clone command fails to copy VM configuration.

[jason-dour-e]

Using colima clone command to move profiles around. While doing so, encountered the following error:

colima clone default clone
INFO[0000] preparing to clone colima...
INFO[0000] cloning virtual machine...
INFO[0029] copying config...
cp: /Users/j/.colima/_lima/colima is a directory (not copied).
FATA[0029] error copying VM config: exit status 1

Looking at the code, it appears the cp command is called on two directories, but without a -r flag to recurse the source directory. This causes the failure above. The code in question is:

colima/cmd/clone.go

Line 66 in 73732ae

if err := cli.Command("cp", from.LimaInstanceDir(), to.LimaInstanceDir()).Run(); err != nil {

Now, in the preceding code, the target directory is created and specific files are copied:

colima/cmd/clone.go

Lines 26 to 52 in 73732ae

	{
	// verify source profile exists
	if stat, err := os.Stat(from.LimaInstanceDir()); err != nil || !stat.IsDir() {
	return fmt.Errorf("colima profile '%s' does not exist", from.ShortName)
	}
	// verify destination profile does not exists
	if stat, err := os.Stat(to.LimaInstanceDir()); err == nil && stat.IsDir() {
	return fmt.Errorf("colima profile '%s' already exists, delete with `colima delete %s` and try again", to.ShortName, to.ShortName)
	}
	// copy source to destination
	logrus.Info("cloning virtual machine...")
	if err := cli.Command("mkdir", "-p", to.LimaInstanceDir()).Run(); err != nil {
	return fmt.Errorf("error preparing to copy VM: %w", err)
	}
	if err := cli.Command("cp",
	filepath.Join(from.LimaInstanceDir(), "basedisk"),
	filepath.Join(from.LimaInstanceDir(), "diffdisk"),
	filepath.Join(from.LimaInstanceDir(), "cidata.iso"),
	filepath.Join(from.LimaInstanceDir(), "lima.yaml"),
	to.LimaInstanceDir(),
	).Run(); err != nil {
	return fmt.Errorf("error copying VM: %w", err)
	}
	}

So a recursive -r flag on the subsequent copy in Line 66 might not be the proper way to fix this, as it would copy for a second time the files copied in lines 26-52.

The second cp could copy specific named files like the prior copy. Or could do a recursive copy but delete any unwanted files such as *.log and *.sock.

I haven't created a PR because I do not have a confirmed way to test the code on my platform (MacOS via Homebrew), but could try if I received some guidance on how and this would speed up a fix.

Thanks,
Jason

[jason-dour-e]

Meant to include, I ran a cp -r src-dir tgt-dir manually after the clone command failed, and was able to use the cloned profile. So completing the second cp appears to resolve the only failed step in the clone.