Switch to Nix 2.0 #34636

edolstra · 2018-02-05T19:08:28Z

Hopefully we can switch to Nix 2.0 for NixOS 18.03. Nix 2.0 should be released in the next few weeks. This PR makes 2.0 the default (by temporarily pointing nix to nixUnstable) and updates nixos-install to work with it. It also adds a command nixos-enter that factors out the functionality of nixos-install --chroot.

This factors out the functionality in nixos-install for running a command inside a NixOS installation (nixos-install --chroot).

The use of Nix 2.0 significantly simplifies the installer, since we can just pass a different store URI (--store /mnt) - it's no longer needed to set up a chroot environment for the build, and to bootstrap Nix into the chroot. Also, commands that need to run in the installation (namely boot loader installation and setting a root password) are now executed using nixos-enter. This also removes the need for nixos-prepare-root since any required initialisation is done by Nix or by the activation script.

It requires the existence of /proc.

The activation script already does this.

...so it appears in a new installation before rebooting the system.

The boot test now runs "nix verify" to ensure that all hashes are correct.

E.g. nixos-install --root /tmp/mnt/ --no-bootloader --no-root-passwd now works for non-root users.

This is already provided by devtmpfs.

Of course, you'll get a bunch of warnings from the activation script: $ nixos-enter --root /tmp/mnt/ setting up /etc... mount: /dev: permission denied. mount: /dev/pts: permission denied. mount: /dev/shm: permission denied. mount: /sys: permission denied. /nix/var/nix/profiles/system/activate: line 74: /proc/sys/kernel/modprobe: Permission denied chown: changing ownership of '/run/wrappers/wrappers.0pKlU8JsvV/dbus-daemon-launch-helper': Invalid argument NOTE: Under Linux, effective file capabilities must either be empty, or exactly match the union of selected permitted and inheritable bits. Failed to set capabilities on file `/run/wrappers/wrappers.0pKlU8JsvV/ping' (Operation not permitted) chown: changing ownership of '/run/wrappers/wrappers.0pKlU8JsvV/unix_chkpwd': Invalid argument [root@nixos:/]#

This is useful in tests where we don't have network access. Passing --substituters "" prevents wasting time by checking cache.nixos.org.

Since nixos-install doesn't require any special privileges anymore, this Just Works. No more need for fakeroot / nixos-prepare-root.

This is no longer needed thanks to Nix 2.0 magic.

dezgeg · 2018-02-07T18:48:21Z

Do these installer changes also fix #27307 ?

Mic92 · 2018-02-09T16:17:35Z

nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-enter.sh

+
+# Run the activation script. Set $LOCALE_ARCHIVE to supress some Perl locale warnings.
+LOCALE_ARCHIVE=$system/sw/lib/locale/locale-archive chroot "$mountPoint" "$system/activate" >&2 || true
+


Bind mounting /etc/resolv.conf would be nice to have, if this tool is supposed to be a general-purpose tool.

Yeah that would be nice.

Without this, it will be created with 700 permissions.

copumpkin · 2018-02-27T19:40:08Z

nixos/modules/installer/tools/nixos-install.sh

+# Copy the NixOS/Nixpkgs sources to the target as the initial contents
+# of the NixOS channel.
+if [[ -z $noChannelCopy ]]; then
+    if [[ -z $channelPath ]]; then


Ooh, does this make the channel optional? I was just thinking of adding that feature to make-disk-image.nix, since it's quite annoying in many situations.

Well, it was already optional since we had the --no-channel-copy flag.

Oh I guess I just haven't exposed that in the disk image machinery. I'll probably take a look after this is merged.

Ericson2314 · 2018-02-27T22:52:57Z

Looks like the hydra job (and of borg) have passed it?!?!?!

edolstra · 2018-02-28T10:19:20Z

@vcunat Jobset is all green now so this should be good to merge.

shlevy

🚢

Ericson2314 · 2018-03-02T16:05:18Z

....did @vcunat want to have a final say on this, or @edolstra did you just ping him as one of the release managers?

edolstra · 2018-03-02T16:42:56Z

Yeah, it should be up to the release managers.

vcunat · 2018-03-02T16:49:17Z

If you feel it's ready, I believe you can go along. I haven't found time to really read the changes yet.

copumpkin · 2018-03-02T18:05:27Z

I haven't had a chance to test the image building changes yet, but don't let me hold you up. If something goes wrong, I'll fix it or talk to you 😄

7c6f434c · 2018-03-02T18:11:00Z

Now that the builds are performed in the target store, should it be documented that to have /tmp for the build also in the target filesystem, the user should set TMPDIR? (Or do I misunderstand the situation?)

vcunat · 2018-03-03T16:22:05Z

pkgs/tools/package-management/nix/default.nix

@@ -116,14 +116,22 @@ in rec {

  nix = nixStable;

-  nixStable = (common rec {
+  nix1 = (common rec {
    name = "nix-1.11.16";
    src = fetchurl {
      url = "http://nixos.org/releases/nix/${name}/${name}.tar.xz";
      sha256 = "0ca5782fc37d62238d13a620a7b4bff6a200bab1bd63003709249a776162357c";
    };
  }) // { perl-bindings = nixStable; };


@edolstra: is it intentional that perl-bindings for nix1 ~~come from~~ are nix2?

Well, I see it's wrong, as nixStable itself has no perl stuff inside, but I still don't know surely if it should be nixStable.perl-bindings or perl-bindings { nix = nix1; }.

Yeah that looks like a mistake. That isn't even Nix 2's perl bindings.

vcunat

The binding issue seems a nitpick, really. It's only referenced by hydra and that seems unlikely to be used with nix1 anymore...

I can't see any other problem.

vcunat · 2018-03-03T17:16:09Z

^^ hehe, GitHub confusing people again. I have reported such case to them once or twice during the past year or two, but apparently it still happens sometimes.

vcunat · 2018-03-03T22:34:27Z

Possibly a problem: #36268

dezgeg · 2018-04-14T17:00:04Z

I think these changes caused #38477. Previously, a mount --rbind /sys was done, but no longer, so I bet efivarfs is not getting mounted inside the nixos-enter chroot anymore.

edolstra added 3 commits February 5, 2018 13:49

Use nixUnstable as the default temporarily

294a4e6

Add a "nixos-enter" command

60cb230

This factors out the functionality in nixos-install for running a command inside a NixOS installation (nixos-install --chroot).

GrahamcOfBorg added 6.topic: nixos 8.has: documentation 8.has: module (update) labels Feb 5, 2018

FRidh added this to the 18.03 milestone Feb 5, 2018

grahamc added the 9.needs: changelog label Feb 5, 2018

GrahamcOfBorg added 10.rebuild-darwin: 11-100 10.rebuild-linux: 11-100 labels Feb 5, 2018

edolstra added 17 commits February 5, 2018 21:04

modprobe activation: Order after specialfs

1346923

It requires the existence of /proc.

nixos-enter: Don't mount special filesystems

f9e64db

The activation script already does this.

Move creation of /root to the activation script

cc0caac

...so it appears in a new installation before rebooting the system.

VM tests: Initialize the Nix database with correct NAR hashes/sizes

5193807

ISO images: Initialize the Nix database with correct NAR hashes/sizes

df117ac

The boot test now runs "nix verify" to ensure that all hashes are correct.

nixos-install: Don't require root

f0979ca

E.g. nixos-install --root /tmp/mnt/ --no-bootloader --no-root-passwd now works for non-root users.

nixos-enter: Check whether --root denotes a NixOS installation

bb030ec

Remove creation of /dev/{fd,stdin,stdout,stderr}

16bdaf3

This is already provided by devtmpfs.

nixos-install: Fix --closure

6daad9b

nixos-install: Create /etc

598a3f5

nixUnstable: 2.0pre5889_c287d731 -> 2.0pre5914_48c192ca

e76849d

Fix comments

f64a4af

nixos-install: Accept --substituters

5d8860b

This is useful in tests where we don't have network access. Passing --substituters "" prevents wasting time by checking cache.nixos.org.

make-disk-image.nix: Use nixos-install again

9802da5

Since nixos-install doesn't require any special privileges anymore, this Just Works. No more need for fakeroot / nixos-prepare-root.

nixos-prepare-root: Remove

0f5d597

This is no longer needed thanks to Nix 2.0 magic.

Doh

847ea13

Mic92 reviewed Feb 9, 2018

View reviewed changes

dezgeg mentioned this pull request Feb 19, 2018

use overlayfs by default for netboot and iso #35188

Merged

8 tasks

edolstra added 2 commits February 27, 2018 20:28

Create /home with the right permissions

9fc786c

Without this, it will be created with 700 permissions.

Don't try hashed mirrors in the installer test

ceb0a28

copumpkin reviewed Feb 27, 2018

View reviewed changes

edolstra changed the title ~~[WIP] Switch to Nix 2.0~~ Switch to Nix 2.0 Mar 2, 2018

shlevy approved these changes Mar 2, 2018

View reviewed changes

vcunat reviewed Mar 3, 2018

View reviewed changes

vcunat added 2 commits March 3, 2018 18:02

Merge branch 'master' into nix-2.0

b70c93f

18.03 release notes: nix-2.0 by default

729d72f

vcunat added 8.has: changelog and removed 9.needs: changelog labels Mar 3, 2018

vcunat approved these changes Mar 3, 2018

View reviewed changes

vcunat closed this Mar 3, 2018

vcunat deleted the nix-2.0 branch March 3, 2018 17:12

Mic92 merged commit 729d72f into master Mar 3, 2018

romildo mentioned this pull request Mar 3, 2018

a single version attribute for expressions previously using "majorVersion" #36168

Merged

vcunat mentioned this pull request Mar 3, 2018

closure-info broken on nixos-rebuild #36268

Closed

vcunat mentioned this pull request Mar 4, 2018

Installer builds derivations on host store #27307

Closed

YorikSar mentioned this pull request Mar 7, 2018

Can't build 18.03 GCE image on 17.09 system #36417

Closed

lheckemann mentioned this pull request Mar 9, 2018

nixos-install doesn't appear to idempotently set passwords #36493

Closed

Janik-Haag added the 12. first-time contribution label Jun 12, 2023

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Switch to Nix 2.0 #34636

Switch to Nix 2.0 #34636

edolstra commented Feb 5, 2018

dezgeg commented Feb 7, 2018

Mic92 Feb 9, 2018

edolstra Feb 28, 2018

copumpkin Feb 27, 2018

edolstra Feb 28, 2018

copumpkin Feb 28, 2018

Ericson2314 commented Feb 27, 2018

edolstra commented Feb 28, 2018

shlevy left a comment

Ericson2314 commented Mar 2, 2018 •

edited

edolstra commented Mar 2, 2018

vcunat commented Mar 2, 2018

copumpkin commented Mar 2, 2018

7c6f434c commented Mar 2, 2018

vcunat Mar 3, 2018 •

edited

vcunat Mar 3, 2018

Ericson2314 Mar 3, 2018

vcunat left a comment

vcunat commented Mar 3, 2018

vcunat commented Mar 3, 2018

dezgeg commented Apr 14, 2018


		# Run the activation script. Set $LOCALE_ARCHIVE to supress some Perl locale warnings.
		LOCALE_ARCHIVE=$system/sw/lib/locale/locale-archive chroot "$mountPoint" "$system/activate" >&2 \|\| true

Switch to Nix 2.0 #34636

Switch to Nix 2.0 #34636

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edolstra commented Feb 5, 2018

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