R SIG Debian - Feb 2019 - Most recent version R for IBM Power8 Ubuntu environment

What is he most recent version of R known to run reliably in an environment of
IBM HPC cluster Power8 systems, Ubuntu 16.04.1 operating environment with gpfs
as the cluster file-system? It would seem from 'apt' checking to be
R-3.2.3; however, that one is rather old and does not support a sufficient
number of R packages that are needed for current university research projects.
R-3.5.1 has been built from source on the IBM HPC cluster and passed its
'make check' without incident; but, when actual project work began, it
did not complete and issued console messages indicating R task timeouts.

Regards,
Bill

Bill,

On 21 February 2019 at 15:14, Bill Glessner wrote:
| What is he most recent version of R known to run reliably in an environment of
IBM HPC cluster Power8 systems, Ubuntu 16.04.1 operating environment with gpfs
as the cluster file-system? It would seem from 'apt' checking to be
R-3.2.3; however, that one is rather old and does not support a sufficient
number of R packages that are needed for current university research projects.
R-3.5.1 has been built from source on the IBM HPC cluster and passed its
'make check' without incident; but, when actual project work began, it
did not complete and issued console messages indicating R task timeouts.

Ubuntu proper may support Power8. That would provide whatever version of R
was current when the particular Ubuntu release was made.  Ubuntu 16.04 is
outdated, with Ubuntu 18.04 you would (IIRC) get R 3.4.4.

What is at CRAN as backports is provided by volunteers on shoestring
budgets. Hence almost everything you see there is for x86_64. (Johannes
backports Debian builds to arm as well as he has need for it).

So for Power8 help ... we can help with tips but I fear you may have to
spearhead.  The good news is that it should not be hard.

Hth, Dirk

-- 
http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com | @eddelbuettel | edd at debian.org

Hi all,

Am Dienstag, 26. Februar 2019, 09:06:49 CET schrieb Dirk
Eddelbuettel:
> Bill,
> 
> On 21 February 2019 at 15:14, Bill Glessner wrote:
> | What is he most recent version of R known to run reliably in an
> | environment of IBM HPC cluster Power8 systems, Ubuntu 16.04.1 operating
> | environment with gpfs as the cluster file-system? It would seem from
> | 'apt' checking to be R-3.2.3; however, that one is rather old and
does
> | not support a sufficient number of R packages that are needed for current
> | university research projects. R-3.5.1 has been built from source on the
> | IBM HPC cluster and passed its 'make check' without incident;
but, when
> | actual project work began, it did not complete and issued console
> | messages indicating R task timeouts.
> Ubuntu proper may support Power8. That would provide whatever version of R
> was current when the particular Ubuntu release was made.  Ubuntu 16.04 is
> outdated, with Ubuntu 18.04 you would (IIRC) get R 3.4.4.
> 
> What is at CRAN as backports is provided by volunteers on shoestring
> budgets. Hence almost everything you see there is for x86_64. (Johannes
> backports Debian builds to arm as well as he has need for it).
> 
> So for Power8 help ... we can help with tips but I fear you may have to
> spearhead.  The good news is that it should not be hard.
I'd like to add that you should rebuild your R packages after upgrading from
R
3.2.3 to R 3.5.1 because of changes in base R.

Kind regards,

Johannes
> 
> Hth, Dirk
https://jrwb.de/contact