Clarifications and updates to services docker stuff

Author: georgweiss

services/README.md

@@ -27,4 +27,15 @@ services in this repository depend:
 
 The Docker compose file depends on the environment variable ```HOST_IP_ADDRESS```, which must be set
 to the IP address of the host running the Docker container. Kafka clients must use this as the
-```bootstrap-server``` IP address.
+```bootstrap-server``` IP address.
+
+Docker supports environment variables to be set in a file (default ```.env``` in current directory) like so:
+
+```HOST_IP_ADDRESS=1.2.3.4```
+.  
+.  
+.
+
+This may be preferable compared to setting environment variables on command line, e.g.
+
+```>export HOST_IP_ADDRESS=1.2.3.4```.

services/alarm-server/README.md

@@ -52,10 +52,27 @@ some useful startup arguments include
 
 Docker compose files are provided for convenience to cover two use cases:
 
-1. ```docker-compose-alarm-server-only.yml``` will run the alarm server. The 
-    environment variable ```KAFKA_HOST``` must be set to identify the Kafka server IP address,
-    while the environment variable ```CONFIG``` identifies the configuration (topic) name.
+1. ```docker-compose-alarm-server-only.yml``` will run the alarm server. Required environment variables:
+    * ```KAFKA_HOST_IP_ADDRESS``` must be set to identify the Kafka server external IP address.
+    * ```CONFIG``` identifies the configuration (topic) name. 
+    * ```ALARM_SERVICE_SETTINGS_FILE``` file in user's home directory specifying EPICS related settings, e.g.
+      ```org.phoebus.pv/default=pva```.
 2. ```docker-compose-alarm-server-only-import.yml``` will run the alarm server for the
     purpose of importing a configuration. Environment variables must be se as in case 1.
     Additionally, the environment variable ```CONFIG_FILE``` must identify an alarm
     configuration file in the current user's home directory.
+
+Docker supports environment variables to be set in a file (default ```.env``` in current directory) like so:
+
+```KAFKA_HOST_IP_ADDRESS=1.2.3.4```  
+```CONFIG=Accelerator```  
+.  
+.  
+.  
+
+This may be preferable compared to setting environment variables on command line, e.g. 
+
+```>export KAFKA_HOST_IP_ADDRESS=1.2.3.4```.
+
+**NOTE:** Accessing IOCs over pva (default mode in the Docker compose files) works **only** if IOC is running on the
+same host as the Docker container. Moreover, this has been verified to work only on Linux.

services/alarm-server/docker-compose-alarm-server-only-import.yml

@@ -5,5 +5,5 @@ services:
       - /home:/home
     command: >
       /bin/bash -c "
-      java -jar /alarmserver/service-alarm-server-*.jar -config ${CONFIG} -import ${CONFIG_FILE} -server ${KAFKA_HOST}:9092"
+      java -jar /alarmserver/service-alarm-server-*.jar -config ${CONFIG} -import ${CONFIG_FILE} -server ${KAFKA_HOST_IP_ADDRESS}:9092 -settings"
   

services/alarm-server/docker-compose-alarm-server-only.yml

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 services:
   alarmserver:
     image: ghcr.io/controlsystemstudio/phoebus/service-alarm-server:master
+    environment:
+      EPICS_PVA_ADDR_LIST: ${HOST_IP_ADDRESS}
     volumes:
       - /home:/home
     command: >
       /bin/bash -c "
-      java -jar /alarmserver/service-alarm-server-*.jar -config ${CONFIG} -server ${KAFKA_HOST}:9092 -noshell"
+      java -jar /alarmserver/service-alarm-server-*.jar -settings ${ALARM_SERVICE_SETTINGS_FILE} -config ${CONFIG} -server ${KAFKA_HOST_IP_ADDRESS}:9092 -settings ${SETTINGS_FILE} -noshell"
   

services/save-and-restore/README.md

@@ -62,12 +62,24 @@ The latest version of the service is available as a Docker image (ghcr.io/contro
 
 Docker compose files are provided. These depend on the environment variables as described below.
 
-1. ```docker-compose.yml```. Use this to launch both Elasticsearch and the service. The environment variable ```HOST_EXTERNAL_IP_ADDRESS``` 
+1. ```docker-compose.yml```. Use this to launch both Elasticsearch and the service. The environment variable ```HOST_IP_ADDRESS``` 
     should be set to the host's external IP address (i.e. **not** 127.0.0.1 or localhost).
-2. ```docker-compose-save-and-restore.yml```. Use this to launch save-and-restore service only. The environment variable ```HOST_EXTERNAL_IP_ADDRESS```
+2. ```docker-compose-save-and-restore.yml```. Use this to launch save-and-restore service only. The environment variable ```HOST_IP_ADDRESS```
    should be set to the host's external IP address (i.e. **not** 127.0.0.1 or localhost), while the environment variable ```ELASTIC_HOST``` should
    be set to the IP address of the Elasticsearch host. If Elasticsearch is running on  localhost, please specify the host's
-   external IP address. 
+   external IP address.
+
+Docker supports environment variables to be set in a file (default ```.env``` in current directory) like so:
+
+```HOST_IP_ADDRESS=1.2.3.4```  
+```ELASTIC_HOST=1.2.3.4```  
+.  
+.  
+.
+
+This may be preferable compared to setting environment variables on command line, e.g.
+
+```>export HOST_IP_ADDRESS=1.2.3.4```.
 
 **NOTE:** Accessing IOCs over pva (default mode in the Docker compose files) works **only** if IOC is running on the
-same host as the Docker container. Moreover, this has been verified to work only on Linux.
+same host as the Docker container. Moreover, this has been verified to work only on Linux.

services/save-and-restore/docker-compose-save-and-restore.yml

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ services:
       - "8080:8080"
     environment:
       ELASTICSEARCH_NETWORK_HOST: ${ELASTIC_HOST_IP_ADDRESS}
-      EPICS_PVA_ADDR_LIST: ${HOST_EXTERNAL_IP_ADDRESS}
+      EPICS_PVA_ADDR_LIST: ${HOST_IP_ADDRESS}
       EPICS_PVA_AUTO_ADDR_LIST: "NO"  
       EPICS_PVA_ENABLE_IPV6: "false"  
     command: >