GHA/windows: replace GfW with MSYS2 runtime downgrade

We recently switched to a known good version of Git for Windows to avoid the MSYS2/Cygwin runtime performance regression. MSYS2 is closer to the source of the MSYS2/Cygwin projects. Its known good version is newer. Installing the downgrade is faster and safer. It also allows to restore the scripts to their original iteration, making the workaround easier to drop once the perf issue is fixed upstream. Therefore, switch back to using MSYS2, and install the runtime downgrade before running curl tests. Also disable `pacman`'s `CheckSpace` for best performance. Jeremy identified to the root cause of the perf regression in this Cygwin commit (from 2024-09-17): https://cygwin.com/git/?p=newlib-cygwin.git;a=commit;h=c7fe29f5cb85242ae2607945762f7e0b9af02513 Co-authored-by: Jeremy Drake Patch: jeremyd2019@95a404e Ref: curl#16217 (comment) Ref: curl#16217 (comment) Follow-up to 116950a curl#16265 Follow-up to 1bf774d curl#16217 Follow-up to 5f9411f curl#15380 Closes curl#16424
AraHaan · Feb 21, 2025 · d4896d9 · d4896d9
1 parent f261c8d
commit d4896d9
Showing 1 changed file with 25 additions and 42 deletions.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 20
     defaults:
       run:
-        shell: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' && 'C:\_gfw\usr\bin\bash.exe {0}' || 'C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash.exe {0}' }}
+        shell: C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash.exe {0}
     strategy:
       matrix:
         include:
@@ -396,21 +396,6 @@ jobs:
             tflags: 'skiprun'
       fail-fast: false
     steps:
-      - name: 'install Git for Windows'
-        if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' }}
-        shell: bash
-        timeout-minutes: 5
-        run: |
-          mkdir /c/_gfw
-          cd /c/_gfw || exit 1
-          # The last known good Perl version (as of v2.47.1.windows.2) without pipe/signal MSYS2
-          # runtime (?) regressions that cause runtests.pl to run at 2.5x reduced speed, is this:
-          #   https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/tag/v2.46.2.windows.1
-          curl --disable --fail --silent --show-error --connect-timeout 15 --max-time 120 --retry 3 \
-            --location https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/download/v2.46.2.windows.1/PortableGit-2.46.2-64-bit.7z.exe --output bin.7z
-          7z x -bd -y bin.7z
-          rm -f bin.7z
-
       - name: 'cache compiler (gcc ${{ matrix.env }})'
         uses: actions/cache@1bd1e32a3bdc45362d1e726936510720a7c30a57 # v4
         id: cache-compiler
@@ -441,7 +426,6 @@ jobs:
         timeout-minutes: 5
         run: |
           PATH="$(cygpath "${USERPROFILE}")/my-cache/${{ matrix.dir }}/bin:/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
           [ '${{ matrix.type }}' = 'Debug' ] && options+=' -DCMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_DEBUG='
           [ '${{ matrix.type }}' = 'Release' ] && options+=' -DCMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_RELEASE='
           cmake -B bld -G 'MSYS Makefiles' ${options} \
@@ -465,7 +449,6 @@ jobs:
         timeout-minutes: 5
         run: |
           PATH="$(cygpath "${USERPROFILE}")/my-cache/${{ matrix.dir }}/bin:/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --parallel 5
 
       - name: 'curl version'
@@ -480,7 +463,6 @@ jobs:
         timeout-minutes: 10
         run: |
           PATH="$(cygpath "${USERPROFILE}")/my-cache/${{ matrix.dir }}/bin:/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --parallel 5 --target testdeps
 
       - name: 'install test prereqs'
@@ -491,6 +473,15 @@ jobs:
           curl --disable --fail --silent --show-error --connect-timeout 15 --max-time 60 --retry 3 https://live.sysinternals.com/handle64.exe --output /bin/handle64.exe
           python3 -m pip --disable-pip-version-check --no-input --no-cache-dir install --progress-bar off --prefer-binary impacket
 
+      - name: 'downgrade msys2-runtime'
+        if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' }}
+        timeout-minutes: 2
+        # Downgrade to a known good MSYS2 runtime version to avoid the performance regression
+        # causing runtests.pl to run at 2-3x reduced speed.
+        run: |
+          /usr/bin/sed -i 's/^CheckSpace/#CheckSpace/' /etc/pacman.conf
+          exec /usr/bin/pacman --noconfirm --noprogressbar --upgrade https://mirror.msys2.org/msys/x86_64/msys2-runtime-3.5.4-8-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
+
       - name: 'run tests'
         if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' }}
         timeout-minutes: 10
@@ -501,14 +492,12 @@ jobs:
             TFLAGS+=" -ac $(cygpath "${SYSTEMROOT}/System32/curl.exe")"
           fi
           PATH="$PWD/bld/lib:$PATH:/c/Program Files (x86)/stunnel/bin"
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --target test-ci
 
       - name: 'build examples'
         timeout-minutes: 5
         run: |
           PATH="$(cygpath "${USERPROFILE}")/my-cache/${{ matrix.dir }}/bin:/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --parallel 5 --target curl-examples
 
   linux-cross-mingw-w64:
@@ -701,7 +690,7 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 55
     defaults:
       run:
-        shell: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' && 'C:\_gfw\usr\bin\bash.exe {0}' || 'C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash.exe {0}' }}
+        shell: C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash.exe {0}
     env:
       VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES: 'clear;x-gha,readwrite'
       VCPKG_DISABLE_METRICS: '1'
@@ -793,21 +782,6 @@ jobs:
 
       fail-fast: false
     steps:
-      - name: 'install Git for Windows'
-        if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' }}
-        shell: bash
-        timeout-minutes: 5
-        run: |
-          mkdir /c/_gfw
-          cd /c/_gfw || exit 1
-          # The last known good Perl version (as of v2.47.1.windows.2) without pipe/signal MSYS2
-          # runtime (?) regressions that cause runtests.pl to run at 2.5x reduced speed, is this:
-          #   https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/tag/v2.46.2.windows.1
-          curl --disable --fail --silent --show-error --connect-timeout 15 --max-time 120 --retry 3 \
-            --location https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/releases/download/v2.46.2.windows.1/PortableGit-2.46.2-64-bit.7z.exe --output bin.7z
-          7z x -bd -y bin.7z
-          rm -f bin.7z
-
       - name: 'vcpkg cache setup'
         uses: actions/github-script@60a0d83039c74a4aee543508d2ffcb1c3799cdea # v7
         with:
@@ -832,7 +806,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 'configure'
         timeout-minutes: 5
         run: |
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
+          PATH="/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
           for _chkprefill in '' ${{ matrix.chkprefill }}; do
             options=''
             if [ '${{ matrix.plat }}' = 'uwp' ]; then
@@ -878,7 +852,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: 'build'
         timeout-minutes: 5
         run: |
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
+          PATH="/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --parallel 5
 
       - name: 'curl version'
@@ -894,7 +868,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' }}
         timeout-minutes: 10
         run: |
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
+          PATH="/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --parallel 5 --target testdeps
 
       - name: 'install test prereqs'
@@ -909,6 +883,15 @@ jobs:
           curl --disable --fail --silent --show-error --connect-timeout 15 --max-time 60 --retry 3 https://live.sysinternals.com/handle64.exe --output /bin/handle64.exe
           python3 -m pip --disable-pip-version-check --no-input --no-cache-dir install --progress-bar off --prefer-binary impacket
 
+      - name: 'downgrade msys2-runtime'
+        if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' }}
+        timeout-minutes: 2
+        # Downgrade to a known good MSYS2 runtime version to avoid the performance regression
+        # causing runtests.pl to run at 2-3x reduced speed.
+        run: |
+          /usr/bin/sed -i 's/^CheckSpace/#CheckSpace/' /etc/pacman.conf
+          exec /usr/bin/pacman --noconfirm --noprogressbar --upgrade https://mirror.msys2.org/msys/x86_64/msys2-runtime-3.5.4-8-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
+
       - name: 'run tests'
         if: ${{ matrix.tflags != 'skipall' && matrix.tflags != 'skiprun' }}
         timeout-minutes: 10
@@ -920,11 +903,11 @@ jobs:
             TFLAGS+=' ~614'  # 'SFTP pre-quote chmod' SFTP, pre-quote, directory
           fi
           PATH="$PWD/bld/lib:$PATH:/c/Program Files (x86)/stunnel/bin:/c/Program Files/OpenSSH-Win64"
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
+          PATH="/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --target test-ci
 
       - name: 'build examples'
         timeout-minutes: 5
         run: |
-          [ -d /c/_gfw ] && PATH="/c/_gfw/usr/bin:$PATH"
+          PATH="/c/msys64/usr/bin:$PATH"
           cmake --build bld --config '${{ matrix.type }}' --parallel 5 --target curl-examples