What is Enterprise Docker?
Local installations of Flow Production Tracking are no longer offered. This documentation is intended only for those with existing instances of Shotgun Enterprise Docker. Click here for a list of our current offerings.
Autodesk now offers Flow Production Tracking Enterprise packaged as Docker containers, which can be used to deploy containers for each component of a Flow Production Tracking Cluster. Each container can be created, destroyed, started, and stopped independently, and all of these operations can be executed quickly, minimizing the time required for both initial deployment and future upgrades.
What is Docker?
Application containerization is a type of OS-level virtualization where only the software you want to use and its dependencies are packaged into a container. This approach drastically reduces the overhead associated with classic VMs. Docker is a container platform which allows for the quick and easy deployment and management of containers.
You can learn more about Docker from their website:
https://www.docker.com/what-docker
Why use Docker?
Flow Production Tracking Enterprise Docker significantly improves the installation process and eases IT management, allowing Studios to manage their own Flow Production Tracking Clusters and control their upgrade schedule.
Because the architecture is simplified, Studios can autonomously deploy new versions of the SE Docker containers, benefiting not only from that latest version of Flow Production Tracking, but also from security fixes and security updates of any dependencies of the Flow Production Tracking technology stack. The separation between Flow Production Tracking and other services is clarified, furthermore simplifying support, management, and administration.
Each component is containerized, making it easy to distribute the load across many hosts, making Flow Production Tracking even more extensible than before. Additionally, we offer a tool called Flow Production Tracking Enterprise Console (SEC) which allows common administration tasks to be performed via an easy to use interface.
We have been using Docker as the foundation of the our technology stack for our hosted offering for two years now. This shift in the local install architecture allows us to bring our two offerings closer together, allowing Flow Production Tracking Enterprise clients to benefit directly from our investment in our hosted offering. A good example is the transcoding service, which is virtually the same as what we are using in the cloud.
This new architecture also allows for:
- Easier centralization of logs using Docker logging drivers
- More robust email notification service
- Improved and scalable transcoding service
Flow Production Tracking Enterprise architecture
The paradigm used by Flow Production Tracking is that each component in the Flow Production Tracking solution is encapsulated in a container. This gives a lot of flexibility to Flow Production Tracking Administrators regarding how Flow Production Tracking is hosted on their Studio infrastructure. Containers can reside on the same of different hosts, and that topology can be changed very easily.
Where to start?
New clients should start by documenting themselves furthermore on the Flow Production Tracking solution. A good place to start is the Getting Started article.
Existing clients can start planning their migration to SE Docker right away. Open a ticket with our Support Team and start planning your no downtime migration by reading Migrate from SE Classic to SE Docker.