eXpOS Docker Setup

This guide explains how to set up eXpOS safely using Docker, without installing legacy libraries on your host system, while enabling a bidirectional sync between the host machine and the Docker container (useful for version control and backups).

Folder Structure

OS_Lab/
├── Dockerfile
└── expos_container/      # MUST be empty initially

Dockerfile

FROM ubuntu:20.04

ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

# Install required packages
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    gcc make flex bison \
    libreadline-dev libc6-dev libfl-dev \
    wget curl unzip \
    git vim build-essential \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

RUN useradd -m expos
USER expos

# Set working directory to user's home
WORKDIR /home/expos

CMD ["/bin/bash"]

Build Image

From inside OS_Lab/ directory, run the following command

docker build -t expos:ubuntu20.04 .

Run the Container

docker run -it \
  -v $PWD/expos_container:/home/expos \
  --name expos \
  expos:ubuntu20.04

• Mounts expos_container -> /home/expos
• Changes inside the container are reflected on the host system

Download & Build eXpOS (INSIDE CONTAINER)

Once inside the container shell:

curl -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/eXpOSNitc/expos-bootstrap/main/download.sh | sh

This will create /home/expos/myexpos inside your container. You will be able to view the changes in your local machine as well under OS_Lab/expos_container/myexpos.

Inside container shell, enter the following commands:

cd myexpos
make

If successful, you should see the following folders inside myexpos directory:

- spl/
- expl/
- xfs-interface/
- xsm/

eXpOS installation is now complete. You may continue following everything from eXpOS Roadmap starting from Stage 2.

Additional Helpful Notes

• The expos_container/ folder on your host machine will contain all the files related to eXpOS. You can use this folder for version control (e.g., git) or backups.
• The Docker container provides an isolated environment, so you won't have to worry about installing legacy libraries on your host system. All necessary dependencies are contained within the Docker image.
• If you want to stop working on eXpOS, simply exit the container. Your work will be preserved in the expos_container/ folder, and you can restart the container later to continue where you left off.
• Modify .gitignore in expos_container/ to your needs. For example, you might want to ignore build artifacts while keeping source files under version control.

Helper Scripts

• For the convenience of users, I've created helper scripts in the myexpos/scripts directory to ease development process. Currently this repo has compile_spl and runxfs scripts.
• Run chmod +x $HOME/myexpos/scripts/* to make the scripts executable.
• Copy .bashrc from root directory to /home/expos/.bashrc to add the helper scripts to your PATH.
• You can now start using compile_spl and runxfs commands from anywhere inside the container to compile SPL files and load batch files with xfs-interface respectively.

Useful Commands

Exit the Container

exit

This stops the container but does not delete anything.

Restarting the Container Later

If you exit the container, restart it using:

docker start expos
docker exec -it expos /bin/bash

All your work remains preserved inside expos_container/.

Clean Installation (Deletes eXpOS Files)

If you want a completely fresh eXpOS setup, you must manually delete the container as well as the bind-mounted folder:

# Stops and deletes the container
docker rm -f expos
# Deletes the bind-mounted folder
rm -rf expos_container/

This permanently deletes all eXpOS files. You will need to repeat the setup from scratch.