chore: replace Corrade plugin manager with hand-rolled in-process registry - #770
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Corrade's PluginManager was being used purely for static-linked plugin
registration — pluginSearchPaths() returned {""}, no .so files were ever
loaded at runtime, and CORRADE_PLUGIN_IMPORT was the entry point for
every plugin. We were paying for an industrial-strength dynamic loader
to do compile-time registration, which has been the root cause of every
build pain in recent memory: macOS clang vector-include workaround,
musl strerror_r patch, vendored conan recipe for cci.20260327, fragile
StringView::Global / _s literal handling, etc.
Replace it with a ~80-line PluginRegistry<T> in src/PluginRegistry.h:
each plugin .cpp invokes VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN / _INPUT_PLUGIN
at file scope, which appends a {alias, version, interface, factory}
entry to the per-base-class singleton registry at static-init time.
CoreRegistry::start() iterates entries() and instantiates each plugin
directly. Plugin metadata that previously lived in *.conf files is now
baked into the registration macro arguments. Multi-alias support
(flow/sflow input) is handled via an _ALIAS variant.
Linker pruning of static archives is solved by having the macro emit
an extern "C" int visor_force_link_<SYMBOL> = 1 in each plugin .cpp,
and having handlers/static_plugins.h and inputs/static_plugins.h
reference those symbols — same approach Corrade used internally.
Build/CI changes:
- conanfile.py: drop corrade requires + tool_requires
- CMakeLists.txt: drop find_package(Corrade)
- src/CMakeLists.txt: drop CORRADE_USE_PEDANTIC_FLAGS, drop Corrade::Corrade link
- plugin CMakeLists.txt (all 16): corrade_add_static_plugin/corrade_add_plugin
-> add_library(... STATIC ...), drop .conf metadata file argument
- delete all *.conf plugin metadata files
- .github/workflows/build-develop.yml: drop the macOS -include vector
workaround from CONAN_INSTALL_ARGS (corrade was the only target needing it)
- .github/workflows/build_cross.yml: drop -DCORRADE_RC_PROGRAM
- .github/actions/build-cpp/entrypoint.sh: drop -DCORRADE_RC_PROGRAM
- cmd/pktvisord/main.cpp: --module-list now iterates the new registry;
--module-dir logs a deprecation warning (dynamic loading is gone)
Verified locally on macOS arm64: clean build succeeds, pktvisord
--module-list correctly reports all 17 plugins (6 inputs incl. flow/sflow,
11 handlers), 19/23 unit tests pass (the 4 failures match develop and
are pre-existing).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Three failures on PR #770 CI; one fix each: 1. Linux unit-tests-linux (Codex P1): GCC at -O2 was eliding the force_link_*_plugins() call entirely because the static const int anchor variable was unused and the function had no observable side effects. The plugin .o files then never got pulled out of the static archives, so the registrars never ran and the runtime registry was empty (test_policies.cpp:817+ all FAILED). Fix: replace the int-returning anchor function with an inline pointer array whose initializers take the address of each visor_force_link_* extern. Mark the array [[gnu::used]] on GCC/Clang so the compiler must emit it even though it's never read; inline + comdat keeps MSVC honest. The pointer references force the linker to resolve the symbols and pull the .o files in. 2. macOS unit-tests-mac: Conan's CMakeToolchain set CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT to the bare string "macosx" instead of the resolved SDK path, so clang failed every compile with 'no such sysroot directory' and could not find <exception>, <stdio.h>, etc. Same issue we fixed on chore/upgrade-corrade. Fix: append tools.apple:sdk_path=$(xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-path) to the conan default profile after `conan profile detect`, so the toolchain uses the resolved SDK path. 3. Windows build-win64: 3rd/rng/jsf.h failed to compile because windows.h was defining min/max as macros, mangling the static constexpr min() and max() member functions. This used to work because Corrade's headers transitively defined NOMINMAX before any windows.h could leak in; with Corrade gone, that protection is gone. Fix: add NOMINMAX (and WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN while we're here) as compile definitions for Windows in the root CMakeLists.txt. Verified locally on macOS arm64 that the new force-link pattern still correctly registers all 17 plugins and unit-tests-visor-core passes. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Fixed in 9fa2751. Three failures, three fixes: 1. Codex P1 — Linux Fix: replaced the int-returning anchor with an inline 2. macOS unit-tests-mac: Conan's CMakeToolchain was setting 3. Windows build-win64: |
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Pull request overview
This PR removes Corrade’s PluginManager dependency and replaces it with a small in-process static plugin registry (PluginRegistry<T>), switching all plugins from Corrade registration/metadata (*.conf, CORRADE_PLUGIN_REGISTER/IMPORT) to file-scope static registration via new VISOR_REGISTER_* macros and a force-link anchoring mechanism.
Changes:
- Introduce
PluginRegistry<T>+ registration macros and updateCoreRegistry/ CLI module listing to enumerate registry entries directly. - Convert all input/handler plugins and their CMake targets from Corrade plugin macros +
.confmetadata to plain static libraries + macro-based registration. - Remove Corrade from Conan/CMake/CI plumbing and delete plugin
.confmetadata files.
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 98 out of 98 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.
Show a summary per file
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| src/tests/test_taps.cpp | Removes unused Corrade include; relies on new static plugin anchoring headers. |
| src/tests/test_policies.cpp | Removes unused Corrade include; relies on new static plugin anchoring headers. |
| src/PluginRegistry.h | Adds templated registry, registrar helper, and registration macros. |
| src/inputs/static_plugins.h | Replaces Corrade import initializer with force-link anchors for input plugins. |
| src/inputs/pcap/PcapInputModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/inputs/pcap/PcapInputModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_INPUT_PLUGIN. |
| src/inputs/pcap/PcapInput.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/inputs/pcap/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/inputs/netprobe/NetProbeInputModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/inputs/netprobe/NetProbeInputModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_INPUT_PLUGIN. |
| src/inputs/netprobe/NetProbeInput.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/inputs/netprobe/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/inputs/mock/VisorInputMock.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/inputs/mock/MockInputModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/inputs/mock/MockInputModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_INPUT_PLUGIN. |
| src/inputs/mock/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/inputs/flow/FlowInputModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/inputs/flow/FlowInputModulePlugin.cpp | Adds flow + sflow alias registrations via new macros. |
| src/inputs/flow/FlowInput.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/inputs/flow/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/inputs/dnstap/DnstapInputModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/inputs/dnstap/DnstapInputModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_INPUT_PLUGIN. |
| src/inputs/dnstap/Dnstap.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/inputs/dnstap/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/InputModulePlugin.h | Removes Corrade types; redefines registry/pointer types using PluginRegistry + std::unique_ptr. |
| src/InputModulePlugin.cpp | Deletes empty Corrade-era translation unit. |
| src/handlers/static_plugins.h | Replaces Corrade import initializer with force-link anchors for handler plugins. |
| src/handlers/pcap/PcapStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/pcap/PcapHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/pcap/PcapHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/pcap/PcapHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/pcap/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/netprobe/NetProbeStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/netprobe/NetProbeHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/netprobe/NetProbeHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/netprobe/NetProbeHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/netprobe/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/net/v2/NetStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/net/v2/NetStreamHandler.cpp | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/net/v2/NetHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/net/v2/NetHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/net/v2/NetHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/net/v2/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/net/v1/NetStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/net/v1/NetStreamHandler.cpp | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/net/v1/NetHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/net/v1/NetHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/net/v1/NetHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/net/v1/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/mock/VisorHandlerMock.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/mock/MockStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/mock/MockHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/mock/MockHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/mock/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/input_resources/InputResourcesStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/input_resources/InputResourcesHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/input_resources/InputResourcesHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/input_resources/InputResourcesHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/input_resources/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/flow/FlowStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/flow/FlowStreamHandler.cpp | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/flow/FlowHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/flow/FlowHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/flow/FlowHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/flow/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/dns/v2/DnsStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/dns/v2/DnsStreamHandler.cpp | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/dns/v2/DnsHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/dns/v2/DnsHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/dns/v2/DnsHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/dns/v2/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/dns/v1/DnsStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/dns/v1/DnsStreamHandler.cpp | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/dns/v1/DnsHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/dns/v1/DnsHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/dns/v1/DnsHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/dns/v1/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/dhcp/DhcpStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/dhcp/DhcpHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/dhcp/DhcpHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/dhcp/DhcpHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/handlers/dhcp/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/bgp/CMakeLists.txt | Converts Corrade static plugin target to a plain static library. |
| src/handlers/bgp/BgpStreamHandler.h | Removes Corrade debug include. |
| src/handlers/bgp/BgpHandlerModulePlugin.h | Updates plugin constructor to no longer require Corrade manager. |
| src/handlers/bgp/BgpHandlerModulePlugin.cpp | Replaces Corrade registration with VISOR_REGISTER_HANDLER_PLUGIN. |
| src/handlers/bgp/BgpHandler.conf | Deletes Corrade plugin metadata. |
| src/HandlerModulePlugin.h | Removes Corrade types; redefines registry/pointer types using PluginRegistry + std::unique_ptr. |
| src/CoreRegistry.h | Removes Corrade manager members/accessors; documents new registry-driven plugin instance maps. |
| src/CoreRegistry.cpp | Initializes plugins by iterating PluginRegistry<T>::entries() and calling factories. |
| src/CMakeLists.txt | Removes Corrade flags/linking and drops empty InputModulePlugin.cpp from build. |
| src/AbstractPlugin.h | Removes Corrade inheritance; stores alias locally and keeps init/setup hooks. |
| conanfile.py | Drops Corrade requirement/tool requirement. |
| cmd/pktvisord/main.cpp | Deprecates --module-dir and updates --module-list to use the new registries. |
| CMakeLists.txt | Removes find_package(Corrade); adds WIN32 compile defs previously provided indirectly. |
| .github/workflows/build-develop.yml | Removes Corrade-specific macOS workaround; adds Conan apple SDK profile conf. |
| .github/workflows/build_cross.yml | Removes CORRADE_RC_PROGRAM usage. |
| .github/actions/build-cpp/entrypoint.sh | Removes CORRADE_RC_PROGRAM usage. |
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Address Codex P1 review feedback on PR #770: 1. Codex P1 (handler/input MSVC anchors): [[gnu::used]] only protects GCC/Clang. On MSVC the linker's /OPT:REF strips unreferenced data even when the anchor array is present, so the plugin .o files don't get pulled in and HandlerPluginRegistry::instance().entries() ends up empty in Windows release artifacts. Added per-symbol #pragma comment(linker, "/INCLUDE:visor_force_link_*") directives guarded by _MSC_VER. These run regardless of optimization level. 2. Copilot (mock handler not statically linked): VisorHandlerMock was missing two things after the corrade_add_plugin -> add_library conversion: - It was never appended to VISOR_STATIC_PLUGINS PARENT_SCOPE in its CMakeLists.txt, so the plugin archive wasn't passed to the pktvisord/pktvisor-reader link list. - It was missing from the extern + anchor list in handlers/static_plugins.h, so even if linked, the .o would have no force-link reference and could be stripped. Both fixed: appended to VISOR_STATIC_PLUGINS, and added visor_force_link_VisorHandlerMock to the externs, MSVC pragma list, and the anchor array. Local verification: pktvisord --module-list now reports all 17 plugins (was 16 before; the missing one was mock_dyn).
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Fixed in 13627f5: Codex P1 — MSVC anchor preservation (handlers + inputs): confirmed the diagnosis. Copilot — mock handler force-link/static-link:
Both fixed; |
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Pull request overview
Copilot reviewed 98 out of 98 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.
Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)
src/AbstractPlugin.h:11
- This header uses
std::movein theAbstractPlugin(std::string)ctor but doesn't include<utility>, relying on transitive includes. Add#include <utility>so it compiles reliably across standard library implementations.
#include <exception>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
#include <string>
#include <unordered_map>
…list
Rethinking the design after the registry-based approach was working: the
PluginRegistry singleton + VISOR_REGISTER_*_PLUGIN macros + force-link
extern symbols + MSVC /INCLUDE: pragmas + [[gnu::used]] markers + the
two static_plugins.h anchor files all existed for one reason — to make
self-registering static initializers visible across static archives.
That whole machinery only matters if plugins are loaded by something
external (the registry singleton). With static linking only, simpler
works better: a central list in CoreRegistry.cpp that explicitly names
each plugin via factory function pointers. The function pointer
references force the linker to keep each plugin .o automatically — no
anchor symbols, no platform-specific keep-alive directives, no static
init ordering concerns.
Plugin headers (e.g. FlowInputModulePlugin.h) transitively pull in
heavy implementation details like netflow.h and pcap headers, so
including them all in CoreRegistry.cpp would couple visor-core to
every plugin's transitive dependency tree. Instead, each plugin .cpp
defines a small extern factory function (make_input_pcap, etc.) and
CoreRegistry.cpp forward-declares those. visor-core stays decoupled
from plugin internals.
What's removed:
- src/PluginRegistry.h (template + macros)
- src/handlers/static_plugins.h (anchor list + MSVC pragmas + [[gnu::used]])
- src/inputs/static_plugins.h (same)
- VISOR_REGISTER_*_PLUGIN macro invocations in 16 plugin .cpp files
- visor_force_link_* extern symbols
- Includes of static_plugins.h in cmd/pktvisord/main.cpp,
cmd/pktvisor-reader/main.cpp, src/tests/test_taps.cpp,
src/tests/test_policies.cpp
- HandlerPluginRegistry / InputPluginRegistry typedefs
What's added:
- CoreRegistry::builtin_input_plugins() / builtin_handler_plugins()
static methods returning {alias, version} metadata for --module-list
- g_builtin_inputs[] / g_builtin_handlers[] arrays in CoreRegistry.cpp
with one entry per (alias, version) pointing to a factory function
- 16 trivial factory function definitions, one per plugin .cpp
Verified locally: pktvisord --module-list still reports all 17
plugins; same pre-existing dnstap/netprobe Bus error test failures
as before (unrelated to this change).
Net diff vs the registry approach: 27 files changed, 138 fewer lines
of code, and zero platform-specific build hacks.
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Reworked the design after thinking about the actual gains: dropped the templated Net diff: 27 files changed, 138 fewer lines than the registry approach, zero platform-specific build hacks. PR title and description updated to reflect the new design. Verified locally: all 17 plugins still load, |
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CI Linux failure: undefined references to visor::make_input_*,
visor::make_handler_* from CoreRegistry.cpp. The new factory-list design
introduces a real circular dependency at the static-archive level:
visor-core's CoreRegistry.cpp.o references make_input_pcap, etc.
libVisorInputPcap.a defines make_input_pcap (in PcapInputModulePlugin.cpp.o)
libVisorInputPcap.a's PcapInputModulePlugin.cpp.o references AbstractPlugin
libvisor-core.a defines AbstractPlugin
GNU ld is strictly single-pass: by the time CoreRegistry.cpp.o is pulled
in (introducing unresolved make_input_* symbols), the linker has already
finished scanning the plugin archives that come earlier in the link line.
ld64 (macOS) and MSVC's link.exe both handle this natively (multi-pass
archive resolution), which is why the local build on macOS passed.
Fix: wrap the cyclic targets in -Wl,--start-group / -Wl,--end-group via a
generator expression guarded on CXX_COMPILER_ID:GNU. Applied in all three
places that link the plugin archives + Visor::Core: pktvisord, pktvisor-
reader, and unit-tests-visor-core. CMake's $<LINK_GROUP:RESCAN,...> would
have been the more elegant approach but its built-in feature table doesn't
cover CXX out of the box and would need set_property(GLOBAL APPEND ...)
boilerplate.
Also dropped ${VISOR_STATIC_PLUGINS} from visor-core's target_link_libraries
where it was always empty anyway (variable wasn't yet populated at that
point in src/CMakeLists.txt).
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Fixed in defb9ea. Linux undefined references to factory functions: the new design introduced a real circular dep at the static-archive level — Fix: wrap the cyclic archives in Stale Copilot comment about |
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…gins lib
Codex P1 was right that gating --start-group on CXX_COMPILER_ID:GNU
misses Linux/Clang+lld. The user pushed back further: avoid the linker
hack entirely. The right fix is to break the cycle, not patch around it.
Old layout (cyclic):
visor-core ←→ plugin libs (visor-core's CoreRegistry referenced
plugin factories; plugins linked back
to AbstractPlugin in visor-core)
New layout (linear):
pktvisord
└─ Visor::BuiltinPlugins (new tiny static lib)
├─ plugin libs (Visor::Handler::Net, Visor::Input::Pcap, …)
│ └─ Visor::Core
└─ Visor::Core
CoreRegistry no longer knows which plugins exist. It exposes
add_input_plugin() / add_handler_plugin() (called before start()) and
pending_*_plugins() (so --module-list can enumerate without start()).
A new visor-builtin-plugins lib (src/BuiltinPlugins.cpp) is the only
TU that includes plugin headers; it calls add_*_plugin for each of the
17 plugins. Both pktvisord and pktvisor-reader call
load_builtin_plugins(registry) right after constructing the registry.
The factory functions in each plugin .cpp are gone — load_builtin_plugins
calls std::make_unique directly because it has access to the plugin
headers. Plugin .cpp files are now back to just their class definitions.
Linker cycle is gone, so all the $<$<CXX_COMPILER_ID:GNU>:--start-group>
conditional flags in cmd/pktvisord, cmd/pktvisor-reader, and src/
CMakeLists are removed. No platform/compiler/linker conditionals are
needed anywhere — clean linear archive resolution works on every
linker (GNU ld, lld, ld64, link.exe).
Also moved the --module-list check earlier in pktvisord/main.cpp so it
runs before CoreServer construction (which triggers start() and empties
the pending list). Added <vector> include in CoreRegistry.h that Codex
flagged. Tests updated to call load_builtin_plugins() before start().
Verified locally: pktvisord --module-list reports all 17 plugins,
unit-tests-visor-core passes, same pre-existing dnstap/flow/netprobe
Bus/SEGFAULT failures as before (unrelated).
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Reworked again to drop the linker hack entirely. Codex P1 was right that New layout (linear, no cycle):
What's gone:
Also addressed:
Verified locally: |
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The earlier perl substitution that injected the load_builtin_plugins
call after each 'CoreRegistry registry;' line accidentally collapsed
the trailing whitespace into the next statement, leaving lines like
visor::load_builtin_plugins(registry); registry.start(nullptr);
Fix all 37 occurrences in test_policies.cpp and 9 in test_taps.cpp.
The mock handler (alias 'mock_dyn', namespace visor::handler::mock) was a dynamic-loading test artifact: its CMakeLists used corrade_add_plugin (not _static_plugin) so it was built as a shared lib, the alias name suffixed _dyn, and the only thing that actually exercised it was the visor_dyn_mod_int_test integration test gated on DYNAMIC_LIB_SUPPORT, which invoked 'pktvisord --module-dir … --module-list' to verify Corrade's runtime .so discovery. With Corrade gone and dynamic loading dropped, this handler validates nothing and confuses contributors who see 'mock' alongside the real handlers. Remove the entire src/handlers/mock/ tree, the add_subdirectory(mock) line, the BuiltinPlugins.cpp include + register call, and the dyn_mod integration test macro. DYNAMIC_LIB_SUPPORT was already unreferenced anywhere else in the build, so no further cleanup needed.
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Two more cleanups:
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…ality Both options previously claimed runtime dynamic-module behavior that no longer exists. --module-list lists statically-linked built-ins now, and --module-dir is a deprecated no-op kept only for backwards compatibility.
Three Copilot comments, all valid:
1. (CMakeLists.txt:72) visor-builtin-plugins listed Visor::Core
directly in addition to ${VISOR_STATIC_PLUGINS}. Plugin libs already
PUBLIC-link to Visor::Core, so the direct dep was redundant and
created an order-sensitivity hazard on single-pass linkers (the
exact thing this whole layout is supposed to avoid). Drop it; rely
on the transitive dep through the plugin libs, leaving a clean
linear chain: builtin-plugins -> plugin libs -> visor-core.
2. (Plugin headers) constructor parameter `plugin` was Corrade-era
terminology; what the parameter actually carries is the registry
alias. Rename it to `alias` across all 16 plugin headers and the
AbstractPlugin / HandlerModulePlugin / InputModulePlugin base ctors,
plus the std::move call sites. Pure rename, no behaviour change.
3. (CoreRegistry.cpp) add_input_plugin / add_handler_plugin would crash
in start() if a caller passed a null unique_ptr or empty alias /
version. Add an std::invalid_argument throw at the entry point so
the registry fails fast with a clear message instead of segfaulting
later on p.mod->pluginInterface().
Verified locally: pktvisord --module-list still reports all 16
plugins; unit-tests-visor-core passes.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Pull request overview
Copilot reviewed 106 out of 106 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.
Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)
src/AbstractPlugin.h:11
AbstractPlugin.husesstd::runtime_errorforSchemaExceptionbut doesn't include<stdexcept>(it currently includes<exception>). This can break builds if transitive includes change; add an explicit<stdexcept>include (and optionally drop<exception>if no longer needed).
#include <exception>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
#include <string>
#include <unordered_map>
SchemaException inherits from std::runtime_error which is declared in <stdexcept>, not <exception> (the latter only provides std::exception). This previously compiled via transitive includes from <nlohmann/json.hpp> which is fragile. Drop the unused <exception> include and add the correct <stdexcept>.
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Picked up the Copilot low-confidence suggestion about |
Summary
Drops the Corrade dependency entirely from pktvisor and replaces its
PluginManager(which was being used as a glorified static-init registry, not for actual dynamic loading) with a small explicit factory list owned by a new tiny static libVisor::BuiltinPlugins.This eliminates a long tail of build-system pain we'd been working around for months:
corrade/2020.06<vector>include workaround in CIconan/corrade/recipe (created in chore: upgrade corrade to cci.20260327 to fix macOS build #769) and the musl-libcstrerror_rpatchpluginInterfaceglobal-StringViewruntime requirement (_sliteral)Containers::StringView/String/Array<String>/PointerAPI churn at every plugin boundarycorrade_add_static_plugin/corrade_add_plugincmake calls and 16 plugin.confmetadata filesArchitecture
The build now has a strictly linear archive dependency chain — no platform/compiler/linker conditionals anywhere:
CoreRegistrydoesn't know which plugins exist. It exposes:add_input_plugin(alias, version, std::unique_ptr<InputModulePlugin>)and the handler counterpart — called beforestart()to queue plugins for initializationpending_input_plugins()/pending_handler_plugins()— metadata enumeration for--module-list(without instantiating)start(svr)— initializes the queued plugins and moves them into the active mapThe new
visor-builtin-pluginsstatic lib (single source filesrc/BuiltinPlugins.cpp) is the only translation unit that pulls in plugin headers. It definesvoid load_builtin_plugins(CoreRegistry&), which callsadd_*_plugin()withstd::make_unique<T>(...)for each of the 16 built-in plugins. Bothpktvisordandpktvisor-reader(and the test binary) callload_builtin_plugins(registry)once after constructing the registry.This breaks the cyclic
visor-core ↔ plugin libsdependency that earlier iterations had, so no--start-group/--end-grouplinker tricks are needed on any platform.Built-in plugin set (16 total)
Inputs (5):
mock,pcap,dnstap,flow,netprobe— plussflowas a secondary alias of the flow input.Handlers (10):
net(v1, v2),dns(v1, v2),bgp,flow,dhcp,pcap,netprobe,input_resources.The previous Corrade-era
mock_dynhandler was removed in this PR — it was a dynamic-loading test artifact (built withcorrade_add_pluginnot_static, exercised only by avisor_dyn_mod_int_testgated onDYNAMIC_LIB_SUPPORTthat invokedpktvisord --module-dir … --module-list). With Corrade gone and dynamic loading dropped, it tested nothing.Other cleanups
find_package(Corrade REQUIRED)removed;corrade/2020.06removed fromconanfile.py--module-dirCLI option logs a deprecation warning (was a no-op anyway);--module-listand--module-dirhelp text updated to reflect the new realityNOMINMAX+WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEANadded to rootCMakeLists.txtfor Windows (Corrade's headers used to set these for us transitively)unit-tests-macprofile now appendstools.apple:sdk_path=$(xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-path)to fix the bare-macosxsysroot issue Conan's CMakeToolchain emits.confmetadata files deleted; metadata now lives inline inBuiltinPlugins.cppcorrade_add_static_plugin/corrade_add_plugincalls replaced withadd_library(... STATIC ...)std::string aliasinstead of(Corrade::PluginManager::AbstractManager&, const std::string&)Test plan
pktvisord --module-listreports all 16 plugins (5 inputs + 1 alias = 6 lines, 10 handlers)unit-tests-visor-corepassesThe pre-existing
unit-tests-input-dnstap,unit-tests-input-flow,unit-tests-input-netprobe, andunit-tests-handler-netprobeBus/SEGFAULT failures on macOS persist on this branch — verified they reproduce ondevelopbefore the changes (unrelated to Corrade or this refactor).