Has anyone worked on improving the default nsd.tcl file structure? For
new users, and for users wanting to try something new, the lack of
documentation and default values for the different modules makes
experimentation difficult.
So here are some random thoughts:
Move module configuration into separate files. Handle all explaination
and variable setting at the top of these files, source the module file
iff it is actually used in the main nsd.tcl file.
Or do the same with a single file, but enclose the module sections
inside ifs conditioned on whether the module is used.
My overall impression is that some solution that allowed the developer
to concentrate on the top part of the file for setting well named, and
maybe commented, variables would be much easier to setup and maintain.
Good ideas, but I'd recommend keeping the default configuration file a single file in order to keep things simple. The hierarchical structure of the configuration sections was designed to help keep things clear. We can certainly improve the documentation that is provided, and extend it to include all the parameters and better explanations of what each is used for. I'd recommend that module writers include configuration examples in a README file which they include.
Having Tcl based configuration files is very powerful, and allows you to do many clever things, but can also quickly lead to overly complicated configuration. I'm currently faced with cleaning up such a mess myself.
That said, I'd recommend sticking with a single default sample-config.tcl for now. Is there anyone who would be interested in signing up to work on better documentation of the various configuration options? This work will need to be done for both the 3.5.x and 4.0 versions since there are some pretty significant differences in 4.0 (virtual servers, configurable thread pools, etc.) Let me know!
- Nathan
