Some tips on installing NCL from source code

All,

Now that it's possible to install NCL from a source code base, we'd
like to point out a few 'tips and tricks' that have been accumulated
from building NCL entirely too many times.

To start, please read thoroughly the documentation on how to install
NCL from source code:
        http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Download/build_from_src.shtml

There is a lot of information there, as it's not a trivial process to
build and install even the minimum software necessary to properly
install NCL. Some things to note:

   -- When you 'installed' NCL in the past, you were installing a
precompiled binary with some supporting files. This means that all
       non-optional software upon which NCL depends was built in to
the binary. The base non-optional software may be installed on your
       host; if not, you have to install it prior to building NCL.
The non-optional software is noted in the documentation, and includes:
             -- netCDF-3
             -- jpeg
             -- zlib
             -- HDF-4

   -- NCL code depends on Fortran blockdata variables being
initialized correctly. If you're not sure if your Fortran compiler
will do this
       correctly, run the tests provided, as noted in the documentation.

   -- There is software functionality that NCL can optionally
include, if you have it installed or choose to build/install it.
These software
       packages are noted in the documentation. If you require any
of the functionality these provide, you must build/install them.

   -- Installing non-optional and optional software in one location;
that is, with the same root directory, such as '/usr/local' is a good
idea if
       you can do so. It allows you to 'point' to one location when
referencing libraries, include files and such for building NCL.

   -- When running 'Configure' to set up the NCL build, note that if
you answer 'y'(es) to building NCL, you must also answer 'y'(es) to
       some of the other questions, in particular those that ask
about including non-optional software. Ideally you would not have to
do this,
       we're looking into modifying the configuration process to
automatically handle this.

   -- When you run the 'make' process for NCL, be sure to capture the
output to a log file, as the documentation shows. It is far easier
to go
       back and look through a log file for errors if something
doesn't build correctly.

Please use this list liberally!

----
Rick Grubin NCAR/TDD/CISL/VETS
Visualization + Enabling Technologies
grubin_at_ucar.edu 303.497.1832

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Received on Thu Nov 08 2007 - 16:28:24 MST