[Nix-dev] Debugging Hydra failures without a log

[Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev]

Hello,

Hydra told me the package bibtex2html which I maintain got broken:

https://hydra.nixos.org/build/55099626

I waited for a couple weeks hoping the issue will fix itself, but
apparently it didn't. The cited page says "log file is not available".
I have no problems installing bibtex2html from a local checkout of
nixpkgs on my i686-linux box (because nix-env downloads the working
cached version, I suppose?).

How would one normally debug such failures?

--
Sergiu

[Vladimír Čunát via nix-dev]

Post by Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev
https://hydra.nixos.org/build/55099626
I waited for a couple weeks hoping the issue will fix itself, but
apparently it didn't. [...]

It didn't? I see an evaluation a few days after that did succeed:
https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixpkgs/release-17.03/bibtex2html.i686-linux

--Vladimir

[Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev]

Post by Vladimír Čunát via nix-dev

Post by Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev
https://hydra.nixos.org/build/55099626
I waited for a couple weeks hoping the issue will fix itself, but
apparently it didn't. [...]

https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixpkgs/release-17.03/bibtex2html.i686-linux

Oh, cool, thanks a lot!

Hydra didn't send me an "it works" notification this time and I didn't
manage to find the page you gave me a link to. Now I've finally found
where to click, thanks a lot! (Note to myself: it's in the Job menu at
the top of the page.)

--
Sergiu

[Vladimír Čunát via nix-dev]

Post by Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev

Post by Vladimír Čunát via nix-dev
https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixpkgs/release-17.03/bibtex2html.i686-linux

Oh, cool, thanks a lot!
Hydra didn't send me an "it works" notification this time and I didn't
manage to find the page you gave me a link to. Now I've finally found
where to click, thanks a lot! (Note to myself: it's in the Job menu at
the top of the page.)

Sometimes I also see "holes" in the maintainer notifications, I don't
know why. I think it can even happen the other way for transient
problems, getting only another "Success" notification without getting
the "(Dependency) failed" one.

[Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev]

Post by Vladimír Čunát via nix-dev

Post by Sergiu Ivanov via nix-dev

Post by Vladimír Čunát via nix-dev
https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixpkgs/release-17.03/bibtex2html.i686-linux

Oh, cool, thanks a lot!
Hydra didn't send me an "it works" notification this time and I didn't
manage to find the page you gave me a link to. Now I've finally found
where to click, thanks a lot! (Note to myself: it's in the Job menu at
the top of the page.)

Sometimes I also see "holes" in the maintainer notifications, I don't
know why. I think it can even happen the other way for transient
problems, getting only another "Success" notification without getting
the "(Dependency) failed" one.

Getting "Success" without a preceding "Failure" has already happened a
couple times to me as well.

It's the ancient gods deciding based on my instantaneous merit level :D

--
Sergiu