[R] Problem installing Rmpi with Open MPI

[Linh Tran]

I took some time to think about it and don't know that it was the case 
for me. If the openmpi-bin package was missing, I wouldn't have been 
able to even use openmpi and during my trouble, I would check the mpi 
software each time I installed it to verify that it worked (using some 
simple example commands). Furthermore, I checked the parent folder after 
each installation and saw non-empty bin folders in them each time. Did 
the error code somehow point to that? It could have been that the 
open-mpi bin package somehow installed itself during my troubleshooting.

I also don't know whether it was the "enable-shared" option, the 
"disable-dlopen" option, or both that helped me finally get Rmpi to 
work. I could go back and uninstall everything to start over and 
pinpoint it, though I don't think I can go through the frustration 
again. Regardless, I hope that this information helps other users.

Thank you very much Dirk and Brian for your help. And thank you Hao for 
such a great job with the Rmpi package. As always, guys like you are 
what make R so successful.


On 08/30/2012 11:02 AM, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote:
> On 29 August 2012 at 20:07, Linh Tran wrote:
> | Thank you for the advice. I tried using the command, and it still
> | wouldn't load.
> |
> | I tried uninstalling all of the MPI interfaces, reinstalled openmpi
> | using the "--enabled-shared --disable-dlopen" command, and Rmpi was able
> | to install sucessfully inside R.
>
> I just spent some time going over this, along with Prof Hao, the author of
> Rmpi.  You may simply have been missing the openmpi-bin package which
> provides tools like orterun -- Open MPI now needs this at startup.  This may
> get added to configure tests in the future to alert users.
>
> With this openmpi-bin package installed, I could easily install Rmpi on
> Debian and Ubuntu using the distro's Open MPI packages. No need for local
> Open MPI builds.  Also note this post on the Open MPI list:
>
>     http://www.open-mpi.org/community/lists/devel/2012/04/10840.php
>
> Static builds may lead to loss of resources at runtime as you may have
> multiple copies running.
>   
> | Thank you to Prof Ripley for pointing that out! I think it was shared
> | and dlopen options that kept preventing me from succeeding.
>
> I believe this advise to be incorrect. We have been using dynamically linked
> builds of Open MPI for several years on Debian with good success. I was
> involved in an overhaul of Debian's Open MPI packages around 2006/2007; the
> package has since been very well maintained by others.
>
> Dirk
>   
> | On 08/29/2012 01:40 PM, Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote:
> | > On 29 August 2012 at 11:37, Linh Tran wrote:
> | > | I've spent a few days trying to install Rmpi with no luck. I originally
> | > | tried using mpich, moved on to mpich2, and then to openmpi. I've gotten
> | > | the furthest with openmpi, though am still running into this problem and
> | > | can't figure it out. Can someone help!? Thanks so much in advanced.
> | > |
> | > | I'm using an HP Envy laptop with Ubuntu 12.04. Output is below, with the
> | > | error at the bottom.
> | >
> | > I suggest you do
> | >
> | >     sudo apt-get install r-cran-rmpi
> | >
> | > which installs the prebuild Rmpi as well as the Open MPI libary it depends upon.
> | >
> | > Dirk
> | >
> |
>