Docker container images with ROS, Gazebo, Xfce4 VNC Desktop and Tensorflow

This repository developed from ConSol/docker-headless-vnc-container, with provide the headless VNC environments for docker container

Current Image Build:

• henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic : Ubuntu 16.04 with ROS Kinetic + Gazebo 8

  

• henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:lunar : Ubuntu 16.04 with ROS Lunar + Gazebo 9

  

• henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:melodic: Ubuntu 18.04 with ROS Melodic + Gazebo 9

  

Spec

This is a Docker environmentalist equipped with ROS, Gazebo, xfce-vnc, no-vnc(http vnc service) and TensorFlow-gpu. The container is developed under xfce-docker-container source and add the ROS, TensorFlow GPU environment on top of it, to provide a essential kit for anyone who develop with robotic and deep learning.

Usage

• Run command with mapping to local port 5901 (vnc protocol) and 6901 (vnc web access):

  docker run -d -p 5901:5901 -p 6901:6901 henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic
  

• If you want to get into the container use interactive mode -it and bash

  docker run -it -p 5901:5901 -p 6901:6901 henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic bash
  

• If you want to connect to tensorboard, run command with mapping to local port 6006:

  docker run -it -p 5901:5901 -p 6901:6901 -p 6006:6006 henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic
  

• Build an image from scratch:

  docker build -t henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic .
  

Connect & Control

If the container runs up, you can connect to the container throught the following

• connect via VNC viewer localhost:5901, default password: vncpassword
• connect via noVNC HTML5 full client: http://localhost:6901/vnc.html, default password: vncpassword
• connect via noVNC HTML5 lite client: http://localhost:6901/?password=vncpassword
• connect to Tensorboard if you do the tensorboard mapping above: http://localhost:6006
• The default username and password in container is ros:ros

Detail Environment setting

1.1) Using root (user id 0)

Add the --user flag to your docker run command:

docker run -it --user root -p 5901:5901 henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic

1.2) Using user and group id of host system

Add the --user flag to your docker run command (Note: uid and gui of host system may not able to map with container, which is 1000:1000. If that is the case, check with 3):

docker run -it -p 5901:5901 --user $(id -u):$(id -g) henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic

2) Override VNC and Container environment variables

The following VNC environment variables can be overwritten at the docker run phase to customize your desktop environment inside the container:

• VNC_COL_DEPTH, default: 24
• VNC_RESOLUTION, default: 1920x1080
• VNC_PW, default: vncpassword
• USER, default: ros
• PASSWD, default: ros

2.1) Example: Override the VNC password

Simply overwrite the value of the environment variable VNC_PW. For example in the docker run command:

docker run -it -p 5901:5901 -p 6901:6901 -e VNC_PW=vncpassword henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic

2.2) Example: Override the VNC resolution

Simply overwrite the value of the environment variable VNC_RESOLUTION. For example in the docker run command:

docker run -it -p 5901:5901 -p 6901:6901 -e VNC_RESOLUTION=800x600 henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic

3) Mounting local directory to conatiner

You should run with following environment variable in order to mapping host user/group with container, and retrieve R/W permission of mounting directory in container (Note: after running this command, the user account in container will be same as host account):

  docker run -it -p 5901:5901 \
    --user $(id -u):$(id -g) \
    --volume /etc/passwd:/etc/passwd \
    --volume /etc/group:/etc/group \
    --volume /etc/shadow:/etc/shadow \
    --volume /home/ros/Desktop:/home/ros/Desktop:rw \
    henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic

4) Connecting jupyter notebook within container

• Run command with mapping to local port 8888 (jupyter protocol) and 8888 (host web access):

  docker run -d -p 8888:8888 henry2423/ros-vnc-ubuntu:kinetic
  

• Check your local IP within container using $ifconfig, then you can start up jupyter notebook in container with following command:

  jupyter notebook --ip={YOUR CONTAINER IP} --port=8888 --allow-root
  

• After start up the jupyter kernel, you can access the notebook from host browser through HTTP service.

  http://localhost:8888/
  

Contributors

• ConSol/docker-headless-vnc-container - developed the ConSol/docker-headless-vnc-container