building GHC overwrites the installed package database if GHC_PACKAGE_PATH is set
When building GHC, if GHC_PACKAGE_PATH is set to a single path, then the build process will register packages in that path instead of in the build tree. Since GHC_PACKAGE_PATH points to the host compiler's package database, the build system overwrites the host compiler's package database, rendering the host compiler unusable.
To reproduce:
- Get a binary distribution of GHC 7.4.1 and a source distribution of GHC 7.4.2
- Configure the binary distribution to install in a temporary directory:
./configure --prefix=$HOME/workspace1 - Install the binary distribution
- Set up the environment to use only the installed compiler:
export PATH=$HOME/workspace1/bin:$PATH; export GHC_PACKAGE_PATH=$HOME/workspace1/lib/ghc-7.4.1/package.conf.d - Configure the source distribution to install in a different directory:
./configure --prefix=$HOME/workspace2 - Build the source distribution:
make
Building will eventually run commands that modify the package database in GHC_PACKAGE_PATH. One of these commands is "inplace/bin/ghc-pkg" update --force rts/package.conf.inplace. I confirmed that the database is being modified by making ghc-pkg print the name of the file it's about to update.
Trac metadata
| Trac field | Value |
|---|---|
| Version | 7.4.2 |
| Type | Bug |
| TypeOfFailure | OtherFailure |
| Priority | normal |
| Resolution | Unresolved |
| Component | Build System |
| Test case | |
| Differential revisions | |
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| Related | |
| Blocking | |
| CC | |
| Operating system | |
| Architecture |