testers.nixosTest: Deprecate

doc/build-helpers/testers.chapter.md

@@ -239,6 +239,16 @@ pkgs.testers.runNixOSTest ({ lib, ... }: {
 
 ## `nixosTest` {#tester-nixosTest}
 
+:::{.warning}
+This function is deprecated in favor of [`runNixOSTest`](#tester-runNixOSTest).
+The reason why it's bad is that when you pass it a function, it is invoked via `callPackage`.
+This is somewhat incompatible with the module system and running cross-platform:
+  - The choice of packages is ambiguous when the VM host platform is not Linux.
+    `nixosTest` could in theory pick either:
+    - `hostPkgs` for packages to run on the VM host
+    - or `config.node.pkgs` for packages that run in one of the VMs
+  - The return value of the passed function should have been a module, but `nixosTest` does not actually allow that.
+:::
 Run a NixOS VM network test using this evaluation of Nixpkgs.
 
 NOTE: This function is primarily for external use. NixOS itself uses `make-test-python.nix` directly. Packages defined in Nixpkgs [reuse NixOS tests via `nixosTests`, plural](#ssec-nixos-tests-linking).

nixos/lib/testing/legacy.nix

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ in
   config = {
     nodes = mkIf options.machine.isDefined (
       lib.warn
-        "In test `${config.name}': The `machine' attribute in NixOS tests (pkgs.nixosTest / make-test-python.nix / testing-python.nix / makeTest) is deprecated. Please set the equivalent `nodes.machine'."
+        "In test `${config.name}': The `machine' attribute in NixOS tests is deprecated. Please set the equivalent `nodes.machine'."
         { inherit (config) machine; }
     );
   };

nixos/lib/testing/nixos-test-base.nix

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ in
       key = "no-revision";
       # Make the revision metadata constant, in order to avoid needless retesting.
       # The human version (e.g. 21.05-pre) is left as is, because it is useful
-      # for external modules that test with e.g. testers.nixosTest and rely on that
+      # for external modules that test with e.g. testers.runNixOSTest and rely on that
       # version number.
       config.system.nixos = {
         revision = mkForce "constant-nixos-revision";

nixos/tests/nixops/default.nix

@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+/*
+  These tests may be run with:
+
+      nix-build -A nixosTests.nixops
+
+*/
 { pkgs, ... }:
 let
   inherit (pkgs) lib;
@@ -19,7 +25,7 @@ let
     passthru.override = args': testsForPackage (args // args');
   };
 
-  testLegacyNetwork = { nixopsPkg, ... }: pkgs.testers.nixosTest ({
+  testLegacyNetwork = { nixopsPkg, ... }: pkgs.testers.runNixOSTest ({
     name = "nixops-legacy-network";
     nodes = {
       deployer = { config, lib, nodes, pkgs, ... }: {

nixos/tests/nixos-test-driver/lib-extend.nix

@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+/*
+  These tests may be run with:
+
+      nix-build -A nixosTests.nixos-test-driver.lib-extend
+
+ */
 { pkgs, ... }:
 
 let
@@ -22,10 +28,8 @@ let
     testScript = "";
   };
 
-  inherit (patchedPkgs.testers) nixosTest runNixOSTest;
-  evaluationNixosTest = nixosTest testBody;
+  inherit (patchedPkgs.testers) runNixOSTest;
   evaluationRunNixOSTest = runNixOSTest testBody;
 in {
-  nixosTest = evaluationNixosTest.driver.nodes.machine.system.build.toplevel;
   runNixOSTest = evaluationRunNixOSTest.driver.nodes.machine.system.build.toplevel;
 }

nixos/tests/spark/default.nix

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ let
     sparkCluster = testSparkCluster args;
     passthru.override = args': testsForPackage (args // args');
   };
-  testSparkCluster = { sparkPackage, ... }: pkgs.testers.nixosTest ({
+  testSparkCluster = { sparkPackage, ... }: pkgs.testers.runNixOSTest ({
     name = "spark";
 
     nodes = {

pkgs/build-support/testers/default.nix

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ pkgs, pkgsLinux, buildPackages, lib, callPackage, runCommand, stdenv, substituteAll, testers }:
+{ config, pkgs, pkgsLinux, buildPackages, lib, callPackage, runCommand, stdenv, substituteAll, testers }:
 # Documentation is in doc/builders/testers.chapter.md
 {
   # See https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#tester-testBuildFailure
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
 
   # See doc/builders/testers.chapter.md or
   # https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#tester-invalidateFetcherByDrvHash
-  nixosTest =
+  ${if config.allowAliases then "nixosTest" else null} =
     let
       /* The nixos/lib/testing-python.nix module, preapplied with arguments that
        * make sense for this evaluation of Nixpkgs.
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@
             else test;
           calledTest = lib.toFunction loadedTest pkgs;
         in
+          lib.warn "testers.nixosTest is deprecated. Use testers.runNixOSTest instead. See https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#tester-runNixOSTest"
           nixosTesting.simpleTest calledTest;
 
   hasPkgConfigModule =

pkgs/build-support/testers/test/default.nix

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ testers, lib, pkgs, hello, runCommand, ... }:
+{ config, testers, lib, pkgs, hello, runCommand, ... }:
 let
   pkgs-with-overlay = pkgs.extend(final: prev: {
     proof-of-overlay-hello = prev.hello;
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ lib.recurseIntoAttrs {
 
   # Check that the wiring of nixosTest is correct.
   # Correct operation of the NixOS test driver should be asserted elsewhere.
-  nixosTest-example = pkgs-with-overlay.testers.nixosTest ({ lib, ... }: {
+  ${if config.allowAliases then "nixosTest-example" else null} = pkgs-with-overlay.testers.nixosTest ({ lib, ... }: {
     name = "nixosTest-test";
     nodes.machine = { pkgs, ... }: {
       system.nixos = dummyVersioning;

pkgs/build-support/trivial-builders/test/references/default.nix

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ let
     };
   });
 in
-testers.nixosTest {
+testers.runNixOSTest {
   name = "nixpkgs-trivial-builders";
   nodes.machine = { ... }: {
     virtualisation.writableStore = true;

pkgs/test/nixos-functions/default.nix

@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 /*
 
-This file is a test that makes sure that the `pkgs.nixos` and
-`pkgs.testers.nixosTest` functions work. It's far from a perfect test suite,
-but better than not checking them at all on hydra.
-
 To run this test:
 
     nixpkgs$ nix-build -A tests.nixos-functions