ck install issue in Linux LXLE under Virtualbox on Windows7

[ballalan]

Hello,

I am trying to install rigetti software on Linux LXLE (debian based) by following the instructions here:
https://github.com/ctuning/ck-quantum/blob/master/module/challenge.vqe/README.md
and here: https://github.com/ctuning/ck-rigetti

At this line in the instructions:
$ ck install package:lib-pyquil-multiversion --force_version=2.1.0
I encountered an error:

Installing pyquil to '/home/ballalan/CK-TOOLS/lib-pyquil-2.1.0-compiler.python-3.6.7-linux-64/python_deps_site/lib/python3.6/site-packages' ...
ERROR: Can not combine '--user' and '--prefix' as they imply different installation locations
You are using pip version 8.1.1, however version 18.1 is available.
You should consider upgrading via the 'pip install --upgrade pip' command.
Error: installation failed!

I am using python3.6.7 and virtualenv
I have renamed the file 'no-global-site-packages.txt' to address an earlier issue.
I attach a file containing the full output of the failing command.

[By the way, I saw the same error last week when trying to install the IBM qiskit software at this command:
ck install package:lib-python-qiskit --force_version=0.6.1

• In the same the Linux LXLE Virtual machine as used for rigetti]

Any ideas?
Regards, Alan Ball
ck.install.out.txt

[gfursin]

Thank you for your feedback, @ballalan!

We encountered similar problem some time ago and it was related to an outdated pip version which couldn't handle installation to an "unusual" path (inside CK-TOOLS). May I ask you to upgrade your pip version and see if it solves the problem, please?

We plan to automate this process in the future either by detecting a pip version inside CK and then giving you a proper warning instead of failing, or even by adapting to an old version and using another installation mechanism - that's how we gradually extend CK components based on such feedback!

@ens-lg4 will look at such automation after the hackathon in Paris...

[ballalan]

This is the first time I have used virtualenv, so I am still finding my way.
My reason for using virtualenv is, of course, to install new software in a controlled way and not mess up any existing software - modern Linux typically comes with Python2.7 and Python3.5.
My experience so far with CK is that directories and files are being accessed outside my Python3.6 virtualenv area.

Please see the attached file called transcript.2.txt.

I attempted to gain more control by reinstating the 'no-global-site-packages.txt' file and copying files, when necessary, into my Python3.6 virtualenv area. Despite this, I suspect that Python packages outside the virtualenv area are still being used.

I attempted to update pip globally:

$ sudo apt-get install python3-pip
...
python3-pip is already the newest version (8.1.1-2ubuntu0.4).
0 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 0 to remove and 1 not to upgrade.

Maybe the Linux LXLE repository only has this older version of pip.
I don't know why the pip inside the virtualenv reports a newer version.

The 'ck install package:lib-pyquil-multiversion --force_version=2.1.0' command still fails and the latest attempt is attached in file ck.install.out.2.txt.

I wonder if it is worthwhile using virtualenv, given that CK does not appear to be virtualenv-aware.

Regards, Alan Ball

typescript.2.txt
ck.install.out.2.txt

[gfursin]

CK is orthogonal to virtualenv - we use a separate "virtual" space for all new packages installed via CK (non-python or python) so that you don't mess up any of your existing installations, even binary ones!

It seems that there is no problem with pip anymore and the error is not related to CK either, but somewhere in pyquil. We noticed before that it's sensitive to python version and you use a very new one (if I am correct): 3.6.7. Maybe there some incompatibility inside pyquil ...

I will let @ens-lg4 answer how to check that since I didn't work with this package ...

[psyhtest]

@ballalan Do you actually need to run in a Linux VM? The workflow should work under Windows.

[ballalan]

I'm using a VM to protect my base machine from software version chaos.
I have now moved from Linux LXLE to Ubuntu 18.04 which has (only) python 3.6.7 .
I have pip (and pip3) version 19.0.3 . I think I have CK version 1.9.7 installed.

Working through the instructions on https://github.com/ctuning/ck-rigetti
I get an error at this line:
$ ck detect soft:compiler.python --version_from=3.6
CK error: [soft] can't find path to CK entry "module:soft" (?:032630d041b4fd8a:?)!

Any ideas?
Should I create a new issue for this?

Thanks, Alan Ball

[psyhtest]

Hi Alan, please try:

$ ck pull repo:ck-env

We will need to check why this repo has not been pulled in automatically.

[ballalan]

Thanks. Your suggestion let me make progress to running a qvm-server and trying the pyquil-demo program. A new problem arose. Logs attached. Thanks, Alan Ball

qvm.server.log.txt](https://github.com/ctuning/ck-quantum/files/2967237/qvm.server.log.txt)
ck.transcript.txt

[ballalan]

ck.transcript.txt