[Nix-dev] Stuck on "Install NixOS on Linode" - bootstrap archives download

[Daniel Clark]

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 7:56 PM, Marc Weber <marco-oweber at gmx.de> wrote:
> Hi Daniel,
>
> At least my assertions do a good job :)

Yep!

> Missing documentation? You're the first one asking for it.

I hope that speaks to the high intelligence of the average NixOS user
and not to me being the first person to follow that doc ;-)

> The hint is hidden in that line of the documentation:
> I agree that it should be put on the wiki or that the check should print
> a hint. However if you've installed and used NixOS once you know what
> must be done..
>
> bash $mountPoint/nix/store/nixos-prepare-install # see --help
>
> If you do so you see a list of actions. The checkout-sources is what you
> want to run. However I think it assumes svn is in PATH.

aptitude install subversion
[... subversion and deps installed in debian install/rescue image ...]

bash /mnt/nix/store/nixos-prepare-install checkout-sources
[... lots of stuff checked out ...]
Checked out revision 22447.
INFO:  you can't start because /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix is missing
INFO:  you can't start because /mnt/etc/nixos/nixpkgs is missing
INFO:  you can't start because /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix is missing

mkdir -p /mnt/etc/nixos

cat >  /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix << EOF
{
  boot.loader.initScript.enable = true;
}
EOF

bash /mnt/nix/store/nixos-prepare-install copy-nix
INFO:  /mnt/README-BOOTSTRAP-NIXOS found, assuming your're
bootstrapping from an archive. Nix files should be in place
INFO:  registering bootstrapping store paths as valid so that they
won't be rebuild
    To realise your NixOS installtion execute:

    run-in-chroot "/nix/store/nixos-bootstrap --install -j2 --keep-going"

bash /mnt/nix/store/run-in-chroot "/nix/store/nixos-bootstrap
--install -j2 --keep-going"

This fails because nothing is in $PATH in the chroot other than
/bin/sh (specifically, it dies when it can't find cat) - so it looks
like I'm missing a step that would set up the nix environment so
/mnt/nix/store/5iaj6r1dvn5lp1kxf2mvlmxf70n7kjvv-coreutils-8.4/bin et
al are in path when "run-in-chroot" is executed.

> The default list of actions doesn't contain it if you run the script
> from the bootstrapping archive. So maybe this should be improved.
>
> Also let me tell you that you're the first asking for it since I
> comitted it.
>
> If you're still stuck write again. About configuration.nix not being
> found: You have to put it into /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix
>
> Because I used the script myself in the past I assume you got that
> wrong. So check that again, please

I checked this several times, but it seems to be before. However after
getting the sources that error went away.

If you'd like to check on other things yourself to make sure it's not
PEBKAC, I sent you root login seperatly (I'm planning on totally
rebuilding everything as part of a final doc run-through at the end
anyway.)

-- 
        \|/      Daniel JB Clark | Activist; Owner
FREEDOM -+-> INCLUDED ~ http://freedomincluded.com
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