Auto install script for docker/dockur/winapps with 2 network options (DHCP LAN + macvlan & host network)

[itiligent]

This script offers two Docker deployment options for running WinApps on Docker:

Option 1: [Easy] Deploys a Windows container with Dockur's default network settings

• A fully automated Docker/Dockur/Windows build with just a few simple prompts
• The Windows container shares an IP with the host
  • (Optionally) restrict incoming RDP & VNC access to 127.0.0.1

2. Option 2: [Advanced] Deploys a Windows container with macvlan networking

• Macvlans allow a container to act as a full LAN client with a separate DHCP IP & MAC address
  • The script walks the user through the required CIDR inputs & automatically builds all routing schema

(Note: Script will auto install flatpak version of FreeRDP3 if a distro version is not available)

Script Instructions

1. Run the script (without root permissions) & answer the script prompts to customize your build
2. Follow the Windows install via VNC http://127.0.0.1:8006 or http://x.x.x.x:8006
3. Restart Windows via the VNC console when the installation is complete
4. Refresh Docker group permissions by running newgrp docker
5. Test rdp from Linux by running ~/test-rdp.sh (this test script is created at install to suit the individual build settings)
6. Install your preferred Windows applications as needed via RDP or VNC
7. Run ~/winapps/installer.sh to install WinApps

More about macvlans:

• Macvlan pros:
  • Allows 3-way sharing between the container, local host, and LAN
  • Provides direct communication between the container and NIC, (no NAT or port forwarding)
  • DHCP makes IP management consistent, aiding firewall rules and network policy
  • Some applications may require unique IP/MAC addresses for licensing
  • (Optionally) restrict incoming RDP & VNC access to 127.0.0.1
  • Automates a complex build into a repeatable task with potential for rapid & low cost DR virtual desktop infrastructure
• Macvlan cons:
  • As macvlans use multiple MAC addresses per interface:
    • This option is available only for ethernet-connected systems
    • Macvlans are NOT compatible with WiFi NICs

The script is curently Debian/Ubuntu focused but can be used as a framework for other distros

[itiligent]

I made a final change to add a sound on/off prompt menu and simplified install instructions as a reboot seems best to avoid group permissions not always refreshing after docker is added via one continuous script.

[oskardotglobal]

I don't know about this one. The script makes a lot of assumptions and there is no documentation for it. For this to be merged the according installation documentation would have to be updated (but only for Debian-based distros).

[itiligent]

Firstly, this is a great project which is why I'd like to help it towards user friendliness & made more accessible for less technical folk, especially with the momentum that is building for ditching Windows as much as possible.

Regarding documentation, the script is a actually a coalescence of the very minimal amount of installation documentation I've been able to uncover. Another view (and a key part of my intent for submitting it) might be that reverse engineering it (its all quite clearly commented) would help produce a much more comprehensive set of real world install instrutions than exists anywere because in writing it I uncovered many gaps in the current docs that had to be worked though.

Could you please explain what documetation would be needed? Perhaps I could help? At a minimum this script could perhpas be viewed as the quantum of actual verified install steps to build the WinApps recommended environment?

Regarding script assumptions, I dont quite understanfd what you mean there. There are virtually no assumprions contained (as far as I can tell) and the user is guided through every key decision point I've uncovered in my own use of WinApps.. Could you please give some examples of assumptions and perhaps I could address those?

Regarding Debian based: perhaps this is what you mean by assumptions? I've put this install flow together as a kind of orderly install approach with a view that it could be expanded to other mainstream distros in the same way as I've smoothed out Docker's repo awkwardess of installation docs between Debian distros.

Happy to help!

[LDprg]

I feel like we shouldn't merge an debian only install script.

It should at least support debian, arch and fedora distros. This shouldn't be too much of a problem to implement and still avoid alot of confusion.

All in all the script seems very good, just some refinements missing.

I will make a proper review this weekend.

[itiligent]

Thanks for the feedback. Take your time and play with it and get a feel for it and what I've tried to achieve through it. More eyes will always help find the things I might not have thought of.

[itiligent]

Ok so I've done a bunch of work on this today.

• I've fixed the blank ISO issue, (it turns out that the custom ISO path must be specified below all volumes in the compose file else windows fails to find an image after 2nd boot)
• Added lots of validation to the ISO inputs to check to make sure that an ISO file also exisits before the script will accept it
• Default docker compose template files have been re-added,
• New winapps.conf template is incorporated.
• Added ability to override the auto IP adressing for Macvlan (offers flexibility for cases where several containers might run a single host or there are multiple NICS and a need for more than a /30)
• Lots of spell checks and grammar tidy ups
• I've also changed the colours to match the WinApps logo.

My preference is to gather all the feedback on this debian version, and once everyone is happy with it, then I can look to expanding it to Fedora and Arch

[itiligent]

Just an update on my progress:

In my spare time I've done a bunch of work on tidying this concept up into something more refined and substantive eg On the WinApps side:

• moved to a function based script for ease of Fedora/RHEL/Arch support
• added detection of existing containers, uninstall/reinstall & update compose file functions when re-running the script (all works fine already) On the Dockur side:
• I'm currently working on adding the ability to keep adding more containers to the same host by re-running the script
• An ability to manually nominate macvlan IP addressing to support server use cases or hosts with multiple NICs
• I've found a few quirks with Dockur requiring the OS version be set the same as the install iso, so thats on the to-do list
• I've also submitted a bug relating to Dockur failing to first-boot on Ubuntu if a macvlan pre-configured (Debian works perfectly) but Ubuntu requires first building/booting with a default compose file and then re-launching that container with compose file set to use the exsiting macvlan. I'm not sure whats causing that as yet

I'll have something ready in a few weeks. I expect

[oskardotglobal]

Thanks for the great work, @itiligent. We'll properly review this once you're ready

[itiligent]

Closing as I have progressed a much more refined install script version, and I will re-submit again soon.