The RDK Emulator enables you to run Metrological SDK Apps.
Requirements
- Download NodeJs and install it, if absent from your host system.
- Download VirtualBox and install it, if absent from your host system.
- Download 7zip and install it, if absent from your host system.
Depending on your host OS do the following:
- On Linux open console and type "ssh --help". When this command is missing, install this package on your Linux distribution.
- On Mac enable ssh-command (see how-to-enable-ssh), if this is not enabled already.
- On Windows download and install Putty and/or Notepad++, if these are not installed already.
Clone the RDK-emulator-repository to your host-system
git clone https://github.com/Metrological/rdk-emulator.git
Get source from Metrological Application Framework SDK and install dependencies
git clone https://github.com/Metrological/maf3-sdk.git && cd maf3-sdk
npm install
Running MAF-SDK inside RDK-emulator
Startup node.js with maf3-sdk
NODE_PORT=8080 node sdk.js
This will startup the server with maf3-sdk interface.
Import RDK-emulator into VirtualBox
On Linux or Mac goto the rdk-emalutor-directory and join the four 7zip-parts of rdk-emulator.7z files:
cd ../rdk-emulator && 7z x rdk-emulator.7z.001
Uncompress rdk-emulator.tar.gz file:
tar xzvf rdk-emulator.tar.gz
On Windows see 7zip how to do this.
Import the resulting RDK-emulator.ova into VirtualBox.
In VirtualBox select the RDK-emulator and start it. Wait until the opening-page is visible (you will see the title Comcast Set-Top-Box-Developer-Edition at the top of the page).
With the LEFT- or the RIGHT-key, of your host-keyboard, you can navigate, respectively: to the left or to the right.
Navigate to the purple button, called "DeviceInfo", and select this button by pushing the ENTER-key. You will end-up with a completely white page with only the ip-address of the RDK-emulator displayed on it. Write down this ip-address somewhere (you will need it later).
By pushing the BACKSPACE-key you will leave the DeviceInfo-tabpage and end-up again on the opening webpage.
Lastly, by selecting Machine-menutab and then choosing Power Down item in the sub-menu of the Machine-menutab you can stop the RDK-emulator.
Okay, at this stage the RDK-emulator is also up and running. Perhaps a little background information is in order here. During the boot-process of the RDK-emulator, a RDK-webbrowser is started with an initial html-webpage, called menu.html. This file is located at /opt/www/menu.html.
On Linux or Mac fetch menu.html onto your host system:
scp root@<ip-address-of-rdk-emulator>:/opt/www/menu.html menu.html
On Window see use ftp-plugin of Notepad++ howto do this.
Open menu.html-file in your favourite text-editor and replace the <ip-address-of-host> in href="http://<ip-address-of-host>:8080" with the ip-address of your host.
On Linux or Mac copy the changed menu.html back onto RDK-emulator:
scp menu.html root@<ip-address-of-rdk-emulator>:/opt/www/menu.html
On Window see use ftp-plugin of Notepad++ howto do this.
Reboot the RDK-emulator and select the AppStore-button. You are now in the AppStore created with maf3-sdk.
Inspecting and debugging the RDK-browser with the WebInspector:
On your host-system open a webbrowser of your choice and goto the following URL-address.
http://<ip-address-of-rdk-emulator>:9222
You will end-up with a webpage with only one hyperlink on it. By clicking on this link you will end-up with the WebInspector-menu. Developers still new to the WebInspector can check out an introduction guide for more background information.
Create a TV-app yourself:
Now your TV-app development environment is ready, you have everything in place to develop, build and test a new TV-app yourself. Just jump to howto create a TV-app for a short introduction.
Please read and agree with the LICENSE before using the RDK Emulator. All OSS licenses can be found at OSS_LICENSES.
Would you like to join our team? Drop your details at recruitment@metrological.com