Repository Settings Importer and Exporter

Overview

The Repository Settings Importer and Exporter feature uses a standalone file format to save or load repository settings via Deadline Command. This is particularly useful if your workflow requires frequent tear-down/redeploy of your Deadline render farm infrastructure as it can save you the hassle of having to manually reconfigure your farm.

How Is This Different to the Existing Import Repository Settings Feature?

Pros

  • Available via Deadline Command
  • Does not require a connection to a repository to import settings from
  • Can export your repository settings into a standalone file format

Cons

Supported Settings

The following settings are supported for exporting and importing through Deadline Command.

Exporting Repository Settings

To export repository settings use the ExportRepositorySettings command. To get information on the settings and flags that can be used, use the Help command:

deadlinecommand Help ExportRepositorySettings

The simplest way to use the ExportRepositorySettings command is as follows:

deadlinecommand ExportRepositorySettings

This will print the export to the console. Since exports can get quite lengthy, there is also the ability to export to a file path. This can be done by specifying the ExportFilePath as follows:

deadlinecommand ExportRepositorySettings -ExportFilePath C:\Desired\Export\Path\Export.txt

Specific settings may also be specified if it is desired to not include all settings in the export. This can be done by specifying the Settings as follows:

deadlinecommand ExportRepositorySettings -Settings setting1 setting2 setting3 <etc>

For example, to export only pools and groups to a file the following command would be used:

deadlinecommand ExportRepositorySettings -Settings Groups Pools -ExportFilePath C:\Desired\Export\Path\Export.txt

By default all settings will be exported if the Settings setting is not specified.

Importing Repository Settings

To import the repository settings use the ImportRepositorySettings command. To get information on the settings and flags that can be used, use the Help command:

deadlinecommand Help ImportRepositorySettings

The simplest way to use the ImportRepositorySettings command is as follows:

deadlinecommand ImportRepositorySettings -ImportFilePath C:\Desired\Export\Path\Export.txt -ImportOperation Append

One thing to note here is the ImportOperation. The import operation tells the importer how to import the settings. There are two main import operations: Append and Replace. The Append operation retains existing settings, and adds on to them where possible. The Replace operation will remove previous settings and replace them.

There is also the ability to do a dry run of an import to determine if there will be any errors or warnings. Doing a dry run will not modify the settings at all but can indicate if the import would be successful. To do a dry run of an import append the words DryRun to the import operation. For instance, AppendDryRun indicates a dry run using the append operation. This would be used as follows:

deadlinecommand ImportRepositorySettings -ImportFilePath C:\Desired\Export\Path\Export.txt -ImportOperation AppendDryRun

Only the settings the Import File included will be modified in the repository, while settings that are not included will remain the same as they were before the import.

FAQ

Can Passwords/Keys and other Secret/Classified parameters be imported or exported through this?

No. Passwords, keys and other secret/classified parameters are not exposed through this interface.

How is a backup and restore performed through this?

To backup your repository you can simply export the setting to a file:

deadlinecommand ExportRepositorySettings -ExportFilePath C:\Desired\Export\Path\Backup.txt

To restore from the backup, a Replace import operation is suggested:

deadlinecommand ImportRepositorySettings -ImportFilePath C:\Desired\Export\Path\Backup.txt -ImportOperation Replace

How is an import file created?

There are two main workflows that are suggested to create an import file. The first and easiest workflow is to configure an existing repository with the desired setting configuration, and then export the settings to create the file. The second workflow is to export your repository and manually edit values to create the import file.

What file format should the export be saved as?

It is recommended to save the export as a json or txt file.