While Docker containers may prove to be a boon for server utilization, somebody still has to provision all the network and storage resources they consume. At the DockerCon 2015 conference this week, Datawise.io previewed an upcoming release of its management software for containers that makes it simpler to deploy Docker containers across a cluster.
Datawise.io CEO Jeff Chou says the forthcoming release, known as Project 6, makes use of open source Kubernetes orchestration software within its cluster management software for Linux to make it simpler to deploy Docker containers in an actual production environment.
While Docker containers are widely used in application development and testing, Chou says moving actual Docker containers into a production environment still requires a significant amount of effort, which the upcoming release of Project 6 will automate. For example, rather than having to manually provision every storage and network connection, Chou says Project 6 will automate most of that effort using technology it expects to contribute to the open source community once it’s fully developed.
The implications of Docker containers for IT operations teams are nothing short of profound. On the one hand, Docker containers have the potential to dramatically increase utilization server utilization rates. At the same time, not only will IT operations teams have to manage more applications than ever, they will have to deal with the fact that the amount of time it takes for a developer to spin up a Docker container is considerably less as well. The end result is that IT operations teams will need to be a whole lot more agile than they are today.
Naturally, it may still be a little while before the average IT organization finds themselves trying to manage hundreds of Docker containers on a regular basis. But just like virtual machines began to sprawl across the enterprise at the end of the last decade, the end of this one will see a similar phenomenon occur at a rate that will make managing virtual machines seem like child’s play.