phēnix¶

phēnix provides a framework for defining, deploying, and managing complex cyber-physical experiments. It orchestrates virtual machines, networks, and applications to create realistic emulation environments.

🚀 Getting Started¶

The easiest way to get phēnix running is using Docker.

Prerequisites¶

Linux environment (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
Docker & Docker Compose

Running with Docker¶

The phēnix repository includes a docker-compose.yml file in the docker/ directory for running phēnix and its dependencies.

1. Clone the Repository¶

git clone https://github.com/sandialabs/sceptre-phenix.git
cd sceptre-phenix/docker

2. Start Services¶

The docker-compose.yml file allows you to either build from source or use a pre-built image.

Building from Source (Default)¶

This is the recommended method for development.

docker compose up -d --build

Using Pre-built Images¶

To use the pre-built image from the registry instead of building from source, run:

docker compose up -d --pull always

This will pull the latest images specified in the image key for each service (e.g., ghcr.io/sandialabs/sceptre-phenix/phenix:main and ghcr.io/sandia-minimega/minimega:master) and skip the build step.

3. Check Status¶

After starting the services with either method, view the logs to see the initialization progress:

docker compose logs -f

Note

The Docker image includes the user apps from the sceptre-phenix-apps repository.

Accessing the CLI & Shell Completion¶

With phenix running in a container, you can execute commands. For the best experience, including shell (tab) completion, you should install the provided wrapper script.

Using the Wrapper Script (Recommended)¶

The phenix repository includes a wrapper script that simplifies running phenix commands against the Docker container and is required for shell completion to work correctly.

Install the wrapper: From the root of the sceptre-phenix repository, run:
```
# This command installs the `scripts/phenix-wrapper.sh` script to /usr/local/bin/phenix.
sudo make install-wrapper
```
Warning

If you previously used a shell alias for phenix (e.g., alias phenix="docker exec ..."), you must remove it from your shell profile (e.g., ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc) for the wrapper and completion to work.
Enable Shell Completion: Add the completion script to your shell's startup file so it's available in new terminal sessions.
```
# For Bash
echo 'source <(phenix completion bash)' >> ~/.bashrc

# For Zsh
echo 'source <(phenix completion zsh)' >> ~/.zshrc
```
Now, you can use Tab to autocomplete commands, flags, and even dynamic values like experiment and VM names. For more details, run phenix completion --help.

Manual Execution¶

You can also execute commands directly, but shell completion will not work.

docker exec -it phenix phenix <command>

📚 Documentation¶

Configuration: Learn about Topologies, Scenarios, and Experiments.
Settings: Configure the phēnix daemon (logging, storage, UI).
Experiments: Manage the lifecycle of your experiments.
Apps: Extend functionality with Apps.