Running RancherOS using Docker Machine
Running RancherOS using Docker Machine
Before we get started, you’ll need to make sure that you have docker machine installed. Download it directly from the docker machine releases. The version must be at least v0.3.0-rc1 or greater.
Note: If you create a RancherOS instance using
docker-machine, you will not be able to upgrade your version of RancherOS.
Downloading RancherOS
Get the latest rancheros.iso artifact from the RancherOS releases. As of v0.4.0, the rancheros.iso can be used for docker-machine. Prior to v0.4.0, you must select the machine-rancheros.iso.
Using Docker Machine
You can use docker-machine to launch VMs for various providers. Currently only VirtualBox and AWS are supported.
Using Docker Machine with VirtualBox
Before moving forward, you’ll need to have VirtualBox installed. Download it directly from VirtualBox. Once you have VirtualBox and Docker Machine installed, it’s just one command to get RancherOS running.
$ docker-machine create -d virtualbox --virtualbox-boot2docker-url <LOCATION-OF-RANCHEROS-ISO> <MACHINE-NAME>
Note: Instead of downloading the ISO, you can directly use the URL for the
rancheros.iso.
Example with RancherOS v0.4.0 link:
$ docker-machine create -d virtualbox --virtualbox-boot2docker-url https://github.com/rancher/os/releases/download/v0.4.0/rancheros.iso MyRancherOSMachine
That’s it! You should now have a RancherOS host running on VirtualBox. You can verify that you have a VirtualBox VM running on your host.
$ VBoxManage list runningvms | grep <MACHINE-NAME>
This command will print out the newly created machine. If not, something went wrong with the provisioning step.
Logging into RancherOS
Logging into RancherOS follows the standard docker-machine commands. To login into your newly provisioned RancherOS VM.
$ docker-machine ssh <MACHINE-NAME>
You’ll be logged into RancherOS and can start exploring the OS, This will log you into the RancherOS VM. You’ll then be able to explore the OS using commands, adding system services, and launching containers.
If you want to exit out of RancherOS, you can exit by pressing Ctrl+D.
Docker Machine Benefits
With docker-machine, you can point the docker client on your host to the docker daemon running inside of the VM. This allows you to run your docker commands as if you had installed docker on your host.
To point your docker client to the docker daemon inside the VM, use the following command:
$ eval $(docker-machine env <MACHINE-NAME>)
After setting this up, you can run any docker command in your host, and it will execute the command in your RancherOS VM.
$ docker run -p 80:80 -p 443:443 -d nginx
In your VM, a nginx container will start on your VM. To access the container, you will need the IP address of the VM.
$ docker-machine ip <MACHINE-NAME>
Once you obtain the IP address, paste it in a browser and a Welcome Page for nginx will be displayed.