Add section: Spack

[icaoberg]

🧩 Feature Request: Add Section on Spack

Description
Add a new section to the documentation explaining how to use Spack — the package manager for supercomputers, Linux, and macOS — within the Lane cluster environment.
This section will help users understand how to install, configure, and use Spack to manage scientific software dependencies.

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🧭 Suggested Content

• Introduction
  • What Spack is and why it’s useful in HPC environments.
• Installation
  • How to load or install Spack on the Lane cluster (e.g., using module load spack or cloning from GitHub).
• Basic Usage
  • Examples of searching, installing, and managing packages (spack install, spack find, spack load).
• Environment Management
  • Using spack env for project-specific dependencies.
• Integration
  • How Spack complements Conda and Singularity/Apptainer workflows already covered in the docs.
• Best Practices
  • Caching builds, sharing environments, and reproducibility tips.

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🧪 Expected Outcome

A new subsection under Advanced Topics → Spack in the documentation.
Users should be able to:

• Install, load and use Spack on the Lane cluster.
• Understand when and why to use Spack over Conda.
• Build reproducible software stacks for research workflows.

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🧰 References

• Spack Official Docs
• Spack Tutorial (HPC University)
• Spack Environments Guide

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✅ Tasks

• Create docs/advanced_topics/spack.md
• Add Spack section to index.rst
• Include example commands and environment setup
• Cross-link with Conda and Singularity sections
• Build and verify documentation locally

[icaoberg]

Met with @Julieduke. This will be the first chapter she will be working on.

[icaoberg]

@Julieduke install OpenMPI using Spack. Test on any node in pool1.

[icaoberg]

@Julieduke seems Spack is dependent on Python so you might need to install miniconda3 first

[icaoberg]

Do not close ticket a PR merge should close it