Re: hydra queue length

[Christopher Baines <mail@cbaines.net>]

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On Thu, 31 Aug 2017 12:47:21 -0400
Troy Sankey <sankeytms@gmail.com> wrote:

> I use Guix on an old thinkpad, and I've noticed that every time I run
> `guix pull` followed by `guix package -u`, I need to compile many of
> the packages.  That whole process could take about an hour on my
> laptop (compiling the package definitions, and many of the package
> upgrades in my profile).  I usually also have to close all my Firefox
> processes to free up memory.  On a weekly basis, I basically need to
> give up my laptop to guix for an hour.
> 
> My assumption is that this is due to the massive Hydra queue length.
> Hydra is so over-worked that many of the jobs get delayed for multiple
> days.  As of this writing, 2 of the 7 jobs currently running on Hydra
> were queued 2 and 3 days ago.
> 
> Is that a correct assumption?  If so, should I just be waiting 2 days
> between `guix pull` and `guix package -u`?  Is there some development
> work lined up to reduce the queue length, or is the Guix project just
> in need of more money to add machines to the build farm?

I think there is lots of room for improvement in this general area,
but, initially, you might want to try a few things, and see if they
improve your experience.

Firstly, try using `guix package --dry-run -u` or possibly `guix
weather` [1] if you have a manifest, as I think both of these commands
give some information about how much building guix package -u would
do, if you were to run it.

1: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-07/msg00288.html

Secondly, there are 3 main substitute servers that I know of: hydra,
bayfront, and berlin. You might want to check which ones you are using,
as adding more should increase the chance that you get substitutes
rather than building from source. There is some information about the
berlin substitute servers here [2].

2: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-08/msg00128.html

Let us know how you get on :)


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