Bootstrapping Guix on HPC without Root

[Wm Salt Hale <salt@altsalt.net>]

Hello,

I have been attempting to install Guix on the University of Washington's
HPC using a modified bootstrapping script based on
https://github.com/pjotrp/nix-no-root

Unfortunately, after fighting through dependency hell and reaching the
configure step, I've hit another wall that seems to be new territory.

Our build server does not have network access, so when I try to `make`
this is spit out:

```
$ make
make  all-recursive
make[1]: Entering directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0'
Making all in po/guix
make[2]: Entering directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0/po/guix'
make[2]: Leaving directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0/po/guix'
Making all in po/packages
make[2]: Entering directory
`/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0/po/packages' make[2]: Leaving
directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0/po/packages' make[2]:
Entering directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0' Compiling Scheme
modules... LOAD     (guix config)
;;; note: source file ./guix/config.scm
;;;       newer than
compiled /com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0/guix/config.go GUILEC
guix/config.go DL
gnu/packages/bootstrap/aarch64-linux/guile-2.0.14.tar.xz downloading
file `gnu/packages/bootstrap/aarch64-linux/guile-2.0.14.tar.xz' from
`http://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/guix/bootstrap/aarch64-linux/20170217/guile-2.0.14.tar.xz'...
Backtrace: In ice-9/boot-9.scm:
 160: 10 [catch #t #<catch-closure 1eda040> ...]
In unknown file:
   ?: 9 [apply-smob/1 #<catch-closure 1eda040>]
In ice-9/boot-9.scm:
  66: 8 [call-with-prompt prompt0 ...]
In ice-9/eval.scm:
 432: 7 [eval # #]
In ice-9/boot-9.scm:
2412: 6 [save-module-excursion #<procedure 2048800 at
ice-9/boot-9.scm:4084:3 ()>] 4091: 5 [#<procedure 2048800 at
ice-9/boot-9.scm:4084:3 ()>] 1734: 4 [%start-stack load-stack ...]
1739: 3 [#<procedure 205aed0 ()>]
In unknown file:
   ?: 2 [primitive-load
"/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0/./build-aux/download.scm"] In
ice-9/r4rs.scm: 39: 1 [call-with-values #<procedure 26949c0 at
ice-9/eval.scm:416:20 ()> ...] In web/client.scm:
 250: 0 [http-get # # #f ...]

web/client.scm:250:25: In procedure http-get:
web/client.scm:250:25: In procedure connect: Network is unreachable
make[2]: *** [gnu/packages/bootstrap/aarch64-linux/guile-2.0.14.tar.xz]
Error 1 make[2]: Leaving directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/com/guix/guix-boot/guix-0.13.0'
make: *** [all] Error 2
```

I am wondering if there is a way to pre-download this (and any other)
requirements before make is run?

Perhaps there is a way to run the download stages of the build script
while on our login node and then switch over to compile on the build
node?

Maybe there's another solution that I'm not seeing.

Any assistance or direction would be greatly appreciated!

--
Salt