Towards a non-experimental conda-libmamba-solver plugin

[jaimergp]

Checklist

• I added a descriptive title
• I searched open reports and couldn't find a duplicate

Summary

This epic summarizes the work needed to release a new version of conda-libmamba-solver that can be considered non-experimental.

I still need to create issues for some of the tasks. Coming soon :)

Linked Issues & PRs

• Wrap libmamba solver in plugin API conda#11639
• Drop experimental_solver context key and replace with a new one named solver, aliasing the former to the latter for a couple releases conda#11875
• Remove mentions to 'experimental' features #53
• Discussion: adopting a fresh plugin API into a new released named 'stable' sounds like a big deal. Are we going to do RCs or canaries?
  • JL: Canaries
• Discussion: are we going to include conda-libmamba-solver in Miniconda? Miniforge? If so, when?
  • JL: Yes, after speaking with Cheng, at the earliest opportunity after 22.11.0
• Discussion: promote conda-incubator/conda-libmamba-solver to conda/conda-libmamba-solver?
  • JL: Yes. Graduate conda-libmamba-solver to main conda organization #56
• Documentation: docs.conda.io should include info about the solver. How should we contribute this? Through a parallel Sphinx site that gets embedded like we do with conda-build?
  • JL: Defer til unification of conda-* docs is decided. Content-wise, a "Getting started" guide plus another document covering the technical bits.
  • JRG: Add Markdown documentation #58

Reported bugs

• Libmamba: Package is not available from channel. Solve job will fail. conda#11790
  • JRG: This is the PR with the correct but behaviour breaking solution. Alternative workaround for libmamba raised too.
• needed to uninstall a package in order to install libmamba solver, then it added same package & version back conda#11789
  • JRG: Not a bug, but an installation issue arising from a bloated base environment. The user provided a workaround.
• Stuck at Solving Environment for Rapids conda#11750
• Old version of a package installed instead of the latest #64
  • JRG: Not a bug strictly speaking, more like a temporary issue with the packaging landscape on Linux due to the openssl migration. Nothing we can do about it due to the nature of the backtracking algorithm of libsolv.

[Garra1980]

hi all! am I correct that for 22.11 there is no possibility to use libmamba solver at all?

[Garra1980]

hi all! am I correct that for 22.11 there is no possibility to use libmamba solver at all?

@jezdez @jaimergp can you pls clarify?

[jaimergp]

conda 22.11 will only work with conda-libmamba-solver 22.12 and above. Are you experiencing any issues updating, @Garra1980?

[Garra1980]

Ah, tried 22.12 and it worked, thanks @jaimergp!

[travishathaway]

Hi @jaimergp and @jezdez,

I was wondering what the status of this epic is now that we have successfully released the new solver plugin and moved it out of "experimental". Are we ready to close this epic? 😁

I would suggest creating a new epic to track maintenance tasks for the now "officially supported" solver plugin.

Let me know what you think ✌️

[jaimergp]

I think we just need some announcements made and that's it. See #88 (comment)

[jezdez]

I think we should close this epic, since we've shipped a version of the solver.