Cloning the Dakota Repository

The Dakota repository is separated into public and private meta-packages. The core or top-level repository uses git submodules to pull most components from public servers and select SNL-specific components from private servers to create a complete Dakota checkout.

Note on default branch: After cloning Dakota, git will automatically check out the "master" branch. This branch is intended to be a stable, release-quality branch that passed more extensive testing. It is not possible to commit directly to this branch. Most changes should instead be committed to the "devel" branch (or a topic branch). You can subsitute a topic branch for devel in what follows as appropriate.

Attention: The Dakota repositories on software.sandia.gov are retired!

SNL developers should use gitlab-ex.sandia.gov, and external collaborators and anonymous users should use the repos at https://github.com/snl-dakota, whether via SSH or HTTPS. The core repo for instance can be found at git@github.com:snl-dakota/dakota.git or https://github.com/snl-dakota/dakota.git.

Developers with Full Access

Development team members with full access to all repositories (most typical SNL team members).

A full clone of Dakota (including submodules) can be checked out by with the single command:

  git clone --recursive git@gitlab-ex.sandia.gov:dakota/dakota.git
  cd dakota
  git checkout devel

When switching to a branch, it is always best to ensure a consistent state of submodules, e.g.,:

  git submodule update --init

Git submodule update may not be appropriate when co-developing submodules with Dakota; see discussion later in this guide.

Developers with Only Gitlab-ex Access

Development team members with access to repositories on gitlab-ex.sandia.gov (select SNL team members).

After cloning you will need to turn off one inaccessible submodule:

  git clone git@gitlab-ex.sandia.gov:dakota/dakota.git
  cd dakota
  git checkout devel

When switching to a branch, it is always best to ensure a consistent state of submodules, e.g.,:

  git submodule init
  git submodule deinit local
  git submodule update

Git submodule update may not be appropriate when co-developing submodules with Dakota; see discussion later in this guide.

Developers without Gitlab-ex Access

Development team members with access only to repositories on GitHub (most external developers and anonymous cloners).

  git clone https://github.com/snl-dakota/dakota.git
  cd dakota
  git checkout devel

When switching to a branch, it is always best to ensure a consistent state of submodules. However, only initialize the submodules you have access to:

  git submodule init packages/external
  git submodule init packages/pecos
  git submodule init packages/surfpack
  git submodule update

Or alternately submodule deinit the others (dakota-examples, packages/local/DOT, packages/local/NLPQL, packages/local/NPSOL, local). Git submodule update may not be appropriate when co-developing submodules with Dakota; see discussion later in this guide.

Note: With any of the above approaches, subsequent submodule operations such as 'submodule update' can then be performed automatically over the set of initialized modules without the need to enumerate them.

Master Branch Integration

Updating the "master" branch with changes to the "devel" branch: To preserve the stable quality of the "master" branch, a nightly Jenkins job performs a more extensive set of builds and testing on the "devel" branch followed by automated updating of "master" after successful completion.