[DRE-maint] Bug#846300: ruby-distribution: FTBFS randomly (failing tests)

[Santiago Vila]

Package: src:ruby-distribution
Version: 0.7.3+dfsg-1
Severity: serious

Dear maintainer:

I tried to build this package in stretch with "dpkg-buildpackage -A"
(which is what the "Arch: all" autobuilder would do to build it)
but it failed:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[...]
 debian/rules build-indep
dh build-indep --buildsystem=ruby --with ruby
dh: Compatibility levels before 9 are deprecated (level 7 in use)
   dh_testdir -i -O--buildsystem=ruby
   dh_update_autotools_config -i -O--buildsystem=ruby
   dh_auto_configure -i -O--buildsystem=ruby
dh_auto_configure: Compatibility levels before 9 are deprecated (level 7 in use)
	dh_ruby --configure
   dh_auto_build -i -O--buildsystem=ruby
dh_auto_build: Compatibility levels before 9 are deprecated (level 7 in use)
	dh_ruby --build
   dh_ruby --build
   dh_auto_test -i -O--buildsystem=ruby

[... snipped ...]


  8) Distribution::Poisson Distribution::Poisson::Ruby_ it should behave like poisson engine should return correct p_value
     # No exact p_value
     Failure/Error: @engine.p_value(pr,l).should eq(k)
     
       expected: 1
            got: 2
     
       (compared using ==)
     Shared Example Group: "poisson engine" called from /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:61
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:40:in `block (5 levels) in <top (required)>'
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:38:in `upto'
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:38:in `block (4 levels) in <top (required)>'
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:37:in `each'
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:37:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

  9) Distribution::Poisson Distribution::Poisson::GSL_ it should behave like poisson engine should return correct p_value
     # No Distribution::Poisson::GSL_.p_value
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/poisson_spec.rb:34


Failures:

  1) Distribution::Beta Distribution::Beta::Ruby_ it should behave like Beta engine should return correct p_value
     Failure/Error: @engine.p_value(pr,a, b).should be_within(1e-09).of(x/100.0)
       expected 0.989999994635582 to be within 1.0e-09 of 0.99
     Shared Example Group: "Beta engine" called from /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/beta_spec.rb:63
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/beta_spec.rb:44:in `block (4 levels) in <top (required)>'
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/beta_spec.rb:40:in `upto'
     # /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/beta_spec.rb:40:in `block (3 levels) in <top (required)>'

Finished in 1.89 seconds (files took 0.31514 seconds to load)
144 examples, 1 failure, 9 pending

Failed examples:

rspec '/<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/spec/beta_spec.rb[1:2:1:3]' # Distribution::Beta Distribution::Beta::Ruby_ it should behave like Beta engine should return correct p_value

/usr/bin/ruby2.3 /usr/bin/rspec --pattern ./spec/\*\*/\*_spec.rb failed
ERROR: Test "ruby2.3" failed. Exiting.
dh_auto_install: dh_ruby --install /<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg/debian/ruby-distribution returned exit code 1
debian/rules:18: recipe for target 'override_dh_auto_install' failed
make[1]: *** [override_dh_auto_install] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/<<BUILDDIR>>/ruby-distribution-0.7.3+dfsg'
debian/rules:15: recipe for target 'binary-indep' failed
make: *** [binary-indep] Error 2
dpkg-buildpackage: error: fakeroot debian/rules binary-indep gave error exit status 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The failure happens randomly. Sometimes it fails, sometimes it does not.

I attach two failed logs, but there is also another build failure here:

https://tests.reproducible-builds.org/debian/rb-pkg/unstable/amd64/ruby-distribution.html

If the tests are not designed to never fail, I suggest them to be disabled.

Thanks.
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