My docker cheat sheet

My docker cheat sheet

Installing base container image for Server Core 2019. If you are running Windows Server 2019 virtual machine, this will allow you to run the container in process isolation mode instead of Hyper-V isolation. Process isolation is more light-weight and allows you to run a Server 2019 VM with dynamic memory setting in Hyper-V.

PS C:\> docker image pull mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2019

To list downloaded images, do

PS C:\> docker images

This will show something like below

PS C:\> docker images
REPOSITORY                             TAG                 IMAGE ID            CREATED             SIZE
mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore   ltsc2019            3eaa9ebbf51f        5 weeks ago         5.25GB

To run a Windows container based on servercore:ltsc2019, do:

PS C:\> docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2019 cmd.exe

This will open a cmd.exe prompt. This should allow you to play inside that container.

This container should be running in process isolation mode. To verify that get the cotainers running, like:

PS C:\> docker ps -a

Sample output below

PS C:\> docker ps -a
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                                           COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS                      PORTS               NAMES
0dcd0e1f1a01        mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2019   "cmd.exe"           7 seconds ago       Up 6 seconds                                    gracious_ride
c9e4859871c2        mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2019   "cmd.exe"           56 minutes ago      Exited (0) 50 minutes ago                       distracted_curran
540f0bd0e7fd        mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:ltsc2019   "cmd.exe"           About an hour ago   Exited (0) 58 minutes ago                       reverent_bohr

Note that 0dcd0e1f1a01 shows it is running (STATUS column shows Up x seconds).

Now check Isolation mode, like

PS C:\> docker inspect 0dcd0e1f1a01 | Select-String -Pattern "Isolation"

It shoud show something like below

PS C:\> docker inspect 0dcd0e1f1a01 | Select-String -Pattern "Isolation"
            "Isolation": "process",

To re-start an exited container, e.g., 540f0bd0e7fd do:

PS C:\> docker start 540f0bd0e7fd

This will start a container in the background. To interact with it do:

PS C:\> docker attach 540f0bd0e7fd

To start another shell on a conatiner, do:

PS C:\> docker exec -it 540f0bd0e7fd cmd.exe