ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Discussion about building and installing Elmer
bernd
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ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by bernd »

Just tried to download the packages from lounchpad, but the ones for ubuntu 17.04 and 17.10 are broken. See https://launchpad.net/~elmer-csc-ubuntu ... /+packages

Anyone an idea if they will get fixed? Or any other an idea where I can get packages which run on Debian Stretch? cheers bernd
annier
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by annier »

Dear bernd,
The installation issue of launchpad package in Ubuntu17.04 has been notified in the above mentioned website for a long time. More details may be provided by the Elmer team.
In my case, I use Elmer from launchpad in Ubuntu 16.04. So, I do not know further details.

However, can u try downloading the debian packages of Elmer for Ubuntu16.04 or earlier versions (successful) (e.g. https://launchpad.net/~elmer-csc-ubuntu ... hive-extra) and install in your Ubuntu 17.04 using the following command?

Code: Select all

$sudo dpkg  -i elmerfem-csc_8.3-0ppa0-201712211501~0cc4224~ubuntu16.04.1_amd64.deb
Yours Sincerely,
Anil Kunwar
Anil Kunwar
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice
Z.Losonc
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by Z.Losonc »

Hi Anil,

I am having the same problem; trying to install the latest Elmer version on Linux Mint 17 cinnamon with no success so far.
Tried to install the version for Ubuntu 16:
https://launchpad.net/~elmer-csc-ubuntu ... d/13884688
but it did not work.

There are at least 3 different descriptions of compiling Elmer on Linux on 3 different web pages, but all of them look like written "for geeks only". None of them worked for me without error messages. One of them produces some output, but as long as there are error messages, there is no point in installing them. There is no doubt that the descriptions are clear for the developers, but they can not realistically expect from everybody to learn everything they know just to be able to install a software...

How about performing a live compilation for Linux Mint 17 while recording the screen, and uploading the video to Youtube? It should not take much time for a developer if he knows what he is doing, and this could save days of futile wasted time to common folks who just want to use the software. Multiply those countless frustrated hours by the possibly hundreds of potential new users, and you will see the economy to the Elmer users in sharing such video recording. An hour of developers time can save thousands of wasted community hours.

Why on Linux Mint 17? Because on this page:
http://www.elmerfem.org/elmerwiki/index ... sing_Cmake
It was stated that the described method worked on Linux Mint 17. I have installed a fresh Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon on a new partition specifically for this reason exclusively to run the latest Elmer version. Now I will have to hammer this issue until I learn how to compile the thing inside out.

If you (or anybody else here) know how to do the compilation, please record a video, or the screen while doing it and upload the video to Youtube, or to a file sharing website, and give the link. You can also use your webcam for recording to make it fast & easy for you. No need for quality resolution here, just fresh, usable, detailed step-by step information.

Thanks in advance.
Zoltan
Last edited by Z.Losonc on 08 Jan 2018, 15:06, edited 1 time in total.
Z.Losonc
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by Z.Losonc »

Here is one more very important point to consider.

In the ElmerSolverManual.pdf it is stated:
Elmer may be also compiled with Mumps, SuperLU, and Pardiso. The licensing scheme of these software do not allow the distribution of precompiled binaries but everybody may themselves compile a version that includes these solvers. Many times the best linear solver for a particular problem may be found among these.
If the best solver for any problem may be one of these (which are not included in any binary version), then why should the user be satisfied with an Elmer compilation that does not contain these (and other) features, simply due to licensing obstacles? So if we want to have the best Elmer can offer (which I definitely want), then we can not use a ready made binary, but we have to compile the source code ourselves. I suppose the Launchpad will not help in this matter. This makes the necessity for a detailed "Compilation Tutorial for Dummies" even more burning. This should also include the installation of all other prerequisites as well, like Hypre, MUMPS etc. that in the existing tutorials is expected to be known and done by the potential user.

The new user can not realistically expect support from the developers in Elmer projects unless using the latest Elmer version. I have been waned about this already, and see the rationale behind it. But in order to have the latest full featured version, we must compile the source code ourselves; which we can not do, because we are not experts enough, and there is no detailed tutorial for this. It is like "catch 22", designed to repel most of potential users right at the very start.

It should not be so difficult and time consuming for the developers to remedy this situation by simply recording a live compilation that includes all prerequisites, assuming a fresh Linux installation (and no user expertise).

Best regards,
Zoltan
Last edited by Z.Losonc on 08 Jan 2018, 15:10, edited 1 time in total.
mzenker
Posts: 1999
Joined: 07 Dec 2009, 11:49
Location: Germany

Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by mzenker »

Hi,

I use Elmer installed from launchpad on my Linux Mint 17.3 box at home. Note that Linux Mint 17 is based on Ubuntu 14.04, so the problems you experienced may have come from there.

I agree that the compilation on Linux should be easier and/or documented in a more "basic" way, or else there should be nightly builds for Linux similar to Windoze.

HTH,

Matthias
Z.Losonc
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by Z.Losonc »

Hi Matthias,

Thanks for the great tip! If the compilation process doesn't get clarified in the near future, then surely the second best option is to use Launchpad.

Actually in mean time I have deleted Linux Mint 17, and installed Ubuntu 16.04 specifically to be able to use Launchpad (we have to progress with Elmer). The Elmer installation for this Ubuntu version was successful, and I am using it right now.

Unless the licensing issues get eliminated, and all possible and recommended solvers and Elmer features can be legally built into a binary on Launchpad, the real solution still remains the self-compilation of source code.

Regards,
Zoltan
bernd
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by bernd »

annier wrote:Dear bernd,
The installation issue of launchpad package in Ubuntu17.04 has been notified in the above mentioned website for a long time. More details may be provided by the Elmer team.
In my case, I use Elmer from launchpad in Ubuntu 16.04. So, I do not know further details.

However, can u try downloading the debian packages of Elmer for Ubuntu16.04 or earlier versions (successful) (e.g. https://launchpad.net/~elmer-csc-ubuntu ... hive-extra) and install in your Ubuntu 17.04 using the following command?

Code: Select all

$sudo dpkg  -i elmerfem-csc_8.3-0ppa0-201712211501~0cc4224~ubuntu16.04.1_amd64.deb
Thanks for your answer anil, I'm not on ubuntu I'm on Debian Stretch. I tried the elmer from older ubuntu on launchpad, but they all have decency problems due to older versions of dependencies they use. The weired thing is on really old debian jessie the old packages from launchpad run flawlessly.

cheers bernd
bernd
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by bernd »

Any updates on this?

We gone have problems with Elmer integration on FreeCAD, I'd like to get fixed. It's quite difficult to debug it without having an elmer solver?

Is there no possibility to install Elmer on Debian Stretch except compiling it?

Bernd
kataja
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Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by kataja »

These problems installing elmer on newer debian based distros is most like due to missing vtk4 support in Debian stretch and Ubuntus >16.04. https://github.com/ElmerCSC/elmerfem/issues/74
mzenker
Posts: 1999
Joined: 07 Dec 2009, 11:49
Location: Germany

Re: ubuntu packages on lounchpad broken

Post by mzenker »

Hi,

stupid question: does this affect any part of the Elmer suite except ElmerGUI?
How about distributing ElmerGUI in a separate package, so that ElmerSolver and ElmerGrid can at least be installed on (almost) all systems?

Matthias
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