DOCKER_OPTS do not work in config file /etc/default/docker

[seanlook]

I have changed /etc/default/docker with DOCKER_OPTS="-H tcp://127.0.0.1:2375 -H unix:///var/run/docker.sock" (docker version 1.4.1 in ubuntu 14.04), but it do not take any effect for me. It seems that docker do not read this initital config file because I found export http_proxy enviroment do not work too.

Only sudo docker -H tcp://127.0.0.1:2375 -H unix:///var/run/docker.sock -d works.

It really confused me!

[phemmer]

What distro are you using (including version), and where did you get the docker package from, and what version is it?

[seanlook]

I have memtioned it within the question. Docker version 1.4.1, ubuntu 14.04. I'm following the installation guides to install latest version $ sudo apt-get install lxc-docker

[acbodine]

$ sudo service docker stop
docker stop/waiting

$ cat /etc/default/docker
# Docker Upstart and SysVinit configuration file

# Customize location of Docker binary (especially for development testing).
#DOCKER="/usr/local/bin/docker"

# Use DOCKER_OPTS to modify the daemon startup options.
DOCKER_OPTS="-H tcp://127.0.0.1:2375"

# If you need Docker to use an HTTP proxy, it can also be specified here.
#export http_proxy="http://127.0.0.1:3128/"

# This is also a handy place to tweak where Docker's temporary files go.
#export TMPDIR="/mnt/bigdrive/docker-tmp"

$ sudo service docker start
$ export DOCKER_HOST=127.0.0.1:2375

$ docker info
Containers: 3
Images: 49
Storage Driver: aufs
 Root Dir: /var/lib/docker/aufs
 Dirs: 55
Execution Driver: native-0.2
Kernel Version: 3.13.0-40-generic
Operating System: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS
CPUs: 4
Total Memory: 7.679 GiB
Name: thorn
ID: 2MCI:3YT2:XQ4H:AX24:S7BJ:ADF6:L4JT:EKHM:KOIG:CR7N:FOTS:ZCVS

$ docker version
Client version: 1.4.1
Client API version: 1.16
Go version (client): go1.3.3
Git commit (client): 5bc2ff8
OS/Arch (client): linux/amd64
Server version: 1.4.1
Server API version: 1.16
Go version (server): go1.3.3
Git commit (server): 5bc2ff8

I don't seem to be having the same problem. Can you paste the output of your docker info and docker version ?

[stozk]

I have installed docker locally yesterday and (probably) ran into this problem. In my case the problem was, that the new docker version (1.4.1) comes with this new /etc/default/docker file (maybe even earlier versions, but the last version I installed and only updated since then on my server, only had the DOCKER_OPTS variable in it and I think it was just empty and not commented out), which has all that stuff in it, but it's all commented out by default.
I tried for like 2 hours to get it working until I noticed that the options were inactive... :(

[acbodine]

@stozk +1 for figuring it out though!

[seanlook]

I upgrade docker version 1.3.1 to 1.4.1 and run into this problem. Finally I got my problem resolved by reboot my ubuntu server. Maybe, @stozk is right.

[AlexAndrascu]

I'm still having this issue.

sudo docker info
Containers: 3
Images: 67
Storage Driver: devicemapper
 Pool Name: docker-8:33-22287262-pool
 Pool Blocksize: 65.54 kB
 Data file: /var/lib/docker/devicemapper/devicemapper/data
 Metadata file: /var/lib/docker/devicemapper/devicemapper/metadata
 Data Space Used: 1.543 GB
 Data Space Total: 107.4 GB
 Metadata Space Used: 3.158 MB
 Metadata Space Total: 2.147 GB
 Library Version: 1.02.82-git (2013-10-04)
Execution Driver: native-0.2
Kernel Version: 3.18.0-031800-generic
Operating System: Ubuntu 14.10


Client version: 1.4.1
Client API version: 1.16
Go version (client): go1.3.3
Git commit (client): 5bc2ff8
OS/Arch (client): linux/amd64
Server version: 1.4.1
Server API version: 1.16
Go version (server): go1.3.3
Git commit (server): 5bc2ff8

[fstuess]

got into the same issue.
Ubuntu 14.10 uses systemd instead of sysv-init/upstart
Maybe you should look into /lib/systemd/system/docker.service to change options

[zepalmer]

I've also encountered this problem (Debian Jessie 8.0, lxc-docker=1.6.2). After a look around at the configuration files in /lib/systemd/system/, it seems that the Docker configuration file (/lib/systemd/system/docker.service) is not using /etc/default/docker at all. :( The problem is solved by adding an EnvironmentFile directive and modifying the command line to include the options from the file, e.g.

[Unit]
Description=Docker Application Container Engine
Documentation=http://docs.docker.com
After=network.target docker.socket
Requires=docker.socket

[Service]
EnvironmentFile=-/etc/default/docker
ExecStart=/usr/bin/docker -d $DOCKER_OPTS -H fd://
MountFlags=slave
LimitNOFILE=1048576
LimitNPROC=1048576
LimitCORE=infinity

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

I edited /lib/systemd/system/docker.service to look like the above, ran systemctl daemon-reload, and then restarted the Docker service. This time, it properly launched with the options set in DOCKER_OPTS in my /etc/default/docker.

Again, I'm on Debian Jessie 8.0 with lxc-docker=1.6.2, so YMMV.

[thaJeztah]

Correct, the /etc/default/docker file is only used on systems using "upstart" and "SysVInit", not on systems using systemd.

This is also mentioned at the top of the file;
https://github.com/docker/docker/blob/44fe8cbbd174b5d85d4a063ed270f6b9d2279b70/contrib/init/sysvinit-debian/docker.default#L1

[zepalmer]

Fair point. On my Debian system, however, the systemd services in /lib/systemd/system/ all include an EnvironmentFile directive to point to the appropriate /etc/defaults/ file. It seems that I should interpret this as an indication that the Ubuntu Docker package isn't, in this somewhat minor way, appropriate for Debian systems. I'll bear this in mind. :)

[thaJeztah]

@zepalmer if I'm not mistaken, there's currently some work being done on the installation for those systems, but I'm not 100% clear on what the status is and what changes are made 😊

@zepalmer, as the latest version of the documentation suggests (http://docs.master.dockerproject.org/articles/systemd/), the proper way to edit systemd service file is to create a file in /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/<something>.conf and only override the directives you need. The file in /lib/systemd/system/docker.service is "reserved" for the package vendor.

[zepalmer]

Good to know, thanks. My apologies for cluttering up the bug report. :)