linux/arm64/v8 Architecture images

[chris-cheshire]

Hi,

We are starting to be issued with M1 macs at our institution and we are getting docker errors like:

docker: Error response from daemon: image with reference biocontainers/biocontainers:v1.2.0_cv1 was found but does not match the specified platform: wanted linux/arm64/v8, actual: linux/amd64.

I guess this is because either the program is not available as an arm compiled executable, or that biocontainers doesn't build against arm as part of its build process.

Could anyone comment on this?

[chris-cheshire]

@osallou any comments on this? Happy to help implement but its quite a large change.

[osallou]

hi,
we do not build (yet) for other archs than amd64.
There is a plan to do so (at least arm), but for that we need to get some related hardware. We expect to have one arm server next year and add container builds for arm.

Be also aware that some tools may not build on arm....

[chris-cheshire]

Hi @osallou hows the state of ARM looking? You probably know that Apple have stopped selling intel macs and my laptop is on the way out so its becoming critical for everyone at the Francis Crick that this is sorted. Is there a way I can get involved and help move it forward?

[osallou]

Hi,
we have no arm server unfortunately, and none planned for the moment...
We may benefit arm servers from Amazon in future, but nothing sure for the moment. (@bgruening ?)

[bgruening]

Yes, the plan is to use some AWS infrastructure.

[chris-cheshire]

Ok I think this is going to become a real issue very soon. So many people test their nextflow pipelines locally on macos using docker - on an M1 this is currently impossible. Is there any timeline at all for this, is it a funding issue or development issue etc?

[bgruening]

It's more a priority and time issue. If the nextflow community needs it, they are welcome to contribute. E.g. adding support to bioconda-utils etc ...

[osallou]

Won t fix issue of arm based containers, need servers anyway

[chris-cheshire]

Yes I am very happy to contribute if that will help and I am sure I can get a few others as well if you need man-power. @osallou are you saying that AWS provide your server infrastructure for free but that they currently don't allow you to spin up ARM instances?

[osallou]

Aws will provide us compute resources among which we should have arm, but this is not yet the case

[chris-cheshire]

OK is there a timeline for when AWS will provide these?

[CharlotteAnne]

I'd just like to second the urgent need for this - use of MacOS is incredibly common in the scientific community. If there's anything I can do to help please let me know.

[osallou]

rebuilding everything for amr will take time anyway... but our main issue is to have an arm build server

[pditommaso]

I don't know much biocontainers build infra, but docker build can target both arm and amd architecture irrespective of the host chipset via emulator. Would that not work for biocontainers building as well?