From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Mark H Weaver Subject: error: build failed: committing transaction: disk I/O error Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:20:19 -0400 Message-ID: <8761nlicxo.fsf@yeeloong.lan> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:53898) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WNEBH-0005Yp-J8 for guix-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:20:50 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WNEBA-0003XV-7H for guix-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:20:43 -0400 Received: from world.peace.net ([96.39.62.75]:43565) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1WNEBA-0003WV-0x for guix-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:20:36 -0400 List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: guix-devel@gnu.org In recent weeks on my system, it has become fairly common for the daemon to get into a bad state, where all build attempts fail with messages like this: --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- mhw:~/guix-core-updates$ ./pre-inst-env guix build -n emacs error (ignored): aborting transaction: cannot rollback - no transaction is active guix build: error: build failed: committing transaction: disk I/O error mhw:~/guix-core-updates$ --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- Restarting 'guix-daemon' always fixes it, until the next time. Note that this happens on the master branch too, not just core-updates. This is on my MIPS system (YeeLoong 8101B with Loongson 2F CPU). I'm not sure if that's relevant. Has anyone else seen this? Unfortunately, I don't have a clear memory of what changes I made to my system around the time this problem time began. Possibilities include: 1. I switched to using Guix programs and libraries exclusively in my user session, and using them to build Guix itself, around that time. 2. I updated the upstream nix sources for the daemon around that time. 3. I switched to a modern version of Linux (3.13.x) around that time, which I'm pleased to report is now rock solid on my YeeLoong (uptime 13 days so far, under continuous heavy load). Any ideas? When I get a chance, I'll attach 'strace' and/or 'gdb' to the daemon and gather more info. Mark