5. Portainer

Portainer CE (Community Edition) is an open-source container management tool that simplifies the deployment, management, and monitoring of Docker containers and containerized applications. It provides a user-friendly web-based interface that allows users to interact with Docker and manage containers, images, networks, and volumes without needing to use complex command-line tools.

In the SOO framework, Portainer Server CE is used as the Container Orchestration Use User Interface (COUI).

5.1. Installation

Portainer Server runs as lightweight Docker containers on a Docker engine. It means docker must be installed on the Host PC.

  • Creation of a volume that Portainer Server use to store it database:

$ docker volume create portainer_data

  • Download and install Portainer Server container:

The following command install Portainer server version 3.33.1.

$ docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name portainer --restart=always \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway \
  portainer/portainer-ce:2.33.1

docker ps command can be used to check if the Portainer server is running

Note

The --add-host line is what lets Portainer reach an EMISO engine running outside its own container — in particular one running in a QEMU guest on the same PC. Inside the Portainer container localhost is the container itself, never the host. See Reaching an EMISO engine running in QEMU.

To log-in, open a web browser and to to:

https://localhost:9443

5.2. Initial setup

Once the Portainer Server has been deployed, and you have navigated to the instance’s URL, you are ready for the initial setup.

When connecting to the Portainer server for the first time, an initial user account must be created. This account will serve as the administrator. The default username is admin, and the password must be at least 12 characters long.

Once the admin user has been created, the Environment Wizard will automatically launch. The wizard will help get you started with Portainer.

The installation process automatically detects your local environment and sets it up for you. If you want to add additional environments to manage with this Portainer instance, click Add Environments. Otherwise, click Get Started to start using Portainer!

5.3. Creation of an environment

In short, an environment in Portainer represents a SOO mobile entity.

  • Select “environment”

  • Click “+ Add environment”

  • Select “Docker Standalone” –> click “Start Wizard”

    • Select “API”

    • Provide a name to the environment

    • Set the API + port (default port is 2375)

    • no TLS

The Environment address is the address at which the Portainer Server reaches the EMISO engine, i.e. the Smart Object’s address seen from the Portainer container — <smart-object-ip>:2375 for a real board on the LAN.

5.4. Reaching an EMISO engine running in QEMU

When the agency runs under QEMU (st.sh), it uses slirp user-mode networking: the guest always gets the address 10.0.2.15, which is internal to the QEMU process and routable neither from the host nor from the LAN. The engine is reached through the port forward set up by st.sh:

host :2375  ->  guest :2375   (EMISO engine)
host :2222  ->  guest :22     (SSH, if the rootfs ships a server)

st.sh prints both port numbers at start-up. They are offset by the number of QEMU instances already running (:2376, :2377, … for the second and third guest), and further forwards can be added without editing the script:

$ IB_QEMU_HOSTFWD="tcp::9000-:9000" st.sh

The engine itself is not started automatically on the busybox agency — from the agency console:

# /root/emiso_engine &
Server started on port 2375

Then check the forward from the host, and register the environment:

$ curl http://localhost:2375/_ping        # -> OK

The environment address depends on where the Portainer Server itself runs:

  • as a Docker container on the host PC (the installation command above): host.docker.internal:2375 — or the docker0 gateway, 172.17.0.1:2375. Not localhost:2375, which inside the container points at the container itself.

  • natively on the host PC: localhost:2375

  • on another PC of the LAN: <host-pc-ip>:2375

The forwarded ports are bound on 0.0.0.0, so the last case works without any further change — it is the host PC that is visible on the LAN, not the guest.

5.5. Creation of a SO3 Capsule

  • Select the environment on which to create the container

  • Select “Containers” –> click “+ Add container”

    • Give a name at the container

    • Provide the image name in image field (<CAPSULE NAME>)

    • Click on “Advanced mode” to select the “Simple mode”

    • Disable “Always pull the image” button

    • Click on “Deploy the container”