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.
Of course you have to make sure port 1433 on the server instance is accessible from the desktop. I suggest setting up a VPN tunnel.