[Github Actions] install git in OSX and add environment inspection

[valeriupredoi]

Description

• Closes [CI/Github Actions] Fair number of transitory errors with pip install on OSX ( #3580

It appears that the lack of git on OSX machines is now chronic and getting critical, so may as well plop an install; I am also adding calls to conda list to inspect the environment in light of the new mamba not printing out to screen what it installs.

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[schlunma]

Why is this only a problem for some OSX tests? Shouldn't the CI machines use a common configuration? I.e., why is git missing on only some of them?

[valeriupredoi]

that's a very good question, Manu! OSX machines are different than the regular Linux ones - usually lower specc-ed, and generally annoying (but that's just me complaining about Apple stuff haha). The node software list does indeed contain git 2.44 in the Utilities list BUT that's an arm64 node, and condamamba don't like that and get their own osx-64 packages, probably git gets lost somewhere between system install and condamamba. Check out Set up job of a job that passes vs Set up job of a job that fails and you see exactly the same OS parameters, docker container ID, signature etc, but git clearly is not in the condamamba environment

[valeriupredoi]

also, frankly - I am usually happier with a git installed from conda-forge than a system git - system git can always be tricky (either too old, or too new, or not working if one is on a Rocky 9 etc etc)

[schlunma]

Are we 100% that this error is cause by a missing git? The error message doesn't really say that, right? I would find it really weird if the CI machines do not include the advertised software...

[valeriupredoi]

Manu - good points! I realized I wrote my comments above with me feet and thought with me arse, here's an improved pitch:

• scm is indeed complaining about a missing git executable, see line 31-33 of the stdout
• I am not saying git is not actually system-installed on the OSX machine, in fact, it is, as seen from this actual inspection but it is not picked up correctly in our condamamba environment by scm - my hunch is it's either too old 2.39 (as opposed to what they - Github - say it's 2.44) or it's just coz it's Apple git or heck knows - I think it's much simpler for us to just plop the conda-forge git in the env than to debug that issue (also, with no physical Mac available)

[valeriupredoi]

on a related topic - we should most definitely include git in our direct dependencies - we have gitpython via some dep, but no git as it's needed by scm - @bouweandela would you agree?

[mo-gill]

Hi, we are currently working on the ESMValTool release for v2.11.0. We're wondering if you'd be able to complete this PR by the end of next week (Friday 10th May).

Otherwise, please let us know, and we'll move it into the next milestone for you 🙂

[valeriupredoi]

@mo-gill cheers - we'll aim to get this in asap - wink, Manu, wink 😁

[schlunma]

I honestly still don't understand how git can be missing on some machines, but that shouldn't hurt

[valeriupredoi]

I honestly still don't understand how git can be missing on some machines, but that shouldn't hurt

no it doesn't miss - it's a mangled paths problem - most probably Mac-related guff - the system git doesn't get seen by setuptools_scm in fact it's not available in the condamamba environment where the scm Subprocess is calling it. Beats me what the actual issue is - not having a Mac to test is not helping. But, alas, this will not hurt - if at all, it may even be better to use the latest git, the system one is pretty old. Thanks a lot for the review, Manu! @bouweandela are you aware of setuptools_scm involking git via a Subprocess that calls the git executable? I've only seen this in the OSX case, the root cause of this issue here