Set up Mist browser for a private go-ethereum docker cluster

Question

Consider a base set up consisting of 'n' docker containers (within a VM running on OSX), each running a geth instance. Thanks to the guidance from @BokkyPooBah, in a different thread, I have been able to set up a cluster of 4 containers all added as peers on the network each having an account. Now, I am trying to have the Mist browser interface on the host OSX to interface with the containers to be able to navigate across accounts. Typical instructions and help around using the browser suggest how the browser can be connected to a single geth instance. Is there a way to have the browser, interface across multiple nodes(containers)?

Answer 1

You should be able to run geth on your command line with your private network setup parameters IF you have --ipcpath pointing to the default ~/Library/Ethereum/geth.ipc file path.

Start Ethereum Wallet and it will use the default IPC path to communicate with geth that is running to communicate with your local private network.

I have just tested this with geth --dev ... and I see a "PRIVATE-NET" in red in the top menu bar of Ethereum Wallet, with my --dev network accounts loaded.

Q: Now, I am trying to have the Mist browser interface on the host OSX to interface with the containers to be able to navigate across accounts.

A: You can navigate across the accounts if you have all the accounts loaded in the geth instance that the Mist browser is connected to. Just copy the files from your keystores in each Docker node into the keystore of the geth instance that Ethereum Wallet will connect to.

Q: Is there a way to have the browser, interface across multiple nodes(containers)?

A: From the source code, it seems that the Ethereum Wallet will only communicate with one geth instance at the one time.

Ethereum Wallet Hardcoded IPC File Paths

From Mist getIpcPath.js - lines 10 to 23, here are the hardcoded IPC file paths:

module.exports = function() {
    var p = require('path');
    var path = global.path.HOME;

    if(process.platform === 'darwin')
        path += '/Library/Ethereum/geth.ipc';

    if(process.platform === 'freebsd' ||
       process.platform === 'linux' ||
       process.platform === 'sunos')
       path += '/.ethereum/geth.ipc';

    if(process.platform === 'win32')
       path = '\\\\.\\pipe\\geth.ipc';