Add intial documentation on dev.eessi.io

docs/adding_software/adding_development_software.md

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+# Adding software to `dev.eessi.io`
+
+## What is `dev.eessi.io`?
+
+`dev.eessi.io` is the development repository of EESSI. With it, developers can build and deploy non-production ready versions of their software to a CernVM-FS repository. This way, development version can easily be tested on systems where `dev.eessi.io` is available.
+
+## Adding software
+
+Using `dev.eessi.io` is similar to using EESSI's production repository `software.eessi.io`. Software builds are triggered by a bot listening to pull requests in GitHub repository (at the moment https://github.com/EESSI/dev.eessi.io). This repository is organised by project, where corresponding easystack files and easyconfig files are placed.
+
+```
+dev.eessi.io
+├── project1
+│   ├── easyconfigs
+│   └── easystacks
+└── project2
+    ├── easyconfigs
+    └── easystacks
+```
+
+Creating a PR that adds an entry to an easystack file under on of the projects will allow authorised users to trigger 
+a build with the command `bot: build` through a GitHub comment.
+
+## Building development versions
+
+### easyconfig files and `--software-commit`
+The approach to build and install software is similar to that of `software.eessi.io`. 
+It requires an easyconfig file which for `dev.eessi.io` need not be part of https://easybuilders/easybuild-easyconfigs 
+as these easyconfigs can simply be placed under `project/easyconfigs`.
+
+To allow for development builds, we leverage the `--software-commit` functionality (requires EasyBuild v4.9.3 or higher). This lets us build a given application from
+a specific commit in repository. This can also be done from a fork, by changing the `github_account` field in the easyconfig file. 
+We've created a template for `ESPResSo` based on the standard eaasyconfig of the most recent version. The relevant fields are:
+
+``` python
+easyblock = 'CMakeMake'
+
+name = 'ESPResSo'
+version = '4.2.2'
+versionsuffix = '-%(software_commit)s'
+
+homepage = 'https://espressomd.org/wordpress'
+description = """A software package for performing and analyzing scientific Molecular Dynamics simulations."""
+
+github_account = 'espressomd'
+source_urls = ['https://github.com/%(github_account)s/%(name)s/archive/']
+
+sources = ['%(software_commit)s.tar.gz']
+```
+
+One can also make new changes to the easyconfig file, for example, if the new functionality requires new build or 
+runtime dependencies, patches, flags, etc. It's a good idea to try installing from a specific commit locally first,
+to at least see if everything is parsed correctly and confirm that the right sources are being downloaded.
+
+### Easystack files and triggering builds
+
+After the easyconfig file has been created and added to `projectX/easyconfigs`, an easystack file that picks it up
+needs to be in place. This easystack file must follow a naming convention: `software-eb-X.Y.Z-dev.yml`,
+where X.Y.Z correspond to the EasyBuild version used to install the software. 
+Following our example for `ESPREsSo`, it would look like: 
+
+``` yml
+easyconfigs:
+  - ESPResSo-4.2.2-foss-2023a-software-commit.eb:
+      options:
+        software-commit: 2ba17de6096933275abec0550981d9122e4e5f28 # release 4.2.2
+```
+
+The `ESPResSo-4.2.2-foss-2023a-software-commit.eb` would be the easyconfig file added in the step above. 
+Note the option passing the `software-commit` for the development version that should be built. 
+For the sake of this example, the chosen commit actually corresponds to the 4.2.2 release.
+
+To trigger a build, all one needs to do is open a PR with the changes adding the easyconfig and easystack 
+files and commenting `bot: build`. This can only be done by previously authorized users. 
+The current build cluster builds for the `zen2` CPU microarchitecture, but this is likely to change.
+
+Once a build is complete and the `bot:deploy` label is added, a staging PR can be merged to deploy the
+application to the `dev.eessi.io` cvmfs repository. On a system with `dev.eessi.io` mounted, then all
+that is left is to `module use /cvmfs/dev.eessi.io/versions/2023.06/modules/all` and try out the software!
+

docs/repositories/dev.eessi.io.md

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# `dev.eessi.io` repository
+
+## What is `dev.eessi.io`?
+
+`dev.eessi.io` is the development repository of EESSI. With it, developers can build and deploy non-production ready versions of their software to a CernVM-FS repository. 
+This way, development version can easily be tested on systems where `dev.eessi.io` is available.
+
+On a system with `dev.eessi.io` mounted access is possible with `module use /cvmfs/dev.eessi.io/versions/2023.06/modules/all`. Then, all that is left is
+try out the development software!

mkdocs.yml

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ nav:
         - Production: repositories/software.eessi.io.md
         - RISC-V: repositories/riscv.eessi.io.md
         - Pilot: repositories/pilot.md
+        - Development repository: repositories/dev.eessi.io.md
   - Installation and configuration:
     - Is EESSI already installed?: getting_access/is_eessi_accessible.md
     - Native: getting_access/native_installation.md
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ nav:
       - Contribution policy: adding_software/contribution_policy.md
       - Open PR: adding_software/opening_pr.md
       - Debugging: adding_software/debugging_failed_builds.md
+      - Development repository: adding_software/adding_development_software.md
     - For maintainers:
       - BTD bot: bot.md
       - Building software: adding_software/building_software.md