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Re: How to install previous versions?


From: Zelphir Kaltstahl
Subject: Re: How to install previous versions?
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2020 15:58:41 +0200
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/68.10.0

Hi Zimoun!

Thank you for your detailed reply! You've given me something to chew on.
In the meantime I wrote down everything I understood so far here:
https://notabug.org/ZelphirKaltstahl/guix-package-manager-tutorials/src/master/guide.org

I'll try to get the "versions of packages from multiple GNU Guix
commits" part done there as well.

I also have another question: What is the best way to find out about
until which commit id a package was available in a specific version? Is
that website the only way, or is there a way from command line to search
for the GNU Guix commit? Something like:

~~~~
guix search-guix-commit-for-package-with-version python-redis@3.3.8 --last
--> Revision c7011ff850420fdbe1319b3d218bd362f2f9d618
guix search-guix-commit-for-package-with-version python-redis@3.3.8 --first
--> Revision f5111b4d2b982d58387188bc3018e4dd2e9a9d4f
~~~~

or at least something only involving command line and not requiring me
to bisect on GNU Guix commits ^^?

Best regards,
Zelphir

On 10/10/20 6:44 PM, zimoun wrote:
> Dear,
>
> On Sat, 10 Oct 2020 at 17:15, Zelphir Kaltstahl
> <zelphirkaltstahl@posteo.de> wrote:
>
>> For example, clicking leads to:
>>
>> http://data.guix.gnu.org/revision/f5111b4d2b982d58387188bc3018e4dd2e9a9d4f
>>
>> Here is where I am lost. Where do I need to click?
> Click on one date.  The row is:
>
>      Version Output Builds From To
>
> and From mean the date of the first commit where the package is at the
> version Version.
> To is the date of the last commit.
>
>
>> And this gives you the commit with 'python-redis@3.8', using the command:
>>
>>   guix time-machine --commit=f5111b \
>>          -- environment --ad-hoc python-redis python \
>>          -- python
>>
>> OK, assume I get the commit id.
>>
>> I just tried this with the following command:
>>
>> ~~~~
>> guix time-machine --commit=f5111b -- environment --ad-hoc 
>> 'python-redis@3.3.8' 'python@3.8' -- python3.8
>> ~~~~
> Remove the '@X.Y'.  It does not make sense since it is somehow already
> included by the specification of the commit.
>
>
>> My guess is, that in this commit of Guix there was no Python 3.8.2 yet? Or 
>> perhaps `python-redis` was not build for that Python version?
> The "guix time-machine" gives you the exact same Guix as it was at the
> commit specification.  Therefore, since the commit f5111b provides the
> version of python-redis you want, all the others do matter.
>
>
>> I do not have a specific use-case at this moment, but I would like to know 
>> how to get those specific versions, the same every single time I run the 
>> command. To compare, when I create a virtual environment using:
> As I have tried to explain. :-)
>
> In your project directory, you have to add 2 files about Guix:
>
>    guix describe -f channels > channels.scm
>
> and the manifest.scm file containing the list of packages the project
> requires.  Then at any point in time, you can always do:
>
>    guix time-machine -C channels.scm -- <subcommand> -m manifest <options>
>
>
>> ~~~~
>> python3 -m venv venv
>> source venv/bin/activate
>> pip install --requirement requirements.txt
>> ~~~~
> The issue with this approach is that somehow you need a SAT solver.
> But that's another story. ;-)
>
> With Guix, AFAICT, the similar is:
>  - channels.scm which specifies a Guix version and so packages versions
>  - manifest.scm which specifies the list of packages.
>
>
>> But that is, what I already have, isn't it? There is no part in this, that 
>> indicates `guix time-machine`. If time-machine is necessary to get the older 
>> version of python-redis@3.3.8 in the command line, then there must be 
>> something I need to write in the manifest.scm file to let Guix know, that I 
>> want a specific commit id. Or perhaps this is not possible with a manifest? 
>> Or is the idea, that I need to have a tracked channel as well to achieve it?
> It is possible with the manifest but AFAIU it is a bit tricky and you
> should write some Scheme.  The easiest is using a channels.scm file.
> See above.
>
>
>> The other no-so-said is to track "guix describe", you *should* _track_
>> the file channels.scm:
>>
>>    guix describe -f channels.scm
>>
>> OK this is probably the part, where I need to read the docs about it. I do 
>> not have a channels.scm and I do not know what does in there. I only have a 
>> vague idea about channels in my head.
> Maybe with the output is easier to get the point. :-)
>
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> $ guix describe -f channels
> (list (channel
>         (name 'guix)
>         (url "https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/guix.git";)
>         (commit
>           "a0d4aa2457d7e36012143ffe3fbc9dd4bc20ca4f")
>         (introduction
>           (make-channel-introduction
>             "9edb3f66fd807b096b48283debdcddccfea34bad"
>             (openpgp-fingerprint
>               "BBB0 2DDF 2CEA F6A8 0D1D  E643 A2A0 6DF2 A33A 54FA")))))
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
>
> Basically, I have only one channel which is the official GNU Guix
> "%default-channels".  The important information here are:
>
>  - url: from where it fetch
>  - commit: which checkout uses
>
> Therefore, "guix time-machine -C the/channel./file.scm -- help" will
> fetch from url and restore at the commit.
>
> The other parts are important too. ;-)  But not for your question. :-)
> Well, basically you can even drop them and it will be fine.
>
> So yes, please go read the channel section.  It has recently been
> reordered to be more "understandable".  Feedback is very welcome. :-)
>
>
>> Then later or on another machine, you simply run the command:
>>
>>    guix time-machine -C path/to/channels.scm \
>>           -- <subcommand> -m path/to/manifest.scm <options>
>>
>> If I understand this correctly, a manifest with specific versions can only 
>> be guaranteed to work, if I track a channel as well. And somehow in that 
>> channel definition, I must specify which commit of Guix I am on? But 
>> wouldn't that limit my choice of libraries to what was available in one 
>> commit?
> Yes, the same way the choice of libraries is limited at each commit state. :-)
>
> It is possible to mix libraries from different commits but the UI is
> not as easy as it should be.
>
> For example, imagine you are doing:
>
>   guix pull
>   guix install -m foo.scm /tmp/A
>   [...] # time flies
>   guix pull
>   guix install -m bar.scm /tmp/B
>
> And let assume that foo and bar are *not* coming from the same Guix
> commit.  You can still do:
>
>   guix package --search-paths -p /tmp/A -p /tmp/B
>
> and therefore mix the two libraries.
>
> Well, using the time-machine, you need to track the commit which
> provided foo and the one of bar.  Then:
>
>   guix time-machine --commit=commit-A -- install -m foo.scm -p /tmp/AA
>   guix time-machine --commit=commit-B -- install -m bar.scm -p /tmp/BB
>
> Then "guix package --search-paths -p /tmp/AA -p /tmp/BB" should
> provide the exact same thing as before.
>
> That's why it is important to track the Guix commit (guix describe -f
> channels) of software you are installing.  Without this piece of
> information, it is (almost) impossible to reinstall (other point in
> time or space) the exact same version of the very software.
>
> Hope that helps,
> simon

-- 
repositories: https://notabug.org/ZelphirKaltstahl



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