boot2docker vm forgets changes when restarted

Question

Basically any changes I make while SSHed into the VM are lost at restart of the VM. I am assuming the problem is associated with the error when I stop the VM.

C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker stop
error in run: Failed to stop machine "boot2docker-vm": exit status 1

But, I may just be doing something dumb.

The sequence I followed is below (docker logo elided), you can see it losing the sample directory across the restart.

C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker up

Waiting for VM and Docker daemon to start.......................ooo
Started.
Writing C:\Users\Tom\.boot2docker\certs\boot2docker-vm\ca.pem
Writing C:\Users\Tom\.boot2docker\certs\boot2docker-vm\cert.pem
Writing C:\Users\Tom\.boot2docker\certs\boot2docker-vm\key.pem
Docker client does not run on Windows for now. Please use
    "boot2docker" ssh
to SSH into the VM instead.


C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker ssh
Boot2Docker version 1.5.0, build master : a66bce5 - Tue Feb 10 23:31:27 UTC 2015
Docker version 1.5.0, build a8a31ef
docker@boot2docker:~$ ls
boot2docker, please format-me
docker@boot2docker:~$ mkdir testdir
docker@boot2docker:~$ ls
boot2docker, please format-me  testdir/
docker@boot2docker:~$ exit

C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker stop
error in run: Failed to stop machine "boot2docker-vm": exit status 1

C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker status
poweroff

C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker start
Waiting for VM and Docker daemon to start...
....................ooo
Started.
Writing C:\Users\Tom\.boot2docker\certs\boot2docker-vm\ca.pem
Writing C:\Users\Tom\.boot2docker\certs\boot2docker-vm\cert.pem
Writing C:\Users\Tom\.boot2docker\certs\boot2docker-vm\key.pem
Docker client does not run on Windows for now. Please use
    "boot2docker" ssh
to SSH into the VM instead.


C:\Users\Tom>boot2docker ssh
Boot2Docker version 1.5.0, build master : a66bce5 - Tue Feb 10 23:31:27 UTC 2015
Docker version 1.5.0, build a8a31ef
docker@boot2docker:~$ ls
boot2docker, please format-me
docker@boot2docker:~$

Running

• Windows: 8.1
• VirtualBox: 4.3.12 r93733
• Boot2Docker version 1.5.0, build master : a66bce5 - Tue Feb 10 23:31:27 UTC 2015
• Docker version 1.5.0, build a8a31ef

Answer 1

That is what I explained in "Windows Boot2Docker behind corporate proxy": there is no persistence in the Tiny Core used by boot2docker as a Linux VM.

You need to make sure the VirtualBox has the Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack downloaded and added in the Virtual Box / File / Settings / Extension / add the Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.x.yy-zzzzz.vbox-extpack file).

As documented in boot2docker, you will have access (from your Tiny Core ssh session) to /c/Users/<yourLogin> (ie the %USERPROFILE% is shared by Virtual Box)

What I do in my b2d.bat start script is copy the files I want to be restored (mainly docker profile or .ashrc, for http_proxy settings and favorite aliases), and keep all my other modifications in /c/Users/<yourLogin>.