deploy action broken by switch from ubuntu-20.04 to ubuntu-22.04

[andreasabel]

As ubuntu-latest = ubuntu-22.04 is rolled out,

• https://github.com/actions/runner-images/issues/6399

our deploy workflow got broken: https://github.com/agda/agda/actions/runs/3603326548/jobs/6071389168 This workflow creates a static binary:

args = --disable-executable-profiling --disable-library-profiling --enable-executable-static --enable-split-sections

It uses GHC 9.4.2 and Cabal 3.8.1:

Resolved 9.4 to 9.4.2
Resolved 3.8 to 3.8.1.0

Linking fails:

[3 of 3] Linking /home/runner/work/agda/agda/dist-newstyle/build/x86_64-linux/ghc-9.4.2/Agda-2.6.4/build/agda-mode/agda-mode
/home/runner/.ghcup/ghc/9.4.2/lib/ghc-9.4.2/lib/../lib/x86_64-linux-ghc-9.4.2/process-1.6.15.0/libHSprocess-1.6.15.0.a(fork_exec.o):function do_spawn_fork: warning: Using 'getpwuid_r' in statically linked applications requires at runtime the shared libraries from the glibc version used for linking
... (repeats)
...
/home/runner/.ghcup/ghc/9.4.2/lib/ghc-9.4.2/lib/../lib/x86_64-linux-ghc-9.4.2/unix-2.7.3/libHSunix-2.7.3.a(Files.o):
function ghczuwrapperZC1ZCunixzm2zi7zi3ZCSystemziPosixziFilesZCmknod: 
error: undefined reference to '__xmknod'

rts/Linker.c:597:0: error:
     warning: Using 'dlopen' in statically linked applications requires at runtime the shared libraries from the glibc version used for linking

rts/linker/Elf.c:2167:0: error:
     warning: Using 'dlopen' in statically linked applications requires at runtime the shared libraries from the glibc version used for linking
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status

We also got the warnings under ubuntu-20.04, but not the error:

/home/runner/.ghcup/ghc/9.4.2/lib/ghc-9.4.2/lib/../lib/x86_64-linux-ghc-9.4.2/unix-2.7.3/libHSunix-2.7.3.a(Files.o):
function ghczuwrapperZC1ZCunixzm2zi7zi3ZCSystemziPosixziFilesZCmknod: 
error: undefined reference to '__xmknod'

This ain't a caching problem because we do not have caching for this workflow.

Since our Cabal workflow has no problems maybe it is the combination of these three:

• ubuntu-22.04
• GHC 9.4 with unix-2.7.3
• --enable-executable-static

~~I wonder whether haskell/actions/setup also contributes, but there is not evidence for this yet.~~ (UPDATE: it does not.)

Someone with ubuntu-22.04, could you please test building Agda with --enable-executable-static and GHC 9.4.2 or GHC 9.4.3? (@nad, @asr, ...)

[jespercockx]

I am on Linux Mint 21 which is based on Ubuntu 22.04, so I can give it a try.

[jespercockx]

I am able to run cabal install --enable-executable-static --overwrite-policy=always --disable-executable-profiling --disable-library-profiling --enable-split-sections with no problems, using Cabal 3.8.1.0 and GHC 9.4.3 on Linux Mint 21. So something else must be causing the problem. If there's any other experiments that I can help with, please let me know.

[andreasabel]

Thanks for checking, @jesper. So it is not a problem in common setups.
It could still be a problem with the ubuntu-22.04 image that github ships.

[andreasabel]

Here is a MWE workflow that demonstrates that static linking breaks with GHC 9.4 on ubuntu-22.04: https://github.com/andreasabel/ci-executable-static/actions/runs/3620795602/jobs/6103451937

Upstream reports:

• https://github.com/actions/runner-images/issues/6689
• https://github.com/haskell/unix/issues/265

[andreasabel]

For the moment, pin to ubuntu-20.04 to get CI green again, while issue is being investigated.

[andreasabel]

The laconic answer by @hasufell is that static binaries are not expected to work on ubuntu and we should use an Alpine docker container: https://github.com/actions/runner-images/issues/6689#issuecomment-1338510435

But I wonder whether the binaries build under Alpine will the be usable under Ubuntu!? Is there a reason to expect this?

(Frankly, I do not feel like going beyond the Blessed GitHub Trinity: Mac, Windows, Ubuntu.)

[hasufell]

But I wonder whether the binaries build under Alpine will the be usable under Ubuntu!? Is there a reason to expect this?

Yes, if you statically link. Musl supports full static linking. GHCup itself does this.

[andreasabel]

Moving to Alpine seems more pressing now that GHC 9.6 cannot build static binaries even under Ubuntu 20.04. https://github.com/agda/agda/actions/runs/4434689947/jobs/7788095060#step:13:29

/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libm-2.31.a(s_atan.o)(.note.stapsdt+0x14): error: relocation refers to local symbol "" [1], which is defined in a discarded section

There seems to be a problem with linking against the floating point library.

[andreasabel]

Discussion with @L-TChen at AIM XXXVII:

• try setup-alpine action for deploy on linux to build static executable
• use the deploy workflow also to deploy releases
• to this end,
  • add triggers on push tag starting with v
  • in that case use the tag as name for the release and not nightly

[L-TChen]

Discussion with @L-TChen at AIM XXXVII:

• try setup-alpine action for deploy on linux to build static executable

• use the deploy workflow also to deploy releases

• to this end,

  • add triggers on push tag starting with v
  • in that case use the tag as name for the release and not nightly

Just to keep you updated: the GitHub action does work and Agda can be statically linked within Alpine Linux on the Linux runner. I just need to simplify the workflow before pushing it to the master branch.

https://github.com/L-TChen/agda/actions/runs/7638946291/job/20810887455