---
description: Instructions for installing Docker EE on SLES
keywords: requirements, apt, installation, suse, opensuse, sles, rpm, install, uninstall, upgrade, update
redirect_from:
- /engine/installation/SUSE/
- /engine/installation/linux/suse/
title: Get Docker EE for SLES
---

{% assign minor-version = "17.03" %}

To get started with Docker on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), make sure you
[meet the prerequisites](#prerequisites), then
[install Docker](#install-docker).

## Prerequisites

### Docker EE URL

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 SLES and for Docker EE for Linux, which includes access
to Docker EE for all Linux distributions. To get this information:

- Go to [https://store.docker.com/my-content](https://store.docker.com/my-content).
- Choose **Get Details** / **Setup Instructions** within the
  **Docker Enterprise Edition for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server** section.
- 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](https://www.docker.com/enterprise-edition/){: target="_blank" class="_" }.

Docker Community Edition (Docker CE) is not supported on SLES.

### OS requirements

To install Docker EE, you need the 64-bit version of SLES 12.x. Docker EE is not
supported on OpenSUSE.

The only supported storage driver for Docker EE on SLES is `btrfs`, which will be
used by default if the underlying filesystem hosting `/var/lib/docker/` is a
BTRFS filesystem.

### Uninstall old versions

Older versions of Docker were called `docker` or `docker-engine`. If these are
installed, uninstall them, along with associated dependencies.

```bash
$ sudo zypper rm docker docker-engine
```

If removal of the `docker-engine` package fails, use the following command
instead:

```bash
$ sudo rpm -e docker-engine
```

It's OK if `zypper` 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`.

## Configure the btrfs filesystem

By default, SLES formats the `/` filesystem using BTRFS. If the filesystem which
hosts `/var/lib/docker/` is **not** a BTRFS filesystem, you must configure a
BTRFS filesystem and mount it on `/var/lib/docker/`:

1.  Format your dedicated block device or devices as a Btrfs filesystem. This
    example assumes that you are using two block devices called `/dev/xvdf` and
    `/dev/xvdg`. Double-check the block device names because this is a
    destructive operation.

    ```bash
    $ sudo mkfs.btrfs -f /dev/xvdf /dev/xvdg
    ```

    There are many more options for Btrfs, including striping and RAID. See the
    [Btrfs documentation](https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Using_Btrfs_with_Multiple_Devices).

2.  Mount the new Btrfs filesystem on the `/var/lib/docker/` mount point. You
    can specify any of the block devices used to create the Btrfs filesystem.

    ```bash
    $ sudo mount -t btrfs /dev/xvdf /var/lib/docker
    ```

    Don't forget to make the change permanent across reboots by adding an
    entry to `/etc/fstab`.


## Install Docker EE

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

- Most users
  [set up Docker's repositories](#install-using-the-repository) 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. 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.  Use the following command to set up the **stable** repository, using the
    Docker EE repository URL you located in the [prerequisites](#prerequisites).

    ```bash
    $ sudo zypper addrepo \
        <DOCKER-EE-URL>/sles/12.3/x86_64/stable-{{ minor-version }} \
        docker-ee-stable
    ```

2.  Import the GPG key from the repository.

    ```bash
    $ sudo rpm --import <DOCKER-EE-URL/sles/gpg
    ```

#### Install Docker EE

1.  Update the `zypper` package index.

    ```bash
    $ 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
    `77FE DA13 1A83 1D29 A418  D3E8 99E5 FF2E 7668 2BC9` and if so, accept the
    key.

2.  Install the latest version of Docker EE, or go to the next step to install a
    specific version.

    ```bash
    $ sudo zypper install docker-ee
    ```

    Start Docker:

    ```bash
    $ sudo service docker start
    ```

3.  On production systems, you should install a specific version of Docker EE
    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.

    ```bash
    $ zypper search -s --match-exact -t package docker-ee

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

      S | Name          | Type    | Version                               | Arch   | Repository    
      --+---------------+---------+---------------------------------------+--------+---------------
        | docker-ee     | package | {{ minor-version }}-1                 | x86_64 | docker-ee-stable
    ```

    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 (`-`):

    ```bash
    $ sudo zypper install docker-ee-<VERSION_STRING>
    ```

4.  Configure Docker EE to use the `btrfs` filesystem. **This is only required if
    the `/` filesystem is not using BTRFS.** However, explicitly specifying the
    `storage-driver` has no harmful side effects.

    Edit the file `/etc/docker/daemon.json` (create it if it does not exist) and
    add the following contents:

    ```json
    {
      "storage-driver": "btrfs"
    }
    ```

    Save and close the file.

5.  Start Docker:

    ```bash
    $ sudo service docker start
    ```

6.  Verify that Docker EE is installed correctly by running the `hello-world`
    image.

    ```bash
    $ 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. You need to use `sudo` to run Docker
commands. Continue to [Linux postinstall](linux-postinstall.md) to configure the
graph storage driver, allow non-privileged users to run Docker commands, and for
other optional configuration steps.

#### Upgrade Docker EE

To upgrade Docker EE, first run `sudo zypper refresh`, then follow the
[installation instructions](#install-docker), choosing the new version you want
to install.

### Install from a package

If you cannot use the official Docker repository to install Docker EE, 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 EE.

1.  Go to the Docker EE repository URL associated with your
    trial or subscription in your browser. Go to
    `sles/12.3/x86_64/stable-{{ minor-version }}` and download the `.rpm` file for
    the Docker version you want to install.

2.  Import Docker's official GPG key:

    ```bash
    $ sudo rpm --import <DOCKER-EE-URL>/sles/gpg
    ```

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

    ```bash
    $ sudo zypper install /path/to/package.rpm
    ```

4.  Configure Docker EE to use the `btrfs` filesystem. **This is only required if
    the `/` filesystem is not using BTRFS.** However, explicitly specifying the
    `storage-driver` has no harmful side effects.

    Edit the file `/etc/docker/daemon.json` (create it if it does not exist) and
    add the following contents:

    ```json
    {
      "storage-driver": "btrfs"
    }
    ```

    Save and close the file.

5.  Start Docker:

    ```bash
    $ sudo service docker start
    ```

6.  Verify that Docker EE is installed correctly by running the `hello-world`
    image.

    ```bash
    $ 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. You need to use `sudo` to run Docker
commands. Continue to [Post-installation steps for Linux](linux-postinstall.md)
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](#install-from-a-package), using `zypper update`
instead of `zypper install`, and pointing to the new file.

## Uninstall Docker EE

1.  Uninstall the Docker EE package using the following command.

    ```bash
    $ sudo zypper rm docker-ee
    ```

2.  Images, containers, volumes, or customized configuration files on your host
    are not automatically removed. To delete all images, containers, and
    volumes:

    ```bash
    $ sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker/*
    ```

    If you used a separate BTRFS filesystem to host the contents of
    `/var/lib/docker/`, you can unmount and format the `btrfs` filesystem.

You must delete any edited configuration files manually.

## Next steps

- Continue to [Post-installation steps for Linux](/engine/installation/linux/linux-postinstall.md)

- Continue with the [User Guide](/engine/userguide/index.md).