MSSQL in Docker

First, set up Docker, then pull the SQL Server container, then run it.

I have a simple git repo called docker-mssqlserver to do all of this now, for testing with Esri products.

See also https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-docker and https://hub.docker.com/r/microsoft/mssql-server-linux/

Microsoft blog posting: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2017/05/17/sql-server-2017-on-linux-surpasses-1-million-docker-pulls-as-the-next-preview-version-rolls-out/

To take it for a spin you can do this

docker pull microsoft/mssql-server-linux:latest
docker run -e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y' -e 'SA_PASSWORD=strong password' -p 1433:1433 -d microsoft/mssql-server-linux

If your server fails to start re-run it without the daemonize (-d) option; in my case I needed a more complicated password.

Management

You still need a Windows desktop to manage the server, but you download SQL Server Management Studio for free from here.

Another good option is Visual Studio.

The control commands run over port 1433.