How do lmod modules and chained repositories interact?

[george hartzell]

I've seen the docs for using modules from upstream repositories here:

https://spack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/chain.html#using-modules-for-upstream-packages

I was hoping that it meant that I could use Lmod modules and the

`module` command with a chained pair of spack installations.  I

haven't been able to make that work.

I've found that I can use `spack load` to load packages from both

Spack installations, but this doesn't seem to use any modulefiles (if

I move the downstream `spack/share/lmod` dir somewhere else, `spack

load app` still works).

What's the take-home message of the

`using-modules-for-upstream-packages` page supposed to be?

Here's the upstreams.yaml file I'm working with:

```

upstreams:

  spack-20200417:

    install_tree: /local_scratch/george.hartzell/spack-20200417/opt/spack

    modules:

      lmod: /local_scratch/george.hartzell/spack-20200417/share/spack/lmod

```

I set up a shell to use an particular Spack tree by sourcing a shell

script like this one:

https://gist.github.com/hartzell/5a759b79b73c9e435cf1b8e3fa0a7370

It:

- sources the `bash` script it finds in `$(.../bin/spack location -i

  lmod)/lmod/lmod/init`,

- uses the `Core` dir that it finds beneath `share/spack/lmod`, 

- loads the core compiler,

- then loads a set of modules.

In a downstream tree with nothing installed (and therefor no lmod

modules), this doesn't work.

If I install something, then Spack generates a lua modulefile for it,

but I can't use it because I can't load a modulefile for the Core

compiler (that modulefile lives upstream).

If I do a `module use <path/to/upstream/share/spack/lmod/.../Core`

then I can load the gcc module from upstream and that unlocks the

modulefiles for all of the upstream spack packages.

But, it doesn't make available the modulefile for the things in the

downstream tree.

On the other hand, if I don't use my initialization scheme but instead

source `.../share/spack/setup-env.sh` and use `spack load ...` then I

can see packages in both the upstream and downstream.  But, this

prevents me (I think...) from using Lmod modulefiles to add non-spack

things to my users environments.

[Kelly Thompson]

George,

I have the exact same struggles that you are experiencing with chained spack instances and lmod modulefiles. I sympathize with your frustration and think this should be on spack's list of features to finish implementing.

I have made my implementation of 'spack chan' work for my system by:

1. Rolling out hand written compiler and mpi modulefiles in the chained repository, and

2. Manually running `module use $HOME/spack-chained/share/spack/lmod/linux-rhel7-ppc64le/Core`. (I think I had to run `spack module lmod refresh --upstream-modules` in the chained repository to populate Core.  But I can't really remember, maybe I used rsync.)

Out of the box, 'spack chain' does not work correctly for hierarchical Lmod modules, but it can be hacked and is still useful (IMHO).

-kt
-----
Kelly (KT) Thompson
k...@eklaj.org

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[George Hartzell]

Kelly Thompson writes:
> George,
>
> I have the exact same struggles [...]
> [...] I sympathize with your frustration

Thanks for the followup. I'm not so much frustrated as confused; I'm
asking a lot of questions and etc... right now because I'm exploring
new areas of spack (chaining, environments, build caches) and am
bringing my "naive" eye to the docs and process.

> [...] `spack module lmod refresh --upstream-modules`

Ooooo: `--upstream-modules`!!! Didn't know that was there. Time to
go play!

Thanks!
<
g.

[george hartzell]

On Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 8:45:38 AM UTC-7, george hartzell wrote:

[...]

Ooooo: `--upstream-modules`!!!  Didn't know that was there.  Time to
go play!

I'm happy to report that setting up a `etc/spack/upstreams.yaml` and then running

    spack module lmod refresh --upstream-modules -y

results in a complete tree of modules in the downstream's `share/spack/lmod` dir, and they work as expected.