Get Docker EE for Ubuntu

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

To get started with Docker EE on Ubuntu, make sure you meet the prerequisites, then install Docker.

Prerequisites

Docker CE users should go to Get Docker CE for Ubuntu instead of this topic.

To install Docker Enterprise Edition (Docker EE), you need to know the Docker EE repository URL associated with your trial or subscription. These instructions work for Docker EE for Ubuntu and for Docker EE for Linux, which includes access to Docker EE for all Linux distributions. To get this information:

  • Go to https://hub.docker.com/my-content.
  • Each subscription or trial you have access to is listed. Click the Setup button for Docker Enterprise Edition for Ubuntu.
  • Copy the URL from the field labeled Copy and paste this URL to download your Edition.

Use this URL when you see the placeholder text <DOCKER-EE-URL>.

To learn more about Docker EE, see Docker Enterprise Edition.

System requirements

To learn more about software requirements and supported storage drivers, check the compatibility matrix.

Uninstall old versions

Older versions of Docker were called docker or docker-engine. In addition, if you are upgrading from Docker CE to Docker EE, remove the Docker CE package.

$ sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker-ce docker.io

It’s OK if apt-get reports that none of these packages are installed.

The contents of /var/lib/docker/, including images, containers, volumes, and networks, are preserved. The Docker EE package is now called docker-ee.

Extra steps for aufs

If your version supports the aufs storage driver, you need some preparation before installing Docker.

For Ubuntu 16.04 and higher, the Linux kernel includes support for overlay2, and Docker EE uses it as the default storage driver. If you need to use aufs instead, you need to configure it manually. See aufs

Unless you have a strong reason not to, install the linux-image-extra-* packages, which allow Docker to use the aufs storage drivers.

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install \
    linux-image-extra-$(uname -r) \
    linux-image-extra-virtual

Install Docker EE

You can install Docker EE 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 DEB package and install it manually and manage upgrades completely manually. This is useful in situations such as installing Docker on air-gapped systems with no access to the internet.

Install using the repository

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

Set up the repository

  1. Update the apt package index:

    $ sudo apt-get update
    
  2. Install packages to allow apt to use a repository over HTTPS:

    $ sudo apt-get install \
        apt-transport-https \
        ca-certificates \
        curl \
        software-properties-common
    
  3. Temporarily add a $DOCKER_EE_URL variable into your environment. This only persists until you log out of the session. Replace <DOCKER-EE-URL> with the URL you noted down in the prerequisites.

      $ DOCKER_EE_URL="<DOCKER-EE-URL>"
    
  4. Temporarily add a $DOCKER_EE_VERSION variable into your environment.

    Note: If you need to run something other than Docker EE 2.0, please see the following instructions:

    • 18.03 - Older Docker EE Engine only release
    • 17.06 - Docker Enterprise Edition 2.0 (Docker Engine, UCP, and DTR).
     $ DOCKER_EE_VERSION=18.09
    
  5. Add Docker’s official GPG key using your customer Docker EE repository URL:

    $ curl -fsSL "${DOCKER_EE_URL}/ubuntu/gpg" | sudo apt-key add -
    

    Verify that you now have the key with the fingerprint DD91 1E99 5A64 A202 E859 07D6 BC14 F10B 6D08 5F96, by searching for the last eight characters of the fingerprint. Use the command as-is. It works because of the variable you set earlier.

    $ sudo apt-key fingerprint 6D085F96
    
    pub   4096R/0EBFCD88 2017-02-22
          Key fingerprint = DD91 1E99 5A64 A202 E859  07D6 BC14 F10B 6D08 5F96
    uid                  Docker Release (EE deb) <docker@docker.com>
    sub   4096R/6D085F96 2017-02-22
    
  6. Use the following command to set up the stable repository. Use the command as-is. It works because of the variable you set earlier.

    Note: The lsb_release -cs sub-command below returns the name of your Ubuntu distribution, such as xenial.

    $ sudo add-apt-repository \
       "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture)] $DOCKER_EE_URL/ubuntu \
       $(lsb_release -cs) \
       stable-$DOCKER_EE_VERSION"
    

Install Docker EE

  1. Update the apt package index.

    $ sudo apt-get update
    
  2. Install the latest version of Docker EE, or go to the next step to install a specific version. Any existing installation of Docker EE is replaced.

    Use this command to install the latest version of Docker EE and containerd:

    $ sudo apt-get install docker-ee docker-ee-cli containerd.io
    

    Warning: If you have multiple Docker repositories enabled, installing or updating without specifying a version in the apt-get install or apt-get update command always installs the highest possible version, which may not be appropriate for your stability needs.

  3. On production systems, you should install a specific version of Docker EE instead of always using the latest. This output is truncated. List the available versions.

    $ apt-cache madison docker-ee
    
    docker-ee | 18.09.0~ee-0~ubuntu-xenial | <DOCKER-EE-URL>/ubuntu xenial/stable amd64 Packages
    

    The contents of the list depend upon which repositories are enabled, and are specific to your version of Ubuntu (indicated by the xenial suffix on the version, in this example). Choose a specific version to install. The second column is the version string. The third 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 an equals sign (=):

    $ sudo apt-get install docker-ee=<VERSION_STRING> docker-ee-cli=<VERSION_STRING> containerd.io
    

    The Docker daemon starts automatically.

  4. Verify that Docker EE 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 EE is installed and running. The docker group is created but no users are added to it. 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 EE

To upgrade Docker EE:

  1. If upgrading to a new major Docker EE version (such as when going from Docker 18.03.x to Docker 18.09.x), add the new repository.

  2. Run sudo apt-get update.

  3. 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 EE, you can download the .deb file for your release and install it manually. You need to download a new file each time you want to upgrade Docker EE.

  1. Go to the Docker EE repository URL associated with your trial or subscription in your browser. Go to ubuntu/x86_64/stable-<VERSION> and download the .deb file for the Docker EE version and architecture you want to install.

  2. Install Docker EE, changing the path below to the path where you downloaded the Docker EE package.

    $ sudo dpkg -i /path/to/package.deb
    

    The Docker daemon starts automatically.

  3. Verify that Docker EE 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 EE is installed and running. The docker group is created but no users are added to it. 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 EE

To upgrade Docker EE, download the newer package file and repeat the installation procedure, pointing to the new file.

Uninstall Docker EE

  1. Uninstall the Docker EE package:

    $ sudo apt-get purge docker-ee
    
  2. 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

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