context: https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=76959
I have also run into this bug. It manifested itself as an empty boot
parameters file causing guix system errors:
`guix system: error: unrecognized boot parameters at
'/var/guix/profiles/system/parameters'"`
Roll backs and generation switches are no longer possible due to the current
system profile being in a broken state.
It is still possible to boot into an older generation.
Can confirm that manually activating an older generation per:
`sudo guile -s /var/guix/profiles/system-XX-link/activate`
With a rw remount of `/` to manually set the current system profile link to
that profile will get you back into a state that lets you delete the offending
generation using `guix system delete-generation`.
Curiously, my latest working generation is where the faulty system generation
was configured from, and I was still seeing intermittent generation of e.g.
empty `.drv` files on this generation:
guix system describe:
...
Generation 33 Mar 04 2025 23:02:24 (current)
file name: /var/guix/profiles/system-33-link
canonical file name: /gnu/store/qszg286n66l3gwjipvzg0nhswz7pv996-system
label: GNU with Linux 6.12.13
bootloader: grub-efi
root device: /dev/mapper/system-root
kernel: /gnu/store/gz7w72cj3icm58zj9vs6vvvs6khcqzil-linux-6.12.13/bzImage
channels:
...
guix:
repository URL: https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/guix.git
branch: master
commit: 8bc831325a905dbd9015739b58e3a5138d2217da
configuration file:
/gnu/store/45gp6why4xgkxxxl1cs2v7nkf1fxrmag-configuration.scm
...
uname -a:
...
Linux thinkpad 6.12.13 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC 1 x86_64 GNU/Linux
This is a configuration that deploys cleanly on another system but from
this generation (33) I get (inconsistent/intermittent) empty drv files:
...
Reconfiguring system ...
guix system: error: error parsing derivation
`/gnu/store/f2xi0b47yvgb4h8b92hlj7xmaqairidq-shepherd-nftables.go.drv':
expected string `Derive(['
λ ~ › cat /gnu/store/f2xi0b47yvgb4h8b92hlj7xmaqairidq-shepherd-nftables.go.drv
λ ~ › ls -alrt
/gnu/store/f2xi0b47yvgb4h8b92hlj7xmaqairidq-shepherd-nftables.go.drv
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 0 Dec 31 1969
/gnu/store/f2xi0b47yvgb4h8b92hlj7xmaqairidq-shepherd-nftables.go.drv
λ ~ ›
```
`guix gc --verify=contents` also then shows many empty files with unexpected
hashes.
To get back into a working state I followed the following steps:
- Boot into a known-working older generation XX to purge broken generation YY
- Activate the known-working generation manually using:
`sudo -E guile -s /var/guix/profiles/system-XX-link/activate`
Note: this seems redundant, but just including as the actual steps I took
- remount `/` rw and manually update the current profile link
to enable `guix system` commands to work again:
`sudo mount -o remount,rw /dev/your-root-dev /`
`sudo rm /var/guix/profiles/system`
`sudo ln -s /var/guix/profiles/system-XX-link /var/guix/profiles/system`
- delete the offending generation YY:
`sudo -E guix system delete-generations YY`
- collect garbage:
`guix gc`
Note: I had ~35GB of gc, but plenty of diskspace, not sure if related but
curious that a `guix gc` resulted in being able to reconfigure without
empty files appearing once more
- update guix:
`guix pull`
- reconfigure to intended current generation system config:
`sudo -E guix system -L . reconfigure CONFIG.scm`
- reboot
Leaving me in the following current/working state:
...
Generation 34 Mar 11 2025 18:09:09 (current)
file name: /var/guix/profiles/system-34-link
canonical file name: /gnu/store/17z7fpnbwbmi78v211xfm5r9wxhjgv6b-system
label: GNU with Linux 6.13.5
bootloader: grub-efi
root device: /dev/mapper/system-root
kernel: /gnu/store/skdgsqhqdwif0adykjg867i1n3xwfz9i-linux-6.13.5/bzImage
channels:
...
guix:
repository URL: https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/guix.git
branch: master
commit: d685a45edf0f89e5876ffc9d880068d8610e5f8a
configuration file:
/gnu/store/vnp7mhfhfff802zsp2vw74a7v0cv54hj-configuration.scm
...
Kind regards,
Bas
