Docker container feedback

Functionality to add/problem to solve

I made a thread on CFD online talking about the difference between docker containers for OF7 and OFv2006, asking if there's a way to run OFv2006 with the OF7 container. A person replied saying I should post my feedback regarding the containers here. Here's a link to the thread.

Here are the concerns I brought up in the thread:

I first installed OF7 on my mac using docker, and it worked great. The script creates a contained environment where only the directory I launched the script from exists, and all alias shortcuts (like src, run etc) work.

Then I installed OFv2006, and the docker script is different. It creates an image of my entire file system which always starts at my home directory so I have to navigate to the right folder, and the user directory shortcut aliases/variables don't work (like run or cd $FOAM_USER_APPBIN).

For example, echo $FOAM_RUN gives //OpenFOAM/lumpor-v2006/run, which doesn't exist The two '/' characters at the start confuse me. I tried changing "home" to "pwd" in some places in the v2006 docker file, but it doesn't seem to work.

Also, using the OF7 container I can make changes in my working directory from outside the terminal in real-time, while for the OFv2006 container I need to restart the container every time I edit any files.

Target audience

Mac users of OFv2006/2012

Proposal

By making changes to the docker file for v2012.

What does success look like, and how can we measure that?

Mac users being able to use docker more easily for openfoam. An increase in use of OF for mac and/or a survey would be ways to measure it.

Links / references

N/A

Funding

N/A