I’ve been trying to get time to play with Docker more. I had it setup on my old laptop and was experimenting with different ways of working with containers and databases before I switched. Since then I’ve been slightly hamstrung as I’ve been a VMWare person for some time. I have demos and various machines setup, so I haven’t gotten this working on my desktop.

On the new laptop, I decided to get this moving on my last trip. I installed the Docker msi, rebooted, and …

Nothing. I saw a service, but none of the “docker …” commands would work. I’d get errors and when I tried to run Docker for Windows, nothing happened. No app, nothing in the task bar, just a big fat nada. I’d get an error about Virtualbox, and despite some bcedit and other commands, I couldn’t get this to work.

This has been a  low priority, despite the fact that I’d like to do a database container presentation and Redgate is doing some work here. On a recent trip, I had some time to play, so I sat down and started debugging. I went back and found the Windows 10 Quick Start on Microsoft’s site and went from there.

A few things on this. First, I uninstalled the old Docker for Windows and rebooted the machine. I made sure virtualization was enabled in BIOS and then went through the Docker instructions. I downloaded the new Community Edition .exe for 64 bit Windows and installed it. Another restart and I was amazed to see the Docker icon in the status bar. I made progress.

I tried a “docker run hello-world”, but got an error. Before I could start swearing, I got the Docker popup that I needed to log into the Docker Cloud. That necessitated creating a DockerID (way0utwest, of course), which was fun since I couldn’t minimize the Docker popup and I was afraid to close it. Once I registered and confirmed my email, I could run the Hello World container.

Docker is interesting and I’ll do some more work and writing about it, especially the basics. If you’ve never tried a container, it’s one of those technologies to put on your list.