Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[w96k]

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Hello. Looks like Guix website (guix.gnu.org) and guix ci in cli (can't
pull and install packages from ci.guix.gnu.org) doesn't work without a
tor for some users from Russia including me. Gnu.org works fine without
a tor.

The website is not blocked by Russian government (at least looks like
so):

https://www.isitblockedinrussia.com/?host=guix.gnu.org

As far as I know they block it by domain address, but I might be wrong.

I want to ask guix server location and ask is it some kind of ban from
guix server side or not? Maybe guix server provider or government bans
some russian ips now. Everything works fine through tor for me and some
ru users. It would be sad to stop using guix system because of war
issues.

Also it is kinda related to GNU's freedom #1, because not everyone can
access the code and the compiled software via internet connection: "The
freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your
computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a
precondition for this."

On a related note, do you think it might be a good idea to make offline
guix distribution? Looks like Russia has a danger of internet shutdowns
or china-like internet limitations. It can be organized like
/gnu/sources/ folder with source code of many packages and when package
name is present them, guix would choose to build from source without
trying to connect to the servers or something like it. Just an idea.

Thanks in advance.




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Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Dominic Martinez]

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I don't know anything about gnu.org's availability, but if you 
want to download sources ahead of time you can do so with the guix 
build --sources flag. It will download the source of a package or 
derivation and put it in the store. For instance, you could 
download the sources of a package manifest and all of its 
transitive dependencies with the following:

guix build --sources=transitive --manifest=manifest.scm

I'm not sure how something fully offline would work though, as the 
sources for all Guix packages would take up a massive amount of 
disk space. The number of packages each person would want offline 
would also depend on how much disk space they are willing to give 
up.

w96k@riseup.net writes:

> Hello. Looks like Guix website (guix.gnu.org) and guix ci in cli 
> (can't
> pull and install packages from ci.guix.gnu.org) doesn't work 
> without a
> tor for some users from Russia including me. Gnu.org works fine 
> without
> a tor.
>
> The website is not blocked by Russian government (at least looks 
> like
> so):
>
> https://www.isitblockedinrussia.com/?host=guix.gnu.org
>
> As far as I know they block it by domain address, but I might be 
> wrong.
>
> I want to ask guix server location and ask is it some kind of 
> ban from
> guix server side or not? Maybe guix server provider or 
> government bans
> some russian ips now. Everything works fine through tor for me 
> and some
> ru users. It would be sad to stop using guix system because of 
> war
> issues.
>
> Also it is kinda related to GNU's freedom #1, because not 
> everyone can
> access the code and the compiled software via internet 
> connection: "The
> freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does 
> your
> computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is 
> a
> precondition for this."
>
> On a related note, do you think it might be a good idea to make 
> offline
> guix distribution? Looks like Russia has a danger of internet 
> shutdowns
> or china-like internet limitations. It can be organized like
> /gnu/sources/ folder with source code of many packages and when 
> package
> name is present them, guix would choose to build from source 
> without
> trying to connect to the servers or something like it. Just an 
> idea.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
>
>
> [2. image/png; guix.png]...


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Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Julien Lepiller]

Hi!

I'm sorry to hear that you can't access the ci. At least, I don't think it's an intentional block from the Guix project. The website and ci are located at the MDC, in Berlin. We also have a second official build farm in Bordeaux, France. If you don't have it already configured, try it: https://bordeaux.guix.gnu.org.

Now if Russia decides to create its own great firewall, we might have a solution. There's already a mirror for Chinese users, so we could set one up for Russians if need be.

On March 1, 2022 12:21:46 AM GMT+01:00, w96k@riseup.net wrote:
>Hello. Looks like Guix website (guix.gnu.org) and guix ci in cli (can't
>pull and install packages from ci.guix.gnu.org) doesn't work without a
>tor for some users from Russia including me. Gnu.org works fine without
>a tor.
>
>The website is not blocked by Russian government (at least looks like
>so):
>
>https://www.isitblockedinrussia.com/?host=guix.gnu.org
>
>As far as I know they block it by domain address, but I might be wrong.
>
>I want to ask guix server location and ask is it some kind of ban from
>guix server side or not? Maybe guix server provider or government bans
>some russian ips now. Everything works fine through tor for me and some
>ru users. It would be sad to stop using guix system because of war
>issues.
>
>Also it is kinda related to GNU's freedom #1, because not everyone can
>access the code and the compiled software via internet connection: "The
>freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your
>computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a
>precondition for this."
>
>On a related note, do you think it might be a good idea to make offline
>guix distribution? Looks like Russia has a danger of internet shutdowns
>or china-like internet limitations. It can be organized like
>/gnu/sources/ folder with source code of many packages and when package
>name is present them, guix would choose to build from source without
>trying to connect to the servers or something like it. Just an idea.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>
>

Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Ricardo Wurmus]

Hi,

w96k@riseup.net writes:

> I want to ask guix server location and ask is it some kind of ban from
> guix server side or not? Maybe guix server provider or government bans
> some russian ips now.

On the Guix side we don’t block anyone with a firewall.

The data centre is in Berlin and it uses infrastructure of the Deutsches
Forschungsnetz (DFN).  The DFN has not announced any network wide bans
of connection attempts from Russia.

The institute hosting the servers is the MDC and it is a member of the
Helmholtz Association.  The Helmholtz Association announced on February
25 that they would implement unspecified measures to freeze all
scientific collaboration with institutions in Russia.  I haven’t been
informed of any specific decisions in this area, but it is possible that
access restrictions have been demanded at that level.

I’ll ask around.

-- 
Ricardo

Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Ricardo Wurmus]

Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net> writes:

> w96k@riseup.net writes:
>
>> I want to ask guix server location and ask is it some kind of ban from
>> guix server side or not? Maybe guix server provider or government bans
>> some russian ips now.
[…]
> I’ll ask around.

At the MDC level there’s an unrelated recent ban of some Russian IP
ranges in place due to massively increased port scans and intrusion
attempts since about one week.

I hope you can use the Chinese mirror for the time being.

-- 
Ricardo

#StopRussianAggression, Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Mykola Nikishov]

w96k@riseup.net writes:

> Hello. Looks like Guix website (guix.gnu.org) and guix ci in cli (can't
> pull and install packages from ci.guix.gnu.org) doesn't work without a
> tor for some users from Russia including me. Gnu.org works fine without
> a tor.

It is likely because of something like
https://www.engadget.com/cogent-communications-223135454.html:

    Cogent Communications, an internet backbone provider that carries
    approximately 25 percent of all global web traffic, has begun cutting
    ties with Russian businesses in response to the country’s invasion of
    Ukraine.

I'm fine that someone took action to violate your GNU freedoms in favor
of my freedom #0.0 - freedom to stay alive, in the first place.

#StopRussianAggression

-- 
Mykola

Libre/Free Java Software Developer
https://manandbytes.gitlab.io/

Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Tobias Geerinckx-Rice]

Mykola,

I hope this nightmare for all Ukranians ends as soon as possible.

However, I thought we'd made it clear that these lists are no place for hatred.

Those unfortunate to live inside an authoritarian state deserve as much freedom and compassion as its other victims.  They certainly don't deserve to be punished for it.

By denying them the right to facts, privacy, and security you're not merely punishing them: you're doing your enemy's job for free.

Anyway, back at the topic...

Others in a similar country have previously set up a 'Guix mirror' using specialised software: <https://www.mail-archive.com/guix-devel@gnu.org/msg55848.html>.  I guess it's worth trying from within Russia?


Kind regards,

T G-R

Sent on the go.  Excuse or enjoy my brevity.

Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia

[Jonathan McHugh]

***no coding but pertinent to this thread***

As somebody who recently experienced collateral effects (seemingly) as an indirect consequence of the ongoing war, I can attest that the conflict is multifaceted.
I consider the integrity of operating systems to be so significant that when confronted with an anomoly I had to risk my personal liberty in the face of liberal institutions (and all the latency that Western institutionalism creates) - to minimise any risk of harm to others.

Anybody wanting to understanding the ambiguities that contradict the dualism which is sweeping over the world may want to consider reading cold war authors such as Len Deighton (or at least this is my impression from childhood reading (there is nothing in the world more dangerous to the status quo than a child with a library card...)).

I recall an anecdote of a new Conservative MP entering the Palace of Westminster with an experienced colleague:
"I cant wait to get the chance to get at the enemy" he said, beckoning to the other party's benches.
"You are thoroughly mistaken," his mentor said, "the enemy is over there!", pointing to the backbench of their own party.


As a professional coder, my renumeration involves providing work as a public good. Uniquely, I have dscretion regarding which licence to choose.

As somebody who would try to position oneself as close to pacivism as possible (Im sure I have enough caveats, exceptions and contradictions that impede me reaching such an honourary status), I tried to identify something which would 'turn swords into ploughshares' and limit the ability for my works to be used to censor, discriminate or be used against local or foreign populations.

Alas, such 'crayon licenses' seem to be too convoluted to practically work - rendering legal compatability as obtuse as my my coding, concepts and prose (indeed that cumbersome...), limiting any of my work inoperabile with non individual/atomic activity and practically unenforceable.

The logic of GNU's licensing was that like a pen and paper one should not to able to discriminate and its problematic to accurately and sustainably place contraints.

Now, it is arguable that the history of MIT funding with connection to American military funding may have encouraged such an *expedient/pragmatic* position but I am not positioned well enough to swim up such a fast moving currents.

As coders we have a responsibility to remember the words of Oscar Wilde:

"If you want a man to speak the truth give him a mask"

To those lacking a deeper awareness of the man's work it is perhaps worth understanding the context behind why he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol. As well as the reasons as to why it was written under the pseudonym C.3.3. . 

The ability to internalise such blemishes on liberal institutions and act upon them are in many respects my distinction between a "subject" and a "citizen".

To those with the luxury of freedom of conscience or the ambition for greater autonomy I have further appeal for level headness with regards to the war - watch out for bullshitters and knaves on your own benches, there is enough obfuscation within each invididual's nation state for us to counter to help resolve this conflict, as well as inhibit the drivers that promote our aggregate insecurity.

Id like to think these thoughts uncontentious. Id personally not like to further impede coding flow (I hope I have emboldened enough re the paramount importance of secure, private and accountable information archiecture). However...

I do have three distracting points to address:
* If you want to extinguish the fire of the Russian military complex (and other autocratic regimes) we need to heavily invest right now in insulation to decouple from these pernicious parashites. Do not complain about blood or plead the need to spaff money on destructive instruments - all political and economic attention should be made to turning off the taps at our end. Do you desire peace enough that you would insulate a stranger's home? Or merely bomb anothers?
* I do not prioritise the opinion of hawkish nation states with regards to their interaction to Putin. Its my bias to consider that Putin would flinch if he fully internalised why the existence of the Republic of Ireland is not an aberation but a natural equilibrium (everybody is entitled to consider (in a normative sense) its current boundaries to be a static or a dynamic point)
* If you think you can sneer at another nation based upon something which your nation was doing within living memory then you need to remember that societies dont have the lifespan of mayflies - they are a culmination of hundreds if not thousands of years of behaviour, please take a long view on where we need to all go.

Peace to all,

xxx

====================
Jonathan McHugh
indieterminacy@libre.brussels

March 7, 2022 2:57 AM, "Tobias Geerinckx-Rice" <me@tobias.gr> wrote:

> Mykola,
> 
> I hope this nightmare for all Ukranians ends as soon as possible.
> 
> However, I thought we'd made it clear that these lists are no place for hatred.
> 
> Those unfortunate to live inside an authoritarian state deserve as much freedom and compassion as
> its other victims. They certainly don't deserve to be punished for it.
> 
> By denying them the right to facts, privacy, and security you're not merely punishing them: you're
> doing your enemy's job for free.
> 
> Anyway, back at the topic...
> 
> Others in a similar country have previously set up a 'Guix mirror' using specialised software:
> <https://www.mail-archive.com/guix-devel@gnu.org/msg55848.html>. I guess it's worth trying from
> within Russia?
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> T G-R
> 
> Sent on the go. Excuse or enjoy my brevity.