OpenStack training-labs - VBoxManage.exe: error: Invalid machine group

[Paul Verest]

Also on http://stackoverflow.com/questions/39591574/openstack-training-labs-vboxmanage-exe-error-invalid-machine-group

I am trying to install OpenStack instance into VirtualBox VMs as on https://wiki.openstack.org/wiki/Documentation/training-labs#Building_the_cluster

after `./osbash.sh -w cluster` I get error
> VBoxManage.exe: error: Invalid machine group 'C:/Program Files/Git/labs'

Yes, `C:/Program Files/Git` is location of git-bash.exe that is actual Git-Windows Bash, but **how to make `osbash.sh` proceed with correct machine group name?**

The scripts are stable Mitaka from http://docs.openstack.org/training_labs/ for Windows
http://tarballs.openstack.org/training-labs/dist/labs-stable-mitaka.zip

    Paul@aspire MINGW64 /d/Workspaces/OpenStack/labs-stable-mitaka/labs/osbash
    $ ./osbash.sh -b cluster
    Base disk: base-ssh-mitaka-ubuntu-14.04-server-amd64
    Distribution name: ubuntu
    Virtualization provider: virtualbox
    Creating Windows batch scripts: no
    Creating cluster on this machine: yes
    VM access method: ssh
    GUI type: headless
     2016年09月20日 18:09:36 osbash starting
    Creating basedisk.
    2016年09月20日 18:09:36 osbash vm_install starts.
    Asked to delete VM "base" (not found)
    Creating VM "base"
    VBoxManage.exe: error: Invalid machine group 'C:/Program Files/Git/labs'
    VBoxManage.exe: error: Details: code E_INVALIDARG (0x80070057), component VirtualBoxWrap, interface IVirtualBox, callee IUnknown
    VBoxManage.exe: error: Context: "ComposeMachineFilename(bstrName.raw(), bstrPrimaryGroup.raw(), createFlags.raw(), bstrBaseFolder.raw(), bstrSettingsFile.asOutParam())" at line 264 of file VBoxManageMisc.cpp
    FAILURE: VBoxManage: createvm --name base --register --ostype Ubuntu_64 --groups /labs

The same error when trying the latest master from `git://git.openstack.org/openstack/training-labs.git`

[Roger Luethi (rl-o)]

The documentation may have mislead you. You don't need a POSIX environment to build the cluster on Windows and (as you found out) using the bash scripts does not work on Windows.

All you need is a VirtualBox installation and the content of the zip file you downloaded. There is no need to add VBoxManage to the Path, the scripts should find the executable anyway.

The zip file you downloaded contains the Windows batch files that build the cluster on Windows in the wbatch directory. Just double-click them: 1) create_hostnet 2) create_base 3) create_ubuntu_cluster_node

That's all. The scripts will set up the VMs, download the Ubuntu ISO image and build the OpenStack cluster.

[Comment above copied from stackoverflow]

Thank you for reporting the bug. I have tried to improve the instructions for building the cluster on Windows. I hope they are less confusing now.

[Paul Verest (paul-verest)]

Hi Roger

Actually documentation is right. That is actually osbash.sh script that mislead.

If osbash.sh does not support Windows, it should say so and fail quickly,
but it first error was that VBoxManage.exe is not found, that I could solve by modifying system Path env variable.

So I suggest to give clear message from osbash.sh when running on Windows.

[Roger Luethi (rl-o)]

Makes sense. Thanks for the report and the suggestion.

[OpenStack Infra (hudson-openstack)]

Fix proposed to branch: master
Review: https://review.openstack.org/380715

[OpenStack Infra (hudson-openstack)]

Reviewed: https://review.openstack.org/380715
Committed: https://git.openstack.org/cgit/openstack/training-labs/commit/?id=180e43354dd05e78f6327aebddc2fc3f6735b241
Submitter: Jenkins
Branch: master

commit 180e43354dd05e78f6327aebddc2fc3f6735b241
Author: Roger Luethi <email address hidden>
Date: Sat Oct 1 09:52:38 2016 +0200

    Abort osbash.sh if executed in Windows environment

    The osbash host-side shell scripts do not work in a Windows environment.
    We create and support separate Windows batch files for that purpose.

    With this patch, users trying to run osbash in cygwin or mingw get a
    warning before the script aborts.

    Closes-Bug: #1625562
    Change-Id: I60d245e45c80190645c652c2feb87b1dfd0bbc7f