{"id":78227,"date":"2018-04-16T14:49:43","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T14:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/?p=78227"},"modified":"2021-08-24T13:39:19","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T13:39:19","slug":"provisioning-sql-server-instances-docker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.red-gate.com\/simple-talk\/devops\/containers-and-virtualization\/provisioning-sql-server-instances-docker\/","title":{"rendered":"Provisioning SQL Server Instances with Docker"},"content":{"rendered":"

We DBAs tend to make a meal out of provisioning SQL Server instances. We just aren\u2019t used to the idea of being able to get a SQL Server instance up and running without a lengthy setup and the installation of all those prerequisites. However, our Ops friends, especially the Linux people, just smile and shake their heads when they see us staring at the SQL Server installation screens. They save a lot of time by using Docker. We can do the same thing, using PowerShell to script the process.<\/p>\n

Why is it now so important to be able to provision instances so quickly? It is because it makes for a more reliable release of software if the tests and experiments that are done in dev, test and CI\/CD systems are maintained in separate isolated instances to be sure of avoiding the consequences of something breaking an instance. With Docker, you can start as many fresh clean instances of SQL Server on a host as you need just by running docker run<\/strong>. When you are finished with them, you can tear them back down again without any messy residuals. This is where it is most useful to have SQL Server in its own container.<\/p>\n

You can run SQL Server in a Linux environment using a Linux Docker, using Docker Enterprise Edition to run a supported version of SQL Server in Linux in containers. You can also run SQL Server in Windows Docker on Windows 10 or Windows server 2016. It\u2019s also possible to run SQL Server in Docker on a Mac!<\/p>\n

Docker Overview<\/h2>\n

So, what is Docker? Docker is an open-source platform, written in Go, which is a high-performance language from Google. Go gives Docker extreme portability because the compiled application doesn\u2019t rely on external dependencies.<\/p>\n

Docker allows administration in isolated systems. Docker is not a virtualization engine, because it uses common Kernel Libraries (host and container) resources rather than having its own isolated resources. In virtualization, we have the full Operating system, and in Docker we have only the Kernel Libraries \u2013 in Windows Nano Server<\/p>\n

\"Resultado<\/p>\n

Because most of us SQL Server DBAs are more comfortable with Windows, we will want to take advantage of the fact that we can run SQL Server in a Docker container on Windows Server and Windows 10. As it is Windows, we can script it all out in PowerShell. Here, I\u2019ll be showing how to do it using an Azure Virtual Machine running Windows Server 2016, PowerShell, and Docker. The script will work without the virtual machine if you prefer to do it that way.<\/p>\n

Before you start, create your machine, virtual or not, install Windows Server 2016 and then follow the PowerShell code step by step in Admin mode (\u2018Run as Adminstrator\u2019)<\/p>\n

Setting up Docker<\/h2>\n

At the time of this writing, Docker have made two versions of Docker for Windows available. For Windows 10, use the Docker Community Edition<\/a>. Since this article is about using Windows Server 2016, you will install the Docker Enterprise Edition for Windows Server<\/a> if you care to follow along.<\/p>\n

Start up a PowerShell command window running as an administrator and run the following commands to download and install the latest version of Docker:<\/p>\n

Install-Module DockerMsftProvider -Force\r\nInstall-Package Docker -ProviderName DockerMsftProvider -Force<\/pre>\n
If prompted to install any prerequisites such as NuGet, type in Y and restart once the installation is complete.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Testing your Docker Install<\/h2>\n
Check the Docker version by running this command:<\/p>\n
Docker version<\/pre>\n
<\/p>\n
Then you can test out Docker by downloading a container that they have for that purpose called hello-world:nanoserver.<\/em><\/p>\n
Docker container run hello-world:nanoserver<\/pre>\n
Docker checks first to see whether the image is already there. If not, it downloads it and runs it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Checking the Microsoft Repository and Download SQL Server<\/h2>\n
Now that Docker is successfully installed and running, you can begin creating a SQL Server container. Check the Microsoft repository at Docker:<\/p>\n
docker search microsoft<\/pre>\n
<\/p>\n
Download the SQL Server repository locally. These are big files.<\/p>\n
docker pull microsoft\/mssql-server-windows-developer <\/pre>\n
<\/p>\n
The latest mssql images, for example, are over 12 GB in size. Even \u2018Hello World\u2019 takes over a GB. It may take quite a few minutes to download the image.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Check the local repository images that were downloaded:<\/p>\n
Docker images <\/pre>\n
<\/p>\n
Spin up a SQL Server Instance<\/h2>\n
Once the image has been downloaded, it\u2019s time to spin up the SQL Server instance. From an elevated PowerShell session, you can use the docker run<\/strong> command to set the required properties and run the instance. Here is an explanation of the parameters:<\/p>\n