Use user cache folder for Packer temporary files

[Yorinh]

Hello !
I've a weird issue when i build a machine :

    virtualbox-iso (vagrant): Copying from artifact: builds/packer-virtualbox-iso-1488985646-disk1.vmdk
Build 'virtualbox-iso' errored: 1 error(s) occurred:

* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer720373497/packer-virtualbox-iso-1488985646-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device

==> Some builds didn't complete successfully and had errors:
--> virtualbox-iso: 1 error(s) occurred:

* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer720373497/packer-virtualbox-iso-1488985646-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device

==> Builds finished but no artifacts were created.

----------------------------------
packer completed with return code 1
Packer failed. Build failed. Exiting...

I tried to change my TMPDIR / PACKER_CACHE_DIR / PACKER_TMP_DIR var but no luck...

I checked my disks ofc, still have space:

/dev/sdb2          117G    9,0G  102G   9% /
/dev/sda1          458G    109G  326G  26% /home

I try to run malboxes on ArchLinux without the package from AUR. (Manual install from github)

Thx for the project !

[obilodeau]

What OS are you trying to build? Can you try with -d also?

[Yorinh]

Hello !

I try to bootup a win64

Here the output with -d

sudo malboxes -d build win10_64_analyst :
[...]
2017/03/13 11:14:53 ui:     virtualbox-iso (vagrant): Copying from artifact: builds/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk
    virtualbox-iso (vagrant): Copying from artifact: builds/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk
2017/03/13 11:14:56 Deleting original artifact for build 'virtualbox-iso'
2017/03/13 11:14:57 ui error: Build 'virtualbox-iso' errored: 1 error(s) occurred:

* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer370413124/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device
2017/03/13 11:14:57 Builds completed. Waiting on interrupt barrier...
2017/03/13 11:14:57 machine readable: error-count []string{"1"}
2017/03/13 11:14:57 ui error:
==> Some builds didn't complete successfully and had errors:
2017/03/13 11:14:57 machine readable: virtualbox-iso,error []string{"1 error(s) occurred:\n\n* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer370413124/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device"}
2017/03/13 11:14:57 ui error: --> virtualbox-iso: 1 error(s) occurred:

* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer370413124/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device
2017/03/13 11:14:57 ui:
==> Builds finished but no artifacts were created.
2017/03/13 11:14:57 waiting for all plugin processes to complete...
Build 'virtualbox-iso' errored: 1 error(s) occurred:

* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer370413124/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device

==> Some builds didn't complete successfully and had errors:
--> virtualbox-iso: 1 error(s) occurred:

* Post-processor failed: write /tmp/packer370413124/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489398639-disk1.vmdk: no space left on device

==> Builds finished but no artifacts were created.
2017/03/13 11:14:57 /usr/bin/packer: plugin process exited
2017/03/13 11:14:57 /usr/bin/packer: plugin process exited
2017/03/13 11:14:57 /usr/bin/packer: plugin process exited
2017/03/13 11:14:57 /usr/bin/packer: plugin process exited
----------------------------------
packer completed with return code: 1
Packer failed. Build failed. Exiting...

Thanks for your help :)

[obilodeau]

Is your /tmp partition a tmpfs filesystem? Run this command and give us the output:

df /tmp

On my arch system, /tmp is a tmpfs with 8Gb available (half of my RAM). I didn't realize that until now.

I wonder what step is making that copy on /tmp... We can either avoid that copy (best) or at least do it in malboxes' cache folder.

[obilodeau]

By the way, you should not need to run malboxes with sudo if your user is a member of the vboxusers group.

[Yorinh]

df /tmp
tmpfs 4041388 612 4040776 1% /tmp

Same behavior as you, half of my RAM.

Here is an ouput of the install with -d searching for tmp folder:

[antivirus@Jyo:~/malboxes][3]$ malboxes -d build win10_64_analyst > loginstall                                                                  (03-13 11:14)
[antivirus@Jyo:~/malboxes]$ cat loginstall| grep tmp                                                                                            (03-13 17:40)
2017/03/13 17:07:02 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:02 Plugin address: unix /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-plugin594183778
2017/03/13 17:07:02 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:02 Plugin address: unix /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-plugin357747520
2017/03/13 17:07:02 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:02 Plugin address: unix /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-plugin888326448
2017/03/13 17:07:02 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:02 Plugin address: unix /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-plugin403047843
2017/03/13 17:07:30 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:30 Floppy path: /home/antivirus/tmp/packer610146276
2017/03/13 17:07:31 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:31 Copying floppy to temp location: /home/antivirus/tmp/packer892249075/floppy.vfd
2017/03/13 17:07:31 packer: 2017/03/13 17:07:31 Executing VBoxManage: []string{"storageattach", "packer-virtualbox-iso-1489421222", "--storagectl", "Floppy Controller", "--port", "0", "--device", "0", "--type", "fdd", "--medium", "/home/antivirus/tmp/packer892249075/floppy.vfd"}
2017/03/13 17:17:39 ui: ==> virtualbox-iso: Provisioning with shell script: /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-windows-shell-provisioner153366223
==> virtualbox-iso: Provisioning with shell script: /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-windows-shell-provisioner153366223
2017/03/13 17:17:39 packer: 2017/03/13 17:17:39 Opening /home/antivirus/tmp/packer-windows-shell-provisioner153366223 for reading
2017/03/13 17:36:36 packer: 2017/03/13 17:36:36 Deleting floppy disk: /home/antivirus/tmp/packer610146276
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Renaming: '/home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489421222.ovf' => box.ovf
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Turning dir into box: /home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534 => boxes/win10_64_analyst.box
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Skipping directory '/home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534' for box 'boxes/win10_64_analyst.box'
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Box add: '/home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534/Vagrantfile' to 'boxes/win10_64_analyst.box'
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Box add: '/home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534/box.ovf' to 'boxes/win10_64_analyst.box'
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Box add: '/home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534/metadata.json' to 'boxes/win10_64_analyst.box'
2017/03/13 17:37:47 packer: 2017/03/13 17:37:47 Box add: '/home/antivirus/tmp/packer951738534/packer-virtualbox-iso-1489421222-disk1.vmdk' to 'boxes/win10_64_analyst.box'

I check the groups for my user, vboxusers is idd already assign.

Checking path show us that my /tmp/ dir changed to the one i set on my var env.
After checking my loginstall, seems like the remove of sudo did the trick... I really don't get it but... it's working now !
Maybe put a warning with the size of /tmp and the trick to avoid this behavior.

Thanks again !

[obilodeau]

I think I'll override packer's temporary location with malboxes' cache folder by default. This will centralize most of malboxes' cache files and so should be more obvious to users.