qvm-features-request in archlinux template uses environment to locate python/cannot always locate qubesdb module

[bx]

Qubes OS version:

R4.0

Affected component(s):

/usr/bin/qubes-features-request in archlinux template-based VMs

---

Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Setup and enter local python environment (using a tool such as pyenv) that does not depend on any of the system-defined python modules
2. Execute qvm-features-request

Expected behavior:

qvm-features-request quietly succeeds

[user@foo ~]$ qvm-features-request 
[user@foo ~]$

Actual behavior:

qvm-features-request fails to import qubesdb module

[user@foo ~]$ qvm-features-request	
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/qvm-features-request", line 30, in <module>
    import qubesdb
ImportError: No module named qubesdb

General notes:

This fix is simple. The first line of qubes-features-request relies on /usr/bin/env to locate python:
#!/usr/bin/env python2
It should be changed to:
#!/usr/bin/python2

---

Related issues:

From what I can tell, this is the only qubes-related tool included in the archlinux template that has this problem.
A quick look at scripts in /usr/bin with qubes or qvm in its name shows that the other python-based tools explicitly set /usr/bin/python2 as their interpreter

[user@foo ~] find /usr/bin | grep -E "(qubes|qvm)" | xargs file | grep script | awk -F ":" '{print $1}' | xargs head -n 1
==> /usr/bin/qubes-set-monitor-layout <==
#!/bin/bash

==> /usr/bin/qubes-gpg-import-key <==
#!/bin/bash

==> /usr/bin/qvm-run-vm <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubes-firewall <==
#!/usr/bin/python2

==> /usr/bin/qvm-copy <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qvm-features-request <==
#!/usr/bin/env python2

==> /usr/bin/qubes-serial-login <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubes-gpg-client-wrapper <==
#!/bin/bash

==> /usr/bin/qvm-open-in-dvm <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubes-change-keyboard-layout <==
#!/usr/bin/python2

==> /usr/bin/qubes-desktop-run <==
#!/usr/bin/python2

==> /usr/bin/qvm-open-in-vm <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubes-session-autostart <==
#!/usr/bin/env python2

==> /usr/bin/qvm-sync-clock <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qvm-copy-to-vm <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubes-session <==
#!/bin/bash

==> /usr/bin/qubes-open <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubesdb-read-bool <==
#!/bin/sh

==> /usr/bin/qubes-run-xorg.sh <==
#!/bin/sh

[marmarek]

This fix is simple. The first line of qubes-features-request relies on /usr/bin/env to locate python:
#!/usr/bin/env python2
It should be changed to:
#!/usr/bin/python2

While I agree with the change, not really sure if that would help. In both cases it's python2 and the error message isn't about missing python binary, but python module. Do you have alternative python2 in that VM (manual build or sth)?

[marmarek]

This fix is simple. The first line of qubes-features-request relies on /usr/bin/env to locate python:
#!/usr/bin/env python2
It should be changed to:
#!/usr/bin/python2

While I agree with the change, not really sure if that would help. In both cases it's python2 and the error message isn't about missing python binary, but python module. Do you have alternative python2 in that VM (manual build or sth)?

[bx]

Yes, I have a few VMs I use as development environments where have a pyenv setup to override the system-wide python environment. In such cases, the python modules installed along with /usr/bin/python2 do not get searched/loaded.

[bx]

Yes, I have a few VMs I use as development environments where have a pyenv setup to override the system-wide python environment. In such cases, the python modules installed along with /usr/bin/python2 do not get searched/loaded.

[ptitdoc]

For python virtualenv you often have to initialise your environment with --system-site-packages if you want to inherit existing system packages. If not used you ends up with an isolated python environment with à minimal set of python modules.

In consequence when you run python, your virtualenv python is started which is linked to this few set of modules.

[ptitdoc]

For python virtualenv you often have to initialise your environment with --system-site-packages if you want to inherit existing system packages. If not used you ends up with an isolated python environment with à minimal set of python modules.

In consequence when you run python, your virtualenv python is started which is linked to this few set of modules.