Running Hyperledger Grid on Splinter

Hyperledger Grid supports Splinter as a backend distributed ledger. This document shows how to set up a Grid-on-Splinter environment that runs in a set of Docker containers.

The example Splinter docker-compose file creates a network with three nodes (alpha, beta, and gamma) that can be used for demos or application development. This environment includes the Pike, Product, and Schema smart contracts.

• Pike handles organization and identity permissions with Sabre, a smart contract engine that is included in the Splinter scabbard service.
• Grid Product provides a way to share GS1-compatible product data (items that are transacted, traded, or referenced in a supply chain).
• Schema provides a reusable, standard approach to defining, storing, and consuming the product properties. Property definitions are collected into a Schema data type that defines all the possible properties for an item.

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine
• Docker Compose

Important Notes

Due to ongoing development of Splinter the images in this example can become stale. If you have used this procedure before, run the following command to ensure that your images are up to date:

$ docker-compose -f examples/splinter/docker-compose.yaml pull generate-registry db-alpha scabbard-cli-alpha splinterd-alpha

Set Up and Run Grid

1. Clone the Hyperledger Grid repository (https://github.com/hyperledger/grid).

2. Navigate to the grid root directory and build the Grid Docker containers.

   $ docker-compose -f examples/splinter/docker-compose.yaml build --pull

3. Start the Grid Docker containers.

   $ docker-compose -f examples/splinter/docker-compose.yaml up

   This docker-compose file creates a network with two nodes (alpha and beta) that includes the Pike, Schema, and Product smart contracts.

Next Steps

Once the Grid on Splinter environment is running, you can create a circuit to connect two nodes, then demonstrate Grid functionality with existing smart contracts, such as Pike organizations and Grid products. You can also upload new smart contracts to the circuit.

Create a Circuit

Creating Splinter Circuits explains the procedure to connect nodes on a circuit.

Tip: After the circuit exists, you can demonstrate circuit scope to show that Splinter isolates information to members of a circuit.

For more information on Splinter circuits, see the Splinter documentation.

Demonstrate Grid Smart Contract Functionality

You can use the Pike and Grid Product smart contracts to demonstrate Grid functionality by creating an organization and agent, defining a schema for the product properties, and creating a product.

• Creating Organizations describes how to create an owning organization for Grid items (such as products), and set the permissions for an agent who is allowed to create and manage those items.

• Creating Schemas explains how to define the format of properties for Grid items such as products.

• Creating Products shows how to create, update, and delete products as the organization’s agent.

Demonstrate Smart Contract Deployment

You can use the scabbard CLI to deploy custom smart contracts on existing circuits.

• Uploading Smart Contracts explains how to upload and configure a new smart contract.

Demonstrate Circuit Scope

If a node is not a part of a circuit, that node cannot access information about that circuit or any transactions that occur on that circuit.

Use the following steps to demonstrate that the third node in the network (gamma-node-000) cannot see the circuit between alpha and beta, even when it participates in a new multi-party circuit with those nodes.

1. Connect to the splinterd-gamma Docker container. You will use this container to run Splinter commands on gamma-node-000.

   $ docker-compose -f examples/splinter/docker-compose.yaml exec splinterd-gamma bash
   root@splinterd-gamma:/#
   

2. Verify that splinterd-gamma does not see any circuits.

   root@splinterd-gamma:/# splinter circuit list --url http://splinterd-gamma:8085
   ID MANAGEMENT MEMBERS
   

Final note: Splinter strictly enforces privacy for all information on a circuit, including participants, available smart contracts, and transactions performed by the participants using those smart contracts.

For example, if gamma creates a circuit with alpha and a separate circuit with beta, then uploads the XO smart contract and plays a tic-tac-toe game with alpha, the xo list command on gamma will show only the gamma-alpha game. Even though alpha and beta are using the same XO smart contract, their game moves (smart contract transactions) remain private to their two-party circuit.