bug#59784: [version 1.4.0rc1] Retrying a failed install fails

[pelzflorian (Florian Pelz)]

Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org> writes:
> I tried to reproduce it:
>
>   0. I chose a basic installation to a fully-encrypted disk with a
>      single partition.
>
>   1. I hit Ctrl-C while ‘guix system init’ was downloading substitutes.
>
>   2. That led me to a confusing error screen says “Command cryptsetup
>      failed” with Ignore/Abort/Retry buttons.  This should have been
>      “Command guix system init” failed no?
>
>   3. I resumed starting with the “Configuration File” step, and there
>      ‘guix system init’ ran to completion just fine.

Yes, these were the steps, except I did not do encryption.  But I had
not told the whole story …  Sorry!

So what was missing is that the reason I pressed Ctrl-C was a rare
dropout by my Ethernet controller.  Because it is so rare and has not
happened anymore since, as a substitute, for reproducing, I did as
follows:

 0. Use Ethernet for the installation.

 1. During substitute downloading, pull the Ethernet plug.

 2. Get lucky so the installation will crash with an error and not just
    pause.  Otherwise, if no crash, repeat.

 3. Press Ctrl-C.

 4. Resume the installation from the last step.

 5. It will fail now.

I now uploaded an installer-dump-bade9971 of me reproducing the issue.

> Maybe the difference is that you hit Ctrl-C when ‘guix system init’ had
> already started copying stuff to /mnt?

No, like you, I was in the substitute downloading step.

This issue is much rarer than I thought.

Thank you for investigating.

Regards,
Florian