# Docker container seemed unavaible in linux VM. Job succeeds on rerun

**URL:** <https://discuss.circleci.com/t/docker-container-seemed-unavaible-in-linux-vm-job-succeeds-on-rerun/32114>\
**Category:** Bug Reports\
**Tags:** linux, docker\
**Created:** [August 26, 2019, 8:02am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/docker-container-seemed-unavaible-in-linux-vm-job-succeeds-on-rerun/32114 "2019-08-26T08:02:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RmStorm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/rmstorm/32/23075_2.png) [@RmStorm](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/RmStorm)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 8:02am UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/docker-container-seemed-unavaible-in-linux-vm-job-succeeds-on-rerun/32114/1 "2019-08-26T08:02:56Z")

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I’m running a job that uses docker-compose in a linux VM. It failed so I ssh’d in but then it worked without a hitch. I reran without ssh as well and than it worked too.  
Failed run: [https://circleci.com/gh/pytest-docker-compose/pytest-docker-compose/37](https://circleci.com/gh/pytest-docker-compose/pytest-docker-compose/37)  
ssh run: [https://circleci.com/gh/pytest-docker-compose/pytest-docker-compose/38](https://circleci.com/gh/pytest-docker-compose/pytest-docker-compose/38)  
Succeeded run: [https://circleci.com/gh/pytest-docker-compose/pytest-docker-compose/39](https://circleci.com/gh/pytest-docker-compose/pytest-docker-compose/39)

It’s hard to tell if this is an issue with the CircleCI infrastructure or docker-compose. It seems to me as if the containers weren’t actually running/available while docker-compose thought they were running.

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**Author:** ![halfer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/circleci/user_avatar/discuss.circleci.com/halfer/32/9083_2.png) [@halfer](https://discuss.circleci.com/u/halfer)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://discuss.circleci.com/t/docker-container-seemed-unavaible-in-linux-vm-job-succeeds-on-rerun/32114/2 "2019-08-26T15:27:20Z")

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A few things to think about:

- Normally for HTTP tests, I run them inside a DC container using `docker exec`, since a container cannot be made to listen inside a CircleCI build container. However you say that this works in SSH?
- Have you defined a start-up order in Docker Compose? You can specify which services are dependent on others, so they start in the right order
- You may need to do a wait in your build container for a service to become available. Docker Compose’s job is to start containers, but a container start does not mean the service within it is ready. It is common here to use `waitforit` or `dockerise` on a port to see if it is listening.