~/.nb/nb_mod_ module .nb

/etc/nb/host.nb

/usr/local/lib/nb/nb_mod_ module .nb

NodeBrain configuration files provide per user or system wide declarations and definitions. The syntax used in these files is the same as any *.nb file, but they focus primarily on keys and modules---the things you don't want to define over and over in NodeBrain scripts.

When nb(1) starts it first checks for a ~/.nb/private.nb file. If this file exists, it is sourced almost as if it were the first argument. The only difference is input lines are not displayed---to avoid exposing private keys. The permissions on this file should be set to prevent access by anyone other than the owner (chmod 600, or chmod 400).

The other files listed in the SYNOPSIS above are not automatically sourced as of the 0.6.4 release. They are proposed here as a naming standard for files a user might want to source from their ~/.nb/private.nb file, or from configuration files created for specific applications.

The /etc/nb/host.nb file is proposed as a place to put definitions useful to all users on a system. For example, if you create a NodeBrain agent on a system and want to give access to potentially all users, you might declare a public key for each user in /etc/nb/host.nb with a brain declaration for the agent. If you do not want to give all users access, you should use an application specific configuration file instead.

The ~/.nb/nb_mod_module.nb files and /etc/nb/nb_mod_module.nb files are proposed for defining skill variations implemented by a skill module. Under release 0.6.4 you are required to explicitly source these files if needed. In a future release, nb(1) may automatically look for these files when a module is loaded.

The IDENTIFY command is executed in a separate execution of nb(1) to generate an identity and add the declaration to your ~/.nb/private.nb file. This command is never used within a configuration file.

# Create an identity (name associated with a public and private key)

identify identity;

Once generated, the owner of an identity may copy the declaration to their ~/.nb/private.nb file for other accounts and hosts. The public key may be shared with other users to place in their ~/.nb/private.nb file as a "shared secret." We do not anticipate NodeBrain Protocol (NBP) being used in applications where the public keys are actually published. They should only be "public" within a small application community.

# declare an identity - declare private keys in private.nb only

declare identity identity key;

In order to communicate with a peer nb(1) process (what we call a "brain"), you must declare the brain.

# declare a peer brain

declare brain brain identity@host;

Use the SOURCE command to include commands from another file. This might be used to source an /etc/nb/host.nb file or a module configuration file. It is also intended for use within NodeBrain application configuration files as a way to organize rules into logical sets for maintenance and reuse.

# source commands from another file

source file,[assertions];

The following commands might be found in an /etc/nb/nb_mod_module.nb file or a user's ~/.nb/nb_mod_module.nb file.

# declare a skill module - see nb.mod(7)

declare module module file;

# declare a skill - see nb.mod(7)

declare skill skill module.skill[(args)][:text]

The nb.syn(5) man page provides more information on command syntax. You should at least scan it if you plan to do anything with NodeBrain application rule files (applicationSpecificName.nb).

NB_MOD_PATH

The NB_MOD_PATH variable provides a platform independent way of specifying a path for locating NodeBrain Expert Skill Modules. This path overrides the native system search paths by qualifying module names so that a search is avoided. The following example illustrates a setting that directs NodeBrain to search the current directory first and then the parent directory when loading modules (plugins).

NB_MOD_PATH="./:../" nb myscript.nb

$ cd ~/.nb $ mv private.nb private.nb% $ nb private.nb% ... find the problem $ vi private.nb% ... resolve the problem $ nb private.nb% ... verify $ mv private.nb% private.nb

See nb(1) for information on message format.

The concept of /etc/nb/host.nb and nb_mod_module.nb was introduced with skill modules in release 0.6.0, April, 2004. This idea is expected to evolve a bit in subsequent 0.6.x releases.

[1] NodeBrain Home Page

[2] NodeBrain User Guide

[3] NodeBrain Language Reference

[4] NodeBrain Module Reference

[5] NodeBrain API Reference