Debian Buildd Setup

This page describes setting up a new buildd. This can either be as part of the official Debian buildd network, with the machine run by DSA, or as part of the debian-ports 'unoffical' buildd network for new/old/not-released ports, where the admin is not by DSA.

Mostly because DSA has particular admin requirements some of the setup is different. See the relevant section.

This documentation supercedes https://buildd.debian.org/docs/buildd-setup.txt

This example uses arm64 because that's what I was doing. A few of the details are affected by the way that the buildds were behind a firewall so didn't have direct ssh or email access. Adjust as needed for your circumstances.

Overview

The buildd connects over ssh to a wanna-build instance (normally buildd.debian.org (official) or buildd.debian-ports.org (unofficial).

The buildd is started by a cron job every half hour (which does nothing ifd the buildd is already running).

Having connected and got a list of things to build it builds one, then emails logs to buildd.debian.org, and duploads the binaries.

Emails can arrive during this time to say that a build has been superceded and should be aborted.

You can manually ssh to the wanna-build machine and run commands to affect the database. Any DD can connect to buildd.debian.org and use wanna-build command to examine the database. She can only make changes if she is in the right group.

Considerations

It is much easier to run a buildd using stable. The tools are built for that, external admin people (DSA) expect it, and stability is good. Even if you have a new architecture it is a good idea to run stable on the base machine, and only use unstable with the recently-bootstrapped stuff in the build chroot if you can. Not all architectures have this option of course, and you may have to run unstable <new-arch> on the bare machine too. The problem here is that you may not have everything you need (at least sbuild, buildd, schroot, MTA, gnupg, dupload) built yet, and changes over time (general unstable breakage, new breakage in your new arch, ABI changes etc) will cause whoever is administering the machine some hassle. It will work like this though so ultimately the choice is yours. Once your architecture is accepted into testing it is best to use the current codename for the testing suite so that the machine starts using stable after a release.

Admin

To be adopted by DSA a machine must have these things

If you plan to become an official buildd then bear these in mind.

To be used as a buildd the machine needs:

Minimum:

Preferable:

Setup

debian.org Buildd setup

Much is now done by puppet. You will need to do the following before handing over to DSA:

<fill in here>

Debian-ports Buildd Setup

adduser buildd

echo | ssh-keygen -N ''

apt-get install apt-transport-https ca-certificates debian-archive-keyring
wget https://buildd.debian.org/apt/archive-key.asc
apt-key add archive-key.asc

install --directory --mode=2770 --owner=buildd --group=buildd build logs old-logs upload-security
install --directory --mode=2775 --owner=buildd --group=buildd stats stats/graphs upload

apt-get install sbuild buildd 

echo '|/usr/bin/buildd-mail' > ~/.forward 

sbuild-adduser buildd

The above will configure a mail daemon if you haven't already installed one.

sbuild-update --keygen

YOUR_VG="vg0"
lvcreate --size 20G --name buildd-trees $YOUR_VG
install --directory --mode=2700 --owner=buildd --group=buildd ~buildd/build-trees
mkfs.ext3 /dev/$YOUR_VG/buildd-trees
echo "/dev/$YOUR_VG/buildd-trees /home/buildd/build-trees ext3
 rw 0 2" >> /etc/fstab
mount ~buildd/build-trees
/usr/share/sbuild/create-chroot http://ftp.debian.org/debian --arch=arm64 unstable $YOUR_VG 5G

If you have a source of entropy start using it now. (e.g install ekeyd-egd-linux and an ekey, or arrange to use another one over the net).

(As buildd) Create gpg key: Use this script file ('keygen') to get it right (set your own hostname and arch):

GPG_OPTS='--cert-digest-algo SHA256'
gpg --batch --gen-key ${GPG_OPTS} --status-fd 3 3>keygen.log <<EOT
%echo Generating key for ${host} ...
Key-Type: RSA
Key-Usage: sign
Key-Length: 4096
Name-Real: buildd autosigning key ${host}
Name-Email: buildd_${arch}-${host}@buildd.debian-ports.org
Expire-Date: 365d
%commit
EOT

Generate the key with (setting your own hostname and arch): host=turfan arch=arm64 ./keygen

In chroot: For debian-ports buildd use standard buildd package, or delete /etc/schroot/setup.d/99builddsourceslist and instead put in static config:

deb [arch=amd64] http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib
deb <your bootstrap repo binary deb line>

Configure apt (don't install recommends, no pdiffs). For speed allow unsafe io (fine on snapshot chroots), and favour .gz over .xz(unless your machine is much faster than your network)

APT::Install-Recommends 0;
Acquire::PDiffs "false";
Acquire::Languages "none"; 
DPkg::Options {"--force-unsafe-io";};
Acquire::CompressionTypes::Order { "gz"; "bz2"; }

For Debian buildd /etc/schroot/setup.d/99builddsourceslist will set up your sources for different suites, including experimental, backports, security etc. On debian-ports buildds this file does not help, so remove it.

Set the default mirror(and disable incoming if you are not authorised to use that) in /etc/schroot/conf.buildd:

debian_mirror="http://ftp.cn.debian.org/debian/"
debian_incoming=no

Set sbuild config (which arch(es) to build, chroot arch, log mailto/from addresses: (changes from defaults)

$build_arch = 'arm64';  
$host_arch = 'arm64';
$mailfrom = 'buildd_arm64-turfan@turfan.debian.net';
$mailto = 'logs@buildd.debian-ports.org';

Notes:

It's important to change the maintainer name on buildd uploads otherwise the real maintainer gets a message every time you do an upload, which they generally don't want. Set this (to match the name/mail used in the in signing key) /etc/sbuild/sbuild.conf:

$maintainer_name = 'buildd autosigning key turfan <buildd_arm64-turfan@buildd.debian-ports.org>';

Install archive key package:

Set up email: Install an MTA (nullmailer, ssmtp if there is a smarthost to deliver through, otherwise exim, or another you prefer).

Ensure the machine can deliver mail, and has valid DNS (at least an mx record)

Send .ssh key and gpg key (in a signed mail) to the admins at debian-ports.net. They also want to know address range from which ssh connections will come, and the email address to use to send mail back to the buildd user.

Once installed check you can log in.

(as root) Configure dupload (in /etc/dupload.cf)

If you are uploading to debian proper there is nothing to do. If you are uploading to debian-ports adding a stanza for debian-ports:

$cfg{'debian-ports'} = {
        fqdn => "ftp.debian-ports.org",
        incoming => "/incoming/",
        dinstall_runs => 1,
};

Set up buildd config (in /etc/buildd/buildd.conf). Confusingly some of these options look a lot like the sbuild.conf ones. (changes from defaults, for a debian-ports buildd)

$build_arch = 'arm64';
$host_arch = 'arm64';
$distributions = [
{
               dist_name => ["unstable"],
               built_architecture => "arm64",
               wanna_build_ssh_host => "buildd.debian-ports.org"
               wanna_build_ssh_user => "buildd_arm64",
               wanna_build_db_name => "",
               wanna_build_db_user => "buildd_arm64-turfan",
               logs_mailed_to => 'logs@buildd.debian-ports.org',
               sign_with => 'E567D7FA',
}
];
   $upload_queues = [
        {
                dupload_local_queue_dir => "upload",
                dupload_archive_name => "debian-ports",
        }
];

setting up debian.net entry

The buildd machine can be in any domain, but if you don't have a better one putting it in debian.net makes sense. This is easy to do. The process is documented at DebianDotNet.

For example to set an A record for the smarthost/net-visible machine (arm64.debian.net) and an mx record for the buildd behind it (turfan.debian.net) execute this:

gpg --clearsign <<EOF | mail changes@db.debian.org
arm64 in a 10.11.12.13
turfan in mx 10 arm64.debian.net.
EOF

Note that you cannot set up subdomains in debian.net.

example files for debian-ports buildd

example .sbuildrc (or /etc/sbuild/sbuild.conf) file:

# THIS IS MANDATORY FOR DEBIAN BUILDDS, OTHERWISE THE LOG SUBJECT IS BROKEN.
$arch = 'sparc64';

$mailfrom = 'buildd on sompek <buildd@sompek.debian.org>';

##
## DPKG-BUILDPACKAGE OPTIONS
##

$maintainer_name='sparc/sparc64 Build Daemon (sompek) <buildd_sparc64-sompek@buildd.debian-ports.org>';
$purge_build_directory="always";
$sbuild_mode = "buildd";

$mime_build_log_mails = 1;
$compress_build_log_mails = 1;

example .builddrc (or /etc/buildd/buildd.conf) file:

# nice level to run sbuild.  Dedicated build daemons should not be
# niced.
#$nice_level = 10;

# time to sleep when idle (between wanna-build --list=needs-build calls)
#$idle_sleep_time = 5*60;

# Should buildd send "Should I build" messages?
$should_build_msgs = 0;

# tell the packages build system to run in parallel
# check the number of available CPUs first
$ENV{'DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS'} = 'parallel=8';

# mail addr of admin
$admin_mail = 'aurelien@aurel32.net';

# mail address where to send statistics summaries
$statistics_mail = $admin_mail;

# log success messages from upload queue daemon?
$log_queued_messages = 1;

# list of distributions that buildd should take packages from
@distributions = (
        {
                dist_name => ["unstable"],
                built_architecture => 'sparc64',

                wanna_build_ssh_host => "buildd.debian-ports.org",
                wanna_build_ssh_user => "buildd_sparc64",
                wanna_build_ssh_socket => 'buildd.debian-ports.org.ssh',
                wanna_build_ssh_options => [],
                wanna_build_db_user => "buildd_sparc64-sompek",

                dupload_local_queue_dir => "upload-debian-ports",

                logs_mailed_to => 'logs@buildd.debian-ports.org',
                sign_with => 'E567D7FA',
        },
);

@upload_queues = (
        {
                dupload_local_queue_dir => "upload-debian-ports",
                dupload_archive_name => "debian-ports",
        },
);

Debugging

If nothing much is happenning check these things: you can ssh as buildd (you may well get a 'no PTS' error becauseyou may not be able to run a shell, only the wanna-build command). But check it connects OK with no password.

See what ~buildd/deamon.log says

run build on its own. (mine said "should get rid of /var/lib/sbuild/build in /etc/schroot/buildd/fstab (at least for d.o-systems) at /usr/bin/buildd line 41")