Re: [PATCH 5/9] tests/docker: add container registry to configure and use

["Alex Bennée" <alex.bennee@linaro.org>]

Pierrick Bouvier <pierrick.bouvier@oss.qualcomm.com> writes:

> On 9/14/2026 12:28 AM, Alex Bennée wrote:
>> Pierrick Bouvier <pierrick.bouvier@oss.qualcomm.com> writes:
>> 
>>> On 9/10/26 11:15 AM, Alex Bennée wrote:
>>>> Previously we had the default baked into Makefile.include but as the
>>>> meson container logic will also benefit from it we update the configure
>>>> machinery.
>>>> For now we allow direct make invocations to override but for the
>>>> normal case it is in one place now.
>>>> Signed-off-by: Alex Bennée <alex.bennee@linaro.org>
>>>> ---
>>>>   configure                     | 8 ++++++++
>>>>   meson_options.txt             | 3 +++
>>>>   tests/docker/Makefile.include | 4 +---
>>>>   tests/tcg/meson.build         | 6 ++++++
>>>>   4 files changed, 18 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
>>>> diff --git a/configure b/configure
>>>> index aaa41fe47aa..7d6b11ddd35 100755
>>>> --- a/configure
>>>> +++ b/configure
>>>> @@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ fi
>>>>   # some defaults, based on the host environment
>>>>     # default parameters
>>>> +container_registry="registry.gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu"
>>>>   cpu=""
>>>>   cross_compile="no"
>>>>   cross_prefix=""
>>>> @@ -728,6 +729,9 @@ for opt do
>>>>     ;;
>>>>     --container-command=*) meson_option_add -Dcontainer_command="$optarg"
>>>>     ;;
>>>> +  --container-registry=*) container_registry="$optarg"
>>>> +                          meson_option_add -Dcontainer_registry="$optarg"
>>>> +  ;;
>>>>     --rust-target-triple=*) rust_target_triple="$optarg"
>>>>     ;;
>>>>     --gdb=*) meson_option_add -Dgdb="$optarg"
>>>> @@ -862,6 +866,7 @@ Advanced options (experts only):
>>>>     --cpu=CPU                Build for host CPU [$cpu]
>>>>     --disable-containers     don't use containers for cross-building
>>>>     --container-command=CMD  which container command to use [autodetect]
>>>> +  --container-registry=URL which container registry to cache from [$container_registry]
>>>>     --gdb=GDB-path           gdb to use for gdbstub tests [autodetect]
>>>>     --wasm64-32bit-address-limit Restrict wasm64 address space to 32-bit (default
>>>>                                  is to use the whole 64-bit range).
>>>> @@ -1318,6 +1323,9 @@ echo "GENISOIMAGE=$genisoimage" >> $config_host_mak
>>>>   echo "MESON=$meson" >> $config_host_mak
>>>>   echo "NINJA=$ninja" >> $config_host_mak
>>>>   echo "EXESUF=$EXESUF" >> $config_host_mak
>>>> +if test -n "$container_registry"; then
>>>> +  echo "DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY=$container_registry" >> $config_host_mak
>>>> +fi
>>>>   if test "$default_targets" = "yes"; then
>>>>     echo "CONFIG_DEFAULT_TARGETS=y" >> $config_host_mak
>>>>   fi
>>>> diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
>>>> index 292625af08a..030231492e1 100644
>>>> --- a/meson_options.txt
>>>> +++ b/meson_options.txt
>>>> @@ -391,6 +391,9 @@ option('containers', type: 'boolean', value: true,
>>>>          description: 'use containers to cross compile tcg tests')
>>>>   option('container_command', type: 'string',
>>>>          description: 'command to build/run containers')
>>>> +option('container_registry', type: 'string',
>>>> +       value: 'registry.gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu',
>>>> +       description: 'container registry to cache from')
>>>>     option('tcg_tests_cross_cc_aarch64', type: 'string',
>>>>          description: 'cc for aarch64 tcg tests')
>>>> diff --git a/tests/docker/Makefile.include b/tests/docker/Makefile.include
>>>> index 0adddb6a5c6..74bf471f171 100644
>>>> --- a/tests/docker/Makefile.include
>>>> +++ b/tests/docker/Makefile.include
>>>> @@ -11,9 +11,7 @@ USER = $(if $(NOUSER),,$(shell id -un))
>>>>   UID = $(if $(NOUSER),,$(shell id -u))
>>>>     DOCKER_FILES_DIR := $(SRC_PATH)/tests/docker/dockerfiles
>>>> -ifeq ($(HOST_ARCH),x86_64)
>>>> -DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY := registry.gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu
>>>> -endif
>>>> +DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY ?= registry.gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu
>>>>   DOCKER_REGISTRY := $(if $(REGISTRY),$(REGISTRY),$(DOCKER_DEFAULT_REGISTRY))
>>>>
>>>
>>> Couldn't we read the default from config_host_mak generated by
>>> configure instead?
>>>
>>>>   CONTAINER_COMMAND ?= $(shell $(SRC_PATH)/tests/docker/docker.py probe)
>>>> diff --git a/tests/tcg/meson.build b/tests/tcg/meson.build
>>>> index 814f2f8cd8c..22157a47c96 100644
>>>> --- a/tests/tcg/meson.build
>>>> +++ b/tests/tcg/meson.build
>>>> @@ -101,6 +101,9 @@ if get_option('containers')
>>>>     endif
>>>>   endif
>>>>   tcg_tests_summary += {'container command': container_command}
>>>> +if get_option('container_registry') != ''
>>>> +  tcg_tests_summary += {'container registry': get_option('container_registry')}
>>>> +endif
>>>>     # plugins come first, as we need to build the list
>>>>   test_plugins = {}
>>>> @@ -257,6 +260,9 @@ foreach target, plan: tcg_tests
>>>>       if cc_dockerfile not in image_targets and has_docker
>>>>         cmd = [docker_wrapper, 'build', '-f', dockerfile, '-t', 'qemu/' + cc_dockerfile,
>>>>                '--add-current-user']
>>>> +      if get_option('container_registry') != ''
>>>> +        cmd += ['--registry', get_option('container_registry')]
>>>> +      endif
>>>>         t = custom_target(image_name, command: cmd,
>>>>                           build_by_default: false,
>>>>                           output: 'no_output_' + image_name)
>>>
>>> Do user benefit from this, or is it mostly for CI need?
>> 
>> The aim is for faster image builds because the CI registry should always
>> be up to date. Most of the time the images don't change.
>>
>
> Ok. In this case, you need to add --timestamp 0 (that's enough in what I
> tested) to original build command that generates those layers from our
> CI, and use it here also. Else --cache-from does not work as intended
> and you'll see have some duplication because timestamp is part of hash
> for each layer.
>
> See this guide for more info:
> https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/10/html/building_running_and_managing_containers/introduction-to-reproducible-container-builds

Hmm is that a podman only option?

>>> The effect is to use --cache-from $registry, which I'm not sure is
>>> what we want by default, given all the "caching issues" we had
>>> previously with dockerfiles already.
>>> If that's for CI, maybe it could simply set with --container-command
>>> in our CI only.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Pierrick
>> 

-- 
Alex Bennée
Virtualisation Tech Lead @ Linaro