diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/Makefile.am | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/env-common.xml | 21 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/installation.xml | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/manual.xml | 6 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/nix-copy-closure.xml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/nix-worker.xml | 34 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/manual/package-management.xml | 78 |
7 files changed, 144 insertions, 5 deletions
diff --git a/doc/manual/Makefile.am b/doc/manual/Makefile.am index 20c9e1bee..392a6d71d 100644 --- a/doc/manual/Makefile.am +++ b/doc/manual/Makefile.am @@ -16,12 +16,14 @@ man1_MANS = nix-env.1 nix-build.1 nix-store.1 nix-instantiate.1 \ nix-prefetch-url.1 nix-channel.1 \ nix-install-package.1 nix-hash.1 nix-copy-closure.1 +man8_MANS = nix-worker.8 + FIGURES = figures/user-environments.png MANUAL_SRCS = manual.xml introduction.xml installation.xml \ package-management.xml writing-nix-expressions.xml builtins.xml \ build-farm.xml \ - $(man1_MANS:.1=.xml) \ + $(man1_MANS:.1=.xml) $(man8_MANS:.8=.xml) \ troubleshooting.xml bugs.xml opt-common.xml opt-common-syn.xml \ env-common.xml quick-start.xml nix-lang-ref.xml glossary.xml \ conf-file.xml release-notes.xml \ diff --git a/doc/manual/env-common.xml b/doc/manual/env-common.xml index fdfbaf59a..d6ebbf654 100644 --- a/doc/manual/env-common.xml +++ b/doc/manual/env-common.xml @@ -274,6 +274,27 @@ $ mount -o bind /mnt/otherdisk/nix /nix</screen> </varlistentry> +<varlistentry xml:id="envar-other-stores"><term><envar>NIX_OTHER_STORES</envar></term> + + <listitem><para>This variable contains the paths of remote Nix + installations from whichs paths can be copied, separated by colons. + See <xref linkend="sec-sharing-packages" /> for details. Each path + should be the <filename>/nix</filename> directory of a remote Nix + installation (i.e., not the <filename>/nix/store</filename> + directory). The paths are subject to globbing, so you can set it so + something like <literal>/var/run/nix/remote-stores/*/nix</literal> + and mount multiple remote filesystems in + <literal>/var/run/nix/remote-stores</literal>.</para> + + <para>Note that if you’re building through the <link + linkend="sec-nix-worker">Nix daemon</link>, the only setting for + this variable that matters is the one that the + <command>nix-worker</command> process uses. So if you want to + change it, you have to restart the daemon.</para></listitem> + +</varlistentry> + + </variablelist> diff --git a/doc/manual/installation.xml b/doc/manual/installation.xml index b13be1363..7adf00cb6 100644 --- a/doc/manual/installation.xml +++ b/doc/manual/installation.xml @@ -336,8 +336,8 @@ $ chown -R root /nix/store /nix/var/nix</screen> </para> -<para>The Nix daemon should be started as follows (as -<literal>root</literal>): +<para>The <link linkend="sec-nix-worker">Nix daemon</link> should be +started as follows (as <literal>root</literal>): <screen> $ nix-worker --daemon</screen> diff --git a/doc/manual/manual.xml b/doc/manual/manual.xml index 22e9f6afd..e1dd5d485 100644 --- a/doc/manual/manual.xml +++ b/doc/manual/manual.xml @@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ <holder>Eelco Dolstra</holder> </copyright> - <date>June 2008</date> + <date>November 2008</date> </info> @@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ <title>nix-push</title> <xi:include href="nix-push.xml" /> </section> + <section xml:id="sec-nix-worker"> + <title>nix-worker</title> + <xi:include href="nix-worker.xml" /> + </section> </section> </appendix> diff --git a/doc/manual/nix-copy-closure.xml b/doc/manual/nix-copy-closure.xml index fcb6be234..ddbd8e694 100644 --- a/doc/manual/nix-copy-closure.xml +++ b/doc/manual/nix-copy-closure.xml @@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ those paths. If this bothers you, use <para>Copy Firefox with all its dependencies to a remote machine: <screen> -$ nix-copy-closure alice@itchy.labs $(type -tP firefox)</screen> +$ nix-copy-closure --to alice@itchy.labs $(type -tP firefox)</screen> </para> diff --git a/doc/manual/nix-worker.xml b/doc/manual/nix-worker.xml new file mode 100644 index 000000000..a14ee574e --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/manual/nix-worker.xml @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@ +<refentry xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" + xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" + xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"> + +<refmeta> + <refentrytitle>nix-worker</refentrytitle> + <manvolnum>8</manvolnum> + <refmiscinfo class="source">Nix</refmiscinfo> + <refmiscinfo class="version"><xi:include href="version.txt" parse="text"/></refmiscinfo> +</refmeta> + +<refnamediv> + <refname>nix-worker</refname> + <refpurpose>Nix multi-user support daemon</refpurpose> +</refnamediv> + +<refsynopsisdiv> + <cmdsynopsis> + <command>nix-worker</command> + <arg choice="plain"><option>--daemon</option></arg> + </cmdsynopsis> +</refsynopsisdiv> + + +<refsection><title>Description</title> + +<para>The Nix daemon is necessary in multi-user Nix installations. It +performs build actions and other operations on the Nix store on behalf +of unprivileged users.</para> + + +</refsection> + +</refentry> diff --git a/doc/manual/package-management.xml b/doc/manual/package-management.xml index be0d5f21b..c22273ebe 100644 --- a/doc/manual/package-management.xml +++ b/doc/manual/package-management.xml @@ -528,4 +528,82 @@ linkend='sec-nix-install-package' /> for details.</para> </section> +<section xml:id="sec-sharing-packages"><title>Sharing packages between machines</title> + +<para>Sometimes you want to copy a package from one machine to +another. Or, you want to install some packages and you know that +another machine already has some or all of those packages or their +dependencies. In that case there are mechanisms to quickly copy +packages between machines.</para> + +<para>The command <command +linkend="sec-nix-copy-closure">nix-copy-closure</command> copies a Nix +store path along with all its dependencies to or from another machine +via the SSH protocol. It doesn’t copy store paths that are already +present on the target machine. For example, the following command +copies Firefox with all its dependencies: + +<screen> +$ nix-copy-closure --to alice@itchy.example.org $(type -p firefox)</screen> + +See <xref linkend='sec-nix-copy-closure' /> for details.</para> + +<para>With <command linkend='refsec-nix-store-export'>nix-store +--export</command> and <command +linkend='refsec-nix-store-import'>nix-store --import</command> you can +write the closure of a store path (that is, the path and all its +dependencies) to a file, and then unpack that file into another Nix +store. For example, + +<screen> +$ nix-store --export $(type -p firefox) > firefox.closure</screen> + +writes the closure of Firefox to a file. You can then copy this file +to another machine and install the closure: + +<screen> +$ nix-store --import < firefox.closure</screen> + +Any store paths in the closure that are already present in the target +store are ignored. It is also possible to pipe the export into +another command, e.g. to copy and install a closure directly to/on +another machine: + +<screen> +$ nix-store --export $(type -p firefox) | bzip2 | \ + ssh alice@itchy.example.org "bunzip2 | nix-store --import"</screen> + +But note that <command>nix-copy-closure</command> is generally more +efficient in this example because it only copies paths that are not +already present in the target Nix store.</para> + +<para>Finally, if you can mount the Nix store of a remote machine in +your local filesystem, Nix can copy paths from the remote Nix store to +the local Nix store <emphasis>on demand</emphasis>. For instance, +suppose that you mount a remote machine containing a Nix store via +<command +xlink:href="http://fuse.sourceforge.net/sshfs.html">sshfs</command>: + +<screen> +$ sshfs alice@itchy.example.org:/ /mnt</screen> + +You should then set the <envar>NIX_OTHER_STORES</envar> environment +variable to tell Nix about this remote Nix store: + +<screen> +$ export NIX_OTHER_STORES=/mnt/nix</screen> + +Then if you do any Nix operation, e.g. + +<screen> +$ nix-env -i firefox</screen> + +and Nix has to build a path that it sees is already present in +<filename>/mnt/nix</filename>, then it will just copy from there +instead of building it from source.</para> + + +</section> + + </chapter> |