Using systemd Containers

While containers are common terminology at this time, most system administrators will immediately think of Docker, or even Kubernetes when they hear the term. Containers are also a useful part of `systemd`, allowing the savvy systems operator to run one to many client instances of an operating system, from super-thin to full OS virtualization, and anything in between. It is sometimes hard to find information about `systemd` containers, and while there are MANY articles about aspects of them, there is a relatively small subset of even official documentation that goes all the way from no containers to running containers. In this lab, we'll do just that—go from having nothing container-related installed to running a Debian 10 Buster hosted container, and all the needed steps in between. This includes: * Preparing the host system for containers * Pulling down the OS image * Configuring users and passwords * Fixing access issues * Installing needed packages on the hosted OS * Running the hosted container instance as a systemd service using `systemd-nspawn` Additionally, and as promised in the associated course lesson, we'll create a Service Unit file that we can then use to instantiate the container at will or on system boot.