The Captain's Shack

[TL;DR] Various strategies are available when using Docker-based Integration test in the Java development lifecycle. This article describes and compares a Maven-centric strategy and a more loosely coupled one. Integration tests with Docker is a dream come true. For years, I have been struggling to get hold of Test Environments where I could validate my software. But now Docker makes it easy and cheap. Further, it allows validation on near Production configuration. »

[TL;DR] Ansible roles are powerful to turn features on or off. The site’s monolithic master Docker-compose doesn’t lend itself for that. This article describes the script’s refactoring to solve this. The best way to prevent tampering on an Internet facing server is to rebuild it regularly. And the only efficient way to do it is the scripted way. From day one, the “Captain’s Shack” server has been configured with Ansible so that the server can be regularly reinitialised. »

I contributed for nearly 28 years to the evolution of the same company. I enjoyed it very much and have good memories. At 8 years of retirement, I could have continued to reap the earnings of this loyal career. But I realized that I was not too old to explore new ways of working or new technologies and have the joy to share my enthusiasm of these discoveries with others. And there are wise people that don’t associate “old” with “obsolete”. »

[TL;DR] Docker allowed me to quickly evaluate and run a complex setup. This article describes this experience. Begin November, I gave a Docker one-day training at the Science Faculty of the Aix-Marseille University (Marseille - Luminy). Somehow, we failed to have the evaluation forms filled in at the end of the day. As the Training Dept. required these forms, we had to find an alternate solution that would work for the people that had to leave the training in a hurry. »

With limited investment, the Raspberry Pi is a great platform to touch, learn and demonstrate many concepts of modern computing. Docker has very rapidely found its way on the RPi, mainly with the help of the Hypriot distribution. I use a flock of RPi to demonstrate and help visualize many Docker concepts. With its hardware interfacing capabilities, the Raspberry Pi is also a very popular IOT platform. For IOT, Docker could have the same “mass innovation” enabling effect as for mainstream computing. »

This is the first post of this blog. It is the place where I plan to store notes about my various experimentations, explorations and discoveries. These notes are mainly for myself. Writing is a way for me to structure what I learned. And by the way, it is a good way to stop worrying about forgetting. If you, passer-by, can also learn something with this, I would be doubly rewarded. »