Can't install Nix 2.2.1 on clean Ubuntu 18.04 (error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted) #2636

thomasjm · 2019-01-17T09:46:59Z

I'm trying to install Nix using the latest install script in Docker, via the simple Dockerfile below. This works fine with NIx 2.1.3 but now it doesn't work with Nix 2.2.1. I saw #1625 but for me the failure is even earlier than in that issue--the install script doesn't even succeed.

FROM ubuntu:18.04

RUN apt-get update
RUN apt-get install -y curl

RUN mkdir /nix
RUN chmod a+rwx /nix

RUN adduser user --home /home/user --disabled-password --gecos "" --shell /bin/bash
USER user
ENV USER user
WORKDIR /home/user

RUN curl https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh

Here's the full error:

  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 22.5M  100 22.5M    0     0  4152k      0  0:00:05  0:00:05 --:--:-- 4854k
performing a single-user installation of Nix...
copying Nix to /nix/store.................................
initialising Nix database...
Nix: creating /home/user/.nix-profile
installing 'nix-2.2.1'
error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted
error: unable to start build process
/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.hqawN4uSPr/unpack/nix-2.2.1-x86_64-linux/install: unable to install Nix into your default profile

The text was updated successfully, but these errors were encountered:

bbarker · 2019-01-17T13:04:40Z

I'm getting the same results on Ubuntu 18.04; last working nix version is 2.1.3 for me as well.

LnL7 · 2019-01-17T17:39:14Z

Sandboxing doesn't work in unprivileged containers.

bbarker · 2019-01-17T18:27:43Z

@LnL7 Hmm, this happens during docker build. I had thought it was privileged, but apparent not. I'll look into that linked issue for more ideas on how to maybe get around this - have to switch gears for now.

Also, when I run the container, I do use --privileged, so after it builds, it should work (I guess...).

LnL7 · 2019-01-17T19:34:27Z

If sandboxing is something you don't care about it can be disabled (like the default on <2.2).

FROM ubuntu:18.04

RUN apt-get update \
 && apt-get install -y curl \
 && mkdir -p /nix /etc/nix \
 && chmod a+rwx /nix \
 && echo 'sandbox = false' > /etc/nix/nix.conf

RUN adduser user --home /home/user --disabled-password --gecos "" --shell /bin/bash
CMD /bin/bash -l
USER user
ENV USER user
WORKDIR /home/user

RUN touch .bash_profile \
 && curl https://nixos.org/releases/nix/nix-2.2.1/install | sh

matthewbauer · 2019-01-25T17:17:33Z

Maybe Nix should by default fall back to sandbox=false when unpriveleged user namespaces are disabled?

related to #2404

asbachb · 2019-01-25T21:20:42Z

Normally you should avoid that a software is doing something else than expected.
I guess a better option would be do print a note how to handle the situation e.g. by adding a flag and/or a reference what the problem is.

mmequignon · 2019-01-27T00:23:45Z

I have exactly the same issue on Debian Sid :

$ curl https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  2476  100  2476    0     0   6783      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  6783
downloading Nix 2.2.1 binary tarball for x86_64-linux from 'https://nixos.org/releases/nix/nix-2.2.1/nix-2.2.1-x86_64-linux.tar.bz2' to '/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.tQ8lssOHCF'...
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 22.5M  100 22.5M    0     0  1247k      0  0:00:18  0:00:18 --:--:-- 1464k
Note: a multi-user installation is possible. See https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#sect-multi-user-installation
performing a single-user installation of Nix...
directory /nix does not exist; creating it by running 'mkdir -m 0755 /nix && chown matthieu /nix' using sudo
[sudo] Mot de passe de matthieu : 
copying Nix to /nix/store.................................
initialising Nix database...
Nix: creating /home/matthieu/.nix-profile
installing 'nix-2.2.1'
error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted
error: unable to start build process
/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.tQ8lssOHCF/unpack/nix-2.2.1-x86_64-linux/install: unable to install Nix into your default profile

NixOS/nix#2636

See NixOS/nix#2636 (comment)

kadogo · 2019-06-03T13:09:58Z

Same issue for me on Debian Stretch

$ curl https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  2476  100  2476    0     0   8804      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--  8811
downloading Nix 2.2.2 binary tarball for x86_64-linux from 'https://nixos.org/releases/nix/nix-2.2.2/nix-2.2.2-x86_64-linux.tar.bz2' to '/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.9IltnINYVj'...
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 22.5M  100 22.5M    0     0  7307k      0  0:00:03  0:00:03 --:--:-- 7309k
Note: a multi-user installation is possible. See https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#sect-multi-user-installation
performing a single-user installation of Nix...
directory /nix does not exist; creating it by running 'mkdir -m 0755 /nix && chown user /nix' using sudo
[sudo] Mot de passe de user : 
copying Nix to /nix/store.................................
initialising Nix database...
Nix: creating /home/user/.nix-profile
installing 'nix-2.2.2'
error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted
error: unable to start build process
/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.9IltnINYVj/unpack/nix-2.2.2-x86_64-linux/install: unable to install Nix into your default profile

Angr1st · 2019-06-07T20:46:51Z

Just to chime in have the same issue in PureOS (Debian 10 based):

$ curl https://nixos.org/nix/install | sh
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  2476  100  2476    0     0  14312      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 14312
downloading Nix 2.2.2 binary tarball for x86_64-linux from 'https://nixos.org/releases/nix/nix-2.2.2/nix-2.2.2-x86_64-linux.tar.bz2' to '/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.J2ndWcVpzX'...
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 22.5M  100 22.5M    0     0  9016k      0  0:00:02  0:00:02 --:--:-- 9016k
Note: a multi-user installation is possible. See https://nixos.org/nix/manual/#sect-multi-user-installation
performing a single-user installation of Nix...
copying Nix to /nix/store.................................
initialising Nix database...
installing 'nix-2.2.2'
error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted
error: unable to start build process
/tmp/nix-binary-tarball-unpack.J2ndWcVpzX/unpack/nix-2.2.2-x86_64-linux/install: unable to install Nix into your default profile

matthewbauer · 2019-06-07T21:04:42Z

You can always run:

sudo sysctl -w kernel.unprivileged_userns_clone=1

on debian to enable userns

chrissound · 2019-08-28T16:03:55Z

Running into the same issue on a Hetzner VPS - no docker involved. Not sure if it's any significance though...

kajahno · 2019-11-29T11:01:25Z

For me what worked fine was @LnL7's Dockerfile, then passing the flag --privileged, like this:

$ docker run  -it -v $(pwd):/src -v nix-store:/nix --privileged  ubuntu-nix bash -c "you commands"

stale · 2021-02-16T07:00:55Z

I marked this as stale due to inactivity. → More info

stale · 2022-04-29T00:09:30Z

I closed this issue due to inactivity. → More info

bbarker mentioned this issue Jan 17, 2019

Is there a plan for getting Nix 2.2.x to work in docker? NixOS/docker#6

Closed

bbarker mentioned this issue Jan 17, 2019

cannot remove '/nix/store/.../lib/libunwind-generic.a': NixOS/nixpkgs#54176

Open

m-elwin mentioned this issue Jan 19, 2019

Error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted installing Nix 2.2.1 in (Arch) Linux #2633

Closed

kamilchm added a commit to kamilchm/go2nix that referenced this issue Feb 15, 2019

FIX Can't install Nix 2.2.1 on clean Ubuntu 18.04

26d45af

NixOS/nix#2636

f-f added a commit to f-f/docker-haskell-lavello that referenced this issue May 5, 2019

Fix stack build and nix install

b59c6c6

See NixOS/nix#2636 (comment)

matthewbauer mentioned this issue Jul 30, 2019

Run test to determine if sandboxing is available #3006

Merged

matthewbauer mentioned this issue May 21, 2020

Can't build numpy cross package for armv7 due to failure compiling gfortran needed in lapack and blas dependencies NixOS/nixpkgs#88449

Closed

stale bot added the stale label Feb 16, 2021

stale bot closed this as completed Apr 29, 2022

thufschmitt reopened this Feb 24, 2023

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Can't install Nix 2.2.1 on clean Ubuntu 18.04 (error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted) #2636

Can't install Nix 2.2.1 on clean Ubuntu 18.04 (error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted) #2636

thomasjm commented Jan 17, 2019

bbarker commented Jan 17, 2019

LnL7 commented Jan 17, 2019

bbarker commented Jan 17, 2019

LnL7 commented Jan 17, 2019

matthewbauer commented Jan 25, 2019

asbachb commented Jan 25, 2019

mmequignon commented Jan 27, 2019

kadogo commented Jun 3, 2019

Angr1st commented Jun 7, 2019

matthewbauer commented Jun 7, 2019

chrissound commented Aug 28, 2019

kajahno commented Nov 29, 2019

stale bot commented Feb 16, 2021

stale bot commented Apr 29, 2022

Can't install Nix 2.2.1 on clean Ubuntu 18.04 (error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted) #2636

Can't install Nix 2.2.1 on clean Ubuntu 18.04 (error: cloning builder process: Operation not permitted) #2636

Comments

thomasjm commented Jan 17, 2019

bbarker commented Jan 17, 2019

LnL7 commented Jan 17, 2019

bbarker commented Jan 17, 2019

LnL7 commented Jan 17, 2019

matthewbauer commented Jan 25, 2019

asbachb commented Jan 25, 2019

mmequignon commented Jan 27, 2019

kadogo commented Jun 3, 2019

Angr1st commented Jun 7, 2019

matthewbauer commented Jun 7, 2019

chrissound commented Aug 28, 2019

kajahno commented Nov 29, 2019

stale bot commented Feb 16, 2021

stale bot commented Apr 29, 2022