May 2015 Summaries

Octopus Deploy's update to version 3.0 focused on significantly enhancing performance, particularly for large and complex deployment scenarios. This was achieved by rewriting the persistence layer to use SQL Server instead of Raven, replacing the communication layer Pipefish with Halibut, and making substantial improvements to logging and orchestration. During testing, a complex deployment involving numerous NuGet feeds, steps, child package steps, and variable sets completed in 2 hours and 41 minutes on version 3.0, compared to 4 hours and 18 minutes on version 2.6, demonstrating a marked reduction in CPU and memory usage. The update promises not only better performance but also the upcoming introduction of exciting new features.

Octopus Deploy users who utilize Team Foundation Server (TFS) or Visual Studio Online (VSO) often rely on OctoPack for packaging projects to deploy with Octopus, but this process can blur the lines between building and deploying. While the existing CI process involves packaging, pushing, and automatic release creation, Paul Stovell highlights the benefits of separating build and deploy stages, especially with the new Team Build system from Microsoft. This updated system provides opportunities for better integration, such as the new OctoTFS repository on GitHub, which offers options to create releases independently of the build phase, including a custom Build Step with a UI and release notes from changesets. Although the new system's full integration is pending its RTM release, users can currently utilize a PowerShell script for similar functionality. Stovell emphasizes the ongoing development of these integrations, encouraging community contributions to the open-source OctoTFS repository, while also noting future plans for expanding TFS integrations as Microsoft opens up new possibilities with its REST API, Service Hooks, and Extensions.

Octopus Deploy's transition from version 2.6 to 3.0 involves a significant shift from using RavenDB to SQL Server, necessitating a comprehensive data migration tool that also functions as a general exporter and importer for Octopus 3.0. This migration tool supports various scenarios such as importing data from 2.6 into 3.0, exporting and re-importing data within 3.0 servers, and merging or splitting data across multiple 3.0 servers. The exported data, focused on configuration elements like projects and environments, is stored as JSON files, which can be committed to a Git repository or transferred to new servers. Importing allows for data preview and conditional overwriting or skipping of existing documents, with transaction safety ensured by rolling back changes if issues arise. While exporting and importing historical data like deployments and audit events is initially unsupported, there are plans to incorporate this feature, particularly for importing history from 2.6 backups. The company seeks feedback on the importance of handling historical data in version 3.0, aiming to prioritize user needs effectively.

Octopus Deploy plans to release a High Availability edition post-3.0 to enhance its deployment automation tool for critical infrastructure setups, particularly for customers with large-scale deployments. The current architecture, relying heavily on RavenDB and file system dependencies, limits high availability configurations, but version 3.0's support for SQL Server will enable clustering and load balancing, allowing for fault tolerance by directing traffic to operational nodes if a server fails. While SQL Server clustering provides enhanced availability, Octopus Deploy also requires a file share for packages and logs. The company does not plan to support configurations where Octopus Servers share databases across separate data centers due to performance and security concerns. Instead, they recommend Octopus to Tentacle communication with VPN for secure and efficient data transfers in geographically dispersed environments. Alternative solutions for segregated environments include a Migrator Tool for database migration and data replication, and a future concept of Relay Tentacles for routing tasks within private networks. The High Availability edition will be a new licensing tier and might include consulting to ensure supported configurations.

OctoCraft Deploy is a Minecraft plugin designed to simplify the deployment process by interfacing with the Octopus Deploy API, allowing users to create and deploy releases in a gaming environment. By leveraging Bukkit, a tool for creating custom Minecraft plugins, users can seamlessly integrate OctoCraft Deploy with Octopus Deploy's API, which supports all UI functionalities via API calls. The plugin automates release creation, deployment to specified environments, and monitoring of deployment status, demonstrating the potential to streamline traditionally manual tasks like spreadsheet management and remote desktop configurations. Detailed instructions and code examples illustrate how to implement these processes, with the full source code available on GitHub for further exploration.