Nest install - add-apt-repository fails

[mgiugliano]

On Debian, the command indicated in the documentation:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nest-simulator/nest

fails, returning the error:

gpg: keybox '/tmp/tmp2gyoggo5/pubring.gpg' created
gpg: failed to start the dirmngr '/usr/bin/dirmngr': No such file or directory
gpg: connecting dirmngr at '/tmp/tmp2gyoggo5/S.dirmngr' failed: No such file or directory
gpg: keyserver receive failed: No dirmngr

Moreover, the command add-apt-repository was not immediately available but it had to be first added by

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common

[steffengraber]

Hi @mgiugliano

The Ubuntu ppa packages are initially intended for Ubuntu. We are working on packages to be used for Debian and Ubuntu.
Nevertheless the packages can be used under Debian with a little more effort.

sudo apt install devscripts build-essential software-properties-common dpkg-dev
sudo add-apt-repository --enable-source ppa:nest-simulator/nest

This will create a new apt repository entry in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pogo-dev-ubuntu-stable-disco.list.
Disable the binary package repository in the file (comment it out).
Next, you need to import the PPA GPG key and rebuild the packacge

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys CF7539642ABD23CBCA8D487F0B8B6C5EC02D7DD
sudo apt update
sudo apt source --build nest

If there are dependencies missing, apt will tell you. Please install them.
After the rebuild, there is an debian ready package. Install it with

sudo dpkg --install nest_2.18.0-0~201911260924~ubuntu20.04.1_amd64.deb
Test it:

python3
>>>import nest

Of course you have to adapt names and paths to your system.

@jessica-mitchell please note this for the documentation

[steffengraber]

@sarakonradi please note this for the documentation