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Noor Latif
Noor Latif

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Run Rancher Desktop on Fedora Atomic Desktops (Toolbox Container Method)

#fedora #kubernetes #containers #rancher

Complete guide for running Rancher Desktop GUI app on Fedora Atomic (Silverblue/Sway Atomic) using toolbox without rpm-ostree layering that can slow down system upgrades and clutter your system.
Everything is installed into a toolbox container, leaving your main OS free from 3GB+ of rancher desktop clutter.
If you don't have toolbox, you can easily install it using

sudo dnf install toolbox

Step 1: Prepare: GPG Key and Pinentry Setup

Preparation for installing rancher desktop according to official docs, with some quirk fixes for installing inside a toolbox container:

toolbox create rancher
toolbox enter rancher
sudo dnf install -y gnupg2 pinentry-curses pass
echo 'pinentry-program /usr/bin/pinentry-curses' > ~/.gnupg/gpg-agent.conf
gpg-connect-agent reloadagent /bye
pkill gpg-agent
gpg --generate-key  # Enter name and email, take Note key ID output
pass init <YOUR_KEY_ID_HERE>  # Replace with key from gpg output for pub key 
(something like E810C79064F7F543E517F1397DBD5336E1F45F32)
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Step 2: Host Sysctl Configuration

Exit toolbox, run on host:

sudo sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=80
echo 'net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=80' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p
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This will enable port 80 usage by non-root apps.

Step 3: Install Rancher Desktop 

toolbox enter rancher
sudo dnf config-manager addrepo --from-repofile=https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/isv:/Rancher:/stable/fedora/isv:Rancher:stable.repo
sudo dnf install rancher-desktop -y
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Step 4: Launch and Configure

Run this from inside your toolbox:

rancher-desktop
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  • GUI launches in your Fedora desktop environment

Step 5: Verify Kubernetes Installation 

toolbox enter rancher
kubectl create deployment my-app --image=nginx --replicas=3
kubectl expose deployment my-app --port=80 --type=NodePort
kubectl get svc my-app
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Note the NodePort (e.g., 31912), then test:

curl localhost:31912  # Replace 31912 with your NodePort
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Visit http://localhost:31912 in your browser to see nginx welcome page!

kubectl get pods
kubectl delete deployment my-app
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NodePort access: Rancher Desktop forwards NodePorts to localhost.

Dashboard: Open Rancher Desktop app > Cluster Dashboard button at bottom left.

Optional step: Quickstart Aliases

Add to ~/.bashrc:

alias rd='toolbox enter rancher'
alias rancher='toolbox run -c rancher rancher-desktop'
alias dc='toolbox run -c rancher nerdctl'
alias k='toolbox run -c rancher kubectl'
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To activate the changes, don't forget to run source ~/.bashrc

Good luck!

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