Get Docker for OpenSUSE and SLES

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

To get started with Docker on OpenSUSE or SLES, make sure you meet the prerequisites, then install Docker.

Prerequisites

OS requirements

To install Docker, you need the 64-bit version one of the following:

OpenSuSE Leap 42.x
SLES 12.x

Remove unofficial Docker packages

OpenSUSE’s operating system repositories contain an older version of Docker, with the package name docker instead of docker-engine. If you installed this version of Docker on OpenSUSE or on SLES by using the OpenSUSE repositories, remove it using the following command:

$ sudo zypper rm docker

The contents of /var/lib/docker are not removed, so any images, containers, or volumes you created using the older version of Docker are preserved.

Install Docker

You can install Docker in different ways, depending on your needs:

Most users set up Docker’s repositories and install from them, for ease of installation and upgrade tasks. This is the recommended approach.
Some users download the RPM package and install it manually and manage upgrades completely manually.
Some users cannot use third-party repositories, and must rely on the version of Docker in the OpenSUSE or SLES repositories. This version of Docker may be out of date. Those users should consult the OpenSuSE or SLES documentation and not follow these procedures.

Install using the repository

Before you install Docker for the first time on a new host machine, you need to set up the Docker repository. Afterward, you can install, update, or downgrade Docker from the repository.

Set up the repository

Use the following command to set up the stable repository:

$ sudo zypper addrepo \
    https://yum.dockerproject.org/repo/main/opensuse/13.2/ \
    docker-main

Optional: Enable the testing repository. You can enable it alongside the stable repository. Do not use unstable repositories on on production systems or for non-testing workloads.

Warning: If you have both stable and unstable repositories enabled, updating without specifying a version in the zypper install or zypper update command will always install the highest possible version, which will almost certainly be an unstable one.
```
$ sudo zypper addrepo \
    https://yum.dockerproject.org/repo/testing/opensuse/13.2/ \
    docker-testing
```
You can disable a repository at any time by running the zypper rmrepo command. The following command disables the testing repository.
```
$ sudo zypper removerepo docker-testing
```

Install Docker

Update the zypper package index.
```
$ sudo zypper refresh
```
If this is the first time you have refreshed the package index since adding the Docker repositories, you will be prompted to accept the GPG key, and the key’s fingerprint will be shown. Verify that the fingerprint matches 58118E89F3A912897C070ADBF76221572C52609D and if so, accept the key.
Install the latest version of Docker, or go to the next step to install a specific version.
```
$ sudo zypper install docker-engine
```
Warning: If you have both stable and unstable repositories enabled, installing or updating Docker without specifying a version in the zypper install or zypper update command will always install the highest available version, which will almost certainly be an unstable one.

The RPM will install, but you will receive the following error during the post-installation procedure, because Docker cannot start the service automatically:
```
Additional rpm output:
/var/tmp/rpm-tmp.YGySzA: line 1: fg: no job control
```
Start Docker:
```
$ sudo service docker start
```
On production systems, you should install a specific version of Docker instead of always using the latest. List the available versions. The following example only lists binary packages and is truncated. To also list source packages, omit the -t package flag from the command.
```
$ zypper search -s --match-exact -t package docker-engine

  Loading repository data...
  Reading installed packages...

  S | Name          | Type    | Version                               | Arch   | Repository    
  --+---------------+---------+---------------------------------------+--------+---------------
    | docker-engine | package | 1.13.0-1                              | x86_64 | docker-main
    | docker-engine | package | 1.12.6-1                              | x86_64 | docker-main   
    | docker-engine | package | 1.12.5-1                              | x86_64 | docker-main   
```
The contents of the list depend upon which repositories you have enabled. Choose a specific version to install. The third column is the version string. The fifth column is the repository name, which indicates which repository the package is from and by extension its stability level. To install a specific version, append the version string to the package name and separate them by a hyphen (-):
```
$ sudo zypper install docker-engine-<VERSION_STRING>
```
The RPM will install, but you will receive the following error during the post-installation procedure, because Docker cannot start the service automatically:
```
Additional rpm output:
/var/tmp/rpm-tmp.YGySzA: line 1: fg: no job control
```
Start Docker:
```
$ sudo service docker start
```
Verify that docker is installed correctly by running the hello-world image.
```
$ sudo docker run hello-world
```
This command downloads a test image and runs it in a container. When the container runs, it prints an informational message and exits.

Docker is installed and running. You need to use sudo to run Docker commands. Continue to Linux postinstall to allow non-privileged users to run Docker commands and for other optional configuration steps.

Upgrade Docker

To upgrade Docker, first run sudo zypper refresh, then follow the installation instructions, choosing the new version you want to install.

Install from a package

If you cannot use Docker’s repository to install Docker, you can download the .rpm file for your release and install it manually. You will need to download a new file each time you want to upgrade Docker.

Go to https://yum.dockerproject.org/repo/main/opensuse/13.2/Packages/ and download the .rpm file for the Docker version you want to install.

Note: To install a testing version, change the word main in the URL to testing. Do not use unstable versions of Docker in production or for non-testing workloads.
Install Docker, changing the path below to the path where you downloaded the Docker package.
```
$ sudo yum -y install /path/to/package.rpm
```
The RPM will install, but you will receive the following error during the post-installation procedure, because Docker cannot start the service automatically:
```
Additional rpm output:
/var/tmp/rpm-tmp.YGySzA: line 1: fg: no job control
```
Start Docker:
```
$ sudo service docker start
```
Verify that docker is installed correctly by running the hello-world image.
```
$ sudo docker run hello-world
```
This command downloads a test image and runs it in a container. When the container runs, it prints an informational message and exits.

Docker is installed and running. You need to use sudo to run Docker commands. Continue to Post-installation steps for Linux to allow non-privileged users to run Docker commands and for other optional configuration steps.

Upgrade Docker

To upgrade Docker, download the newer package file and repeat the installation procedure, using zypper update instead of zypper install, and pointing to the new file.

Uninstall Docker

Uninstallation using zypper rm fails. Uninstall the Docker package using the following command:
```
$ sudo rpm -e --noscripts docker-engine
```
Images, containers, volumes, or customized configuration files on your host are not automatically removed. To delete all images, containers, and volumes:
```
$ sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
```

You must delete any edited configuration files manually.

Next steps

Continue to Post-installation steps for Linux
Continue with the User Guide.

Feedback? Suggestions? Can't find something in the docs?
Edit this page ● Request docs changes ● Get support
Rate this page:

On this page: