HMC Mathematics Computing Weblog

I've downloaded the install images for the i386 and x86_64 architectures for Fedora Core 4. They're available from http://yum.math.hmc.edu/os/fedora-core/4/i386/os/ and http://yum.math.hmc.edu/os/fedora-core/4/x86_64/os/, respectively.

I have installed the latest versions of Intel's FORTRAN and C++ compilers for 32-bit architectures in /shared/local/intel.

You can use the compilers by running

For the Intel C++ compiler

/shared/local/intel/bin/iccvars.csh
/shared/local/intel/bin/iccvars.sh

For the Intel FORTRAN compiler

/shared/local/intel/bin/ifortvars.csh
/shared/local/intel/bin/ifortvars.sh

These commands set various environment variables (PATH, MANPATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, etc.) to include directories needed to run the compilers. Their effects end when you quit the shell you run them in (e.g., log out, close the terminal window). If you should find yourself using these compilers all the time, you can add the contents of these files to your own startup files.

The main advantages of the Intel compilers over the GNU Compiler Collection (gcc) compilers is that, in theory, Intel compilers take better advantage of the quirks in various CPU models. In practice, most code will not see a significant performance change when compiled with the Intel compilers, but there are exceptions. YMMV.

The Intel FORTRAN compiler also supports FORTRAN90 and FORTRAN95, whereas g77, the GNU FORTRAN compiler, only supports FORTRAN77 (as its name implies).

I have also installed the Intel Math Kernel Library, which provides mathematical functions optimized for use on Intel processors.

Documentation for these compilers and the Intel Math Kernel Library is available in /shared/local/intel/doc, and includes PDF and HTML manuals and training material.

Please note that our license for using these materials requires that they be used solely for noncommercial purposes. If you're planning to compile code that you hope to make money on, please use the standard GCC compilers or download your own Intel compilers. (Even better, don't do commercial work on our systems.)

Enjoy!

Well, it's official. Apple has announced that they will start shipping Intel-based Macintoshes starting next year.