[OpenAFS-devel] Inquiry About GSoC 2025 Project: JSON Output for OpenAFS CLI Tools

[Michael Meffie]

On Tue, 25 Mar 2025 13:22:16 +0200
Νίκος Κυριακάκος <kyriakakosn@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear OpenAFS community,
> 
> My name is Nikolaos Kyriakakos and I am a computer science student at
> National and Kapodestrian University of Athens.
> I’ve reviewed the project idea titled "Enhance OpenAFS Command-Line Tools
> with JSON Output" and would like to ask a few clarifying questions to
> better understand the scope and expectations:

Welcome, and thank you for you interest in OpenAFS.

>  - Should the JSON output be added via new flags (e.g., --json) or
> integrated into existing output handlers?

Yes, that is the typical way in enable new features on the command line
tools.  An internal library called libcmd is used for processing command
line arguments.

>  - Are there specific CLI tools prioritized for JSON support (e.g., vos,
> fs, pts), or would the contributor propose candidates based on impact?

Yes, those are they main tools; fs, vos, pts, bos, each with many subcommands.
The ones that have special "format" options that are hand coded but intended
to be machine readable would be the highest prority.

Commands that just print information, tools like xstat_*, that print
stats would be very useful and may be a good starting point and lower risk.

>  - Are there preferred libraries (e.g., jansson) or constraints?

Yes, jansson is the preferred library and would fit well with other projects
we have in mind.

>  - Would potential mentors be available to discuss design decisions during
> the community bonding period?

Yes

> My background:
>  - C programming: Many university projects
>  - JSON: Used in web development projects and work I have done
> 
> Thank you for your time—I’m looking forward to collaborating!
> Best regards,
> Nikolaos Kyriakakos
> Github: https://github.com/Nikos25K
> Portfolio: https://nikos25k.github.io/

Thank you,
Mike

-- 
Michael Meffie <mmeffie@sinenomine.net>