canonical/multipass

[Feature] Add image cache management commands and speed up image downloads with torrent client

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#584 opened on Jan 31, 2019

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 (3 comments) (2 reactions) (0 assignees)C++ (634 forks)batch import
enhancementhelp wantedlowmedium

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Description

I just had an idea as I was experimenting with multipass yesterday. It would be pretty cool if you had the choice to use torrents to download operating system images, as this is typically much faster than a direct HTTP or FTP download.

In addition, it would be cool to have image cache management commands to download, list, purge, and search for remote images.

Here's how I would envision exposing the torrent option:

# Download an image, without creating a virtual machine, using torrent client
multipass download ubuntu-lts --torrent

# Passes through --torrent parameter to the download command above
multipass launch --torrent

Thoughts?

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate multipass's current image download mechanism, likely in src/client or src/daemon. Evaluate using libtorrent or integrating a torrent client library. Define command line interface for new commands (download, list, purge). Consider caching strategy and disk management. There is no linked PR or maintainer response clarifying scope.
Tech stack
cpp
Domain
cliinfrastructurecloud
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Mostly clear
Prerequisites
C++NetworkingMultipass architecture
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
20