HLRS Software Stacks

Introduction

To ensure maximum compatibility and security, RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or the compatible Rocky Linux' are used as the operating system on HLRS's HPC systems. Updates follow scheduled release cycles and regular security patches. Operations are conducted in compliance with the ISO 27001 standard for information security management.

Provision of Additional Software

To provide an optimal environment for users, HLRS offers additional software, including:

• communication libraries (MPI, ...)
• compilers
• I/O libraries
• languages and development environments:
  • Python (including essential modules such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, pandas, TensorFlow, etc.)
  • R (with important packages for statistical analysis and visualization)
  • Cray Programming Environment (CPE) for high-performance computing
• Applications for specific scientific and technical needs

HLRS updates these software packages twice a year to deliver new features and performance improvements.

Software Releases as Bundled Packages

Additional software packages are provided as bundled releases due to their interdependencies. Each release includes all necessary components, carefully configured to ensure a stable and reliable working environment.

Release Lifecycle and Status

Warning: The following release lifecycle and status refers currently to the HAWK system only. The other systems at HLRS will adapt this scheme in the future, too.

HLRS uses a lifecycle for software releases that includes three statuses:

• next: The upcoming version currently in the testing stage.
  • Users are encouraged to test this version and report issues via the ticket system.
• current: The current production version, which is stable and intended for general use.
• previous: The previous version, which remains available for use but is no longer supported.

When the testing phase for the next release is successfully completed:

1. The next release becomes the new current release.
2. The existing current release transitions to the previous status.
3. The existing previous release is removed and no longer available.

This structured progression ensures stability while providing users with access to the latest software features.

Switching between HLRS software releases

HLRS's software releases are managed using the Module System, which allows users to easily configure their software environment.

You can switch from the stable default software stack (hlrs-software-stack/current) to the upcoming stack (hlrs-software-stack/next) with:

module load hlrs-software-stack/next

Current Compiler and MPI versions in the software stacks on HAWK as of Jan. 2025

Stack	gcc	intel	aocc	mpt	openmpi
previous	9.2.0	19.1.0	2.1.0	2.23	4.0.4
current	10.2.0	19.1.3	3.0.0	2.26	4.1.4
next	12.3.0	2021.9.0	4.1.0	2.30	5.0.5

Reporting Issues

HLRS values user feedback. Issues with the next release or other software packages can be reported via the ticket system. This feedback helps improve software quality and stability.