These templates will deploy and configure a Windows Server 2016/1709 VM instance with Windows Server Containers and Docker Engine 19.03. These items are performed by the template:

• Deploy the prepared Windows Server Container Image with Docker 19.03
  • base OS image microsoft/windowsservercore:*
  • base OS image microsoft/nanoserver:*
• Create TLS certificates for the Docker Engine
• Prepare a docker-machine configuration in C:\.docker\machine\machines
• Open Ports for RDP (3389), Docker (2376), as well as HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443).
• Install additional Docker tools:
  • Docker Compose
  • Docker Machine

Specify your local home directory path in machineHome so the docker-machine config can be created exactly for your needs. Use the value of %USERPROFILE% on Windows and $HOME on Linux/Mac.

To connect to the Windows Docker Engine from a notebook you just have to copy the TLS certificates from the Azure VM C:\.docker\machine\machines to your home directory -> .docker/machine/machines. Use the RDP session and copy the folder through RDP. For 1709 server core it is also possible. Just open notepad, then Open a file, browse to C:\.docker and CTRL+C the folder.

Paste the folder into the home directory of your local user account.

Now you can use the local docker-machine binary to switch environment variables to connect to the Docker engine running in the Azure VM.

Bash

$ eval $(docker-machine env az1709)

PowerShell

PS C:\> docker-machine env az1709 | iex

Now you are connected with the TLS protected Docker API of your Azure VM.

docker images

or start your first Windows container eg. from your Mac

docker run -it microsoft/windowsservercore:1709 cmd

This work is based on the Azure quickstart templates

• https://github.com/Azure/azure-quickstart-templates/tree/master/windows-server-containers-preview
• https://github.com/Azure/azure-quickstart-templates/tree/master/201-vm-winrm-windows