npm install errors on vagrant/homestead/windows: EPROTO: protocol error, symlink

Question

I'm building my first project in Laravel and trying to use Elixir, using homestead on Windows 8.1. I've hit the known npm/vagrant issue of too-long-path-names: https://harvsworld.com/2015/how-to-fix-npm-install-errors-on-vagrant-on-windows-because-the-paths-are-too-long/

So I made the one line edit recommended in that article (thank god for that guy), and then ran (with and without sudo): npm install --no-bin-links

It's moved me ahead so now I get two different kinds of errors: some 'Missing write access' errors, and a bunch of "EACCES" errors:

The error output gives me my next clue in the scavenger hunt (I think): Please try running this command again as root/Administrator

That brings me to this post, but the difference for me is there's no change even after I use sudo (or update my user permissions like so):

sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local

sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm

Update: then after the suggestion below I get EPROTO and EXTXTBSY errors (even after following the prompted suggestion to rename the npm-debug.log back:

So I tried running gulp to see if it would give me clues, and error output had me do:

sudo npm rebuild node-sass

Running that gives me the same EPROTO and ETXTBSY errors, and the npm-debug.log file shows: error EPROTO: protocol error, symlink '../node-sass/bin/node-sass' -> '/home/vagrant/Code/Family-laravel/node_modules/laravel-elixir/node_modules/gulp-sass/node_modules/.bin/node-sass'

Then after working on some other stuff for an hour I came back fresh and redid these steps, this time getting way fewer errors:

• sudo npm -g install npm@latest (fine)

• sudo npm install --no-bin-links (just the ETXTBSY error and an error in plugin 'run sequence', in task 'sass')

• sudo npm rebuild node-sass --no-bin-links (no errors!)

• gulp (just one error: not found: notify-send)

Getting closer!

Janus

Answer 1

I have been trying to figure out this problem for weeks. Here is what I did to make it work without using my host environment:

I updated node to the latest version in homestead according to nodesource.com:

sudo apt-get install --yes nodejs
curl --silent --location https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_4.x | sudo bash -

I updated npm to the latest version in homestead. This should be done after updating node:

sudo npm -g install npm@latest

I ran npm install in the laravel project directory. I also had to use force to get all of the dependencies to install:

sudo npm install --no-bin-links
sudo npm cache clear
sudo npm install --force --no-bin-links

I rebuilt node-sass according to a gulp error:

sudo npm rebuild node-sass --no-bin-links

During this whole process if something fails or after each install, i used:

sudo npm cache clear

My host is windows 10, with latest virtualbox, latest vagrant, latest homestead. I used git bash as administrator and ssh into vagrant using git bash.

So far I have only tested and confirmed that my gulp works. It is possible that other dependencies need to be rebuilt.

Hope this helps!

Jubbah

Thank you!!! Those first couple links seemed to help, as I no longer get those 'EACCES' errors when I: sudo npm install --no-bin-links Ugh- but I should have left well enough alone because after doing the 'force' now I get new EEXIST and ETXTBSY errors :( – Janus

Actually not: now the EACCES errors are just showing up in my npm-debug.log instead of in the prompt :/ – Janus

I added the latest errors up above now- I knew from all the forum posts that getting elixir to work with my windows vm would be horrible, but yeah, it just keeps going :p – Janus

And finally the answer to that last issue is here: gulp-notify: #31432003 thank you, stackoverflow universe! – Janus

sudo npm cache clear, solved the error keeps happening – Wivinia

Very good answer. After searching for this problem for 6 hours I have found your answer and it work like charm. Thanks. – Golgi

Using sudo npm is the cause of your EACCES errors. You are the cause of your own problems. Use sudo -H npm. – Catenoid

I found this article helpful: prolificinteractive.com/2015/01/21/… it worked for me. Maybe it will work for someone else as well. – Begot

Answer 2

As many of you that are also setting up Homestead with Virtual Box...

After googling for a solution I decided to refer back to the Laravel Homestead documentation. Fortunately the solution was posted there:

https://laravel.com/docs/5.8/homestead#provider-specific-settings

You just need to add the following to your homestead Vagrantfile.

Vagrant.configure(VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION) do |config|
(...)
    config.vm.provider "virtualbox" do |v|
        v.customize ["setextradata", :id, "VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate/v-root", "1"]
    end
(...)
end

IMPORTANT

Don't forget to provision as an administrator.

homestead up --provision

Kampmeier

And from the year 2020, I just wanner say.... this just works! Adding that line to vagrant and running it as administrator npm install worked without any problems! – Heidy

I followed all these steps, but vagrant up --provision. it still returns symlink error npm ERR! EPROTO: protocol error, symlink '../@babel/parser/bin/babel-parser.js' -> '/home/vagrant/Code/app_folder/node_modules/.bin/parser' This is Laravel 8 installation. – Earthen

@Earthen this was done a while ago. I have the impression that the current version might require a different approach. – Kampmeier

Docs still have this listed as a fix. It doesn't do anything. – Tefillin

Answer 3

The cause of your initial EACCES error was that you used sudo without using the -H option. NEVER use sudo npm. ALWAYS use sudo -H npm.

The instructions on the Internet everywhere (including NPM docs) are simply wrong.

Catenoid

Answer 4

I had same problem. I did below. It works fine.

npm install --no-bin-links

Catron

Answer 5

I solved my issue with the solution described here: https://www.prolificinteractive.com/2015/01/21/getting-vagrant-nodejs-windows-play-well-together/

The main trick was in:

vb.customize ["setextradata", :id, "VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate/path/to/guest/shared/directory", "1"]

Hope it helps someone

Begot

Answer 6

Here is how I solved the similar problem on VirtualBox:

# My Virtualbox image name "centos"
# My shared folder name: localdev
# My mounted directory name on virtualbox: /data

VBoxManage setextradata "centos" VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate/data 1
VBoxManage setextradata "centos" VBoxInternal2/SharedFoldersEnableSymlinksCreate/localdev 1

## see above how i added  image name with quotes + my folder names before 1

# I made sure I am running VirtualBox in Administrator Mode
# Boot up the VM and install this:

yum install yarn

# navigate to your code folder and run:

yarn install

Ectomorph