In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing MPICH on Ubuntu 18.04. MPICH is a high-performance and widely portable implementation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard, which is often used in parallel computing.
To install MPICH on Ubuntu 18.04, you can use the following command: "sudo apt install mpich". After the installation, verify it by running "mpiexec –version". To compile and run an MPI program, use the commands "mpicc mpi_hello_world.c -o hello-world" and "mpirun -np 5 ./hello-world".
Pre-requisites
Before we begin, ensure that you have a Ubuntu 18.04 system with superuser privileges.
Step 1: Update the System
Firstly, update your system to have the latest packages. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgradeThe sudo command allows you to run programs with the security privileges of another user (by default, as the superuser). The apt update command is used to download package information from all configured sources, and apt upgrade is used to install available upgrades of all packages currently installed on the system.
Step 2: Install MPICH
After updating the system, we can now install MPICH. Run the following command in your terminal:
sudo apt install mpichThis command installs MPICH from the default Ubuntu repositories.
Step 3: Verify the Installation
Once the installation is complete, verify it by checking the version of MPI installed on your system. Run the following command:
mpiexec --versionThe mpiexec command is a part of the MPI-2 standard. It is used to start MPI applications. The --version option is used to display the version information.
Step 4: Compile and Run an MPI Program
To compile and run an MPI program, follow these steps:
- Copy your MPI code into a new file named
mpi_hello_world.c. - Open a terminal and navigate to the directory containing
mpi_hello_world.c. - Compile the code using the
mpicccommand:
mpicc mpi_hello_world.c -o hello-worldThe mpicc command is a convenience command that wraps the underlying system C compiler and automatically specifies the include paths and libraries needed for compiling MPI programs.
- Run the code using the
mpiruncommand:
mpirun -np 5 ./hello-worldThe mpirun command is used to start MPI applications. The -np option specifies the number of processes to run. In this case, we are running the program with 5 processes.
Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues while running MPI programs, such as a segmentation fault, there could be multiple reasons for it. One possible reason is that the MPI program is not written correctly or there may be an issue with the code.
In such cases, you can try debugging the code or seeking help from the MPI community or forums.
Conclusion
In this article, we have walked you through the process of installing MPICH on Ubuntu 18.04, verifying the installation, and running an MPI program. If you are still facing issues, you can refer to the MPICH documentation or search for installation and troubleshooting guides specific to your version of Ubuntu.
Remember, practice makes perfect. Keep experimenting with different MPI programs and happy coding!
Yes, MPICH can be installed on other versions of Ubuntu as well. However, the installation steps may vary slightly depending on the specific version. It is recommended to refer to the MPICH documentation or search for installation guides specific to your version of Ubuntu.
Yes, MPICH is a widely portable implementation of the MPI standard and can be used on various Linux distributions. However, the installation steps may differ depending on the distribution. It is recommended to refer to the MPICH documentation or search for installation guides specific to your Linux distribution.
To uninstall MPICH from your system, you can use the following command in your terminal:
sudo apt remove mpichThis command will remove the MPICH package from your system. Additionally, you can also use the autoremove command to remove any unused dependencies:
sudo apt autoremoveMPICH is primarily designed for parallel computing using the MPI standard. While it is possible to use MPICH for serial computing, it may not provide any significant advantages over other serial computing libraries or tools. It is recommended to use specialized libraries or tools for serial computing tasks.
To update MPICH to a newer version, you can use the following commands in your terminal:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade mpichThe apt upgrade command will upgrade the MPICH package to the latest version available in the Ubuntu repositories.
