Deprecated MCA variable warning mistakenly quotes config file as source of issue instead of environment

[lrbison]

Background information

What version of Open MPI are you using? (e.g., v4.1.6, v5.0.1, git branch name and hash, etc.)

v5.0.2

Describe how Open MPI was installed (e.g., from a source/distribution tarball, from a git clone, from an operating system distribution package, etc.)

From EFA Installer

Please describe the system on which you are running

• Operating system/version:
• Computer hardware:
• Network type:

---

Details of the problem

If there is a mca params file such as $prefix/etc/openmpi-mca-params.conf then when user sets deprecated mca parameters on the command line, the help message mistakenly blames the params file, even though the environment should be blamed:

ubuntu@ip-172-31-47-127:/fsx/lrbison$ OMPI_MCA_mca_component_show_load_errors=0 mpirun -n 1 hostname
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A deprecated MCA variable value was specified in an MCA variable
file.  Deprecated MCA variables should be avoided; they may disappear
in future releases.

  Deprecated variable: mca_component_show_load_errors
  Source file:         /opt/amazon/openmpi5/etc/openmpi-mca-params.conf
  New variable:        mca_base_component_show_load_errors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ip-172-31-47-127
ubuntu@ip-172-31-47-127:/fsx/lrbison$ mpirun -n 1 hostname
ip-172-31-47-127
ubuntu@ip-172-31-47-127:/fsx/lrbison$

[wenduwan]

I'm gonna reproduce with source build instead of EFA installer.

[wenduwan]

It hit this line

[lrbison]

I think perhaps the easy solution is sufficient:

A deprecated MCA variable value was specified in an MCA variable
file or in the user's environment or run-time options.  Deprecated
MCA variables should be avoided; they may disappear in future
releases.

?

[wenduwan]

It can simplify things but I guess the separation is intended. There are different hints for param file, cli and env paramters.

ompi/opal/mca/base/help-mca-var.txt

Lines 39 to 58 in 1f87690

	#
	[deprecated-mca-env]
	A deprecated MCA variable value was specified in the environment or
	on the command line. Deprecated MCA variables should be avoided;
	they may disappear in future releases.
	Deprecated variable: %s
	New variable: %s
	#
	[deprecated-mca-cli]
	A deprecated MCA variable value was specified on the command line. Deprecated
	MCA variables should be avoided; they may disappear in future releases.
	Deprecated variable: %s
	New variable: %s
	#
	[deprecated-mca-file]
	A deprecated MCA variable value was specified in an MCA variable
	file. Deprecated MCA variables should be avoided; they may disappear
	in future releases.

So far this looks like a valid bug in the parser somewhere.