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In this lesson, we’ll dive into Docker’s Universal Control Plane (UCP), an enterprise-grade solution for cluster management. You’ll learn about its architecture, core components, and a step-by-step installation guide.

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What Is Universal Control Plane?

The Universal Control Plane (UCP) provides a unified management portal—via a web UI or Docker CLI—to monitor and control your Docker Swarm clusters. UCP is designed for production environments, offering:
FeatureDescription
LDAP & Active Directory supportCentralized authentication and directory integration
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)Fine-grained permissions for users and teams
Multi-Platform WorkersManage Linux and Windows worker nodes (Linux only for manager nodes)
Web UI & CLI ManagementFlexible control through a graphical interface or Docker commands
UCP runs on Docker Swarm under the hood, extending it with enterprise security, monitoring, and governance features.

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UCP Architecture Overview

UCP deploys a global service called the UCP agent on every node—manager or worker. This agent orchestrates the following core components as containers:
  • Web UI: Central dashboard for cluster health and resource usage
  • Authentication API: Handles login, LDAP/AD integration, and token issuance
  • Metrics Server: Collects and displays performance data
  • Proxy: Routes API requests and enforces security policies
  • Data Stores: Persist configuration, state, and audit logs
On worker nodes, the UCP agent also spins up a dedicated ucp-proxy that mediates all Docker API calls, ensuring only authorized users and services can execute commands. In addition, UCP provisions essential Kubernetes binaries—like kube-controller-manager and kubelet—to enable optional Kubernetes orchestration alongside Docker Swarm. For a complete breakdown, see the UCP architecture documentation.
Service TypeRole
Global (UCP Agent)Runs one container on each node
ReplicaScales specified containers across the cluster
Worker ProxySecures and filters Docker API calls on workers
The image is a diagram of a Docker Swarm setup, showing a manager node and worker nodes with components like "ucp-agent" and "ucp-proxy," and indicating compatibility with Linux and Windows.

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Installing Universal Control Plane

Follow these steps to deploy UCP on your Docker Enterprise Engine:
  1. Verify Prerequisites
    • Docker Enterprise Engine installed and running
    • Network connectivity between nodes
  2. Pull the UCP Installer 
    docker pull docker/ucp:<version>
  3. Run the Installer Container 
    docker run --rm -it \
  --name ucp-install \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  docker/ucp:<version> install \
  --host-address <MANAGER-IP> \
  --admin-username admin \
  --admin-password <strong-password>
  4. Access the UCP Web UI
    Navigate to https://<MANAGER-IP>:8443 in your browser.
  5. Upload Docker License
    When prompted, upload your Docker Enterprise license file to activate UCP.
  6. Join Additional Nodes
    Use the “Add Node” option in the UCP console to onboard more managers or workers.
Keep your admin-password secure and rotate it periodically. Avoid using weak or reused passwords.
The image outlines steps for setting up UCP (Universal Control Plane) with Docker EE, including running a container, setting admin credentials, and adding managers and workers.
A hands-on demonstration will follow, illustrating these installation steps and best practices for scaling your UCP-managed cluster.

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