I do still have an issue though. the process is complaining about the python3 -m pip install line with the following

make[1]: Entering directory '/media/tom/Storage/Linux/repos/projects/caravel_user_project'
python3 -m pip install --upgrade volare
error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
    python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
    install.
    
    If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
    create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
    Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
    sure you have python3-full installed.
    
    If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,
    it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a
    virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.
    
    See /usr/share/doc/python3.11/README.venv for more information.

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.
make[1]: *** [/media/tom/Storage/Linux/repos/projects/caravel_user_project/caravel/Makefile:1280: install-volare] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/media/tom/Storage/Linux/repos/projects/caravel_user_project'
make: *** [Makefile:95: pdk-with-volare] Error 2

How should I fix this? I'm reluctant to use the

--break-system-packages

option. Also, I already have the PDK installed in another location which I have been using for my custom analog cells. can I avoid this by using that instead? Ultimately that is the best solution but I was trying to get a baseline working in the meantime. exporting the PDK_ROOT to point to my external PDK seems to allow the

make user_project_wrapper

to do it's thing but it's unclear to me what parts of

make setup

will have not completed due to the above error

@Tom You should be ok setting

PDK_ROOT

to your external

PDK

, but you might want to be sure that it matches the

OPEN_PDKS_COMMIT

in the

Makefile

. The only target left in

setup

is

make precheck

Thank you @Mitch Bailey!

@Tom: Oddly, I just ran across the

error: externally-managed-environment

message today for the first time, by having just installed the most recent Debian into a Raspberry Pi for a personal DIY project. I have no qualms about using

--break-system-packages

myself; if I am running python with a lot of oddball packages, I'll use a

venv

, but most of the time there's some package that I just want on my computer globally, not just inside a local environment. If you have the same kind of devil-may-care attitude about it, then follow the instructions here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/75608323/how-do-i-solve-error-externally-managed-environment-every-time-i-use-pip-3 to ensure that pip does what you want and stops complaining about it.

I may end up using

--break-system-packages

for openlane. My current workaround is working though. Once I'm comfortable with the integration of my openlane flow I will revisit and decide how to handle this

Not specific to this but with more recent python versions installing globally is getting harder and the push is towards using virtual envs. This is a bit annoying sometimes (e.g. forget to source the virtual env and such) . So.. and partially documented here https://github.com/emsec/hal/issues/533 what I end up doing is creating a venv for my home user e.g. python -mvenv ~/.venv and adding .venv/bin to my path in .bashrc e.g. export PATH="${HOME}/.venv/bin:${PATH}"