Docker on PhotonOS?

[IamSpartacus]

Has anyone messed around with PhotonOS at all? Supposedly it supports docker containers but I can't really find any resources on it. A trimmed down Linux distro strictly for containers that is built to run in vSphere is very attractive to me given that I'm running 2 Linux VMs strictly for docker.

 

[OkiieDoe]

i'm running a test setup in my home lab but i'm using vsphere integrated containers engine with vmware admiral to manage and vmware harbor to store my docker images.

 

[dragonme]

Typical with VMware the more I read on their 'new' platforms the more confused and confounded I get ... And as usual their 'v' everything and crazy similar but different naming doesn't help

I want to experiment with VIC but I run a single all in one host with vcsa and would have to migrate my standard vswitch to a dvswitch I think in order to use it... As VIC requires a distributied port group to install .. Even though I could install it on a host without vcsa on a standard switch.. Makes no sence..

Then I looked at photon.. And there is photonOS photon machine bla bla.. And that looks more like containers in a VM anyway...

So given a single host with vcsa what is a simple way to host docker VMs so they get resources without being in another layer of abstraction that would be easy to install... Anyone with a step by step would be much appreciated...

 

[dragonme]

Bumping this a bit...

Want to try out containers and VIC looks like the only way to go since it true containers AS a VM not like just uploading photonOS which is containers IN a VM

My issue is I run a single host esxi/vcsa machine and VIC requires vdswitches and I currently run a vswitch and only have a single nic on the board for uplink ...

If I am not using HA or anything why the distributed switch? Also, you can deploy VIC on a single host without it?

Can I create a distributed switch without uplink just for the intra container requirement?

Perhaps just wait at this point until 6.5 come out

 

[marcel]

I'm now running unRAID with containers but I'm very interested how ESXi this does...

 

[IamSpartacus]

I finally got around to getting Photon up and running. Does anyone happen to know what flavor of Linux Photon is built off of? Trying to see if I can get MergerFS installed on it.

 

[nitrobass24]

PhotonOS is just VMwares version of a DockerOS that is supposedly tuned to run on ESX. Can just as easily intstall is on bare metal.
It is a direct competitor to CoreOS and RancherOS

I finally got around to getting Photon up and running. Does anyone happen to know what flavor of Linux Photon is built off of? Trying to see if I can get MergerFS installed on it.

Its RHEL based and uses tdnf as the package manager. Similar syntax yum, but not as many features.
Alternatively you could pull down the rpms and install that way.

 

[IamSpartacus]

PhotonOS is just VMwares version of a DockerOS that is supposedly tuned to run on ESX. Can just as easily intstall is on bare metal.
It is a direct competitor to CoreOS and RancherOS



Its RHEL based and uses tdnf as the package manager. Similar syntax yum, but not as many features.
Alternatively you could pull down the rpms and install that way.

Thanks. I believe I was able to get the RPM installed but I'm having trouble determining if mount.fuse is installed and if not how to install it.

 

[MajorNerd]

There are two versions of photon. One is the open source, the other is the closed VMWare version.

It is designed as a K8s management tool - the Vmware version requires 5 nodes, three of which run the management cluster.

It is designed very differently than ViC. There is no HA or DRS in PhotonOS, no vcenter integration either.

ViC is, imho, a half container strategy, as each container is a VM and has the Vmware feature set, where PhotonOS is a truer container strategy as it is designed to just manage the containers, while adding the decade and a half of esxi experience.

I'm excited to see what Vmware has to offer here, the potential for a single vendor solution is positive, but Vmware has never been a bargain, and their container pricing strategy may kill them in the long run.