[ARROW-16835] [CI][Python] Investigate using self-hosted runner for older macOS wheels

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Open
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Unresolved
• Component/s: Continuous Integration, Packaging, Python
• External issue URL: https://github.com/apache/arrow/issues/32164
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Antoine Pitrou
• Created: 15/Jun/22 13:41
• Updated: 11/Jan/23 11:46

Description

Currently the wheel-macos-high-sierra-* and wheel-macos-mavericks-* packages use Github Actions runners in order to get the right macOS version.

But perhaps that could be improved by making it a two-step process?

• the expensive step, which is building the wheel, can be done on a newer macOS version if the right macOS Deployment Target is set
• the cheaper step, which is testing the just-built wheel, can be run on the desired macOS runner

That way, the very constrained execution capacity available on GHA macOS runners would be less stressed by our CI jobs.