So you’re probably wondering what happened to 8.1. Before we get into those details, we just want to note that Deadline 9.0 has not been publicly announced, so this is simply a reminder that the following information is confidential.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about this release. This was supposed to be the third release candidate of 8.1, but we wanted to add some security improvements to this version to strengthen the security of your Deadline render farm. These security changes include:
- SSL authentication is now enabled by default for the MongoDB database, and SSL certificates can be used to authenticate when the Deadline applications are connecting to the database. Note that you still have the option to install without SSL (which is how it was installed previously), but for those that want that extra layer of protection, the SSL option is now available.
- Remote commands are now encrypted, and both the sender and receiver must be connected to the same Repository and database. This ensures the commands can’t be sent from unauthorized sources.
Unfortunately, these improvements required some breaking changes. Maintaining backwards compatibility across minor and revision releases is very important to us, so in order to avoid any chaos and confusion, we decided to simply rebrand 8.1 as 9.0. Plus, we’ve been working on 8.1 for almost 10 months now, and the ever-increasing improvements list would be enough for a new major release!
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR ALL USERS:
Before you install Deadline 9.0 RC 3, you should email beta@thinkboxsoftware.com and request an updated 9.0 beta license. If you happen to be using Usage Based Licensing, your render time will still be compatible with 9.0. In addition, if you wish to use an SSL enabled MongoDB installation, you should install a fresh Repository and Database using the Repository installer. If you wish to stick with your existing Repository and Database, just choose to connect to an existing Database as usual. In either case though, you should use the Deadline Client installer to upgrade your client machines to 9.0, and not use auto-upgrading.
When 9.0 is eventually released to the public, it will still be a free upgrade providing you have an active Support and Maintenance subscription.
Please read the Deadline 8.1/9.0 Licensing and Compatibility thread for important information regarding Deadline 9.0:
forums.thinkboxsoftware.com/vie … 09&t=14476
Full release notes can be found in the Deadline 9.0 documentation (see Downloads below).
Downloads
Installers and Documentation: thinkboxsoftware.box.com/s/kocg … mnvzdahfdk