x/build: tracking bug for macOS virtualization

[bradfitz]

I'd like to get OS X builders running in VMs too.

(Related to #9492 and https://golang.org/s/builderplan)

Looks like virtualizing OS X 10.7+ is legal (but not 10.6) as long as it's only 1 copy, and on official Apple hardware. Considering that we already run Go builders on official Mac hardware in the office, we can continue to do so, but with a VM solution.

And looks like VMWare Fusion has the "vmrun" command, documented at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vix162_vmrun_command.pdf , so we can write a little API server that runs on the OS X host and calls vmrun.

/cc @adg

[c4milo]

You can also use the VIX bindings I wrote just in case vmrun falls short for any reason: https://github.com/hooklift/govix

[bradfitz]

@c4milo, any chance you want to own this whole bug? :)

[c4milo]

hahaha, @bradfitz let me look into it in detail before making any commitments.

[c4milo]

@bradfitz alright, how were you envisioning the little API server you mentioned above?

[bradfitz]

I'd need API calls to:

• start a pre-configured OS X VM, and return me an ID for it (so I can delete it later), and IP:port I can use to hit its port 80.
• an API call to destroy that VM

That's it. The VM would need to run a couple line shell script on boot.

[c4milo]

Working on it.

[c4milo]

That's it. The VM would need to run a couple line shell script on boot.

As root?

[bradfitz]

@c4milo, yeah, root works. I can drop down to a less-privileged user if I need to. But some of our net tests require root, or at least more capabilities.

The script you'll want to run as root is just:

#!/bin/bash
set -e
curl --fail -o /usr/local/bin/buildlet https://storage.googleapis.com/go-builder-data/buildlet.darwin-amd64
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/buildlet
exec /usr/local/bin/buildlet

That should work already. Be careful with that server: it is a remote code execution daemon. Don't run it on your real machine if it's exposed to the internet.

But you should be able to hit it in a VM and see it reply "I am a buildlet" or whatever at its root path.

[bradfitz]

(and don't bake in the buildlet to the VM image... only that script. That lets us update the buildlet over time easier than updating the whole VM image)

[c4milo]

Got it.

[bradfitz]

Also, tell me what to buy. :)

VMWare Fusion 7 Pro? http://store.vmware.com/store/vmware/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/ThemeID.2485600/productID.304322800

I have a iMac 5K running Yosemite and a Macbook Pro running Mavericks.

Ideally we'll want to test the Go builders with OS X 10.8, 10.9, and 10.10. Maybe 10.7 too. So can I just buy those OS X discs from Apple somehow if I can no longer find my original CDs? Or do I need "Server CDs"? I know you're not a lawyer, and I'm not asking for legal advice. We're definitely not looking to avoid paying for things. I'm happy giving Apple plenty of (more) money here... I just want to know technically what's required, once we pay for all the parts the Apple-sanctioned ways.

[c4milo]

I'm using VMWare Fusion 7 Pro. I was also thinking in using OSX Server as the guest OS, since it seems to boot faster, but I might need to double check that once I start testing the API.