Compilers are usually run through either an Integrated Development Environment, such as VSCOde, or through the command line in a shell. They are usually shipped by their vendor in suites which consist of multiple programming languages sharing a common backend.

Lmod

Many HPC sites, including UVA’s, provide multiple compiler suites and compiler versions, which we manage through lmod modules. These should not be confused with modules in programming languages such as Fortran or Python; in this context the module is a script that sets up the environment for a specified software package.

For compilers, loading a module sets some necessary variables so that the correct compiler(s), linkers, and runtime libraries are in scope in the user’s environment.

Modules are loaded with the load command.

module load gcc

sets up the default version of the GCC suite.

Modules set important environment variables such as LOAD_LIBRARY_PATH variable. Modules will set this variable appropriately, but since it must have the correct value, the modules used to build must also be loaded for running.

Gnu Compiler Collection (gcc)

The GNU Compiler Collection includes front ends for C, C++, and Fortran, as well as libraries for these languages (libc, libstdc++, libgfortran).

• gcc is the C compiler
• g++ is the C++ compiler
• gfortran is the Fortran compiler

To see a list of available versions, type

module spider gcc 

This will result in output similar to (versions will vary over time):

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  gcc:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Description:
      The GNU Compiler Collection includes front ends for C, C++,
      Objective-C, Fortran, Java, and Ada, as well as libraries for these
      languages (libstdc++, libgcj,...).

     Versions:
        gcc/system
        gcc/7.1.0
        gcc/9.2.0
     Other possible modules matches:
        gcccuda

Intel

Intel compilers frequently produce the fastest binaries for Intel architectures and are usually recommended for users who want the best performance.

• icx is the C compiler
• icpx is the C++ compiler
• ifx is the Fortran compiler

module spider intel

NVIDIA HPC SDK

We also offer the NVIDIA HPC SDK (software development kit) compilers. This suite is particularly strong at programming for general-purpose GPUs, mainly of NVIDIA architecture. They provide tools such as OpenACC and OpenMP for programming for GPGPUs, but also support interfaces to CUDA through the higher-level languages, in particular C++ and Fortran.

• nvcc
• nvc++
• nvfortran

module spider nvhpc