CI dependency archive (ci/deps)

NEURON CI sometimes needs fixed third-party files (.deb packages, source tarballs, installers). Fetching those from Launchpad, GNU mirrors, SourceForge, and similar hosts can fail intermittently and block PRs or nightlies.

The ci/deps catalog pins those downloads. Managed binaries are stored as assets on a dedicated GitHub repository (not in the nrn git tree, and not mixed with NEURON product releases):

neuronsimulator/nrn-ci-deps → Releases → tag such as ci-deps-v1.

Operator manual

Full workflow and upgrade steps:

Concepts

Field

Meaning

managed: true

We host the pin on nrn-ci-deps Releases. CI uses fetch.sh / install helpers.

managed: false

Catalog only; not yet switched off upstream.

managed means we manage the pin, not “from the original software vendor.”

Common commands

Run from the repository root:

# List catalog entries
ci/deps/fetch.sh --list

# Download a managed asset from nrn-ci-deps (default for install helpers)
NRN_CI_DEPS_SOURCE=release ci/deps/fetch.sh mpich-noble-4.2.0-5.1 /tmp/out
# arm64 pin (ubuntu-24.04-arm wheel tests):
# NRN_CI_DEPS_SOURCE=release ci/deps/fetch.sh mpich-noble-4.2.0-5.1-arm64 /tmp/out

# Ubuntu 24.04 wheel tests: install pinned MPICH from the Release
# (selects amd64 or arm64 debs via dpkg --print-architecture)
ci/deps/install_mpich_noble.sh

# Compare pins to upstream (awareness only; does not auto-upgrade)
ci/deps/check-upstream.sh mpich-noble-4.2.0-5.1
# ci/deps/check-upstream.sh mpich-noble-4.2.0-5.1-arm64

Promote a new pin (files stay local/transient; then upload to nrn-ci-deps):

mkdir -p ci/deps/assets
# place files matching MANIFEST file: names, or fetch with SOURCE=upstream
ci/deps/publish.sh --tag ci-deps-v1
rm -f ci/deps/assets/*   # optional; assets/ is gitignored

What is managed today

On nrn-ci-deps release ci-deps-v1:

  • Ubuntu 24.04 MPICH packages for wheel tests (LP#2072338), amd64 and arm64

  • GNU ncurses / readline sources for Mac static readline and the manylinux Dockerfile

  • automake 1.16.5 for the Ubuntu MUSIC job in neuron-ci

Other MANIFEST rows stay managed: false until promoted the same way.

Adding the next download blocker

  1. Download the failing URL once; record sha256.

  2. Update MANIFEST.yml; set managed: true when the Release asset exists on nrn-ci-deps.

  3. publish.sh to the ci-deps-vN release (default repo is neuronsimulator/nrn-ci-deps).

  4. Wire the pipeline to fetch.sh / an install helper.

  5. PR text only on nrn (MANIFEST, scripts, docs) — do not commit large blobs under ci/deps/assets/.

Do not auto-upgrade pins: run check-upstream.sh when you want to know if upstream changed, then bump deliberately.