# Running Windows Containers on Compute Engine - GSP153 ## **Overview** Container **virtualization** is a fast evolving technology, which aims to simplify the deployment and management of distributed applications. When people discuss containers, they usually mean Linux-based containers. This makes sense, because native Linux kernel features like cgroups introduced the idea of resource isolation, eventually leading to containers as we know them today. Until recently, only Linux processes could be containerized, but [Microsoft introduced](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/about/) support for Windows-based containers in Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10. You can take an existing Windows application, containerize it using Docker, and run it as an isolated container on Windows. There are two flavors of Windows containers: Windows Server and Hyper-V. You can build Windows containers on either the [microsoft/windowsservercore](https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windowsservercore/) and [microsoft/nanoserver](https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/nanoserver/) base images. You can read more about Windows containers in the [Microsoft Windows containersdocumentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/windowscontainers/about/). Google Cloud provides [container-optimized VM images](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/containers/) on which to run containers on Compute Engine. There is also a Windows VM image for containers. It comes with Docker, [microsoft/windowsservercore](https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/windowsservercore/), and [microsoft/nanoserver](https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/nanoserver/) base images installed. In this lab you will create a container app and deploy the container app to Compute Engine. #### **What you'll learn** * Create a Windows Server VM for containers on Compute Engine. * Create a HelloWorld Windows container app. * Containerize the app using Docker. * Run the Windows container app on Compute Engine. ### **Task 1. RDP into the Windows VM** 1. From the **Navigation menu** click on **Compute Engine**. Here you'll see a Windows VM provisioned for you. 2. Click the **RDP button** next to the **windows-instance** instance or you can use any Remote Desktop client Tools (or use your own RDP client if you like). ![The RDP button highlighted in the UI.](https://cdn.qwiklabs.com/KR5HTq1Roz8BQEtRv8JCGoapSSURtGdyblNCeHi341c%3D align="left") **Note:** If you're using a Chromebook, you will need to use a third-party RDP tool rather than the RDP button. 3. Use the following credentials to complete the RDP login: | **User name** | demouser | | --- | --- | | **Password** | P@ssw0rd | **Note:** If you have any issues logging in, wait a minute and retry. 4. Enter **Command Prompt** in the Type here to search box, right-click on **Command Prompt**, and then select **Run as administrator**. ![The CMD button highlighted in the UI.](https://cdn.qwiklabs.com/bOKxLR3VVDFj%2BMYZlLsH8s1%2F%2BUdmq2CqfRVklTioeP8%3D align="left") 5. In the Windows command prompt run the following to see the images that are installed by default: ```apache docker images ``` **Output:** ```apache REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore ltsc2019 29a2c2cb7e4d ``` **Copy and paste with the RDP client** Once you are securely logged into your instance, you may find yourself copying and pasting commands from the lab manual. To paste, hold the **CTRL-V** keys (if you are a Mac user, using **CMND-V** will not work.) If you are in a Powershell window, be sure that you have clicked into the window or else the paste shortcut won't work. If you are pasting into putty, **right click**. ### **Task 2. Create a Windows container app** For the app inside the Windows container, use an IIS Web Server. IIS has an image for Windows Server 2019. You can use the image as is and it will serve the default IIS page, but fot this lab, do something more interesting and have IIS serve a page you define. Your folder and file structure should look like: ```apache C:\my-windows-app>dir /s /b C:\my-windows-app\content C:\my-windows-app\Dockerfile C:\my-windows-app\content\index.html ``` 1. Create a folder called `my-windows-app` and enter into the directory: ```apache mkdir my-windows-app ``` ```apache cd my-windows-app ``` 2. Create folder named `content`, a file named `index.html` within it: ```apache mkdir content ``` ```apache call > content\index.html ``` 3. Edit the dockerfile: ```apache notepad content\index.html ``` 4. Add the following content in `index.html`: ```xml Windows containers

Windows containers are cool!

``` 5. Save the `index.html` This is the page IIS will serve. ### **Task 3. Build Docker image** 1. Create a Dockerfile for the Docker image: ```apache call > Dockerfile ``` 2. Edit the dockerfile: ```apache notepad Dockerfile ``` You're using the IIS Container image version compatible with Windows Server 2019. 3. Add the following contents in the Dockerfile: ```apache FROM mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore/iis:windowsservercore-ltsc2019 RUN powershell -NoProfile -Command Remove-Item -Recurse C:\inetpub\wwwroot\* WORKDIR /inetpub/wwwroot COPY content/ . ``` 4. Save the `Dockerfile`. 5. Build the Docker image and tag it with Google Container Registry (GCR) and your project id. This will be useful when we push the image to GCR later (replace dotnet-atamel with your GCP Project ID): ```apache docker build -t gcr.io/dotnet-atamel/iis-site-windows . ``` Once the Docker image is built, you can see it along with its IIS dependency: ```apache docker images ``` **Sample output:** ```apache REPOSITORY TAG gcr.io/dotnet-atamel/iis-site-windows latest mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore/iis windowsservercore-ltsc2019 mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore ltsc2019 ``` Click **Check my progress** to verify the objective. Build Docker image **Check my progress** ### **Task 4. Run the Windows container** You're now ready to run the Windows container. 1. Inside Command Prompt, run the container and expose it on port 80 (replace dotnet-atamel with your GCP Project ID): ```apache docker run -d -p 80:80 gcr.io/dotnet-atamel/iis-site-windows ``` 2. You can check that the container is running: ```apache docker ps ``` **Sample output:** ```apache CONTAINER ID IMAGE 3d7c71a258ce gcr.io/dotnet-atamel/iis-site-windows ``` To see the web page, go to the External IP column of Compute Engine instance and simply open it with HTTP in the browser: ![The webpage displaying the text "Windows containers are cool!"](https://cdn.qwiklabs.com/v245X0UfkW%2FGvob2a1fhZYoxbUbPGgRLjWpBr7hNRBg%3D align="left") **Note:** This setup is not ideal for production. It does not survive server restarts or crashes. In a production system, you want to get a static IP for your VM and have a startup script to start the container. This will take care of server restarts but doesn't help so much for server crashes. ### **Task 5. Cleanup** 1. Type `exit` to leave the VM. 2. Close the RDP window by clicking the X in the top right corner and confirm that you want to be disconnected. When you are done with experimenting with Windows containers, it is a good idea to either stop or delete the VM you created. 3. To delete the VM, go back to the Console and click the three dots in the right-hand menu and select **Delete**. ![The navigation path to the Delete option.](https://cdn.qwiklabs.com/m48nw%2FqYuUbYg7W9lnRtidQUSmjqEgfUD1oOJSxcUMs%3D align="left") --- ## Solution of Lab ### Quick %[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Rp8yDkkg0&feature=youtu.be] ```apache curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ePlus-DEV/storage/refs/heads/main/labs/GSP153/lab.bat lab.bat ``` **Note:** Run CMD as **Administrator** ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1723086195135/7fbd9194-b8b4-49de-ab8f-7f5f5e448529.jpeg align="center") --- ### Manual %[https://youtu.be/9KMlcSzFCZU]