Gitin Wiki

IT inventory: keep track of devices, networks and cables in a database

Status: Alpha

Brought to you by: cybr, wignoxqs

Install

Authors:

Home of the Gitin wiki: https://sourceforge.net/p/gitin/wiki/

Context

Gitin is a desktop program for a Linux system with e.g. KDE. This is the source, so you have to "compile" it with Gambas. Luckily this can nicely be done by pressing a button in the Gambas IDE once you opened the project in it. You can even choose to make a link on the desktop (just by marking a checkbox! )
Afterwards you don't need the Gambas IDE any more, except if you want to compile a newer version. You have to keep the Gambas runtime though.

Install Gambas3 from your favourite Linux distro repository. E.g. opensuse 42.3, yast search "Gambas3-IDE". If you do not choose the IDE, but just gambas3, you might end up with just the runtime. You can compile from the command prompt, but really easy is from the IDE.

Steps to Gitin

Download the Gitin-Some-version-nr.tar.gz.

Extract with tar -xzvf Gitin-Some-version-nr.tar.gz.

You will see a directory folder with the name Gitin.

Open Gambas3. File, open, choose the Gitin directory (that looks like a gambas project in the file, open window).

Press F5 (menu Debug, Run). That's it, you see the program work. (of course it is empty! - see later).

Want to keep it as executable?

Choose Project, Mkae, Executable. (mark Create shortcut on the desktop). "ok".

That's all. Really, sorry. You can start the program now by clicking on the link on the desktop.

Run

If the program runs*, it starts with a quite-emtpy-screen. That's normal, you want to track YOUR IT equipment, not mine.
At the bottom you might see app messages about no access to the database: "cannot open databases..". That's right - what database? (ps: if you get this message afterwards, just check that your database server is started!)

no? Look further under "if the program doesn't run".*

Configure

So you have to configure a database, I use mariadb as the mysql compatible database the program is intended for.

In the configure window, you can also set the directory where Gitin has to store the images; these are stored locally, you can share them als simple files, just copy the directory.

More configurations might be possible, just look around. Mostly the values are saved in the Gitin.conf file in the hidden .config directory.

Database

The database can run on your "localhost"; i.e. on the computer you run the program on, or on a remote server (in your network). You need: server host (ip or name), the login on the database, the password of that login, the database to be used. Fill all the values under Settings in the configuration screen.

mysql -u root -p
(enter password). If you are in, you get the database prompt:
MariaDB>
Give the commands to create the database, the user and grant the needed rights for it:
mysql> CREATE DATABASE gitin;
(you get some query ok response - hopefully - just like after the next commands:)
mysql> CREATE USER 'gitinapp'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON gitin.* TO 'gitinapp'@'localhost';
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
mysql> EXIT;

Bye
.. confirms that you exited the database.

A file gitin.sql is supplied, you might import it as the structure of the database, with a tool like phpMyAdmin, or on the commandline:

mysql -u gitinapp -p gitin < gitin.sql
You will be asked for the password (of the gitinapp account on the database).
No news is good news, check with phpMyAdmin of with the gitinapp account logging in on the database:

mysql -u gitinapp -p
same password indeed. You are greeted with "Welcome to the MariaDB monitor .." etc Order:

mysql> show databases;
The created "gitin" should be there, next to e.g. information_scheme and everything else that might be there.

mysql> use gitin;
blabla .. Database changed

mysql> show tables;

You see a lot of readable names, that will contain what they look like; data about devices, cables, locations, etc.
The _dd_helpdata is a bit a special table; it contains data that helps you use the application, and has to contain some help and examples - what is not there yet when you install from zero. This data contains the texts that describe the meaning of the fields, and give some sample possibilities in some data entry screens. The application should also work without.

Run, 2

At this moment, the program should be happy if you supply the connection data right in the configuration screen.
(otherwise you get an error message - check if you got all things right)
You will see that the columns now do have some header names for the content of that column.
At the bottom you might see a message like "Result is not available" - that's ok, it is not available indeed.

If you choose one of the table buttons on top, you get the record-edit screen for that table.
The messages "Result is not available" in the color "Description", "Example", etc, are normal on this moment, as there is no help information available yet. You might fill it in the table _helpdata, or import it from a sample file.
(I used DbInfoCode to fill the descriptions, examples and defaultvalues there. The example database might give a clue)

Sample data (gitinExample.sql)

The best way to explore an application, is with data. I supply a sample data set; that can be imported like the aforementioned structure sql file, and is named gitinExample.sql . Attention! It kills all present Gitin data if installed already. Change names/make backup.

Unplugged
If you want to use a "copy" of a common database (on your intranet instead of localhost), you have to export these data (dump) and import in your laptop to be up to date, and use your laptop as passive instance (read-only).
Also think about the images in the directory ... (see settings).

Image files

The image files are stored locally, so that you can run the program on a laptop with your own database and picture files. Of course you can share the pictures via a (local) (web)server, so that anyone can update the picture on her/his local version. A script was supplied in the beginning, although no code for this use yet (might get the images from this url automatically).
Personally I work like this: when a new device is created, I allways store the new image in a shared folder on a server. Then I run a script on my laptop/desktop to sync (i.e. get the new image files).

If the program doesn't run

if your compiled version doesn't run, check by running the program (from source) in the IDE
check if gambas3 is installed correctly, with all the needed dependencies.
check if the directories and database settings are correct. Check database acces settings manually from the commandline.
check the error messages (if any), check more recent version if exists, otherwise file a bug report, so that the problem can be handled.
check the changes.txt and changes.sql files; if the database changes, i.e. fields are added, you can cut-paste the modifications to e.g. phpMyAmin.
still database errors? Make a backup of yours, and try with the supplied example database.
let me know where it stops if you run it from the IDE
or file a ticket https://sourceforge.net/p/gitin/tickets/.

note: Last updated with version 0.7.4.