3.6. Set up the Host System on Other GNU/Linux DistributionsΒΆ

This chapter has guided you to prepare the host system on RHEL/CentOS, but it is also possible to set up the host on a different GNU/Linux distribution, as long as the following requirements are met:

  • GNU bash, Ed, dnsmasq, Docker, GNU sed, netcat, and GNU wget are available.
  • A mail transport agent (MTA) is available.
  • The scripts introduced in Set up Dnsmasq can be installed, thus the availability of systemd is recommended. If systemd is not available, the systemd unit file introduced in Set up Dnsmasq must be replaced by an equivalent configuration file for the available service manager.

After the host system is set up, the following criteria must be met to proceed to the next chapter:

  • GNU bash, ed, GNU sed, netcat and GNU wget are installed. An admin user account is set up. (Corresponding to Basic Setup and Preparation)
  • Docker is up and running. (Corresponding to Install Docker)
  • An MTA is up and running and listens on port 25 on docker0 and localhost. A process in a Docker container must be able to send out mails via port 25 of the host. (Corresponding to Configure Postfix)
  • Dnsmasq is up and running, and its DNS configuration is updated automatically when a Docker container is created or its IP address has changed. (Corresponding to Set up Dnsmasq)

A mandatory access control system, such as SELinux and Apparmor, is highly recommended to be enabled if available for your distribution.