[CMake] Using CMake/CPack for code provenance

[Biddiscombe, John A.]

We have a project where the data generated is very large and too costly to store permanently, so we'd like to be able to


a)      Tag the source code used when the run is initiated using the SCM (svn/git etc)

b)      Automatically store all the user configured CMake options (using cmake CONFIGURE_FILE or something like that to generate a file with all the user selected options

c)       Automatically copy all input files (initial boundary conditions etc) into a particular  location alongside the generated settings from b), {user data will be set via cmake options as in a)}

d)      Run CPack to archive up all the source code, initial conditions data, other generated files, user configured options into a tarball which can then be stored in a permanent archive so that...

e)      in theory we can untar the package and essentially recreate the complete build/environment when the simulation was run and reproduce the data rather than storing it should the need ever arise. (of course the compiler may not be available in N years, but if most of the flags/settings are stored we can do our best to ensure that all is reproduced - have to draw the line somewhere.

Has anyone done anything similar to this, and if so, are there any things I need to watch out for that I haven't considered. Are there any projects out there that already do something similar that I can get some tips from?

thanks

JB


--
John Biddiscombe,                            email:biddisco @ cscs.ch
http://www.cscs.ch/
CSCS, Swiss National Supercomputing Centre  | Tel:  +41 (91) 610.82.07
Via Cantonale, 6928 Manno, Switzerland      | Fax:  +41 (91) 610.82.82

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