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tfc merged 1 commit into from
Mar 6, 2024
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nixos/doc: Describe NixOS test system requirements #293573

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10 changes: 10 additions & 0 deletions nixos/doc/manual/development/running-nixos-tests.section.md
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Expand Up @@ -18,3 +18,13 @@ you can view a log of the test:
```ShellSession
$ nix-store --read-log result
```

## System Requirements {#sec-running-nixos-tests-requirements}

NixOS tests require virtualization support.
This means that the machine must have `kvm` in its [system features](https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/command-ref/conf-file.html?highlight=system-features#conf-system-features) list, or `apple-virt` in case of macOS.
These features are autodetected locally, but `apple-virt` is only autodetected since Nix 2.19.0.

Features of **remote builders** must additionally be configured manually on the client, e.g. on NixOS with [`nix.buildMachines.*.supportedFeatures`](https://search.nixos.org/options?show=nix.buildMachines.*.supportedFeatures&sort=alpha_asc&query=nix.buildMachines) or through general [Nix configuration](https://nixos.org/manual/nix/stable/advanced-topics/distributed-builds).

If you run the tests on a **macOS** machine, you also need a "remote" builder for Linux; possibly a VM. [nix-darwin](https://daiderd.com/nix-darwin/) users may enable [`nix.linux-builder.enable`](https://daiderd.com/nix-darwin/manual/index.html#opt-nix.linux-builder.enable) to launch such a VM.