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Getting Started

This guide will help you get started with installing Slurm from the Slurm Factory Spack buildcache.

Prerequisites​

You need:

  • A Linux system (Ubuntu 22.04+, RHEL 8+, or similar)
  • Spack installed (v1.0.0 or later)
  • Basic familiarity with Spack package management

Install Spack​

If you don't have Spack installed:

git clone --depth 1 --branch v1.0.0 https://github.com/spack/spack.git ~/spack
source ~/spack/share/spack/setup-env.sh

Add Spack to your shell startup:

echo 'source ~/spack/share/spack/setup-env.sh' >> ~/.bashrc

Installing Slurm from Buildcache​

The fastest way to get Slurm is to install it from our public buildcache. This eliminates the need to compile from source.

Step 1: Add the Spack Repository​

First, clone and add this custom Spack repository:

git clone https://github.com/vantagecompute/slurm-factory-spack-repo.git
spack repo add slurm-factory-spack-repo/spack_repo/slurm_factory

Verify the repository was added:

spack repo list

You should see slurm_factory in the list.

Step 2: Configure the Buildcache​

Add the Slurm Factory buildcache mirrors:

# Add GCC compiler buildcache
spack mirror add slurm-factory-gcc \\
  https://slurm-factory-spack-binary-cache.vantagecompute.ai/compilers/15.2.0

# Add Slurm buildcache
spack mirror add slurm-factory-slurm \\
  https://slurm-factory-spack-binary-cache.vantagecompute.ai/slurm/25.11/15.2.0

Trust the buildcache GPG keys:

spack buildcache keys --install --trust

Step 3: Install GCC Compiler (Optional)​

If you want to use the same GCC version that was used to build Slurm:

# Install GCC 15.2.0 from buildcache
spack install --cache-only gcc@15.2.0

# Register it as a compiler
spack compiler find $(spack location -i gcc@15.2.0)

# Verify
spack compiler list | grep gcc@15.2.0

Step 4: Install Slurm​

Install Slurm from the buildcache:

# Install the latest Slurm 25.11
spack install --cache-only slurm@25-11-0-1

Or install by exact hash for reproducibility:

# This installs slurm@25-11-0-1%gcc@15.2.0
spack install --cache-only /ysm2idt

Step 5: Verify Installation​

Check that Slurm was installed:

spack find slurm
spack location -i slurm

Test the binaries:

$(spack location -i slurm)/bin/srun --version

Docker Example​

Here's a complete Dockerfile that demonstrates installing Slurm from the buildcache:

FROM ubuntu:24.04

ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

# Install system dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \\
    build-essential ca-certificates curl git \\
    gcc g++ gfortran python3 unzip

# Install Spack
RUN git clone --depth 1 --branch v1.0.0 \\
    https://github.com/spack/spack.git /opt/spack

ENV SPACK_ROOT=/opt/spack
ENV PATH=$SPACK_ROOT/bin:$PATH

SHELL ["/bin/bash", "-l", "-c"]

# Add custom repository
RUN git clone --depth 1 \\
    https://github.com/vantagecompute/slurm-factory-spack-repo.git \\
    /opt/slurm-factory-spack-repo && \\
    spack repo add /opt/slurm-factory-spack-repo/spack_repo/slurm_factory

# Configure buildcache mirrors
RUN spack mirror add slurm-factory-gcc \\
    https://slurm-factory-spack-binary-cache.vantagecompute.ai/compilers/15.2.0 && \\
    spack mirror add slurm-factory-slurm \\
    https://slurm-factory-spack-binary-cache.vantagecompute.ai/slurm/25.11/15.2.0

# Trust buildcache keys
RUN spack buildcache keys --install --trust

# Install GCC compiler
RUN spack install --cache-only gcc@15.2.0 && \\
    spack compiler find $(spack location -i gcc@15.2.0)

# Install Slurm
RUN spack install --cache-only /ysm2idt

# Verify installation
RUN spack find slurm && \\
    $(spack location -i slurm)/bin/srun --version

CMD ["/bin/bash"]

See the complete example in examples/Dockerfile.install-from-buildcache-with-repo.

Building from Source​

If you prefer to build from source or need a custom configuration:

# Install with specific variants
spack install slurm@25-11-0-1 +pmix +hwloc +restd +ipmi

Available variants are documented in the Slurm package documentation.

Using in spack.yaml​

For environment-based workflows, add to your spack.yaml:

spack:
  repos:
    - slurm_factory:
        git: https://github.com/vantagecompute/slurm-factory-spack-repo.git
  
  mirrors:
    slurm-factory-gcc: 
      url: https://slurm-factory-spack-binary-cache.vantagecompute.ai/compilers/15.2.0
    slurm-factory-slurm:
      url: https://slurm-factory-spack-binary-cache.vantagecompute.ai/slurm/25.11/15.2.0
  
  specs:
    - slurm@25-11-0-1
  
  concretizer:
    unify: true

Then:

spack env create myenv spack.yaml
spack env activate myenv
spack install --cache-only

Next Steps​

Troubleshooting​

Buildcache Not Found​

If you get errors about packages not being in the buildcache:

# List available packages
spack buildcache list --allarch

# Check mirror configuration
spack mirror list

Compilation Fallback​

If you don't use --cache-only, Spack will build from source if binaries aren't available. This can take several hours for Slurm and dependencies.

GPG Key Issues​

If you have GPG key errors:

# Force trust all keys
spack buildcache keys --install --trust --force

Getting Help​