Slax author's Blog

07

January
2013

Email notifications for the autobuild system

All build scripts which are uploaded using slax buildscript upload command are automatically executed in a virtualized Slax environment on special server. Till now, if the build script failed for one reason or another, the users didn't have any information about the reasons. Starting of today, I've added email notifications, which inform each user about the status of module compilation from his build script.

If a module is properly created on server by using the build script, the user receives email with just an OK message. However if a module fails to build, the user receives tail of the log file so he can investigate the issue, fix his build script and update it in the repository. Furthermore, if the module builds properly but has unresolved dependencies, it is refused and the user is informed by email what libraries are missing.

I hope that these changes will help people to work with build scripts much more effectively.

Another change has been made to the output of command slax info. This command prints information about any build scripts uploaded to Slax repository, even those which were not built properly. Added information now include status of module creation, thus you can see if the build script has module files created or not.

User comments
evasive gyron 2013-01-07 06:47

So after every successful rebuild buildscript author will get email notification, even on automatic rebuild?
Some people may consider this as spam.

Tomas M 2013-01-07 06:59

Automatic rebuild will not send emails. Only user action. Users need to be informed what's going on with their build scripts.

evasive gyron 2013-01-07 07:11

@ Tomas M.
Wasn't so obvious from the blog post. Thank you for your clarification.

Russell Hernandez 2013-01-07 14:02

YES!
Thank you,
when I upload my scripts and can't download them I like to know what happened to them, now I can fix any errors I have made.

Jerzy Glowacki 2013-01-07 21:28

@Tomas,
Thanks for the explanation. Script bootinst.sh not work properly in Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, because USB device is not bootable (absence bootable flags). In Slackware is ok. The problem lies in the interpretation of the echo command (option -e) in line:

echo -ne "a\n$PART\nw\n"

jgl

Tomas M 2013-01-07 22:11

@Jerzy, could you please explain what is the different interpretation of the echo command on those distros?

evasive gyron 2013-01-07 22:50

@Tomas M,
@Jerzy
Maybe the problem lies in double bracket?
Try using
echo -ne 'a\n$PART\nw\n'

Jerzy Głowacki 2013-01-08 00:07

@Tomas,
Now it will work properly on all distributions.

line:
) | fdisk $DEV >/dev/null 2>&1
modification:
) | sed -r "s:-ne ::" | fdisk $DEV >/dev/null 2>&1

Best regards,
jgl

Start up commands? 2013-01-08 01:42

Is there a mechanism yet for specifying start up commands, or changing things like the $PATH?

For instance, if I want to activate the Java SDK, and want to add the directory to the $PATH, or set the $JAVA_HOME variable?

Tomas M 2013-01-08 02:09

put it to a file in /etc/profile.d/

Jerzy Glowacki 2013-01-08 02:37

@Tomas,
I do not know why. These are the results of my tests. The echo command is a little unpredictable.
jgl

Tomas M 2013-01-08 03:48

@Jerzy: thank you very much for spotting that the problem was in boot flag for the partition on ubuntu. I'm now able to fix that.

Start up commands? thanks 2013-01-08 06:07

Sorry about that. The earlier post said it wasn't there anymore but I still should have tried it before asking!

Sponge Bob 2013-01-08 08:12

Hi Tomas,

slax build-scripts seem to hate the underscore (_) in $SLAX_BUNDLES_REQUIRED, however in $SLAX_BUNDLE_NAME they are just fine with. I think _ should be allowed in both?

Tomas M 2013-01-08 08:38

That should be fixed in 7.0.3. What version are you using? Thanks.

Sponge Bob 2013-01-09 00:05

Thanks, 7.0.3 works great.

Somehow I missed that in changelog, sorry.

A. KADALKA 2013-01-09 10:54

@Tomas M
Is it possible to have mail notifications for new uploaded bundles ?
I think that many people would like that...

A. KADALKA 2013-01-09 11:04

@Jerzy Glowacki 2013-01-07 21:28
--- "Script bootinst.sh not work properly in Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, because USB device is not bootable (absence bootable flags)"
1/ Some USB are bootable.
2/ bootinst.sh is not the best way to create a bootable USB device may be ?
(I've read the script fastly but I did not like it)
3/ Linux normal users do NOT use USB device: they prefer normal install.
I do NOT install Linux myself: I'd prefer a customized up-to-date ISO one that is stored INTO the HDD.
That is the best way.
Very secure, very safe, always good whatever happen.
(Linux debian-based live cd, Porteus, Slax, arch based live cd, etc.)

jcsoh 2013-01-09 12:36

"Linux normal users do NOT use USB device: they prefer normal install."

By ""Linux normal users" I take it you mean the usual linux users that do a "real install " as in most distro ?

Bear in my , in contrast slax by default do, or boot up in a frugal or livecd mode .

Infact, officially Slax /Tomas do not support slax installed to hard disk.
Although Tomas seems to have soften his stand on this , in slax 5 and slax 6, if you ask him a question on slax installed to hard disk , he is likely to tell you , "sorry hard disk installation is not supported " . He still decline to provide a gui installer requested.

The last time some one made a survey in slax 6 's forum , I think half of slax user was running from a usb thumbdrive.

A. KADALKA 2013-01-09 13:56

@jcsoh
1/ First question: yes.
2/ Yes, again, Tomas M said that it is liveCD and not intended to be installed...
3/ If someone would like to install slax, I am quite sure that Tomas M would say, as I will say: "install Slackware instead..."
4/ Survey : Slax users are not linux users as I stated.
Most linux users do use debian/redhat based system *most* of the time.
Those should be installed. I never said that you do not have a debian live cd somewhere though.

Slax normal users install slax in USB pen drive. Something i do not recommend.
Unfortunately for *most* people it is the ONLY way to run slax.

5/ I said that I do NOT myself install Linux slackware/mint: I do run it as a Live system directly from HDD to ram...
(secure, fast, uptodate of course)

Tomas M 2013-01-09 20:30

Slax is not meant for real installation (where the Linux run from a normal filesystem such as ext4). Slax runs as a modular distro on AUFS, which combines loop-mounted bundles into a single directory tree and provides the possibility to add / remove modules on the fly.

If you want to install Slax to disk, you may SIMPLY copy slax directory to your disk and run bootinst.bat on it. That will make your disk bootable with Slax. This is Hard disk installation, while the system still runs in 'live' mode, supporting modules. It will save all changes to your hard disk so you'll be running it the usual way as if it was really installed.