Add Omni-Bot support for Linux aarch64 (aka RPI/RPIT builds)

[Exagone313]

Currently, when ET Legacy is installed or built, Omni-Bot binaries only come for other systems/architectures, no binaries for Linux aarch64 are included.

The goal of this issue is to find a way to build Omni-Bot for this architecture and then ship officially built binaries on new installations.

[Exagone313]

Relates to:

• compiling on a rpi? jswigart/omni-bot#6
• ARM support jswigart/omni-bot#22

[mittermichal]

not just RPi, many VPS providers now offer hosting on this architecture

[rafal1137]

There is a section about omnibot compilation on aarch64
https://techyian.github.io/2018-10-14-install-enemy-territory-on-raspberry-pi/

[Exagone313]

This post misses the Boost installation part, but I got most of the pieces.

My goal is to implement this compilation in Omni-Bot's CI, as official builds come from there.

Since GitHub Actions doesn't have aarch64 runners, I'm trying to cross-compile from x86-64. It's unfortunate that it is required to have libboost built with -fPIC to be able to build the omni-bot library, as distributions don't have static libraries compiled with this flag.

I'm first trying a build with the b2 tool from Boost but then I'll modify the CMake files in Omni-Bot repository once it is working.

[sebdanielsson]

This post misses the Boost installation part, but I got most of the pieces.

My goal is to implement this compilation in Omni-Bot's CI, as official builds come from there.

Since GitHub Actions doesn't have aarch64 runners, I'm trying to cross-compile from x86-64. It's unfortunate that it is required to have libboost built with -fPIC to be able to build the omni-bot library, as distributions don't have static libraries compiled with this flag.

I'm first trying a build with the b2 tool from Boost but then I'll modify the CMake files in Omni-Bot repository once it is working.

If it's possible to build under macOS, GitHub offers arm64 runners since January.
https://github.blog/changelog/2024-01-30-github-actions-introducing-the-new-m1-macos-runner-available-to-open-source/

[Exagone313]

I successfully cross-built omni-bot for aarch64 (using an x86-64 host), see the steps I used on jswigart/omni-bot#22 (comment)

I had some issues so editing CMake and GitHub actions on omni-bot repository won't be as easy as I wanted.

[rafal1137]

@Exagone313 Looks like its done/fixed. Do you want to close this issue by yourself ?

[Exagone313]

@rafal1137 Only a part is done, this issue will be completed once ET legacy can ship omni-bot for Linux aarch64.

[rafal1137]

aarch omnibot file should be included in atleast latest snapshot build
This issue can be closed

[Exagone313]

@rafal1137 I don't think it does:

$ curl -LO https://mirror.etlegacy.com/omnibot/omnibot-linux-latest.tar.gz
$ tar tf omnibot-linux-latest.tar.gz | grep 'so$'
omni-bot/omnibot_et_mac.so
omni-bot/omnibot_et.so
omni-bot/omnibot_et.x86_64.so

The binaries included in the archive are from omni-bot latest release ET archive which doesn't contain Linux aarch64 binaries since it depends on builds made from the CI of omni-bot repository.

It'll be fixed when I (or someone else) will have modified omni-bot CI and then convinced the omni-bot maintainer to make a new release with this CI 😄

Then the new official binary could be included in the ET Legacy omni-bot mirror archives and next ET Legacy releases will be able to ship with Linux aarch64 omni-bot.