In GitLab, the process of setting up a new runner and connecting it to a project involves several steps. Here are the general steps you’ll need to follow:
- Install GitLab Runner: First, you’ll need to install GitLab Runner on the machine where you want your jobs to run. The instructions can vary depending on your operating system. You can find more detailed instructions in the official GitLab Runner installation documentation.
- Register the Runner: After the GitLab Runner has been installed, you’ll need to register it with your GitLab instance. This can be done from the command line using the
gitlab-runner registercommand. The registration process requires a URL for your GitLab instance and a registration token, which you can find in your GitLab project’s settings underCI/CDsettings. The command will look like:
sudo gitlab-runner register
When prompted, input your GitLab instance’s URL, the registration token, a description for the runner, and the tags for the runner (if any). Also, specify the executor for the runner such as shell, docker, etc.
- Verify Runner is Connected: Once your runner is registered, you should see it listed in your project’s Settings under
CI/CDin theRunnerssection. It should show as connected and you’ll be able to enable or disable it, or even remove it. - Configure .gitlab-ci.yml: To use the runner, your project should have a .gitlab-ci.yml file which outlines the jobs that the runner will execute. Depending on the tags you assigned to the runner during the registration, make sure the jobs in the .gitlab-ci.yml file has the corresponding tags so that they can be picked up by the runner.
Remember, if the runner is not connecting, it might be due to network issues, the runner service not running on the machine where it was installed, or incorrect registration details. Make sure the runner machine has proper network access to the GitLab instance and that the GitLab Runner service is running.
you can start, stop, or restart GitLab Runner using service control commands on your machine where the runner is installed.
Firstly, you need to ensure that the GitLab Runner is installed as a service on your machine. When installed as a service, you can manage the runner service using the standard service control commands provided by your operating system.
Here are some examples on how to control the GitLab Runner service:
For Linux (assuming you’re using systemd):
To start the GitLab Runner service:
sudo systemctl start gitlab-runner
To stop the GitLab Runner service:
sudo systemctl stop gitlab-runner
To restart the GitLab Runner service:
sudo systemctl restart gitlab-runner
To check the status of the GitLab Runner service:
sudo systemctl status gitlab-runner
For Windows:
To start the GitLab Runner service:
net start gitlab-runner
To stop the GitLab Runner service:
net stop gitlab-runner
Please replace gitlab-runner with the name of your service if you have named it differently. If you are not sure about the name, you can check it by looking at the list of services on your machine. For systemd, you can use systemctl list-units –type=service to list all services.
