Swarm configuration

Now that Swarm is ready for use, you need to configure it to work in your environment.

Important

Swarm does not support Helix Core Servers configured to use P4AUTH, see Centralized authorization server (P4AUTH) in the Helix Core Server Administrator Guide.

Note
  • Swarm can be connected to Helix Core Servers (P4D) and commit servers.

    • To configure Swarm to connect to more than one Helix Core Server (P4D), see Multiple Helix Core Server instances.

    To configure Swarm to connect to a Helix Core Server configured to use commit-edge architecture, see Commit-edge deployment.

  • Swarm must not be connected to Helix Broker, Helix Proxy, Helix Edge, forwarding replica, or read-only replica servers.

Swarm configuration file

Important

  • If your Helix Core Server is configured for Helix Authentication Service, the Helix Core Server must be temporarily configured to allow fall-back to passwords while you establish a connection to the Helix Core Server. Run the following command on the Helix Core Server to enable fall-back to passwords:

    p4 configure set auth.sso.allow.passwd=1

Edit the SWARM_ROOT/data/config.php file so that it contains the following configuration block:

<?php
    return array(
        'p4' => array(
            'port'      => 'my-helix-core-server:1666',
            'user'      => 'admin_userid',
            'password'  => 'admin user ticket or password',
            'sso'       => 'disabled', // 'disabled'|'optional'|'enabled'
                                       // default value is 'disabled' 
         ),
         'log' => array(
             'priority'  => 3, // 7 for max, defaults to 3
         ),
         'mail' => array(
             'transport' => array(
                 'host' => 'my.mx.host',
             ),
         ),
    );

port

For the port value, replace my-helix-core-server:1666 with the P4PORT value used to connect to your Helix Core Server.

Important

If your Helix Core Server is deployed using the commit-edge architecture, ensure that Swarm's port value points to the commit server.

For more information, see Commit-edge in the Helix Core Server Administrator Guide.

Warning

If the port points to a Helix Broker, ensure that the broker does not delegate commands to different replicas, edge servers, or proxies. Such delegation can cause odd problems or outright failures in Swarm.

Swarm needs to have a consistent, current view of the state of Helix Core Server, and works best when it connects to a central/commit server.

user

For the user value, replace admin_userid with a normal Helix Core Server userid that has admin-level access to Helix Core Server.

Note
  • This user is used by Swarm to communicate with the Helix Core Server. It should not be used to perform everyday Swarm reviewing tasks.
  • Helix Core Server 2020.1 and later, permissions have changed for viewing and editing stream spec files in Swarm. To view and edit stream spec files in Swarm, the Swarm user must have admin permissions for the entire depot //...

password

For the password value, while a plain-text password works, we recommend that you use a ticket value instead. Obtain the ticket value for the admin_userid during login with this command:

p4 -p my-helix-core-server:1666 -u admin_userid login -p

Important

  • If your Helix Core Server authentication is configured in the one of the following ways, ticket-based authentication is required:

    • Authentication configured with security level 3.

    • Authentication configured for LDAP.

    • Authentication configured for Helix Authentication Service.

  • You must use a long-lived login ticket for the Swarm user.

You can determine when the admin userid ticket will expire with:

p4 -p my-helix-core-server:1666 -u admin_userid -P ticket_value login -s

For more information about tickets, see the section Ticket-based authentication in the Helix Core Server Administrator Guide.

sso

Swarm can be configured for the Helix Authentication Service when the Helix Core Server is also configured for the Helix Authentication Service.

Set sso to one of the following:

  • enabled all users must use Helix Authentication Service to log in to Swarm.

    The login page displays an input box to enter the email or username. Once the input box is filled, the Log in with SSO button is activated. See Log in with SSO.

    If SAML is configured when the sso configurable is enabled, the user can only log in to Swarm using the Log in with SSO button.

  • optional Helix Authentication Service is available for users to log in to Swarm but is not enforced.

    The login page displays an input box to enter the email or username. Once the input box is filled, the Log in with SSO button is enabled. To log in with SSO, see Log in with SSO.

    The user can also manually log in to Swarm using the Log in with credentials button. To log in manually, see Log in with a password.

    If you switch to Log in with credentials and then decide to use single sign-on, click Log in with SSO.

    If SAML is configured when the sso configurable is set to optional, the user can either log in to Swarm using the Log in with SSO button or the Log in with credentials button.

  • disabled Helix Authentication Service is not available to Swarm. This is the default value.

    The login page displays two input boxes to enter the email or username, and to enter the password. Once the input boxes are filled, the Log in with credentials button is activated. See Log in with a password.

Important

From Swarm 2021.1, the sso_enabled configurable is deprecated but remains supported. It is replaced with the more flexible sso configurable. If the sso_enabled configurable and sso configurable are both present in the p4 configuration block, Swarm uses the sso configurable value.

host

For the host value, replace my.mx.host with the hostname of the mail exchange service that Swarm should use to send its email notifications.

Note

Since this configuration file contains the credentials for a Helix Core Server admin-level user, we recommend that this file's ownership and permissions be adjusted such that only the web server user can read the file, and that no user can write the file.

Next step

Configure the Helix Core Server to notify Swarm about Helix Core Server events, see Configuring Helix Core Server event notification.