gtm_V5.2-000/gtmprofile 
cd /var/VAVistADemo20060926/gtm_V5.2-000 

case "$1" in 
  start) 
        sudo -u dsl /usr/local/gtm_V5.2-000/mupip journal -recover - 
backward g/mumps.mjl 
        sudo -u dsl ./run RESTART^ZTMB <<EOF 
Y 
EOF 
        ;; 
  stop) 
        sudo -u dsl ./run STOP^ZTMKU <<EOF 
Y 
Y 
EOF 
        sleep 5 
        sudo -u dsl killall mumps 
        sudo -u dsl /usr/local/gtm_V5.2-000/mupip journal -recover - 
backward g/mumps.mjl 
        ;; 
  *) 
        echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/VAVistADemo20060926 {start|stop}" 
        exit 1 
esac 

exit 0 
---------------------------------------------- 

Taskman will automatically start when you boot the Toaster, and shut 
down when you stop it. 

• Guest launch scripting

Modifications: qemu-win.bat

The .bat file that comes with QEMU has been modified to launch Toaster.

The original file:

REM Start qemu on windows.
@ECHO OFF
REM SDL_VIDEODRIVER=directx is faster than windib. But keyboard cannot work well.
SET SDL_VIDEODRIVER=windib
REM SDL_AUDIODRIVER=waveout or dsound can be used. Only if QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=sdl.
SET SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dsound
REM QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=dsound or fmod or sdl or none can be used. See qemu -audio-
help.
SET QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=dsound
REM QEMU_AUDIO_LOG_TO_MONITOR=1 displays log messages in QEMU monitor.
SET QEMU_AUDIO_LOG_TO_MONITOR=0
qemu.exe -L . -m 128 -hda linux.img -soundhw all -localtime

The modified file: (UPDATED 01/28/06 - added 'net start kqemu' to launch QEMU Accelerator Module

net start kqemu
REM Start qemu on windows.
@ECHO OFF
REM SDL_VIDEODRIVER=directx is faster than windib. But keyboard cannot work well.
SET SDL_VIDEODRIVER=windib
REM SDL_AUDIODRIVER=waveout or dsound can be used. Only if QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=sdl.
SET SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dsound
REM QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=dsound or fmod or sdl or none can be used. See qemu -audio-help.
SET QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=dsound
REM QEMU_AUDIO_LOG_TO_MONITOR=1 displays log messages in QEMU monitor.
SET QEMU_AUDIO_LOG_TO_MONITOR=0
qemu.exe -L . -m 128 -hda -soundhw all -localtime -redir tcp:2222::22 -redir tcp:9297::9297 VAVistADemo20060912.qcow

Client connection configuration

CPRS Connection CPRS can connect to the appliance from the host with "CPRSChart s=localhost p=9297 CCOW=DISABLE".

• Need to understand where to add the above string.
• Need steps to configure Hosts file (C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc)

Guest architecture

• Guest loading scripting
  1. Start up / Shut down (/etc/init.d/)
     1. Start/stop TaskMan
     2. Start/stop RPCBroker (or use inetd/xinetd)
  2. ...

If you start Taskman, retrieving data in the background will work for the CPRS client. The Access and Verify codes are VistAis#1 and #1isVistA respectively.

• Can Taskman be start automatically on guest OS boot?

Development Resources

• [1] QEMU Main Page

Installation files

• [2] QEMU on Windows provides precompiled QEMU versions for Windows.
• [3] QEMU Accelerator Module
• [4] Detailed release notes and VA VistA Demo Toaster 20060926
• [5] BigFiles: file sharing

Open Issues & Questions

• Gain permission to distribute QEMU Accelerator Module

[6] Time Zone Map