GNU bug report logs - #42161
Confusing 'guix system' backtrace when root file system is missing

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org>
To: bug-guix <at> gnu.org
Subject: Confusing '' error message
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2020 06:40:45 +0200

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi,

When doing guix system system.scm /path/to/empty/directory, I have the
following error message:

> # guix system --verbosity=99 --debug=99 --no-bootloader  init
> system.scm /srv/distros/guix/ guile: warning: failed to install locale
> acquiring global GC lock `/var/guix/gc.lock'
> acquiring read lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
> acquiring write lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
[...]
> acquiring write lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
> downgrading to read lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
> Backtrace:
>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
> In guix/ui.scm:
>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
> 
> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
> (expecting struct): #f

so I'm probably doing something wrong here as I'm probably not supposed
to abuse guix system init to create chroots for lxc.

However the issue is that there is no clear error message nor backtrace
telling me what exactly is wrong here. I don't even have a line in my
file that tells me what line is wrong.

I've attached the system.scm used for reference.

Denis.

[system.scm (text/x-scheme, attachment)]

[Message part 3 (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Message #8 received at 42161 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Ludovic Courtès <ludo <at> gnu.org>
To: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org>
Cc: 42161 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#42161: Confusing '' error message
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2020 09:48:26 +0200

Hello,

Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org> skribis:

> When doing guix system system.scm /path/to/empty/directory, I have the
> following error message:
>
>> # guix system --verbosity=99 --debug=99 --no-bootloader  init
>> system.scm /srv/distros/guix/ guile: warning: failed to install locale
>> acquiring global GC lock `/var/guix/gc.lock'
>> acquiring read lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
>> acquiring write lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
> [...]
>> acquiring write lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
>> downgrading to read lock on `/var/guix/temproots/14408'
>> Backtrace:
>>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
>> In guix/ui.scm:
>>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
>> 
>> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
>> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
>> (expecting struct): #f

Ah, I think it’s a longstanding bug having to do with ‘--debug’ for
levels greater than 4 or something.

In general, I recommend not using ‘--debug’: it’s rarely of any use,
even for someone working on Guix (but I reckon it’s logical to give it a
try when you’re trying to debug something!).  Perhaps we should just
rename it to ‘--daemon-debug’ or something.

If you’re having troubles building your system, I’d try building with
‘-v3’ (verbose mode) for example, or ‘--on-error=debug’ if the problem
is in your ‘system.scm’ file.

> so I'm probably doing something wrong here as I'm probably not supposed
> to abuse guix system init to create chroots for lxc.

I’m not familiar with lxc, but it looks like it should work.

HTH!

Ludo’.

Message #11 received at 42161 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org>
To: Ludovic Courtès <ludo <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 42161 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#42161: Confusing '' error message
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2020 01:53:34 +0200

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On Thu, 02 Jul 2020 09:48:26 +0200
Ludovic Courtès <ludo <at> gnu.org> wrote:

> Hello,
Hi,

> If you’re having troubles building your system, I’d try building with
> ‘-v3’ (verbose mode) for example, or ‘--on-error=debug’ if the problem
> is in your ‘system.scm’ file.

Here's with -v3
> # guix system -v3 --no-bootloader init system.scm /srv/distros/guix/
> guile: warning: failed to install locale
> Backtrace:
>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
> In guix/ui.scm:
>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
> 
> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
> (expecting struct): #f

And with -v3 and --on-error=debug:
> # guix system  --on-error=debug -v3 --no-bootloader init system.scm
> /srv/distros/guix/ guile: warning: failed to install locale
> Backtrace:
>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
> In guix/ui.scm:
>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
> 
> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
> (expecting struct): #f

In both cases it doesn't point to my system.scm, so I'm trying to start
suspecting that the issue is somewhere else. Though you need to keep in
mind that I just read the Scheme crashcourse from the GuiX cookbook
days ago, so I'm really far from being fluent in Scheme.

> > so I'm probably doing something wrong here as I'm probably not
> > supposed to abuse guix system init to create chroots for lxc.
> 
> I’m not familiar with lxc, but it looks like it should work.
In a nutshell I'm trying to install GuiX:
- without a bootloader
- in a directory that isn't the root of a filesystem

I've tried also on /mnt which is backed by a partition:
> /dev/sdb4 on /mnt type ext4 (rw,relatime)

And again I've the same error:
> guix system  --on-error=debug -v3 --no-bootloader init system.scm
> /mnt/ guile: warning: failed to install locale
> Backtrace:
>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
> In guix/ui.scm:
>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
> 
> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
> (expecting struct): #f

Is that part of my system.scm really correct:
> (file-systems %base-file-systems)

I hope that I'm not polluting bugreports for issues that I'm responsible
of, but I don't have enough knowledge to know that in advance, and I
was advised to bugreport on #guix IRC channel.

Denis.

[Message part 2 (application/pgp-signature, inline)]

Message #14 received at 42161 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Ludovic Courtès <ludo <at> gnu.org>
To: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org>
Cc: 42161 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#42161: Confusing '' error message
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2020 01:57:13 +0200

Hi,

Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org> skribis:

> And again I've the same error:
>> guix system  --on-error=debug -v3 --no-bootloader init system.scm
>> /mnt/ guile: warning: failed to install locale
>> Backtrace:
>>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
>> In guix/ui.scm:
>>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
>> 
>> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
>> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
>> (expecting struct): #f
>
> Is that part of my system.scm really correct:
>> (file-systems %base-file-systems)
>
> I hope that I'm not polluting bugreports for issues that I'm responsible
> of, but I don't have enough knowledge to know that in advance, and I
> was advised to bugreport on #guix IRC channel.

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.  You were right: the root
cause here is that the ‘file-systems’ field does not specify a root file
system.

Could you add one and let me know how it goes?

I’ve done two things to improve the situation:

  1. Commit a168c3e4f8d580f70e1c26bcdfc5b8378b2fa42d fixes a
     longstanding issues where we’d get useless backtraces like the one
     above in such circumstances.

  2. Commit d7e9e0bbc9aadec3e1830767a8771bfbe9c43155 changes ‘guix
     system’ so that a “missing root file system” error message is
     printed in this case.

Thanks,
Ludo’.

Message #21 received at 42161-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Maxim Cournoyer <maxim.cournoyer <at> gmail.com>
To: Ludovic Courtès <ludo <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 42161-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org,
 Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org>
Subject: Re: bug#42161: Confusing 'guix system' backtrace when root file
 system is missing
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2021 14:26:21 -0500

Hello Ludovic,

Ludovic Courtès <ludo <at> gnu.org> writes:

> Hi,
>
> Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo <at> cyberdimension.org> skribis:
>
>> And again I've the same error:
>>> guix system  --on-error=debug -v3 --no-bootloader init system.scm
>>> /mnt/ guile: warning: failed to install locale
>>> Backtrace:
>>>            1 (primitive-load "/root/.config/guix/current/bin/guix")
>>> In guix/ui.scm:
>>>   1949:12  0 (run-guix-command _ . _)
>>> 
>>> guix/ui.scm:1949:12: In procedure run-guix-command:
>>> In procedure struct-vtable: Wrong type argument in position 1
>>> (expecting struct): #f
>>
>> Is that part of my system.scm really correct:
>>> (file-systems %base-file-systems)
>>
>> I hope that I'm not polluting bugreports for issues that I'm responsible
>> of, but I don't have enough knowledge to know that in advance, and I
>> was advised to bugreport on #guix IRC channel.
>
> Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.  You were right: the root
> cause here is that the ‘file-systems’ field does not specify a root file
> system.
>
> Could you add one and let me know how it goes?
>
> I’ve done two things to improve the situation:
>
>   1. Commit a168c3e4f8d580f70e1c26bcdfc5b8378b2fa42d fixes a
>      longstanding issues where we’d get useless backtraces like the one
>      above in such circumstances.
>
>   2. Commit d7e9e0bbc9aadec3e1830767a8771bfbe9c43155 changes ‘guix
>      system’ so that a “missing root file system” error message is
>      printed in this case.

It seems you've addressed the problem thoroughly, thank you!

Closing,

Maxim

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