Ralph provides several command-line tools for managing your Ralph installation, running development servers, and executing various operations.
Available Commands
Ralph includes the following command-line entry points:
The main production command for running Ralph.
ralph <django-command> [options]
ralph.settings.prod) and provides access to all Django management commands.
Common Usage:
# Run database migrations
ralph migrate
# Create a superuser
ralph createsuperuser
# Collect static files
ralph collectstatic
# Run the development server
ralph runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
# Open Django shell
ralph shell
# Create database backup
ralph dumpdata > backup.json
# Load data from backup
ralph loaddata backup.json
dev_ralph
Development version of Ralph with development-specific settings.
dev_ralph <django-command> [options]
ralph.settings.dev) which typically include:
- Debug mode enabled
- Development-specific middleware
- Verbose logging
- Development database settings
Example:
# Run development server with dev settings
dev_ralph runserver
# Run migrations with dev settings
dev_ralph migrate
test_ralph
Test runner for Ralph with test-specific settings.
test_ralph test [app_label[.TestCase[.test_method]]] [options]
ralph.settings.test) and forces their use regardless of environment variables. Test settings typically include:
- In-memory database for faster tests
- Disabled migrations
- Test-specific configurations
Examples:
# Run all tests
test_ralph test
# Run tests for a specific app
test_ralph test ralph.data_center
# Run a specific test case
test_ralph test ralph.data_center.tests.test_models.DataCenterAssetTest
# Run tests with verbosity
test_ralph test --verbosity=2
# Run tests and keep test database
test_ralph test --keepdb
validate_ralph
Cross-validation tool for Ralph data integrity.
This command validates data consistency across Ralph’s database, checking for:
- Orphaned records
- Invalid foreign key references
- Data integrity violations
- Configuration issues
Example:
# Run validation
validate_ralph
Django Management Commands
Ralph is built on Django, so all Django management commands are available through the Ralph CLI.
Database Commands
# Show migrations status
ralph showmigrations
# Create new migrations based on model changes
ralph makemigrations
# Apply migrations
ralph migrate
# Rollback to a specific migration
ralph migrate data_center 0005
# Show SQL for a migration
ralph sqlmigrate data_center 0006
User Management
# Create a superuser
ralph createsuperuser
# Change user password
ralph changepassword username
Static Files
# Collect static files to STATIC_ROOT
ralph collectstatic
# Collect static files without prompts
ralph collectstatic --noinput
# Find which static file would be used
ralph findstatic admin/css/base.css
Database Shell
# Open database shell
ralph dbshell
Python Shell
# Open Python shell with Django environment loaded
ralph shell
# Use IPython if available
ralph shell -i ipython
# Use BPython if available
ralph shell -i bpython
Ralph-Specific Commands
Ralph extends Django with custom management commands for specific operations.
LDAP Synchronization
Synchronize users from LDAP/Active Directory:
This command:
- Connects to configured LDAP server
- Imports users matching filter criteria
- Updates existing user information
- Syncs group memberships
- Reports progress every 100 items
See the Configuration section for LDAP setup details.
OpenStack Synchronization
Sync cloud resources from OpenStack:
This command:
- Connects to configured OpenStack instances
- Downloads projects and instances
- Creates/updates Cloud Projects and Cloud Hosts in Ralph
- Deletes resources no longer in OpenStack
- Tags resources with configured tags
See the Configuration section for OpenStack setup.
Data Import
Import data from various sources:
# Import from CSV/Excel files
ralph import --help
Environment Variables
Ralph CLI commands respect several environment variables:
Override the Django settings module. Default varies by command:
ralph: ralph.settings.proddev_ralph: ralph.settings.devtest_ralph: ralph.settings.test (forced)
Enable debug mode. Not recommended for production.
Database connection string (e.g., mysql://user:pass@localhost/dbname)
Django secret key for cryptographic signing. Must be set in production.
# Run with specific settings
DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=ralph.settings.local ralph runserver
# Run with custom database
DATABASE_URL=mysql://ralph:[email protected]/ralph ralph migrate
Running in Production
Using systemd
Create a systemd service file (/etc/systemd/system/ralph.service):
[Unit]
Description=Ralph Asset Management
After=network.target postgresql.service
[Service]
Type=notify
User=ralph
Group=ralph
WorkingDirectory=/opt/ralph
Environment="DATABASE_URL=postgresql://ralph:password@localhost/ralph"
Environment="SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here"
ExecStart=/opt/ralph/venv/bin/gunicorn ralph.wsgi:application \
--bind 0.0.0.0:8000 \
--workers 4 \
--timeout 300
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
sudo systemctl enable ralph
sudo systemctl start ralph
sudo systemctl status ralph
Using Supervisor
Create a supervisor config (/etc/supervisor/conf.d/ralph.conf):
[program:ralph]
command=/opt/ralph/venv/bin/gunicorn ralph.wsgi:application --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 --workers 4
directory=/opt/ralph
user=ralph
autostart=true
autorestart=true
redirect_stderr=true
stdout_logfile=/var/log/ralph/ralph.log
environment=DATABASE_URL="postgresql://ralph:password@localhost/ralph",SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key"
sudo supervisorctl reread
sudo supervisorctl update
sudo supervisorctl start ralph
Scheduled Tasks
Use cron or systemd timers for periodic tasks:
# Add to crontab
crontab -e
# Sync LDAP users daily at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /opt/ralph/venv/bin/ralph ldap_sync
# Sync OpenStack every hour
0 * * * * /opt/ralph/venv/bin/ralph openstack_sync
# Cleanup old sessions weekly
0 3 * * 0 /opt/ralph/venv/bin/ralph clearsessions
Debugging
Enable Verbose Output
Most commands support verbosity levels:
# Minimal output
ralph migrate --verbosity=0
# Normal output (default)
ralph migrate --verbosity=1
# Verbose output
ralph migrate --verbosity=2
# Very verbose output
ralph migrate --verbosity=3
Check Configuration
# Check for common issues
ralph check
# Check deployment settings
ralph check --deploy
# Check specific subsystem
ralph check --tag models
Database Queries
Monitor SQL queries during development:
# Show SQL for specific commands
ralph migrate --verbosity=3
# Or use Django Debug Toolbar in development
Getting Help
Get help for any command:
# General help
ralph help
# List all available commands
ralph help --commands
# Help for a specific command
ralph help migrate
ralph migrate --help