Mssql-docker: SQL-Server 2019 docker container fails to start with -v option

[ststeiger]

I'm trying to run SQL-Server 2019 in docker in Ubuntu 18.04.

This is how I want it to look:

mkdir -p /var/opt/mssql_2019
docker run -d -p 2019:1433 --name mssql_2019 -e 'MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=TopSecret123456!abc' -e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y' -e MSSQL_PID="Developer" -v /var/opt/mssql_2019:/var/opt/mssql -d mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest

I issue the command, and sql-server exits immediately, not even an entry in the logfile in /var/opt/mssql_2019, hell, not even a file created there.
If I omit
-v /var/opt/mssql_2019:/var/opt/mssql

then it works fine.

Doing exactly the same with sql-server 2017 worked fine.

I run docker logs <containterID> and I get

SQL-Server 2019 will run as non-root by default. 
This container is running as user mssql. 
To learn more, visit...
/opt/mssql/bin/sqlservr: Error: The system directory [/.system] could not be created. Error [13].

I set permisson on /var/opt/mssql_2019 for group mssql to read&write...

Am I doing something wrong here, or is this a bug ?

If this is a permission issue, how can I get the container to run as root ?

If I switch to su mssql, I can create and delete files and folders in /var/opt/mssql_2019 without problems.

Also, if I add user mssql to sudo
adduser mssql sudo
that doesn't help.

It should be noted that the docker file says

RUN useradd -M -s /bin/bash -u 10001 -g 0 mssql
RUN mkdir -p -m 770 /var/opt/mssql && chgrp -R 0 /var/opt/mssql

but on my computer, user mssql already exists as user 999...
Probably added by sql-server 2017...

[ststeiger]

Solved, don't know which one of the following did the trick
Rename the existing mssql user to mssql_2017
Add user mssql, add to group 0
Add permissions to /var/opt/mssql_2019 and /var/opt/mssql.

Maybe it would have sufficed to just chgrp -R 0 /var/opt/mssql_2019

usermod --login mssql_2017 mssql
useradd -M -s /bin/bash -u 10001 -g 0 mssql

chgrp -R 0 /var/opt/mssql
chgrp -R 0 /var/opt/mssql_2019

from dockerfile excerpt in
https://blog.dbi-services.com/using-non-root-sql-server-containers-on-docker-and-k8s/

[ststeiger]

Maybe it either should check if the user already exists, or it should create a separate user for every mssql-version. Don't know if the docker stuff uses the id or the username for permisson.

[SonGokussj4]

mkdir mssql && cd mssql
mkdir data
chown 10001 data
Run container

Had to do this three times now because of permissions.

[mostafa8026]

I have this issue in k8s. :((

 # k logs mssql-57f6f78dbb-4jwwk
SQL Server 2019 will run as non-root by default.
This container is running as user mssql.
To learn more visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2099216.
/opt/mssql/bin/sqlservr: Error: The system directory [/.system] could not be created.  Errno [13]

[mostafa8026]

Problem has been resolve with running this command in the host:
chown 10001:0 [the-path-of-the-mounted-volume]

[emmanuelcaamal]

I had the same problem, I solved it in the following way.

my docker compose was has follows

sqlserver:
    container_name: "sqlserver"
    hostname: "sqlserver"
    image: "mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server"
    environment: 
        SA_PASSWORD: "<my_password_here>"
        ACCEPT_EULA: "Y"
    ports:
        - 2533:1433
    volumes:
        - /var/lib/docker/volumes/mssql_db/_data:/var/opt/mssql
    expose:
        - 2533

and the change that applies was the following

- /var/lib/docker/volumes/mssql_db/_data:/var/opt/data

finally this worked

[GetoXs]

There are few solution for this problem:

1. Run docker as root.

eg. compose:

version: '3.6'
services:
  mssql:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest
    user: root
    ports:
      - 1433:1433
    environment:
      - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
      - SA_PASSWORD=BLAH
    volumes:
      - ./data:/var/opt/mssql/data

Source: https://github.com/microsoft/mssql-docker/issues/13#issuecomment-641904197

2. Setup proper directory owner (mssql)

1. Check id for mssql user on docker image
   sudo docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server id mssql
   gives: uid=10001(mssql) gid=0(root) groups=0(root)
2. Change folder's owner
   sudo chown 10001 VOLUME_DIRECTORY

Source in spanish: https://www.eiximenis.dev/posts/2020-06-26-sql-server-docker-no-se-ejecuta-en-root/

3. Full access (not recommended)

Give full access to db files on host
sudo chmod 777 -R VOLUME_DIRECTORY

[tmtiwari]

I have this issue in k8s. :((

 # k logs mssql-57f6f78dbb-4jwwk
SQL Server 2019 will run as non-root by default.
This container is running as user mssql.
To learn more visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2099216.
/opt/mssql/bin/sqlservr: Error: The system directory [/.system] could not be created.  Errno [13]

And, when I change the mapping to /var/opt/mssql/data I get this :

SQL Server 2019 will run as non-root by default. This container is running as user mssql. To learn more visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2099216. 2021-01-15 23:50:05.95 Server Setup step is copying system data file 'C:\templatedata\master.mdf' to '/var/opt/mssql/data/master.mdf'. 2021-01-15 23:50:06.05 Server ERROR: Setup FAILED copying system data file 'C:\templatedata\master.mdf' to '/var/opt/mssql/data/master.mdf': 2(The system cannot find the file specified.) ERROR: BootstrapSystemDataDirectories() failure (HRESULT 0x80070002)

Why is an Ubuntu image looking in C: drive for template data?