Visit

[boegel]

• link to support ticket: #2025020760001074
• website: https://visit.llnl.gov + https://github.com/visit-dav/visit
• installation docs: https://visit-sphinx-github-user-manual.readthedocs.io/en/develop/getting_started/Installing_VisIt.html#installing-on-linux (but use existing easyconfig instead)
• toolchain: foss/2024a (or foss/2023b)
• easyblock to use: CMakeMake
• required dependencies:
  • (see existing easyconfig)
  • • add both Boost (for paraDIS plugin) and HDF5 (for Chombo plugin)
• notes:
  • check output of CMake to make sure that HDF5 dependency is picked up (use -DVISIT_HDF5_DIR=$EBROOTHDF5 in configopts);
  • add 3.4.1/linux-x86_64/plugins/databases/libEChomboDatabase_par.so to sanity_check_paths
• effort: (TBD)
• other install methods
  • conda: no
  • container image: no
  • pre-built binaries (RHEL8 Linux x86_64): no
  • easyconfig outside EasyBuild: no

[boegel]

I tried to add HDF5 1.14.0 as dependency to Visit-3.4.1-foss-2023a.eb, along with adding -DVISIT_HDF5_DIR=$EBROOTHDF5 to configotps.

That made CMake happy:

-- Looking for HDF5
--   Found library hdf5 in /software/HDF5/1.14.0-gompi-2023a/lib64

but then there's a build failure:

/software/HDF5/1.14.0-gompi-2023a/include/H5Opublic.h:544:15: note: declared here
  544 | H5_DLL herr_t H5Oget_info_by_name3(hid_t loc_id, const char *name, H5O_info2_t *oinfo, unsigned fields,
      |               ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/tmp/easybuild_build/Visit/3.4.1/foss-2023a/visit3.4.1/src/databases/M3DC1/avtM3DC1FileFormat.C:2082:23: error: too few arguments to function herr_t H5Oget_info3(hid_t, H
5O_info2_t*, unsigned int)
 2082 |       if (H5Oget_info (obj_id, &objinfo) < 0) {

[boegel]

I've spent ~2h on this so far

[stevenvdb]

We installed this for the same user on our Tier-2 clusters, I put the easyconfig here: https://github.com/vscentrum/vsc-software-stack/blob/site-kul/v/Visit/Visit-3.4.1-foss-2023a-with-Chombo.eb
I found that some plugins that are enabled when HDF5 is included as a dependency, relied on an ancient HDF5 API (see visit-dav/visit#5345). My solution was to explicitly set VISIT_SELECTED_DATABASE_PLUGINS to only the plugins that build correctly.

[Sorry for not uploading this earlier and wasting ~2h of your time]

[pavelToman]

@boegel
I prepare easyconfig for Visit-3.4.1-foss-2023a with all the plugins listed in https://github.com/vscentrum/vsc-software-stack/blob/site-kul/v/Visit/Visit-3.4.1-foss-2023a-with-Chombo.eb plus add plugin paraDIS.
Is the toolchain 2023a ok or should I do it for newer one?
Is version 3.4.1 ok, or should I try go for 3.4.2?
Should I include all the plugins either or only Chombo and paraDIS?

[pavelToman]

PR for updated Visit-3.4.1-foss-2023a:

• http://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild-easyconfigs/pull/22334

[pavelToman]

About Visit-3.4.2-foss-2023b - Visit is still not compatible with VTK >= 9.3.0, but they working on it: visit-dav/visit#19857
I can see building errors related with old VTK API calls as:

/tmp/vsc47063/easybuild/build/Visit/3.4.2/foss-2023b-with-Chombo-and-paraDIS/visit3.4.2/src/visit_vtk/full/vtkCSGGrid.C:3019:16: error: class vtkThreshold has no member named ThresholdByUpper; did you mean ThresholdType?
 3019 |     threshold->ThresholdByUpper(0.5);
          |                ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
          |                ThresholdType