With Microsoft support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 ending in early 2020, containerisation specialist Docker has pounced early, launching a “Windows Server Application Migration Program” as part of its Docker Enterprise 2.1 release.
Docker, founded in 2013, describes the toolkit as the “only way to containerise and secure legacy Windows Server applications in advance of the end-of-support deadline for Microsoft Windows Server 2008.”
Docker Enterprise 2.1 adds support for Windows Server 1709, 1803 and Windows Server 2019 in addition to Windows Server 2016, the company said.
It is offering a free, hosted trial to those interested.
The use of containers has surged as both developers and IT seek the ability to build, manage and secure applications without the fear of technology or infrastructure lock-in.
(A container is a standard unit of software that packages up code and all its dependencies so the application runs quickly and reliably from one computing environment to another).
Migration Delays Could Cause Security Issues, Maintenance Costs
Companies that postpone migrating legacy applications and systems are vulnerable to security risks and a higher cost of maintenance, Docker notes.
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Scott Johnston, Chief Product Officer, Docker said in a release: “Traditional methods such as upgrading the underlying operating system or migrating applications on to new systems or the cloud, require significant resources and only serves to add to the existing technical debt.”
Users can “quickly discover, containerise and migrate Windows Server applications with immediate cost savings”, he said,
Docker Enterprise 2.1: New Features
New features of Docker Enterprise include improved performance and compatibility for Windows Server Applications: updated support for Windows Server 2016, 1709, 1803 and 20191 in addition to smaller image sizes, improved compatibility and expanded networking options, the company said.
See also: Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm: A comparison of Cloud Container Tools
The release also adds enhanced security and compliance: support for industry standard security and authentication including SAML 2.0 authentication and the cryptographic modules in Docker Engine – Enterprise have been validated against FIPS 140-2 standards for both Windows and Linux.
“The majority of our legacy product portfolio at Mitchell runs on Windows Server. We sought a solution that would allow us to containerize all of our applications so we could reap the benefits of DevOps, increase portability and align operational modalities across the board,” said Marius Domean, Director R&D, Mitchell International.
“Only Docker Enterprise was able to provide us with a robust, enterprise-grade solution that enables us to transform our legacy application stacks while reducing operational costs, minimizing our footprint of thousands of virtual machines and allowing us to adopt a hybrid cloud hosting architecture.”
