Docker on Windows
This post is for students who have Windows OS on their personal machines. The similar ideas would also apply to MacOS users.
Three options are discussed below for Docker installation.
- The first option is the best in terms of Docker performance, and is recommended for people who want to have good Docker experience both inside and outside of the class.
- The latter two options are for people who only plan to use Docker on their personal machines throughout the course.
(Reminder: It is recommended to focus on the assignment questions first before installing Docker if you only have Windows or Mac on your machine.)
Option 1: Make Your Personal Machine a Dual Boot
The following link elaborates in detail of installing Ubuntu alongside Windows 8 or 10: https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu-1404-dual-boot-mode-windows-8-81-uefi/
Remember to disable fast startup and secureboot features that are introduced after Windows 8, which would prevent dual booting of Windows with Linux (See steps 4 and 5 in the link provided above).
If you decide to make your personal machine a dual boot, it is recommended to install one of the following Linux distros: CentOS, Debian, Fedora, or Ubuntu. https://docs.docker.com/install/ documents the details to install Docker CE on these Linux distros.
You may then follow the previous tutorial post for most of the Docker commands.
Option 2: Install the newest version of Docker CE
This option is only for people who have Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition.
You could get a free copy of Windows 10 Education here by clicking on Microsoft Windows 10 on the page and then use your UWaterloo credentials.
You may follow this to install Docker CE on the Windows systems that do meet the requirements.
You may need to enable Virtualization in the BIOS during the Docker CE installation.
You may find in this post about how to check if virtualization is enabled.
If virtualization is disabled, visit here and follow the steps to enable virturalizaion in BIOS. Note: some steps may vary depending upon the motherboard or brand of your personal machine.
You may then enable Hyper-V following the steps here.
Option 3: Install Docker toolbox
This option is for users with older Windows (or Mac) systems that do not meet the requirements.
Follow the instruction of installing Docker Toolbox here.