AIPS++ installation: my experiences

2000 Linux Consortum Installation

I did not have much luck installing an End-User version from scratch, it seems to be broken. However if you have a fairly standard redhat6.2 version of linux, things looked good, although at the current time this still means you have to install some foreign package, and tailor the supplied "redhat5.2 template" in your site ($AIPS//) directory. Most of the tricks go into getting your makedefs file right. This file also seems to work with mandrake 7.1, which is another distribution we use at UMD. Here are some comments on the install, based on the system guide which is a little outdated in some points.

Before you install AIPS++, make sure you have installed some foreign packages (I'm assuming a pretty standard redhat62 with gmake/tcltk/g++/g77/etc.etc.)
1. g77 (this is often not done by default in redhat62 that would be egcs-g77-1.1.2-30)
2. ?? compatibility packages, such that older RPMs (see below) will work ??
3. motif/lesstiff: make sure you also install the lesstif-devel, since you need the header files. I have used the old ones, before the split in 1.2 and 2.0; the new versions have both versions of lesstiff included. Use the 1.2 ??
4. pgplot: I used the RPM's from aips2.nrao.edu:/pub/import/Linux
```
	pgplot-5.2.0-3u
	pgplot-devel-5.2.0-3u
```
  notice that this is installed in /usr, and not /usr/local, which is what you would get from the default makedefs.
5. XmPgplot seems to be broken, you need to put this with PGPLOT, otherwise it cannot be found, despite that there are makedef variables for it.
6. lapack/blas: I used the RPM's from aips2.nrao.edu:/pub/import/Linux
```
	lapack-2.0.1-1u4
	lapack-blas-2.0.1-1u4
	lapack-blas-man-2.0.1-1u4
	lapack-man-2.0.1-1u4
```
  they belong to redhat5.x, but work fine within redhat6 if you have installed some compatibilty packages. The new powertools has
```
	lapack-3.0-4.i386.rpm
	lapack-man-3.0-4.i386.rpm
	blas-3.0-4.i386.rpm
	blas-man-3.0-4.i386.rpm
```
  but have not tried them yet.
Install AIPS++ following the guidelines in the system manual
when done, do not use the automounter for code updates, use the rao/rau/rai utilities and install your code mirror at the AOC computers.
install the data repository independantly ($AIPS/data), this has not been integrated yet, but is documented in the system manual. You can also make a symlink with another existing AIPS++ installation on your system.
Test your installation:
1. Can you start "aips++"
2. Did the locally built documentation build ok?
3. Make sure you run assay at the end:
```
		include "assay.g"
		assay().trytests()
```
  (you will have to hit the "Don't ask again" button a lot....
documentation is not in order yet in my makedefs file. latex2html does not come with redhat. 99.1 is now the latest version, 99.2beta8 development.

Here is my record of installing on mandrake 7.1 (feb 16, 2001; the blessed version 15.200)

1996 End-User Installation

Installation of AIPS++ can be done in end-user mode (simple) or as a consortium site. Although the latter would apply to me, there are some system management issues involved and I wanted to try an end-user installation anyways. Probably isn't done all that often, so it might be a good test. What I've written down below are my experiences around September 1, 1996, working from the 07-base release, and upgrading from there. Since the base-07 had no support for the sun4sol_gnu I had to install a more native sun4sol_ntv version (without us having the compiler support was written for) first, and then bootstrap to sun4sol_gnu. I lost the details, but it wasn't pretty enough to recant here.

Added in some experiences with the 010-base release, on a slackware 3.5 release. There are now new installation instructions

The AIPS++ System Manual for Users, programmers and administrators was a bit hidden on the AIPS++ home page, but it's the place to start.
ftp the base release; this will allow you to run inhale and upgrade. If you intend to use the gnu compiler, you cannot do this in the 07 base release, you have to use
install optional software: while you go through your makedefs file, you will encounter some software packages that are assumed to be present on your system. First check with the /aips++/ftp/import/ directory at the Center, else you can try their official homes, e.g.:
1. lapack, for linux precompiled binaries are available on sunsite
2. blas, not needed anymore on 010???
3. pgplot , for linux precompiled binaries are available on ...
gmake (on linux you probably should: ln -s /usr/bin/make /usr/bin/gmake
Our site makedefs. We only maintain a sun4sol_gnu release now.
Currently we only inhale the code, and compile the libraries and binaries (allsys), we do not yet install the documentation.

1996 Consortium Installation

The main difference with a consortium installation is the connectivity to the master at the Center. You need to be able to remote mount. Bla bla bla. Sometime during the base-08 release we probably will switch to this mode, but may also try the rsh option fo checking in/out code.

Local tcl/tk docs (8.3b2 - installed May 2000) (see also installation notes)

back to my AIPS++ homepage