How to install PLUTO on Windows

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the installation of the PLUTO code on Windows, addressing challenges faced by a first-year engineering student. The scope includes technical troubleshooting and potential solutions for running software that may be primarily designed for Linux environments.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in installing PLUTO on Windows, despite following the provided instructions and documentation.
  • Another participant suggests that PLUTO may be Linux-based and recommends using a Docker image to run it on Windows.
  • A participant notes that the documentation indicates PLUTO can run on various platforms, including Windows, but requires additional tools like Python, a C compiler, and GNU Make.
  • One participant speculates that the issue may relate to the specific version of Windows being used, mentioning differences between Windows 7 and Windows 10.
  • Another participant mentions the possibility of building a Docker image from a base image like Ubuntu, emphasizing the advantages of a Linux environment for running the software.
  • A suggestion is made to use VMware as an alternative solution for running PLUTO on Windows.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple competing views on how to successfully install and run PLUTO on Windows, with no consensus reached on a definitive solution.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for specific tools and environments, such as Docker or VMware, and mention potential compatibility issues with different Windows versions. There are also references to the requirements outlined in the PLUTO documentation that may not be fully addressed in the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for engineering students or software users attempting to install PLUTO on Windows, as well as those interested in using Docker or virtual machines for software compatibility issues.

Michal Fishkin
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Hi!
I'm a first-year engineering student. I'm working on a project and was having trouble getting some of the software. I was hoping someone in this forum knew what I was dealing with and could help me out. I would really appreciate it. :)

The code is called PLUTO. It's found here: http://plutocode.ph.unito.it/
And the download link: http://plutocode.ph.unito.it/download.html
And the user manual!: http://plutocode.ph.unito.it/files/userguide.pdf

So this should be easy as pie, just follow the instructions and you're home free, right?
The thing is, I have Windows. And for some reason, the code isn't really working.
The authors assure me this can run on Windows, but I'm struggling. I can download, unzip, and run setup.py without too much of a problem, but after that, it gets confused with file directories. What should I do?
I would also like to download pyPLUTO but that's a future bridge to cross.
 
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It looks Linux based according to the manual and relies on Linux tools being there too.

Perhaps there’s a docker image you could install and run on Windows after you install docker of course.
 
Michal Fishkin said:
The thing is, I have Windows. And for some reason, the code isn't really working.
The documentation says this in the Introduction (Ch. 1):
PLUTO has been successfully ported to several parallel platforms including Linux, Windows/Cygwin, Mac OS X, Beowulf clusters, IBM power4 / power5 / power6, SGI Irix, IBM BluGene/P and several others.
So Windows alone is not enough. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygwin for more information. You also need at least Python, a C compiler, and GNU Make for the static grid, single processor runs.
 
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Guess: It might be a problem with which version of Windows you have. I have experienced problems where a program runs fine on Windows 7 but not on Windows 10.
 
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I couldn’t find a docker image with this software already loaded on it but it’s not too difficult to build an image from a full base image like Ubuntu.

I like the docker approach because it places you in a strictly Linux environment that runs on windows or macOS or Linux with only requirement that you install docker for your platform.
 
Try vm ware
 

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