Install machine runner 3.0 on Linux

Cloud

Prerequisites

To install machine runners and run jobs, you will need to have root access, and have the following utilities and tools installed on your system:

coreutils (Linux only)
curl (installed by default on macOS)
sha256sum (if not pre-installed):
- brew install coreutils for macOS (requires Homebrew)
- sudo apt install coreutils for Ubuntu/Debain
- sudo yum install coreutils for Red Hat
tar
gzip
sepolicy ( RHEL 8 only)
rpmbuild ( RHEL 8 only)
The CircleCI CLI if you wish to install runners from the command line

Self-hosted runner terms agreement

1. Create namespace and resource class

If you are installing self-hosted runners for server, the CircleCI CLI needs to be configured using your server API key. Run circleci setup to configure the CLI and access the option to supply a new API token if required.

In order to install self-hosted runners, you will need to create a namespace and authentication token by performing the steps listed below. Please note that to create resource classes and tokens you need to be an organization administrator in the VCS provider.

You can view your installed runners on the inventory page in the web app, by clicking Self-Hosted Runners on the left navigation.

Create a namespace for your organization’s self-hosted runners. Each organization can only create a single namespace. We suggest using a lowercase representation of your CircleCI organization’s account name. If you already use orbs, this namespace should be the same namespace orbs use.

Use the following command to create a namespace:

circleci namespace create <name> --org-id <your-organization-id>

If your organization already has a namespace, you will receive an error if you run the above command to create a different namespace. The error message returns the name of the existing namespace. In this case, move on to step 2 below, using your existing namespace.

Create a resource class for your self-hosted runner’s namespace using the following command:
```
circleci runner resource-class create <namespace>/<resource-class> <description> --generate-token
```
Make sure to replace <namespace> and <resource-class> with your org namespace and desired resource class name, respectively. You may optionally add a description.

Example: circleci runner resource-class create my-namespace/my-resource-class my-description --generate-token.

The resource class token is returned after the runner resource class is successfully created.

The token cannot be retrieved again, so be sure to store it safely.

2. Install CircleCI runner

Machine runner configuration example

The fields you must set for a specific job to run using your machine runners are:

machine: true
resource_class: <namespace>/<resource-class>

Simple example of how you could set up a job:

version: 2.1

workflows:
  build-workflow:
    jobs:
      - runner
jobs:
  runner:
    machine: true
    resource_class: <namespace>/<resource-class>
    steps:
      - run: echo "Hi I'm on Runners!"

The job will then execute using your self-hosted runner when you push the .circleci/config.yml to your VCS provider.

Troubleshooting

Refer to the Troubleshoot Machine Runner section of the Troubleshoot Self-hosted Runner guide if you encounter issues installing or running machine runner on Linux.

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