Adding `--robot` paths causes search to fail for specific easyconfigs

[gkaf89]

The command

$ eb --robot=/work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs  gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb
== Temporary log file in case of crash /tmp/eb-55ysclwt/easybuild-qaog7re4.log
== found valid index for /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs, so using it...
ERROR: Can't find path /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs/gmsh/gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb

fails. There is no gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.ebin the easyconfigs stored in the /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs path (or any other version of gmsh). Based on the output of --show-config

$ eb --robot=/work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs  --show-config
#
# Current EasyBuild configuration
# (C: command line argument, D: default value, E: environment variable, F: configuration file)
#
buildpath      (D) = /home/users/sw_builder/.local/easybuild/build
containerpath  (D) = /home/users/sw_builder/.local/easybuild/containers
installpath    (D) = /home/users/sw_builder/.local/easybuild
repositorypath (D) = /home/users/sw_builder/.local/easybuild/ebfiles_repo
robot          (C) = /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs, /work/projects/software_set/backup/environments/easybuild/easybuild/easyconfigs
robot-paths    (C) = /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs, /work/projects/software_set/backup/environments/easybuild/easybuild/easyconfigs
rpath          (D) = True
sourcepath     (D) = /home/users/sw_builder/.local/easybuild/sources

it seems that EasyBuild should be able to locate gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb . The command

eb  gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb

installs gmsh as expected without any issues.

[gkaf89]

• I am investigating if other version of gmsh are affected.
• I can confirm that Scalasca-2.6.1-gompi-2024a.eb is also affected, where as Scalasca-2.6.1-gompi-2023b is not.

[boegel]

Hmm, I can't seem to reproduce this using:

mkdir -p /tmp/$USER/empty
eb gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb --robot=/tmp/$USER/empty

Can you share a debug log (collected with eb --debug)?

It seems like EasyBuild thinks that /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs/gmsh/gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb exists, but then fails when it actually tries to open that file?!

[gkaf89]

It seems like EasyBuild thinks that /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs/gmsh/gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb exists, but then fails when it actually tries to open that file?!

@boegel It's an issue in reporting. I run with an outdated .eb-path-index, the file /work/projects/software_set/backup/repositories/easybuild-stack/easyconfigs/gmsh/gmsh-4.12.2-foss-2023b.eb, mentioned above, doesn't exist indeed. EB limits its search only to the paths mentioned in .eb-path-index, even though the .eb file exists further down the robot-paths.

The fact that the .eb-path-index file is not mentioned in the error message is a bit confusing. It could either report that the file was not found in the path mentioned in the .eb-path-index of the directory and fail, or print a warning and continue the search.

I will create a new issue, link this one, and close.