Any distro specific complete installation guides?
 

Hello all,
I took my first dive into Linux today specifically to use OpenFOAM. I have some familiarity with the Terminal in OSX so I can navigate, unpack and get the general idea of compiling open source software, but I am finding that OpenFOAM is a very tricky install for a first timer. I tried to get it to work on Ubuntu 9.10, both the 32 and 64 bit versions. I had to change the compiler in the .sh file to System and I think I followed all the other instructions but got lots and lots of errors once I ran the Allwmake file. I also checked and don't think I have the latest version of qt that i need, but when I go to Synaptic and search qt there are tons of things that I could install and I really don't know which ones i need. I tried sudo apt-get install qt but that doesn't work. I am really not tied to any particular distro, so I am just wondering if anyone has a step by step install guide for 1.6 for a particular (current) distro. I know this isn't really in the spirit of linux to ask this type of all-encompassing question, but I think I need a success story right off the bat in order to hook me on linux and not scare me away forever ;) BTW I have looked through all the Ubuntu 9.10 posts and seen that people are having similar issues to me, but some things don't seem to be resolved or somebody will post a resolution that I don't quite understand. Thanks all for your consideration!

Hi decapitor

Not to dismiss Ubuntu, but I've always found it more difficult to get source-code stuff to work on Ubuntu style OS's. I think its because I'm an rpm kind of guy. The packages in Ubuntu are to divided for my taste. I like a binary package and a development package only.

well any ways, I've made it very easy to get up and running with OpenFOAM on CentOS/RHEL/SL 5.x 64bit just see here https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawi...itle=Main_Page

Use the scripted install and you should be flying. If you decide to use Ubuntu there are install scripts for both 9.04 and 9.10 on the forum.

thanks!
 

Thanks so much for your assistance. I am going to try SL5.4 tonight when I get home and see if I can get everything running. I am looking forward to seeing if OpenFOAM can handle modeling the upper mantle where viscosities get to be ~1E21Pa*s with very slow (~5cm/year) laminar flow and very high Ra# (1e7).