ALCD Installation and Usage Guide

Note: ALCD is currently not distributed as a Python package. To use ALCD, you first need to clone the ALCD repository and then create either a Docker or Singularity image or use it in a conda environment.

Solution 1 : Use a conda environment

If you don’t have conda installed yet, then follow the conda install guide

git clone https://github.com/CNES/ALCD.git
cd ALCD
conda env create -f environment.yml
conda activate ALCD # then your are ready to use ALCD

Solution 2 : Use the ALCD docker image

docker pull cnes/ALCD:latest
docker run -it cnes/ALCD:latest

Solution 3: Build your own ALCD docker image

Step 1: Clone the ALCD Repository

To begin, clone the ALCD repository to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/CNES/ALCD.git
cd ALCD

Step 2: Create the Docker Image

Navigate to the /docker directory in the cloned project:

cd /path/to/ALCD/docker

Build the Docker image with the following command:

docker build -t alcd .

Run the Docker image:

docker run --rm -it -v /path/to/local/ALCD:/ALCD -v /path/to/local/DATA:/DATA alcd:latest /bin/bash

Explanation of the command options:

--rm: Automatically removes the container when it exits, keeping your environment clean.
-it: Opens an interactive terminal within the container.
-v /path/to/local/ALCD:/ALCD: Mounts your local /path/to/local/ALCD directory to /ALCD within the Docker container, allowing data access and output within this directory.
-v /path/to/local/DATA:/DATA Mounts your local / /path/to/local/DATA directory to /DATA within the Docker container, allowing data access and output within this directory.
alcd:latest: Refers to the Docker image tagged as alcd, built in step 2.

Solution 4: Build your own ALCD singularity image

Navigate to the /singularity directory within the ALCD project:

cd /path/to/ALCD/singularity

Build the Singularity image using the following command:

singularity -v build --fakeroot alcd.sif alcd.def

Explanation:
--fakeroot: Allows image building without root access (required for some systems).
alcd.sif: The name of the output Singularity image file.
alcd.def: The Singularity definition file containing instructions for building the image.

Run the Singularity image:

singularity shell --cleanenv --bind /path/to/local/ALCD:/ALCD alcd.sif /bin/bash

Explanation of the command options:
--cleanenv: Starts the container with a clean environment, ensuring no unexpected environment variables affect the container.
--bind /path/to/local/ALCD:/ALCD: Mounts the local directory /path/to/local/ALCD into /ALCD within the Singularity container, allowing seamless data access.
alcd.sif: Specifies the Singularity image file built in step 3.

Following these steps will set up ALCD for use with either Docker or Singularity, enabling access to the project’s data and output through the mounted /ALCD directory.