OpenIFS models are predominantly Fortran code and a small amount of C. They require some flavour of Unix (such as Linux) and known to run on a number of systems, some of which are directly supported by ECMWF. OpenIFS models work on laptops, desktops, Linux clusters and large HPC systems. The maximum resolution possible on each platform is limited mainly by available memory (RAM) and processor speed.
The following table details what combinations have been tested and the technical support level. For scientific support, see the OpenIFS documentation provided on this website or email openifs-support@ecmwf.int.
See Release Notes for more details on compilers and libraries tested with OpenIFS versions. Please see the Prerequisites page for details of what software is required to be able to run OpenIFS models.
Operating systems and compilers
Operating System
Supported Compilers
Support
MPI
Linux/Unix x86_64 (64 bit1)
gfortran
OpenMPI, MPICH, Intel MPI
Intel : ifort2
Cray : ftn (cce)
AIX (OpenIFS 40r1 only)
IBM : xlf
IBM Parallel Environment
MacOS X
gfortran
OpenMPI, Intel MPI
Intel : ifort
Technical support available
Full support; all test cases will be verified at each release
Good support; not all test cases may be run depending on local resources. Typically this means the higher resolution tests are not run.
Minimal support. No equivalent system available at ECMWF. Relies on access to external systems or user tests.
Notes:
32bit is not supported or tested.
We recommend using the most recent compiler version.
Microsoft Windows is not supported.
AIX support was withdrawn for OpenIFS versions beyond 40r1.