Buildbot assertion comparing num_iter fails on some buildbots

[Martin Sandve Alnæs]

At least on the wheezy-64 buildbot this error occurs all the time now:

http://fenicsproject.org:8010/builders/dolfin-next-full-wheezy-amd64/builds/1360/steps/make%20run_unittests_py/logs/stdio

        x = PETScVector()
        num_iter = solver.solve(x, b)
>       assert num_iter == num_iter_ref
E       assert 27 == 6

la/test_krylov_solver.py:200: AssertionError

@garth-wells this buildbot has petsc 3.4.2, was it the case that we need to drop support for that?

[Prof Garth Wells]

I would like to drop support for PETSc 3.4 (Jan wants to drop it too). It will reduce the development burden, and we won't need to waste time working around bugs in unsupported versions of PETSc.

[Martin Sandve Alnæs]

@johannes_ring could you summarize the options we have for debian packages with newer petsc?

[Johannes Ring]

@martinal - The original maintainer of the Debian PETSc package is no longer active and the package is now maintained by the Debian Science team. I am a member of that team and I do not think anyone is working on a new PETSc pacakge. The option is probably to do it ourselves - if we need it.

[Martin Sandve Alnæs]

Ok. I guess the problem is that maintaining such a package is not only about PETSc, i.e. it will need a host of other packages in compatible versions. Including but not limited to MPI libraries.

[Johannes Ring]

Yes, that is correct.

[Anders Logg (Chalmers)]

Removing milestone: 1.7 (automated comment)

[Jan Blechta]

Buildbot down and not seen on Bamboo.