#Docker for mac faq install#
#Docker for mac faq software#

all machines had the same CFD environment (identical OpenFOAM releases, OS versions & other software tools).

I typically run OpenFOAM on macOS, and on AWS instances running Ubuntu Linux.

#Docker for mac faq install#

Meaning you can install OpenFOAM on Windows as easily as you can on Linux (especially if you’re running the Foundation version & using their Ubuntu packs).īut if you want to run OpenFOAM on multiple operating systems with a high-degree of confidence that they’re all running the same version of the code and that they’ll all behave consistently, then perhaps Docker could be useful? A feature that lets you run Linux command-line tools alongside your usual Windows programs. On Windows that problem has largely gone away with the introduction of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Not impossible, but not ideal, particularly if you were just looking to take OpenFOAM for a quick spin. Back then, running OpenFOAM on Windows, macOS (or even a niche Linux distribution) involved virtual machines, patching &/or compiling from source or using an unofficial port.

Change the access to CPU & memory on Mac & Windowsīack in late-2015 running OpenFOAM® on something other than a mainstream Linux distribution was a daunting proposition.

How do I add some other package to the container?.

How do I add my favourite text editor to the container?.

Can I keep them or do I have to re-do them every time?

I’ve made some changes to my container.

How do I get my data into & out of the container?.

Building your own OpenFOAM Docker image.

What problem does Docker solve for CFD?.

What is Docker? Why is it useful for CFD? What is it good/not-so-good for? And, most importantly, how do you actually use it? That’s what I hope this updated version might achieve. But I think there’s still some confusion about using OpenFOAM with Docker. Since then, both OpenCFD & The OpenFOAM Foundation have started distributing Docker-ised versions of their respective releases, easing these issues.

make it easier to work with several different versions (&/or different releases) of OpenFOAM on the same machine.

providing a consistent CFD environment across a range of operating systems.

the problem of installing OpenFOAM® on anything other than a mainstream Linux distribution.The motivation for the original version of this article was to flag Docker as a possible solution to: Updated May 2019 to be much more comprehensive than the original September 2015 version A little background