Introduction
With standard hardware EdgeVis encoders, you usually configure these using a simple local web interface. However EVVR Containers are designed to be easily deployed, using standard Linux/Docker command line operations, so there are new additional options available to avoid the need to use a web interface to perform initial configuration of your container:
Using environment variables within the container's compose file
+ This will set the desired settings in your container permanently.
- Any settings set here will NOT be changeable by the other two methods.
Using a seed configuration file that is passed to the container
+ Initial settings used to initialise your container - these can be changed by your user using the web interface. Once set, the seed file is no longer used.
- Any settings that are already set with an environment variable are ignored.
Using the existing web interface
+ Simplified version of a full hardware encoder's web interface that can be used to configure.
- Settings set using an environment variable will show status, but not be editable.
Which option should I use?
It's possible to use all three methods, using environment settings for some settings, a seed file for others, and allowing your end users to use the web interface for final setup/debugging.
Environment variables are useful if administrators want to lock down certain container settings (e.g. server and encoder login details) that must never change. This allows you to grant access to your end-users to the web interface for non-critical settings.
The seed configuration file is the best option to use if you want to allow your users the ability to edit your settings at a later date.
The web interface is always available to debug any issues or perform later configuration. It is useful for testing deployments to determine the correct settings to program into your container config files.
The following sections explain how to perform each of these options; however, you may want to review the list of available settings first, as that may also help you decide what option to select.
Using environment variables
The optimal way to use environment variables is when you are performing the initial install.
When you create and edit the compose.yml file (as per the normal installation instructions), you can add the additional environment variables into your compose file to install, set up and configure your container in one step.
However, it can often take a few attempts to enter and test the desired settings within a compose file - it is possible to edit the environment variables of an existing container to help iteratively build a compose file that contains all your desired settings.
Using a seed configuration file
The seed configuration file offers the same settings as environment variables.
Follow these steps to initialise your container with a seed file.