path: root/lib/spack/docs/getting_started.rst

Getting Started
====================

Download
--------------------

Getting spack is easy.  Clone it using `git <http://git-scm.com->`_
with the following command:

.. code-block:: sh

   $ git clone ssh://git@cz-stash.llnl.gov:7999/scale/spack.git

This will create a directory called ``spack``.  We'll assume that the
full path to this directory is in some environment called
``SPACK_HOME``.  Add ``$SPACK_HOME/bin`` to your path and you're ready
to go:

.. code-block:: sh

   $ export PATH=spack/bin:$SPACK_HOME
   $ spack install mpich

In general, most of your interactions with Spack will be through the
``spack`` command.


Install
--------------------

You don't need to install Spack; it's ready to run as soon as you
clone it from git.

You may want to run it out of a prefix other than the git repository
you cloned.  The ``spack bootstrap`` command provides this
functionality.  To install spack in a new directory, simply type:

.. code-block:: sh

    $ spack bootstrap /my/favorite/prefix

This will install a new spack script in /my/favorite/prefix/bin, which
you can use just like you would the regular spack script.  Each copy
of spack installs packages into its own ``$PREFIX/opt`` directory.