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authorMikey Ariel <mariel@redhat.com>2014-08-27 18:41:09 +0200
committerMikey Ariel <mariel@redhat.com>2014-08-27 18:41:09 +0200
commit8901acc97664aa8ebf687ee904428aa57a5192be (patch)
treef7bfefccbc2a08cc49eb37b424758a6158b29b58 /doc/manual/glossary
parent3f0a4bf0e7254edddaa864d23893d98da23c2977 (diff)
Restructuring the Nix manual
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+<appendix xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"
+ xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
+
+<title>Glossary</title>
+
+
+<glosslist>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-derivation"><glossterm>derivation</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A description of a build action. The result of a
+ derivation is a store object. Derivations are typically specified
+ in Nix expressions using the <link
+ linkend="ssec-derivation"><function>derivation</function>
+ primitive</link>. These are translated into low-level
+ <emphasis>store derivations</emphasis> (implicitly by
+ <command>nix-env</command> and <command>nix-build</command>, or
+ explicitly by <command>nix-instantiate</command>).</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>store</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The location in the file system where store objects
+ live. Typically <filename>/nix/store</filename>.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>store path</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The location in the file system of a store object,
+ i.e., an immediate child of the Nix store
+ directory.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>store object</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A file that is an immediate child of the Nix store
+ directory. These can be regular files, but also entire directory
+ trees. Store objects can be sources (objects copied from outside of
+ the store), derivation outputs (objects produced by running a build
+ action), or derivations (files describing a build
+ action).</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-substitute"><glossterm>substitute</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A substitute is a command invocation stored in the
+ Nix database that describes how to build a store object, bypassing
+ normal the build mechanism (i.e., derivations). Typically, the
+ substitute builds the store object by downloading a pre-built
+ version of the store object from some server.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>purity</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The assumption that equal Nix derivations when run
+ always produce the same output. This cannot be guaranteed in
+ general (e.g., a builder can rely on external inputs such as the
+ network or the system time) but the Nix model assumes
+ it.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry><glossterm>Nix expression</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A high-level description of software packages and
+ compositions thereof. Deploying software using Nix entails writing
+ Nix expressions for your packages. Nix expressions are translated
+ to derivations that are stored in the Nix store. These derivations
+ can then be built.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-reference"><glossterm>reference</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A store path <varname>P</varname> is said to have a
+ reference to a store path <varname>Q</varname> if the store object
+ at <varname>P</varname> contains the path <varname>Q</varname>
+ somewhere. This implies than an execution involving
+ <varname>P</varname> potentially needs <varname>Q</varname> to be
+ present. The <emphasis>references</emphasis> of a store path are
+ the set of store paths to which it has a reference.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-closure"><glossterm>closure</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The closure of a store path is the set of store
+ paths that are directly or indirectly “reachable” from that store
+ path; that is, it’s the closure of the path under the <link
+ linkend="gloss-reference">references</link> relation. For instance,
+ if the store object at path <varname>P</varname> contains a
+ reference to path <varname>Q</varname>, then <varname>Q</varname> is
+ in the closure of <varname>P</varname>. For correct deployment it
+ is necessary to deploy whole closures, since otherwise at runtime
+ files could be missing. The command <command>nix-store
+ -qR</command> prints out closures of store paths.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-output-path"><glossterm>output path</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A store path produced by a derivation.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-deriver"><glossterm>deriver</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>The deriver of an <link
+ linkend="gloss-output-path">output path</link> is the store
+ derivation that built it.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-validity"><glossterm>validity</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A store path is considered
+ <emphasis>valid</emphasis> if it exists in the file system, is
+ listed in the Nix database as being valid, and if all paths in its
+ closure are also valid.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-user-env"><glossterm>user environment</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>An automatically generated store object that
+ consists of a set of symlinks to “active” applications, i.e., other
+ store paths. These are generated automatically by <link
+ linkend="sec-nix-env"><command>nix-env</command></link>. See <xref
+ linkend="sec-profiles" />.</para>
+
+ </glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-profile"><glossterm>profile</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A symlink to the current <link
+ linkend="gloss-user-env">user environment</link> of a user, e.g.,
+ <filename>/nix/var/nix/profiles/default</filename>.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+<glossentry xml:id="gloss-nar"><glossterm>NAR</glossterm>
+
+ <glossdef><para>A <emphasis>N</emphasis>ix
+ <emphasis>AR</emphasis>chive. This is a serialisation of a path in
+ the Nix store. It can contain regular files, directories and
+ symbolic links. NARs are generated and unpacked using
+ <command>nix-store --dump</command> and <command>nix-store
+ --restore</command>.</para></glossdef>
+
+</glossentry>
+
+
+
+</glosslist>
+
+
+</appendix>