Linux compatibility

[mkbhaskar]

Made pylabnet compatible with Linux (tested working on Ubuntu 20.04)

Important notes

• get_os() function in pylabnet.utils.helper_methods will return either 'Windows' or 'Linux' and can be used prior to performing any OS specific calls (such as ctypes.windll related functionality).
• In Linux, the key must be added to the /etc/ssl/certs directory
• Due to a conflict in the latest version of OpenSSL for Ubuntu, /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf must be modified as described in this bug report
  
• To activate the desired python environment in Linux, use the unix command source /path/to/env/bin/activate (rather than the batch file typically used in Windows)
• Entry points end up as executable text files, which can be configured in the OS to automatically run, and shortcuts can be placed on the Desktop. Note: icons for shortcuts are not yet supported
• show_console method has been depreciated in favor of GUI-based popups. See pylabnet.gui.pyqt.external_gui, ParameterPopup for cases where there is alreayd a parent app and GUI, and fresh_popup and warning_popup methods when there is no underlying app. This has been tested to work in Ubuntu and Windows

Device specific notes

Should test device functionality moving forward.

• nidaqmx is not officially supported, although it might work. Lots (but not all) NI hardware is Linux compatible. pydaqmx may be an alternative
• pyvisa should work identically, taking care of standard serial connections
• Swabian instruments should be supported
• Zurich instruments Labone should also be compatible
• Wavemeter, smaract MCS2, thorlabs Kinesis, power meter are not supported
• Toptica DLC Pro should work, although we should still eventually move to their supported python driver

[cknaut]

Looks good. Tested it on a Linux Mint machine by starting nanopositioner GUI without problems. Added option to provide a network_configuration config file containing the following:

{
    'subnet' : '192.168.50', # For Windows
    'network_interface' : 'enp1s0f3' # For Linux
}

If a computer is connected to multiple networks, this file provides a way to specify the network which is used to launch the pylabnet servers. The network interface on Linux can be found using the ifconfig command.

[mkbhaskar]

@cknaut this may interest you

Figured out how to turn pylabnet executable binaries into an "application". Create a file /usr/share/applications/pylabnet.desktop with the following contents, substituting the correct paths in Exec and Icon for your machine:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=/home/usrname/pylabnet/venv/pylabnet-dev/bin/pylabnet
Name=pylabnet
Icon=/home/usrname/pylabnet/devices.ico

You can do the same for pylabnet_proxy, pylabnet_master, and pylabnet_staticip if desired. Now, run sudo update-desktop-database to refresh the application database. Now you should be able to find a pylabnet launcher from your Application launcher UI.

From here, you can copy the pylabnet.desktop file onto the desktop, right-click the file that shows up and select Allow launching, and it should create a desktop shortcut with the appropriate icon.