Introduction

We use an Ubuntu image using Docker to deploy Panintelligence containers. This allows the dashboard to use good features from docker such as health checks and self healing properties. We have a predefined docker-compose YAML script built into the AMI that deploys the dashboard.

Why use docker?

The platform makes it easier, simpler, and safer to build, deploy and manage containers. Docker is essentially a toolkit that enables developers to build, deploy, run, update, and stop containers using simple commands and work-saving automation through a single API.

Breakdown of Docker deployment:

Docker-compose script for Panintelligence containers: “/var/panintelligence/docker-compose.yml”

version: "3"
services:
  dashboard:
    image: ${SERVER_IMAGE}:${SERVER_TAG}
    container_name: dashboard
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - dashboard.env
    ports:
      - 8224:8224
    expose:
      - 8224
    volumes:
      - ${PANINTELLIGENCE_KEYS_PATH}:/var/panintelligence/Dashboard/keys/
      - ${PANINTELLIGENCE_EXCEL_PATH}:/var/panintelligence/Dashboard/excel-files/
      - ${PANINTELLIGENCE_THEMES_PATH}:/var/panintelligence/Dashboard/tomcat/webapps/panMISDashboardResources/themes/
      - ${PANINTELLIGENCE_IMAGES_PATH}:/var/panintelligence/Dashboard/tomcat/webapps/panMISDashboardResources/images/
      - ${PAINTELLIGENCE_LOGS_PATH}:/var/panintelligence/Dashboard/tomcat/logs/
  scheduler:
    container_name: scheduler
    image: ${SCHEDULER_IMAGE}:${SCHEDULER_TAG}
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - scheduler.env
    volumes:
      - ${PANINTELLIGENCE_KEYS_PATH}:/var/panintelligence/Dashboard/keys/
  renderer:
    container_name: renderer
    image: ${RENDERER_IMAGE}:${RENDERER_TAG}
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - renderer.env
  pirana:
    container_name: pirana
    image: ${PIRANA_IMAGE}:${PIRANA_TAG}
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - pirana.env
  excel-reader:
    container_name: excel-reader
    image: ${EXCEL_IMAGE}:${EXCEL_TAG}
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - excel-reader.env

Docker-compose script for Database: “/var/panintelligence/docker-compose.db.yml“

version: "3"
services:
  database:
    image: mariadb:latest
    container_name: database
    env_file:
      - database.env
    command:
      - --lower_case_table_names=1
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - 3306:3306
    expose:
      - 3306
    volumes:
      - ${DB_DATA_PATH}:/var/lib/mysql
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "mysqladmin" ,"ping", "-h", "localhost"]
      timeout: 20s
      retries: 10

Environment variables

Within the YAML script it uses environment files to pass in the variables. Each container has their own environment file. You can see what type of environment variables you can use here: https://panintelligence.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PD/pages/34374123/Environment+Variables

Environment file

Container

Description

dashboard.env

dashboard

You will need to specify the external database credentials and Licence Ke, if you’re using “Panintelligence BYOL No Repo Database”.

scheduler.env

scheduler

You will need to specify the external database credentials if you’re using “Panintelligence BYOL No Repo Database”.

pirana.env

pirana

excel-reader.env

excel-reader

renderer.env

renderer

database.env

database

All Panintelligence products have an inbuilt “MariaDB” container for the Dashboard. If you’re using “Panintelligence BYOL No Repo Database”, Please specify your external database credentials you are using.

Volumes

You can create your own volume paths if you wish, you will have to change the environment variables in “/var/panintelligence/.env".

Environment variable

Default path

Description

PANINTELLIGENCE_KEYS_PATH

/var/panintelligence/keys

The security keys between the container.

PANINTELLIGENCE_EXCEL_PATH

/var/panintelligence/excel

To store excel files that you want to use inside the dashboard.

PANINTELLIGENCE_THEMES_PATH

/var/panintelligence/themes

To store the themes for the dashboard.

PANINTELLIGENCE_IMAGES_PATH

/var/panintelligence/images

To store the images for the dashboard.

PAINTELLIGENCE_LOGS_PATH

/var/panintelligence/logs

To store all the logs from the dashboard container. You will look in this volume to view any logs.

DB_DATA_PATH

/var/panintelligence/data

Keeps a backup of your database container if you’re using it within the EC2 instance.

Boot up

To ensure the Panintelligence dashboard service is running when you start the AMI instance. We are using “panintelligence.service”, which ensures that the docker is enabled and the docker-compose scripts are running. If you wish to change the service on how it starts you can change it here:

“/etc/systemd/system/panintelligence.service"

Template of Panintelligence BYOL No Repo Database :

[Unit]
Description=Panintelligence docker compose service
Requires=docker.service
After=docker.service
[Service]
RemainAfterExit=yes
Restart=always
User=pi-user
Group=docker
WorkingDirectory=/var/panintelligence/
ExecStart=docker-compose -f /var/panintelligence/docker-compose.yml up -d
ExecStop=docker-compose -f /var/panintelligence/docker-compose.yml down
TimeoutStartSec=0
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Template of BYOL:

The docker-compose runs the database docker-compose script before it runs the dashboard to ensure the database is healthy.

[Unit]
Description=Panintelligence docker compose service
Requires=docker.service
After=docker.service
[Service]
RemainAfterExit=yes
Restart=always
User=pi-user
Group=docker
WorkingDirectory=/var/panintelligence/
ExecStart=docker-compose -f /var/panintelligence/docker-compose.db.yml -f /var/panintelligence/docker-compose.yml up -d
ExecStop=docker-compose -f /var/panintelligence/docker-compose.db.yml -f /var/panintelligence/docker-compose.yml down
TimeoutStartSec=0
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

How to upgrade?

You can pull the new version from “AWS marketplace” and search for the “Panintelligence” to view our products. The new versions of the AMI will ensure all packages be updated and any new features be added. The new AMI products will have up-to-date docker tags for the latest releases.

If you are a member of our private DockerHub and/or GitHub repository, You can also change the tags within the “/var/panintelligence/.env" and reboot the service for the latest docker container tags. We are sunsetting using DockerHub for such storage, therefore new requests for access will be handled through GitHub - please see HERE for more information.

EC2 Userdata?

We have an example of our AWS CloudFormation script that follows best practices:

https://github.com/Panintelligence/aws-deployment

An example of how you can connect to an external database and AWS EFS:

https://github.com/Panintelligence/aws-deployment/blob/main/nested-stacks/ec2_stack.yml

Feedback

If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch and email support@panintelligence.com