gpsd: build fails as of missing python distutils.sysconfig

[SvenRoederer]

Maintainer: @psidhu @p-wassi
Environment: OpenWrt master (around 1.1.2020); mvebu-cortexa9

Description: building gpsd fails with a missing dependency to python module distutils.sysconfig

scons: Reading SConscript files ...
ImportError: cannot import name 'sysconfig' from 'distutils' (/usr/lib/python3.7/distutils/__init__.py):
  File "/mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/openwrt/build_dir/target-arm_cortex-a9+vfpv3_musl_eabi/gpsd-3.19/SConstruct", line 46:
    from distutils import sysconfig
make[3]: *** [Makefile:148: /mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/openwrt/build_dir/target-arm_cortex-a9+vfpv3_musl_eabi/gpsd-3.19/.configured_68b329da9893e34099c7d8ad5cb9c940] Error 2
make[3]: Leaving directory '/mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/packages/packages/utils/gpsd'
time: package/feeds/packages/gpsd/compile#0.42#0.10#0.51
make[2]: *** [package/Makefile:113: package/feeds/packages/gpsd/compile] Error 2

Installing the python-module via the hosts apt-get fixes the build, but this seems not the way to go.

[neheb]

ping @commodo , @RussellSenior

[jefferyto]

The error came from the SConstruct file, which means it was run by scons.

AFAIK the scons package depends on buildhost Python, not host Python provided by the python package.

Your buildhost, it has distutils installed (in /usr/lib/python3.7/distutils) but not the sysconfig.py file (/usr/lib/python3.7/distutils/sysconfig.py)? What distro / OS version are you using?

[SvenRoederer]

I'm running Debian 10.2 with small packageset installed, so "python3-distutils" wasn't installed at all.

[jefferyto]

I've set up a minimal Debian 10.2 VM and it has python3.7-minimal, which only has __init__.py and version.py inside /usr/lib/python3.7/distutils.

I've tried compiling the gpsd package (using a snapshot sdk), but before it can get to it, the host scons package throws an error:

./files/pywrap.sh /home/jeff/ath79/build_dir/hostpkg/scons-3.1.1/setup.py install --prefix=/home/jeff/ath79/staging_dir/host
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/home/jeff/ath79/build_dir/hostpkg/scons-3.1.1/setup.py", line 26, in <module>
    import distutils.command.build_scripts
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils.command'

How did you manage to install host scons without full distutils?

[SvenRoederer]

Probably scons was built once I had "python3-distutils" installed when tracing down the build-error. Not sure if I build all from scratch then ...

[SvenRoederer]

@jefferyto You are right. I started the build from scratch and have now scons failing to build.

make[3]: Entering directory '/mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/packages/packages/devel/scons'
./files/pywrap.sh /mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/openwrt/build_dir/hostpkg/scons-3.1.1/setup.py install --prefix=/mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/openwrt/staging_dir/host
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/openwrt/build_dir/hostpkg/scons-3.1.1/setup.py", line 26, in <module>
    import distutils.command.build_scripts
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils.command'
make[3]: *** [Makefile:56: /mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/openwrt/staging_dir/hostpkg/stamp/.scons_installed] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory '/mnt/local/btrfs/build/freifunk/ffberlin/firmware/packages/packages/devel/scons'
time: package/feeds/packages/scons/host-compile#0.25#0.13#0.36
make[2]: *** [package/Makefile:111: package/feeds/packages/scons/host/compile] Error 2

[SvenRoederer]

@jefferyto thanks for taking care.