record-environment: get key information from users to assist debugging

A user submits an issue report, but doesn't include basic information. You take several rounds, asking for more and more information (the same information you ask from everyone). Surely there is a better way?

record-environment is a wrapper that runs a command, but saves the command line, output, relevant environment variables to a file. This file can be sent along with support requests, to hopefully get all relevant information the first time.

Sample user documentation.

Usage

The -p option can be given to get more information on the Python environment, -m for Matlab environment, and -x for X11 environment. More such options should be added for other types of tasks (or maybe be made default, or automatic?).

Sample invocation (-p means to record extra Python-related variables):

record-environment -p python -V

Output:

Saving output to record-environment.out.txt
Python 3.6.8 :: Anaconda custom (64-bit)

Contents of record-environment.out.txt (partial, some data removed):

record-output running at Thu Jun  6 14:06:54 EEST 2019
Username: <username>
Working dir: <pwd>
Hostname: <hostname>

===== MODULES =====

Currently Loaded Modules:
  1) anaconda3/latest




===== QUOTA =====
Disk quotas for user <username>:
     Filesystem  blocks   quota   limit   grace   files   quota   limit   grace
home2-ib:/export/home/<username>
                 761808  10000000 11000000           34817       0       0        
~/.Xauthority size=709.



===== ENVIRONMENT (PARTIAL) =====
CPATH=/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/include
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/lib
...


===== PYTHON path =====
/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin/python
/usr/bin/python2
/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin/python3
/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin/ipython
which: no ipython2 in (/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin:/usr/lib/qt-3.3/bin:/usr/lib64/ccache:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/s
/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin/ipython3
/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin/pip
/share/apps2/anaconda/anaconda3/latest/bin/conda
‘/home/darstr1/.conda’

PYTHONPATH=/home/darstr1/pymod/:/m/cs/project/networks/darst/pymod/
_VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_API= mkvirtualenv rmvirtualenv lsvirtualenv showvirtualenv workon add2virtualenv cdsitepackages cdvirtualenv lssitepackages toggleg
VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_SCRIPT=/usr/bin/virtualenvwrapper.sh

sys.path:
['',
 '/home/darstr1/pymod',
 '/m/cs/project/networks/darst/pymod',
...


===== RUNNING COMMAND =====
===== python -V =====

Script started on Thu 06 Jun 2019 02:15:40 PM EEST
Python 3.6.8 :: Anaconda custom (64-bit)

===== END =====

Return code: 0

Installation and configuration

This is a single shell script... just copy to an executable path.

There is currently no configuration.

Privacy and security

Since this gives info from the users environment, there could be something sensitive there. That's why we try to be very specific in the types of data by default (and don't collect all environment variables). Still, one should keep the risk of information leaks in mind when using this on a very large and public scale.

Maintenance and development

Originally developed at Aalto Science-IT, but could use more contributors. This could be considered alpha to beta quality: it has been used some, but not enough.