Getting Started

Initial steps to deploy and configure the VGM blockchain solution.

3 minute read

The VGM solution is running on VPF cloud environment. However, in case it is desired to install the solution on the user machine, the following instructions should be followed. The solution in based on Hyperledger Fabric technology, therefore knowledge of Fabric concepts, technological stack and some experience with configuration and deployment of a Fabric network is required.

Contents

Prerequisites

Since the VGM solution is built using Hyperledger Fabric technology, and is built on top of a Fabric blockchain network, we recommend checking out Fabric prerequisites documentation to download and install all required packages and tools.

  • Docker - v1.12 -> v1.19
  • Docker Compose - v1.8 or higher

Download recommended docker version Docker Desktop Community 2.1.0.1 from - https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-mac/release-notes/ . (New docker version might throw errors during deployment as being incompatable with the provided Fabric containers).

Installation

Hyperledger Fabric network components can be run as docker containers and configured and deployed using docker-compose. The documentation for installation of fabric docker components can be found here

Download all of the requisite Hyperledger Fabric binaries and docker images as demonstrated below with curl command, and tag the images with the ‘latest’ tag. Optionally, specify a version for fabric, fabric-ca and thirdparty images. If versions are not specified, the latest available versions will be downloaded.

VGM BC chaincodes and applicational client are developed using Fabric version 1.4.8 therefore please specify this version when downloading

The download script will also clone fabric-samples repository, including the configuration of a network the VGM solution is based on, using the version tag that is aligned with the Fabric version.

  curl -sSL http://bit.ly/2ysbOFE | bash -s -- 1.4.8

Blockchain network configuration and instantiation

The VGM solution source code repository contains scripts for configuration and bringup of blockchain network running on dockers and executing VGM chaincode.

  • The configuration folder can be found here.
  • The chaincode for deploying on the network can be found here
  • The blockchain client application connecting to the fabric network and invoking the chaincode can be found here

The \config folder contains network configuration artifacts allowing to bring up the first-network from fabric-samples tutorials (downloaded with Fabric dockers in previous step) with 3 organizations.

To work with 3 organizations setup, locate the “first-network” folder under “fabric-samples“and place all the content of \config directory under the \first-network

The startUp.sh file will bring up the 3 orgs network, and the client application example connects into the CA and gateway of the third organization (using connection-org3.json)

  • After Downloading fabric samples repository, and cloning this repository.

  • Make Folder under fabric-samples/vgm , and copy ./vgm-client to this folder

  • Make Folder under fabric-samples/chaincode/vgm , and copy ./vgm-chaincode to this folder

  • Empty the content of the original ‘first-network’ folder, and copy all the files and directories recursively from /config directory to the ‘first-network’ directory

  • Run startFabric.sh in fabric-samples/vgm.

  • Test the blockchain application by running main-test.ts in fabric-samples/vgm/app/src.

Frontend

The frontend uses AngularJS . Additionally, it uses the following libraries and components:

Web-UI

Credits

Frontend and blockchain client development:

Project Management:

Chaincode development:

Last modified April 19, 2023: Files update (a811bf0)