Building software from source is necessary for performance and development reasons. However, this can come with complex dependency and compiler requirements, which have to be explicitly stated in research computing to ensure replication of results. EasyBuild, originally developed by the Julich Supercomputing Centre, the University of Gent, and the Texas Advanced Computing Center, is a tool that allows the building of software with ease, managing the complex dependencies and toolchains, and integrating by default with the Lmod environment modules system.

This presentation will outline the need for tools like Easybuild, describe the framework of Easyblocks, Toolchains, and Easyconfig recipes, and extensions. It will also describe how to install and configure EasyBuild, write and contribute configuration files, and use the configurations to install software with a variety of optional parameters, such as rebuilds and partial builds. Finally, it will conclude with a discussion of some of the more advanced options and opportunities for involvement in the Easybuild community.

Easybuild: Building Software with Ease
Presentation to Linux Users of Victoria, 2nd April, 2010