How to install Rancher on a Kamatera Windows Server

Rancher is an open-source platform designed to simplify the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications using Kubernetes. It provides a user-friendly interface and tools for managing Kubernetes clusters and applications, making it easier for teams to work with Kubernetes without needing extensive expertise in the platform.

Docker is used to create and run containers, and Rancher helps you manage and organize these containers using Kubernetes. It’s like a dashboard that makes it easier to scale and control the containers. Here is a step-by-step guide on installing Rancher on your Kamatera Windows server.

Prerequisites

1. Rancher Desktop requires Windows 10/ Windows 11/ Windows Server.
2. Install  WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and Hyper-V.

Instructions

1. Install WSL in Windows PowerShell by running the below command.

Command: wsl –install

1. Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn on Windows on or off.

In the Windows features, check Hyper-V, Hyper-V Management Tools, and Hyper-V Platform.

Check Virtual Machine Platform, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Windows Hypervisor Platform and click OK.

Once they are enabled, reboot your PC.

• Go to command prompt to check whether Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and Hyper V (hardware virtualization) are enabled or not by running the command below.

Command: Systeminfo.exe

• If you want to enable Hyper-V using Windows PowerShell, run the below command. Make sure you are running Windows PowerShell as Administrator.

• To enable Hyper-V feature:

Command: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

• To enable Hyper-V mangement tools:

Command: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -Feature Name Microsoft-Hyper-V-Tools -All

• To enable Hyper V platform:

Command: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -Feature Name Microsoft-Hyper-V-Management-PowerShell -All

If you see the message “Hyper-V requirements: A hypervisor has been detected. Features for Hyper-V will not be displayed,” then virtualization is enabled.

Once they are enabled, reboot your PC.

• If you want to check whether Virtualization is enabled, go to the search bar, type Task Manager and click on Open. Click on details, select Performances.

3. Type Rancher desktop in Google search bar and click on Rancher Desktop by SUSE.

4. It will navigate to rancherdesktop.io. Click on Download for Windows(x64).

5. Click on Open file on top right corner (or) go to Downloads and double click on Rancher.Desktop.Setup.1.15.0.msi

6. When the Rancher Desktop Setup opens, check I accept the terms in License Agreement and click on Next.

7. Click on Install.

8. Installation is in progress.

9. Once the installation is complete, click on Finish.

10. Now, you can see the Rancher Desktop UI. Explore the features of Rancher Desktop by clicking on different tabs on the left pane.

11. Go to Windows PowerShell and run the below command to check the Docker version.

Command: docker version

It will give you the docker version that is installed.

12. You can also know the kubernetes version by running the below command.

Command: kubectl version

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Rancher on a Kamatera Windows server.