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Using sc-docker with Podman

This document describes how to use sc-docker with Podman as a Docker alternative.

Overview

Podman is a daemonless container runtime that provides a Docker-compatible command-line interface. While sc-docker is primarily designed for Docker, it can work with Podman with some considerations.

Installation

Linux (Rootless Podman)

  1. Install Podman:
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y podman

# Fedora/RHEL/CentOS
sudo dnf install -y podman

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S podman
  1. Enable Docker compatibility:
# Create docker command alias
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/podman /usr/bin/docker

# OR use podman-docker package (if available)
sudo apt-get install podman-docker  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install podman-docker      # Fedora
  1. Enable Podman socket for Docker API compatibility:
systemctl --user enable --now podman.socket
export DOCKER_HOST=unix://$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/podman/podman.sock
  1. Build sc-docker images:
cd docker
./build_images.sh

Network Configuration

Rootless Networking Limitations

Rootless Podman uses different network backends that have limitations for LAN game discovery:

  • pasta (default): NAT without L2 broadcast support
  • slirp4netns: Similar NAT limitations
  • host: Full network access but shares host network namespace

LAN Multiplayer Workarounds

Since rootless networking doesn't support UDP broadcast for game discovery, use these alternatives:

Option 1: Direct IP Connection (Recommended)

Use bwheadless's --lan-sendto flag to directly connect to a specific IP:

# Host a game on your machine
scbw.play --bots "HostBot" --headless

# Join from container (replace IP with your host IP)
podman run -d --name sc-joiner \
  --network pasta \
  --cap-add NET_RAW --cap-add NET_ADMIN --cap-add NET_BIND_SERVICE \
  -v "$HOME/.scbw/maps:/app/sc/maps:ro" \
  starcraft:game \
  /app/play_human.sh \
    --name JoinBot --race T \
    --lan --join --lan-sendto 192.168.1.100:6112

Option 2: Rootful Podman (Full LAN Support)

If you need full LAN discovery, use rootful Podman:

sudo podman network create sc_net --driver bridge
sudo scbw.play --bots "Bot1" "Bot2"

Option 3: Host Network (Development Only)

For testing, you can use host networking:

podman run --network host ...

Known Issues and Solutions

1. Permission Errors

If you encounter permission errors with volume mounts:

# Fix ownership of .scbw directory
podman unshare chown -R $(id -u):$(id -g) ~/.scbw

# Or use :z flag for SELinux systems
-v "$HOME/.scbw/maps:/app/sc/maps:ro,z"

2. Docker Socket Not Found

If scbw.play can't find Docker:

# Start podman socket
systemctl --user start podman.socket

# Set environment variable
export DOCKER_HOST=unix://$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/podman/podman.sock

# Install podman-docker compatibility package
sudo apt-get install podman-docker

3. Network Creation Fails

If network creation fails in rootless mode:

# Use podman directly to create network
podman network create sc_net

# Or switch to rootful
sudo podman network create sc_net

Debugging

Enable Debug Mode

scbw.play --bots "Bot1" "Bot2" --debug

Check Container Logs

podman logs <container-name>
podman exec <container-name> cat /app/logs/game.log

Network Debugging

# Check network configuration
podman network inspect sc_net

# Test connectivity between containers
podman exec -it container1 ping container2

# Capture network traffic
podman exec container tcpdump -i any -w /tmp/capture.pcap

Performance Tuning

CPU and Memory Limits

scbw.play --bots "Bot1" "Bot2" \
  --mem_limit "512m" \
  --nano_cpus 1000000000  # 1 CPU

Storage Driver

For better performance, use overlay storage driver:

# Check current driver
podman info | grep -i storage

# Configure overlay (in ~/.config/containers/storage.conf)
[storage]
driver = "overlay"

Compatibility Notes

Tested Configurations

  • ✅ Arch Linux with Podman 4.x
  • ✅ Ubuntu 22.04 with Podman 3.4+
  • ✅ Fedora 38+ with Podman 4.x

Feature Support Matrix

Feature Docker Rootless Podman Rootful Podman
Bot vs Bot ✅ ✅ ✅
Human vs Bot ✅ ⚠️ (Direct IP only) ✅
LAN Discovery ✅ ❌ ✅
VNC Access ✅ ✅ ✅
Debug Mode ✅ ✅ ✅

Troubleshooting Checklist

  1. ✓ Podman installed and running
  2. ✓ Docker compatibility enabled (podman-docker package or alias)
  3. ✓ Podman socket running (systemctl --user status podman.socket)
  4. ✓ DOCKER_HOST environment variable set
  5. ✓ Images built successfully (podman images | grep starcraft)
  6. ✓ Network created (podman network ls | grep sc_net)
  7. ✓ Permissions correct on ~/.scbw directory
  8. ✓ For LAN games: using --lan-sendto or rootful mode

Additional Resources