Running docker -d fails on Ubuntu 14.04

Question

I am working on a fresh VM delivered by Host Europe that matches the description on https://docs.docker.com/installation/ubuntulinux/#ubuntu-trusty-1404-lts-64-bit (so Ubuntu Trusty 14.04 (LTS) (64-bit), 3.13.0 Linux kernel). After installing the docker.io package docker ps fails with "Cannot connect to the Docker daemon. Is 'docker -d' running on this host?" When running docker -d I get:

INFO[0000] +job serveapi(unix:///var/run/docker.sock)
INFO[0000] +job init_networkdriver()
inappropriate ioctl for device
INFO[0000] -job init_networkdriver() = ERR (1)
FATA[0000] inappropriate ioctl for device

Apparently this error happens as well when the docker service tries to start via upstart. I also tried it with the latest docker package according to "Docker-maintained Package Installation" in the above-mentioned description.

Here is the more detailed ouptput using docker -D -d:

INFO[0000] +job serveapi(unix:///var/run/docker.sock)
DEBU[0000] libdevmapper(3): ioctl/libdm-iface.c:363 (-1) /dev/mapper/control: open failed: Operation not permitted
DEBU[0000] libdevmapper(3): ioctl/libdm-iface.c:415 (-1) Failure to communicate with kernel device-mapper driver.
DEBU[0000] libdevmapper(3): ioctl/libdm-iface.c:417 (-1) Check that device-mapper is available in the kernel.
DEBU[0000] Using graph driver vfs
DEBU[0000] Creating images graph
DEBU[0000] Restored 0 elements
DEBU[0000] Creating repository list
INFO[0000] +job init_networkdriver()
DEBU[0000] Creating bridge docker0 with network 172.17.42.1/16
DEBU[0000] setting bridge mac address = true
inappropriate ioctl for device
INFO[0000] -job init_networkdriver() = ERR (1)
FATA[0000] inappropriate ioctl for device

Ideas anybody? Thanks in advance. (Seems like a "deadend" to me after lots of successfull "dockerizing" on local VMs.)

Answer 1

Most probably your hoster doesn't provide cgroups. That happens sometimes depending on the kind virtualization they use. I have the same problem with www.stratro.de

Thats when cat /proc/cgroups returns an empty table.

You can see more here: https://mannlinstones.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/docker-v-server-strato-final-results/