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verified publisher icon armbian

rely on APA for bootstrapping

Open tabrisnet opened this issue 1 month ago β€’ 10 comments

Description

fixes for APA, with caveat that it only really works now for desktop builds. This isn't a good idea to merge until there's more work on APA itself, specifically minimal & CLI meta-packages.

alternative to #8999, trying to fix #8965 armbian/apa#25 has to be merged/deployed first.

How Has This Been Tested?

  • [x] time ./compile.sh artifact WHAT=rootfs BOARD=rock-5b BRANCH=current BUILD_DESKTOP=yes DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT=gnome BUILD_MINIMAL=no RELEASE=questing KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no KERNEL_GIT=full MANAGE_ACNG='http://squid.tabris.net:3142/' COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=xz DEB_COMPRESS=xz ARTIFACT_IGNORE_CACHE=yes
    • https://paste.armbian.com/epezelamum
  • [x] time ./compile.sh artifact WHAT=rootfs BOARD=rock-5b BRANCH=current BUILD_DESKTOP=yes DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT=gnome BUILD_MINIMAL=no RELEASE=noble KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no KERNEL_GIT=full MANAGE_ACNG='http://squid.tabris.net:3142/' COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=xz DEB_COMPRESS=xz ARTIFACT_IGNORE_CACHE=yes
    • https://paste.armbian.com/pusupudebu
  • [ ] sid fails

Checklist:

Please delete options that are not relevant.

  • [ ] My code follows the style guidelines of this project
  • [ ] I have performed a self-review of my own code
  • [ ] I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
  • [ ] My changes generate no new warnings
  • [ ] Any dependent changes have been merged and published in downstream modules

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • New Features

    • Added support for a new desktop environment variant with multiple desktop managers: GNOME, Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, XFCE, i3-wm, and KDE Plasma Mobile.
    • Added custom wallpapers and branding assets for GNOME desktop.
    • Enhanced architecture support across multiple desktop environments.

  • Improvements

    • Desktop configuration now conditional based on system state for better integration with package management.

✏️ Tip: You can customize this high-level summary in your review settings.

tabrisnet avatar Nov 25 '25 22:11 tabrisnet

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Walkthrough

This PR introduces desktop environment configuration for the Questing variant and gates desktop installation behind the APA extension. It adds configuration files for GNOME, Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, i3-wm, and XFCE environments, modifies rootfs bootstrap argument construction to be conditional, and implements APA lifecycle hooks in the build flow.

Changes

Cohort / File(s) Summary
Desktop sanity check gating
lib/functions/main/config-prepare.sh		 Desktop environment checks now skip when APA_IS_ACTIVE is true, deferring desktop setup to the APA extension
Rootfs bootstrap conditionals
lib/functions/rootfs/rootfs-create.sh		 Debootstrap arguments built conditionally based on AGGREGATED_PACKAGES_DEBOOTSTRAP_COMMA and AGGREGATED_DEBOOTSTRAP_COMPONENTS_COMMA; added APA hook invocations (post_armbian_repo_customize_image__install_from_apa)
Desktop configuration gating
lib/functions/configuration/config-desktop.sh		 Early-return gate added: skips interactive desktop configuration when APA_IS_ACTIVE is unset
CLI Questing configuration
config/cli/questing/debootstrap/components, config/cli/questing/debootstrap/packages, config/cli/questing/main/config_desktop, config/cli/questing/main/packages		 New configuration files for Questing CLI variant; debootstrap packages reference locales and apt; configuration delegated to common paths
CLI Questing resolver
config/cli/resolute		 Points to "questing"
GNOME Questing desktop environment
config/desktop/questing/environments/gnome/architectures, config/desktop/questing/environments/gnome/config_base/packages, config/desktop/questing/environments/gnome/support, config/desktop/questing/environments/gnome/debian, config/desktop/questing/environments/gnome/armbian/create_desktop_package.sh		 GNOME desktop configuration; armbian script installs LightDM, creates desktop skeleton, icons, wallpapers, and generates armbian.xml wallpaper metadata
Cinnamon Questing desktop environment
config/desktop/questing/environments/cinnamon/architectures, config/desktop/questing/environments/cinnamon/config_base/packages, config/desktop/questing/environments/cinnamon/support, config/desktop/questing/environments/cinnamon/armbian, config/desktop/questing/environments/cinnamon/debian		 Cinnamon desktop configuration; references GNOME packages and delegated to plucky armbian/debian paths
i3-wm Questing desktop environment
config/desktop/questing/environments/i3-wm/architectures, config/desktop/questing/environments/i3-wm/armbian, config/desktop/questing/environments/i3-wm/config_base/packages, config/desktop/questing/environments/i3-wm/debian, config/desktop/questing/environments/i3-wm/support		 i3-wm desktop configuration; references delegated to common and plucky paths; packages reference GNOME
KDE Plasma Questing desktop environment
config/desktop/questing/environments/kde-plasma/architectures, config/desktop/questing/environments/kde-plasma/config_base/packages, config/desktop/questing/environments/kde-plasma/support, config/desktop/questing/environments/kde-plasma/debian		 KDE Plasma configuration; references plucky debian path and GNOME packages
KDE Plasma Mobile Questing environment
config/desktop/questing/environments/kde-plasma-mobile		 References "kde-plasma"
XFCE Questing desktop environment
config/desktop/questing/environments/xfce/architectures, config/desktop/questing/environments/xfce/config_base/packages, config/desktop/questing/environments/xfce/support, config/desktop/questing/environments/xfce/armbian, config/desktop/questing/environments/xfce/debian		 XFCE configuration; broader architecture support (arm64, amd64, armhf, riscv64); references plucky paths and GNOME packages
Desktop Questing resolver and appgroups
config/desktop/resolute, config/desktop/questing/appgroups		 Desktop resolver points to "questing"; appgroups references plucky appgroups

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~25 minutes

  • Path correctness verification: Over 30 new config files with relative path references to common, plucky, and gnome paths require confirmation that all references resolve correctly
  • APA hook duplication in rootfs-create.sh: The post_armbian_repo_customize_image__install_from_apa hook appears twice in the script; verify intentionality and correct hook invocation context
  • Package list consistency: Verify that package lists (locales, apt) and component references are appropriate for Questing variant given the linked bug about missing/problematic packages
  • Desktop environment completeness: Ensure all desktop environment configurations (GNOME, Cinnamon, i3-wm, KDE Plasma, XFCE) have complete and consistent architecture/support declarations
  • GNOME armbian script validation: The new create_desktop_package.sh script with wallpaper metadata generation should be verified for correctness and completeness

Possibly related PRs

  • armbian/build#8969: Directly enables the APA extension for Questing and Resolute, which this PR integrates through APA_IS_ACTIVE gating and hook invocations
  • armbian/build#8133: Introduces the APA extension and post_armbian_repo_customize_image__install_from_apa hook function that this PR now calls
  • armbian/build#8983: Removes Questing/Resolute symlinks to "noble" because APA now manages packages, complementing this PR's package management changes

Suggested reviewers

  • igorpecovnik
  • rpardini
  • EvilOlaf

Poem

🐰 Questing hops into focus, With desktops now delegated to APA, Wallpapers bloom like clover, While packages find their true home, The build path resolves at last! 🌱

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)
Check name Status Explanation Resolution
Docstring Coverage ⚠️ Warning Docstring coverage is 33.33% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. You can run @coderabbitai generate docstrings to improve docstring coverage.
βœ… Passed checks (4 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Title check βœ… Passed The title 'rely on APA for bootstrapping' clearly summarizes the main change: integrating APA (Armbian Package Assistant) into the bootstrapping process for rootfs creation.
Linked Issues check βœ… Passed The PR addresses issue #8965 by implementing APA-based bootstrapping to resolve package resolution failures in Questing desktop builds, with successful desktop builds confirmed for gnome and kde-plasma environments.
Out of Scope Changes check βœ… Passed All changes are scoped to APA integration: conditional desktop checks, debootstrap argument building, APA hook invocations, and new Questing environment configurations align with the bootstrapping objective.
Description Check βœ… Passed Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.

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coderabbitai[bot] avatar Nov 25 '25 22:11 coderabbitai[bot]

current status: busted @leggewie time ./compile.sh artifact WHAT=rootfs BOARD=rock-5b BRANCH=current BUILD_DESKTOP=yes DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT=gnome BUILD_MINIMAL=no RELEASE=questing KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no KERNEL_GIT=full MANAGE_ACNG='http://squid.tabris.net:3142/' COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=xz DEB_COMPRESS=xz ARTIFACT_IGNORE_CACHE=yes https://paste.armbian.com/colanibemi

[🐳|πŸ”¨]   removed '/armbian/.tmp/rootfs-47103777-e85c-49ca-a59d-77ce6c1e92b0/etc/resolv.conf'
[🐳|πŸ”¨]   rm: cannot remove '/armbian/.tmp/rootfs-47103777-e85c-49ca-a59d-77ce6c1e92b0/var/lib/dbus/machine-id': No such file or directory
[🐳|πŸ’₯] Error 1 occurred in main shell [ at /armbian/lib/functions/logging/runners.sh:223
    run_host_command_logged_raw() --> lib/functions/logging/runners.sh:223
        run_host_command_logged() --> lib/functions/logging/runners.sh:205
   create_new_rootfs_cache_via_debootstrap() --> lib/functions/rootfs/rootfs-create.sh:355
        create_new_rootfs_cache() --> lib/functions/rootfs/create-cache.sh:70
                do_with_logging() --> lib/functions/logging/section-logging.sh:81
   artifact_rootfs_build_from_sources() --> lib/functions/artifacts/artifact-rootfs.sh:81
    artifact_build_from_sources() --> lib/functions/artifacts/artifacts-obtain.sh:34
       obtain_complete_artifact() --> lib/functions/artifacts/artifacts-obtain.sh:280
          do_with_default_build() --> lib/functions/main/default-build.sh:42
               cli_artifact_run() --> lib/functions/cli/cli-artifact.sh:72
        armbian_cli_run_command() --> lib/functions/cli/utils-cli.sh:136
                 cli_entrypoint() --> lib/functions/cli/entrypoint.sh:208
                           main() --> compile.sh:50
 ]
[🐳|πŸ’₯] Cleaning up [ please wait for cleanups to finish ]

tabrisnet avatar Nov 25 '25 22:11 tabrisnet

status: working, but the APA hook needs some adjustments. https://paste.armbian.com/epezelamum

tabrisnet avatar Nov 25 '25 23:11 tabrisnet

I think I have an idea for a quicker way to transition that will be less disruptive

leggewie avatar Nov 25 '25 23:11 leggewie

  • [ ] sid fails: time ./compile.sh artifact WHAT=rootfs BOARD=rock-5b BRANCH=current BUILD_DESKTOP=yes DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT=gnome BUILD_MINIMAL=no RELEASE=sid KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no KERNEL_GIT=full MANAGE_ACNG='http://squid.tabris.net:3142/' COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=xz DEB_COMPRESS=xz ARTIFACT_IGNORE_CACHE=yes
    • https://paste.armbian.com/uyidelapuv
[🐳|🌱] Installing 0 desktop packages [ sid gnome ]
[🐳|πŸ”¨]   E: Unable to satisfy dependencies. Reached two conflicting decisions:
[🐳|πŸ”¨]      1. armbian-common:arm64=251126.4 is selected for install
[🐳|πŸ”¨]      2. armbian-common:arm64 Depends linux-image
[🐳|πŸ”¨]         but none of the choices are installable:
[🐳|πŸ”¨]         [no choices]
[🐳|πŸ’₯] Error 1 occurred in main shell [ at /armbian/extensions/apa.sh:15
   post_armbian_repo_customize_image__install_from_apa() --> extensions/apa.sh:15
   create_new_rootfs_cache_via_debootstrap() --> lib/functions/rootfs/rootfs-create.sh:338
        create_new_rootfs_cache() --> lib/functions/rootfs/create-cache.sh:70
                do_with_logging() --> lib/functions/logging/section-logging.sh:81
   artifact_rootfs_build_from_sources() --> lib/functions/artifacts/artifact-rootfs.sh:81
    artifact_build_from_sources() --> lib/functions/artifacts/artifacts-obtain.sh:34
       obtain_complete_artifact() --> lib/functions/artifacts/artifacts-obtain.sh:280
          do_with_default_build() --> lib/functions/main/default-build.sh:42
               cli_artifact_run() --> lib/functions/cli/cli-artifact.sh:72
        armbian_cli_run_command() --> lib/functions/cli/utils-cli.sh:136
                 cli_entrypoint() --> lib/functions/cli/entrypoint.sh:208
                           main() --> compile.sh:50

tabrisnet avatar Nov 25 '25 23:11 tabrisnet

my suggestion is #9001 and to gradually simplify sid over time as more logic has shifted over and been tested in APA

leggewie avatar Nov 26 '25 00:11 leggewie

  • sid fails

let me have a look at that

leggewie avatar Nov 26 '25 00:11 leggewie

  • sid fails:

this appears to be specific to the board in question, my guess is the Armbian kernel for the rock-5b fails to provide the linux-image virtual package and it really should.

On my Banana Pi M2+ the armbian kernel package for that board does indeed provide linux-image and hence fulfills the dependency.

Furthermore, the quickest I could test this was nice -n 20 ./compile.sh build BOARD=uefi-x86 BRANCH=current BUILD_DESKTOP=yes BUILD_MINIMAL=no DESKTOP_APPGROUPS_SELECTED= DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT=gnome DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENT_CONFIG_NAME=config_base ENABLE_EXTENSIONS=image-output-qcow2 KERNEL_BTF=no KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no RELEASE=sid SHARE_LOG=yes and that compiled just fine

leggewie avatar Nov 26 '25 00:11 leggewie

Make APA somewhat useful,

BTW, I don't appreciate your categorization of APA as useless, especially when you don't understand what it does in a number of ways.

Breakage with APA was to be expected and as you can see I am dealing with it swiftly and it is being brought in as a canary for edge release pockets where breakage should be expected. Armbian will have a much more sane and manageable way going forward with APA, so no it is not useless at all.

leggewie avatar Nov 26 '25 01:11 leggewie

a) I am not intending to throw shade at anyone b) at no point was I saying it would never be useful. The goal is to make it more useful, to live up to its ambitions.

Despite being a Debian user [for personal stuff] for many many years, I know more of RPM spec files [as working on RH derivatives used to pay my bills] than debian pkgs, so this is also a learning opportunity for me.

tabrisnet avatar Nov 26 '25 01:11 tabrisnet

so right now, tritium-h5 doesn't boot. still looking into it. ./compile.sh build BOARD=tritium-h5 BRANCH=current BUILD_MINIMAL=yes COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE=xz DEB_COMPRESS=xz KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no KERNEL_GIT=full MANAGE_ACNG=http://squid.tabris.net:3142/ RELEASE=questing modifying armbianEnv verbosity=6 got me this: https://paste.next.armbian.com/azugusuhan.vbnet

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 15:12 tabrisnet

3rd attempt with [probably coincidentally] verbosity=7 did boot but didn't do the firstboot [user creation, locales, et al] stuff until I manually logged in as root [from serial console] Subsequently,

/etc/cron.daily/armbian-quotes: line 3: curl: command not found
run-parts: /etc/cron.daily/armbian-quotes exited with return code 127

### Armbian-unofficial ###
 v26.02 rolling for Tritium running Armbian Linux 6.12.61-current-sunxi64

 Packages:     Ubuntu rolling (questing)
 Support:      DIY (custom image)

 Performance:  

 Load:         12%               Uptime:       4 minutes
 Memory usage: 6% of 1.93G  
 CPU temp:     32Β°C             Usage of /:   91% of 1.1G      

 Commands: 

 Configuration : armbian-config

root@tritium-h5:~# wget
-bash: wget: command not found
root@tritium-h5:~# curl
-bash: curl: command not found
root@tritium-h5:~#

so it clearly expects curl, and neither curl nor wget are present, plus figlet is missing

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 15:12 tabrisnet

and for another observation... the root FS did not get resized.

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 15:12 tabrisnet

and there's no less

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 15:12 tabrisnet

so if I had to guess the first problem with not booting, it wasn't connected to the network, so it hung. this likely needs looking into and another issue created for that. @coderabbitai This may also be Ubuntu/questing specific.

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 15:12 tabrisnet

[!TIP] For best results, initiate chat on the files or code changes.

🧩 Analysis chain

@tabrisnet: Thank you for the detailed observation. You've identified several distinct issues with the minimal questing build on tritium-h5:

  1. Boot hang (suspected network wait) - likely systemd waiting on network-online.target
  2. Missing core utilities - curl, wget, figlet, less
  3. Firstboot scripts not running automatically
  4. Root filesystem not resized

These issues suggest that the APA-based bootstrapping for minimal builds may not be including the necessary packages or that the minimal package set isn't properly defined yet for questing.

Let me investigate the current minimal package configuration and boot dependencies:

Based on the findings, I can help create a comprehensive issue tracking these problems. Would you like me to create an issue now, or would you prefer to wait until we have more details about the root cause?

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash

# Find minimal package configuration for questing
echo "=== Checking questing minimal package configuration ==="
fd -t f "packages" config/cli/questing/ -x cat {}

echo -e "\n=== Checking if minimal meta-packages exist for questing ==="
fd -t f -e txt -e conf config/cli/questing/ -x echo "File: {}" \; -x cat {}

echo -e "\n=== Looking for firstboot and resize scripts ==="
rg -n "firstboot|armbian-firstrun" --type=sh -g '!.git' | head -20

echo -e "\n=== Checking for network-online dependencies ==="
rg -n "network-online.target|After=network" --type=sh -g '!.git' | head -15

echo -e "\n=== Looking for required utilities in minimal builds ==="
rg -nP "(curl|wget|figlet|less)" config/cli/ -C2 | head -30

Length of output: 3625

🏁 Script executed:

#!/bin/bash

# Let's check the full questing CLI structure
echo "=== Full questing CLI directory structure ==="
fd . config/cli/questing/ --type f -x echo "File: {}" \; -x head -5 {}

echo -e "\n=== Compare with noble CLI structure ==="
fd . config/cli/noble/main/ --type f --max-depth 1 -x basename {}

echo -e "\n=== Check if questing inherits from common or another release ==="
fd . config/cli/questing/ --type f -x cat {} | grep -E "^\.\./|^\.\./"

echo -e "\n=== Look for armbian-bsp-cli package content ==="
rg -n "armbian-bsp-cli" lib/functions/bsp/ -A5 -B5 | head -40

echo -e "\n=== Check resize2fs and filesystem resize ==="
rg -n "resize2fs|armbian-resize-filesystem" --type=sh -g '!.git' | head -15

echo -e "\n=== Check what packages are in armbian-common dependencies ==="
rg -n "Depends:|Recommends:" lib/functions/bsp/armbian-bsp-cli-deb.sh | head -20

Length of output: 4818

@tabrisnet: Great debugging! My investigation confirms your observations. Here's what I found:

Root Cause Analysis

1. Missing Package Definitions

  • config/cli/questing/debootstrap/packages only contains locales and apt
  • Other releases (noble, sid, trixie) have main/packages.additional with core utilities
  • Questing is missing packages.additional entirely

2. Missing Core Utilities Looking at noble/sid/trixie, standard CLI builds include:

  • curl (line 6 in bullseye/main/packages)
  • wget (line 55 in noble/main/packages.additional)
  • figlet (line 16 in bullseye/main/packages)
  • less (implied in base packages)

3. Filesystem Resize Not Running

  • armbian-resize-filesystem.service should be enabled via distro-agnostic.sh:481
  • This may not be triggered when APA handles package installation

4. Firstboot Not Running

  • armbian-firstrun.service should be enabled via distro-agnostic.sh:476
  • The service depends on armbian-bsp-cli package being installed with proper dependencies

5. Expected Limitation Your PR description already notes: "not recommended to merge until APA upstream has additional work (notably minimal & CLI meta-packages)" β€” this is exactly what you're encountering.

Network Boot Hang

The boot hang waiting for network is likely:

  • Systemd waiting on network-online.target
  • Could be board-specific (tritium-h5) or questing-specific systemd configuration
  • Separate from the missing packages issue

Next Steps

Would you like me to create a GitHub issue to track these specific problems? The issue would cover:

  1. Create questing CLI minimal package definitions (packages.additional)
  2. Ensure APA installs core utilities: curl, wget, figlet, less
  3. Verify armbian-firstrun and armbian-resize-filesystem services are enabled with APA path
  4. Investigate network boot hang on tritium-h5 with questing minimal builds

This would serve as a checklist for what needs to be completed before removing the "Work in progress" label.

🧠 Learnings used 
Learnt from: tabrisnet
Repo: armbian/build PR: 0
File: :0-0
Timestamp: 2025-10-24T04:46:22.901Z
Learning: In lib/functions/rootfs/rootfs-create.sh, the FIXME comment about mmdebstrap usage with --aptopt is a future note related to PR #8785, which hasn't been merged yet.

Learnt from: amazingfate
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8419
File: lib/functions/host/prepare-host.sh:272-275
Timestamp: 2025-07-23T10:01:41.310Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, the design philosophy is to fail fast when host dependencies are not met rather than gracefully skipping unsupported architectures. This ensures build environment consistency and prevents silent failures. Host dependency checks should be explicit and non-negotiable.

Learnt from: Grippy98
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8622
File: config/sources/families/k3.conf:66-66
Timestamp: 2025-09-12T19:28:38.491Z
Learning: In the Armbian k3 family build system (config/sources/families/k3.conf), builds do not fail when TIBOOT3_BOOTCONFIG is unset, even though tiboot3.bin is still listed in UBOOT_TARGET_MAP. The gating mechanism in pre_config_uboot_target__build_first_stage function works as intended to conditionally build/copy tiboot3.bin only when TIBOOT3_BOOTCONFIG is defined.

Learnt from: tabrisnet
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8925
File: lib/functions/host/docker.sh:141-141
Timestamp: 2025-11-13T14:50:44.662Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, certain boards have U-Boot that doesn't build correctly on ubuntu:noble but works on ubuntu:jammy. For these boards, DOCKER_ARMBIAN_BASE_IMAGE can be set to "ubuntu:jammy" via an extension file loaded before docker_cli_prepare() runs, allowing legacy toolchains to work while the community works on proper fixes with limited resources.

Learnt from: pyavitz
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8421
File: config/kernel/linux-sunxi64-edge.config:805-825
Timestamp: 2025-07-27T15:53:30.629Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, kernel configurations prioritize broad hardware compatibility over optimization concerns. Even when including numerous legacy/obsolete drivers causes technical issues like increased initramfs size and slower enumeration, the project philosophy is to "appease the masses" by ensuring maximum device compatibility rather than optimizing for specific use cases.

Learnt from: pyavitz
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8388
File: config/boards/kickpik2b.conf:1-14
Timestamp: 2025-07-17T04:12:33.125Z
Learning: In the Armbian build system, board configuration files (*.conf) follow a project standard of not including shebang lines, even though they contain bash code and are sourced by the build system. This is an established Armbian convention that individual contributors are expected to follow, and changes to this standard would require broader project maintainer approval.

Learnt from: Grippy98
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8202
File: config/desktop/trixie/environments/gnome/armbian/create_desktop_package.sh:2-3
Timestamp: 2025-05-16T15:34:34.672Z
Learning: The shell scripts in the Armbian build system's desktop configuration files, such as config/desktop/trixie/environments/gnome/armbian/create_desktop_package.sh, rely on environment variables like $SRC and $destination that are expected to be set externally before the script is executed.

Learnt from: leggewie
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8559
File: config/desktop/sid/environments/kde-plasma:1-1
Timestamp: 2025-08-29T18:57:26.930Z
Learning: APA (Armbian Packaging Archive) is a project that focuses on defining package dependencies and will replace the aggregation part of the current build system, but not the entire build system. It is not a full replacement for desktop environment configuration approaches.

Learnt from: leggewie
Repo: armbian/build PR: 8502
File: config/desktop/trixie/environments/i3-wm/config_base/packages:44-44
Timestamp: 2025-08-14T17:19:39.693Z
Learning: When a PR author provides clear context about package transitions in the commit message and the changes are scoped to specific release pockets, focus the review on validating those specific changes rather than suggesting broader investigations across other releases or additional dependency verifications.

coderabbitai[bot] avatar Dec 11 '25 15:12 coderabbitai[bot]

tried reimaging, same image but verbosity=7 and being patient. first login did happen. but some definite hangs unrelated to networking. either systemd or dbus-related methinks.

/etc/cron.daily/armbian-quotes: line 3: curl: command not found
run-parts: /etc/cron.daily/armbian-quotes exited with return code 127
Failed to retrieve unit state: Transport endpoint is not connected

### Armbian-unofficial ###
 v26.02 rolling for Tritium running Armbian Linux 6.12.61-current-sunxi64

 Packages:     Ubuntu rolling (questing)
 Support:      DIY (custom image)
Failed to retrieve unit state: Transport endpoint is not connected
 IPv4:         (LAN) 192.168.89.93 
Failed to retrieve unit state: Transport endpoint is not connected

 Performance:  

 Load:         2%                Uptime:       11 minutes
 Memory usage: 6% of 1.93G  
 CPU temp:     30Β°C             Usage of /:   91% of 1.1G      

 Commands: 

 Configuration : armbian-config

root@tritium-h5:~# systemctl status dbus
Failed to get properties: Transport endpoint is not connected
root@tritium-h5:~# df -h /
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/mmcblk0p1  1.1G  983M  105M  91% /

systemctl status dbus hangs. rootfs resize still didn't happen.

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 16:12 tabrisnet

resize doesn't work b/c it lacks parted

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 16:12 tabrisnet 

root@tritium-h5:/etc# echo "nameserver 192.168.82.55" > /etc/resolv.conf
-bash: /etc/resolv.conf: No such file or directory

/etc does exist of course

tabrisnet avatar Dec 11 '25 16:12 tabrisnet

So it is mostly working with questing. minimal images seem to have some systemd issues where I keep getting Transport endpoint is not connected issues that show up on first boot, and sometimes recur when installing new packages. Haven't observed this with desktop or CLI images, BUT I haven't tested them as many times as the minimal images. I did find this issue: systemd/systemd#36192, but poettering just closed it as being an ubuntu problem.

tabrisnet avatar Dec 12 '25 00:12 tabrisnet

We're pending armbian/apa#32, armbian/apa#33, & armbian/apa#34 More needed even, as we need to empty this variable: declare -g apa_additional_packages="libpam-systemd dbus-user-session parted curl iw less parted locales fdisk"

tabrisnet avatar Dec 12 '25 00:12 tabrisnet

@Leggewie a) I'm running in bash at the time b) echo is a built-in c) the same error occurs if I try to use nano to write it. But echo makes for a cleaner copy/paste opportunity.Oddly the following workaround works: write to ~root, move it to /etc. I'm thinking [this only just occurred to me at 4AM local time] some kind of apparmor bug. But that nothing else is writing the file is naturally problematic, cuz it prevents apt from functioning, as with anything else needing DNS.I'll look later to see if there's a kernel error about this file. Sent from myPhone. On Dec 11, 2025, at 7:08β€―PM, Rolf Leggewie @.***> wrote:ο»Ώleggewie left a comment (armbian/build#9000)

@.***:/etc# echo "nameserver 192.168.82.55" > /etc/resolv.conf -bash: /etc/resolv.conf: No such file or directory

/etc does exist of course

Is it maybe echo or bash that are missing?

β€”Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: @.***>

tabrisnet avatar Dec 12 '25 09:12 tabrisnet

or this

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 37 Dec 11 17:08 /etc/resolv.conf -> /run/systemd/resolve/stub-resolv.conf

you can't see it in the copy/paste, but it's a broken symlink. we don't install systemd-resolved by default

tabrisnet avatar Dec 12 '25 15:12 tabrisnet

We're pending armbian/apa#32, armbian/apa#33, & armbian/apa#34 More needed even, as we need to empty this variable: declare -g apa_additional_packages="libpam-systemd dbus-user-session parted curl iw less parted locales fdisk"

There's a number of ways to go fix things:

  1. we add some packages outside APA to ensure they are in minimal images but are not run-time hard dependencies forever (your "declare -g apa_additional_packages")
  2. add a separate package "armbian-extra" that is removable at run-time without losing APA completely
  3. change "policy" such that minimal images contain Depends+Recommends of armbian-common and CLI images add Suggests
  4. drop obsolete code or use alternatives in armbian/build
  5. properly document TRUE dependencies (script A depends on package B, then it should be packaged and the package should Depends: B)

This will need some thought and time.

leggewie avatar Dec 12 '25 20:12 leggewie

We're pending armbian/apa#32, armbian/apa#33, & armbian/apa#34 More needed even, as we need to empty this variable: declare -g apa_additional_packages="libpam-systemd dbus-user-session parted curl iw less parted locales fdisk"

There's a number of ways to go fix things:

  1. we add some packages outside APA to ensure they are in minimal images but are not run-time hard dependencies forever (your "declare -g apa_additional_packages")
  2. add a separate package "armbian-extra" that is removable at run-time without losing APA completely
  3. change "policy" such that minimal images contain Depends+Recommends of armbian-common and CLI images add Suggests
  4. drop obsolete code or use alternatives in armbian/build
  5. properly document TRUE dependencies (script A depends on package B, then it should be packaged and the package should Depends: B)

This will need some thought and time.

Here's number 6 that I think we should use for transition. We look for a good hook to add packages to the rootfs (post_armbian_repo_customize_image?, post_aggregate_packages?, ...). This way, we avoid breaking things and keep the code inside the APA extension. Then we can go through 1 to 5 above to deal with each of those packages and see what would be the proper thing to do.

@tabrisnet Do you have a good suggestion which hook to use?

leggewie avatar Dec 14 '25 23:12 leggewie

Here's number 6 that I think we should use for transition. We look for a good hook to add packages to the rootfs (post_armbian_repo_customize_image?, post_aggregate_packages?, ...). This way, we avoid breaking things and keep the code inside the APA extension. Then we can go through 1 to 5 above to deal with each of those packages and see what would be the proper thing to do.

@tabrisnet Do you have a good suggestion which hook to use?

it needs to be split into two, as I have.

  • post_armbian_repo_customize_image happens in the image section of the build, which means it doesn't go into rootfs. so I install armbian-bsp here.
  • post_aggregate_packages is much too soon. it's before debootstrap.
  • the latest we can install armbian-common is post_debootstrap_tweaks, but that is significantly after apt_purge_unneeded_packages_and_clean_apt_caches

So I think we need our own hook. perhaps post_debootstrap_install_additional

tabrisnet avatar Dec 15 '25 01:12 tabrisnet

  1. change "policy" such that minimal images contain Depends+Recommends of armbian-common and CLI images add Suggests

Or not rely on armbian-common and depends vs recommends vs suggests. Relying thereon feels a bit subtle to me. Not fragile in the technical sense but the human one. armbian-minimal & armbian-cli even with Recommends is an option too.

  1. drop obsolete code or use alternatives in armbian/build

the goal yes is to drop the obsolete code eventually, but it's a bad transition strategy as it's all-or-nothing. My expectation was to drop the old code no sooner than the 2026.5 release, while trying to get APA fully functional by 2026.2. Alternatively, fully functional by .5 and drop the old code shortly thereafter.

You said "use alternatives". Does Armbian have such a mechanism? I haven't seen it, but that's not saying much.

tabrisnet avatar Dec 15 '25 09:12 tabrisnet

4. drop obsolete code or use alternatives in armbian/build

[...]

You said "use alternatives". Does Armbian have such a mechanism? I haven't seen it, but that's not saying much.

I am not referring to a "Debian alternatives"-like thing. But simply a situation where you are using command A from the A-package but you could achieve the same result with program B. Think of replacing sed with awk. In case doing so solves a problem for you.

leggewie avatar Dec 16 '25 04:12 leggewie

the goal yes is to drop the obsolete code eventually, but it's a bad transition strategy as it's all-or-nothing.

This is another misunderstanding. When I talk of dropping old code above in number 4 on the list, I am talking about what happened in #9033, for example. Not about yanking out aggregation, that's not even really much of a priority for me.

leggewie avatar Dec 16 '25 05:12 leggewie

So I think we need our own hook. perhaps post_debootstrap_install_additional

what do you think of #9085 ?

I suggest to deal with these things one by one.

leggewie avatar Dec 16 '25 05:12 leggewie