bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Mikael Djurfeldt]

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To reproduce the bug:

* install guix on top of an ordinary linux distribution using the install
script at guix.gnu.org

* install glibc-locales as root

Expected:

There should be a link ~root/.guix-profile/lib/locales

Actual:

No such link has been installed.

Note:

The link does get installed for other users than root.

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Marius Bakke]

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Tje Mikael,

Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:

> To reproduce the bug:
>
> * install guix on top of an ordinary linux distribution using the install
> script at guix.gnu.org
>
> * install glibc-locales as root
>
> Expected:
>
> There should be a link ~root/.guix-profile/lib/locales

That should be ~root/.guix-profile/lib/locale (note the singular).

This directory actually comes pre-populated with a small subset of UTF-8
locales when using the binary installation method like the script does,
so it's odd if you don't find anything there.

Which distribution are you on, and how do you become root?  Is the $HOME
variable set to root's home directory when you are in a root shell?

To figure out where the package gets installed, try running this
command:

find /var/guix/profiles -name sv_SE.utf8 -type d

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Mikael Djurfeldt]

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On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 7:18 PM Marius Bakke <mbakke@fastmail.com> wrote:

> Tje Mikael,
>
> Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:
>
> > To reproduce the bug:
> >
> > * install guix on top of an ordinary linux distribution using the install
> > script at guix.gnu.org
> >
> > * install glibc-locales as root
> >
> > Expected:
> >
> > There should be a link ~root/.guix-profile/lib/locales
>
> That should be ~root/.guix-profile/lib/locale (note the singular).
>

Right (just misspelled in the bug report).


> This directory actually comes pre-populated with a small subset of UTF-8
> locales when using the binary installation method like the script does,
> so it's odd if you don't find anything there.
>

I think so too. (But it's not true that it is a small subset of UTF-8
locales. It's a big package with several types of locale.)

>
> Which distribution are you on,


Debian Buster


> and how do you become root?


sudo -i


>   Is the $HOME
> variable set to root's home directory when you are in a root shell?
>

Yes.

To figure out where the package gets installed, try running this
> command:
>
> find /var/guix/profiles -name sv_SE.utf8 -type d
>

It's obvious that that line will produce an empty result. That is because
the sv_SE.utf8 directory only exists in the store. But I don't see the
point of looking it up in the store. The problem is that the link into the
store from the root user profile is never created. (It *is* created in
other user profiles.)

Best regards,
Mikael

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Marius Bakke]

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Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:

> To figure out where the package gets installed, try running this
>> command:
>>
>> find /var/guix/profiles -name sv_SE.utf8 -type d
>>
>
> It's obvious that that line will produce an empty result. That is because
> the sv_SE.utf8 directory only exists in the store. But I don't see the
> point of looking it up in the store. The problem is that the link into the
> store from the root user profile is never created. (It *is* created in
> other user profiles.)

I suspected that Guix installed it to a different user profile somehow,
since you did not get any errors apart from the missing directory (if I
read the bug report correctly).

Does 'guix install hello' work?

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Mikael Djurfeldt]

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On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 7:40 PM Marius Bakke <mbakke@fastmail.com> wrote:

> Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:
>
> > To figure out where the package gets installed, try running this
> >> command:
> >>
> >> find /var/guix/profiles -name sv_SE.utf8 -type d
> >>
> >
> > It's obvious that that line will produce an empty result. That is because
> > the sv_SE.utf8 directory only exists in the store. But I don't see the
> > point of looking it up in the store. The problem is that the link into
> the
> > store from the root user profile is never created. (It *is* created in
> > other user profiles.)
>
> I suspected that Guix installed it to a different user profile somehow,
> since you did not get any errors apart from the missing directory (if I
> read the bug report correctly).
>
> Does 'guix install hello' work?
>

Same problem there.

But thank you for your hypothesis above! I tried a different line with ls
-lLR and grep and then discovered that the links *are* indeed installed in
a different profile.

This led me to find my problem: For some reason, my ~root/.guix-profile was
pointing to the current-guix profile rather than the guix-profile.

It could have been me who did that. :(

Anyway, problem solved! This was not a guix bug.

Best regards,
Mikael

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Marius Bakke]

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Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:

> On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 7:40 PM Marius Bakke <mbakke@fastmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:
>>
>> > To figure out where the package gets installed, try running this
>> >> command:
>> >>
>> >> find /var/guix/profiles -name sv_SE.utf8 -type d
>> >>
>> >
>> > It's obvious that that line will produce an empty result. That is because
>> > the sv_SE.utf8 directory only exists in the store. But I don't see the
>> > point of looking it up in the store. The problem is that the link into
>> the
>> > store from the root user profile is never created. (It *is* created in
>> > other user profiles.)
>>
>> I suspected that Guix installed it to a different user profile somehow,
>> since you did not get any errors apart from the missing directory (if I
>> read the bug report correctly).
>>
>> Does 'guix install hello' work?
>>
>
> Same problem there.
>
> But thank you for your hypothesis above! I tried a different line with ls
> -lLR and grep and then discovered that the links *are* indeed installed in
> a different profile.
>
> This led me to find my problem: For some reason, my ~root/.guix-profile was
> pointing to the current-guix profile rather than the guix-profile.
>
> It could have been me who did that. :(

Heh, at least you got a decent learning experience.  ;-)

> Anyway, problem solved! This was not a guix bug.

Awesome, glad you found the problem!  I'm closing the bug report.

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[david larsson]

On 2020-03-18 20:02, Mikael Djurfeldt wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 7:40 PM Marius Bakke <mbakke@fastmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> Mikael Djurfeldt <mikael@djurfeldt.com> writes:
>> 
>>> To figure out where the package gets installed, try running this
>>>> command:
>>>> 
>>>> find /var/guix/profiles -name sv_SE.utf8 -type d
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> It's obvious that that line will producethere.

But thank you for your hypothesis above! I tried a different line with 
ls -lLR and grep and then discovered that the links *are* indeed 
installed in a different profile.

This led me to find my problem: For some rea an empty result. That is
>> because
>>> the sv_SE.utf8 directory only exists in the store. But I don't see
>> the
>>> point of looking it up in the store. The problem is that the link
>> into the
>>> store from the root user profile is never created. (It *is*
>> created in
>>> other user profiles.)
>> 
>> I suspected that Guix installed it to a different user profile
>> somehow,
>> since you did not get any errors apart from the missing directory
>> (if I
>> read the bug report correctly).
>> 
>> Does 'guix install hello' work?
> 
> Same problem there.
> 
> But thank you for your hypothesis above! I tried a different line with
> ls -lLR and grep and then discovered that the links *are* indeed
> installed in a different profile.
> 
> This led me to find my problem: For some reason, my
> ~root/.guix-profile was pointing to the current-guix profile rather
> than the guix-profile.
> 
> It could have been me who did that. :(
> 
> Anyway, problem solved! This was not a guix bug.

Not so fast! I just did the same yesterday using the install-script but 
on a RedHat server, and my /root/.config/guix/current pointed at 
/var/guix/profiles/per-user/MYOTHERUSER/current-guix instead of 
/var/guix-profiles/per-user/root/current-guix which it should be 
pointing at! I also think this is related to 
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guix/2020-01/msg00241.html

Best regards,
David

> 
> Best regards,
> Mikael

bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Mikael Djurfeldt]

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Den ons 18 mars 2020 21:48david larsson <david.larsson@selfhosted.xyz>
skrev:

>
> > This led me to find my problem: For some reason, my
> > ~root/.guix-profile was pointing to the current-guix profile rather
> > than the guix-profile.
> >
> > It could have been me who did that. :(
> >
> > Anyway, problem solved! This was not a guix bug.
>
> Not so fast! I just did the same yesterday using the install-script but
> on a RedHat server, and my /root/.config/guix/current pointed at
> /var/guix/profiles/per-user/MYOTHERUSER/current-guix instead of
> /var/guix-profiles/per-user/root/current-guix which it should be
> pointing at! I also think this is related to
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guix/2020-01/msg00241.html


I actually also think that there *is* a bug. But in my case it was either a
lack in the documentation of how to setup .guix-profile or lack of getting
this done automatically. This forced me into guesswork.

David, for your problem, I'm wondering if it couldn't be related to what
everyone has asked me: how you become root.

Best regards,
Mikael

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bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Leo Famulari]

On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 10:57:53PM +0100, Mikael Djurfeldt wrote:
> David, for your problem, I'm wondering if it couldn't be related to what
> everyone has asked me: how you become root.

Usually when you need to "be root" it just means that you want superuser
privileges, so people do `sudo su` or `sudo apt-get install foo`. It
works to execute the command, and most of the time it doesn't matter
which user actually runs the command.

But Guix is specifically designed as a per-user package manager. Each
user has their own view of "what is installed". It does matter who runs
commands like `guix pull` and `guix package`, because those commands
only affect the user who runs them.

This is why we are careful when giving examples using sudo, saying
either `sudo -E [--preserve-env]` or `sudo -i [--login]`, so that one
explicitly chooses which user to be.

The issue you had could be related...

bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[david larsson]

On 2020-03-18 22:57, Mikael Djurfeldt wrote:
> Den ons 18 mars 2020 21:48david larsson <david.larsson@selfhosted.xyz>
> skrev:
> 
>>> This led me to find my problem: For some reason, my
>>> ~root/.guix-profile was pointing to the current-guix profile
>> rather
>>> than the guix-profile.
>>> 
>>> It could have been me who did that. :(
>>> 
>>> Anyway, problem solved! This was not a guix bug.
>> 
>> Not so fast! I just did the same yesterday using the install-script
>> but
>> on a RedHat server, and my /root/.config/guix/current pointed at
>> /var/guix/profiles/per-user/MYOTHERUSER/current-guix instead of
>> /var/guix-profiles/per-user/root/current-guix which it should be
>> pointing at! I also think this is related to
>> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guix/2020-01/msg00241.html
> 
> I actually also think that there *is* a bug. But in my case it was
> either a lack in the documentation of how to setup .guix-profile or
> lack of getting this done automatically. This forced me into
> guesswork.
> 
> David, for your problem, I'm wondering if it couldn't be related to
> what everyone has asked me: how you become root.

That is very possible. There is a very informative deep-dive discussion 
about that here: https://issues.guix.gnu.org/issue/36785

> 
> Best regards,
> Mikael

bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[Leo Famulari]

On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 09:47:39PM +0100, david larsson wrote:
> Not so fast! I just did the same yesterday using the install-script but on a
> RedHat server, and my /root/.config/guix/current pointed at
> /var/guix/profiles/per-user/MYOTHERUSER/current-guix instead of
> /var/guix-profiles/per-user/root/current-guix which it should be pointing
> at! I also think this is related to
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guix/2020-01/msg00241.html

That's not good.

To clarify, did you only run the installer script here? And made no
manual changes related to Guix?

I assume it was the GNU Guix 1.0.1 binary for x86_64 from here?

https://guix.gnu.org/download/

bug#40123: glibc-locales: links missing in root user profile

[david larsson]

On 2020-03-19 02:26, Leo Famulari wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 09:47:39PM +0100, david larsson wrote:
>> Not so fast! I just did the same yesterday using the install-script 
>> but on a
>> RedHat server, and my /root/.config/guix/current pointed at
>> /var/guix/profiles/per-user/MYOTHERUSER/current-guix instead of
>> /var/guix-profiles/per-user/root/current-guix which it should be 
>> pointing
>> at! I also think this is related to
>> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-guix/2020-01/msg00241.html
> 
> That's not good.
> 
> To clarify, did you only run the installer script here? And made no
> manual changes related to Guix?

I probably also did something I shouldn't have with sudo or guix pull -p 
after running the guix-install.sh script, but I don't know for sure. If 
I had the time I would have rerun the script etc, to verify the output 
of ls -la ~/.config/guix/current directly after guix-install.sh and 
after guix pull etc, and check similar things as was checked here: 
https://issues.guix.gnu.org/issue/36785

> 
> I assume it was the GNU Guix 1.0.1 binary for x86_64 from here?
> 
> https://guix.gnu.org/download/

My root user's guix pull -l shows Guix 1.0.1 as first generation, and 
the install script uses https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/guix, but yes it is 
probably the same.