Installation fails at "removing LiveOS configuration" on a VM Synologyy

sam9229

Hello,

I'm trying to install Solus Budgie 4.7 as a VM on Synology DSM VMM.
The installation fails at the step "Removing LiveOS configuration" : timout (>300s) on the command : eopkg rmf -y calamares.
Same issue with Solus Budgie 4.6.

Config of the VM:
HDD : 40 Gb SATA
proc : 4
RAM : 8Gb
Machine type : Q35
Boot : Legacy BIOS (or UEFI with same result)

NB : I experience the same issue with Solus Budgie 4.6.

Thanks for your help !

Staudey

sam9229 Any chance you can speed up the VM somehow, because it really shouldn't take 300 seconds to remove the calamares package (the operation this timeout is for).
If not, you could edit the timeout manually to something much higher than "300" in the file /usr/share/calamares/modules/shellprocess_removeliveos.conf

TraceyC

sam9229 The installation fails at the step "Removing LiveOS configuration" : timout (>300s) on the command : eopkg rmf -y calamares.

As a test, can you try running this command manually on the Synology box, either from the live or installed session and let us know the result?

time eopkg rmf -y calamares

I'd like to narrow down if the system is just that slow, or if there's a bug in our installer config. Thanks.

sam9229

@Staudey , thank you for your answer.

=> in the script shellprocess_removeliveos.conf, I commented out the execution of the command.
After that, the installation can be completed completely ! 🙂

For clarification :
What is the purpose of the 'calamares' command that is executed in the live session ?
In the user session, the package calamares is (fortunately) not presennt.

stocc

sam9229 Calamares is the program used to install the live system to the HDD/SSD.

sam9229

@stocc What I want to know is why the Calamares installer is removed during the live session. What are the consequences in the user session if this step is not completed ?

stocc

sam9229 I'm not sure, but I guess once the live system has been installed, Calamares isn't required on the installed system so is removed. However, as you've stated already it isn't on the installed system despite you not running that step, so I have no idea! I would guess that there are no consequences really, but I'd wait for confirmation from one of the Solus team...

TraceyC

sam9229 What are the consequences in the user session if this step is not completed ?

Nothing. The only effect on the system is that you have a package you don't need, taking up a small amount (5.2MB) of disk space.

Staudey If removing or not removing calamares has no effect on the resulting system state then it seems like a useless step, and installation time cut be brought down a few seconds by omitting it.

It would be a trade off between a one time savings of a few seconds and taking up some ( relatively small) amount of the user's disk space. Personally, I would err on the side of being respectful of the user's resources long-term versus a negligible amount of time during installation.

Staudey

Interesting. If removing or not removing calamares has no effect on the resulting system state then it seems like a useless step, and installation time cut be brought down a few seconds by omitting it.

Staudey

TraceyC It would be a trade off between a one time savings of a few seconds and taking up some ( relatively small) amount of the user's disk space. Personally, I would err on the side of being respectful of the user's resources long-term versus a negligible amount of time during installation.

Well they said that calamares was not installed on the system either way, so that's why I said what I said. If that is not true however then the existing process is fine (I didn't test it)

sam9229

I have installed Solus in a new VM, with a timeout set to 9999 for the command time eopkg rmf -y calamares

Here is the log file of calamares (/root/.cache/calamares/session.log) :

=> it took 5'30 min to install calamares on my VM (so a fews seconds more than 300s ..)

TraceyC

Thanks for the additional information, that helps.

I've opened an issue on our bug tracker to look at either raising this timeout or make it so it doesn't make installation fail.

EbonJaeger

The only step that removes Calamares is the removeliveos step; if that doesn't run, then I don't see how Calamares would not be present on the installed system, as "installing" is pretty much just "copy everything from the liveos image with some extra steps."

I'm much more concerned with why it takes 5 mins to remove a package. What resources did you give this VM?

Staudey

EbonJaeger if that doesn't run, then I don't see how Calamares would not be present on the installed system, as "installing" is pretty much just "copy everything from the liveos image with some extra steps."

Can confirm, just tried it in a VM and removing that steps results in the calamares package being installed on the resulting system configuration.
The removal step took maybe ten seconds in this VM with GNOME Boxes default settings, with a compilation going on in the background.

sam9229

EbonJaeger
Ressources given to the VM:
4 proc (the max on Synology VMM) with 3 reserved for the VM
20 Gb RAM

The synology is a DS723+

TraceyC

sam9229 The synology is a DS723+

According to the product page the default hardware has only one CPU with 2 cores, and 2GB of RAM. Did you upgrade either the CPU or memory? Also, a HDD drive will be slower than SDD or nvme.

CPU
        CPU Model 	AMD Ryzen R1600
	CPU Quantity 	1
	CPU Core 	2
	CPU Architecture 	64-bit
	CPU Frequency 	2.6 (base) / 3.1 (turbo) GHz
	Hardware Encryption Engine 	
Memory
	System Memory 	2 GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM
	Memory Module Pre-installed 	2 GB (2 GB x 1)
	Total Memory Slots 	2
	Maximum Memory Capacity 	32 GB (16 GB x 2)

Although, there is always the possibility that a user is installing Solus on an older / less robust machine. IMO the installer shouldn't fail here.

sam9229

TraceyC I upgraded the RAM of my NAS up to 32 Gb (DDR4 ECC SODIMM)
The DD are 2 WD red 4T in SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID).