Versioning and 10.3 directory structure

[Adam_Azarchs]

In MKL 10.3, the new installer default location is 1.) different from one machine to another and 2.) no longer contains the exact version number. These problems, particularly the second, are show-stoppers for upgrade for us, since we need to be able to build our code against the specific version we have developed against (we don't have the QA bandwidth to re-test older modules every time we want to install the latest MKL update on the build machine). Is there a workaround for this? I mean besides manually copying the directory structure into something that works.

To be more specific:

In 10.2, our makefiles would just set the static link library directory to includeC:\\Program Files\\Intel\\MKL\\10.2.4.032 or whichever version was needed. Now the equivilent is, for example,C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Intel\\ComposerXE-2011\\mkl. The fact that the mkl root changes from system to system is one problem (eg adding x86 if you're on a x64 system but not on a 32-bit system - the installer refuses to let you install into regular program files on x64) is a minor issue that could be rectified with appropriate use of environment variables or some such. However the second problem, that we can't install many minor releases in parallel, is a bigger deal.

[TimP]

You seem to be raising more than one aspect of the problem you are considering. The system for supporting multiple versions under the Composer organization definitely needs improvement.
If the choice of install directory isn't flexible enough in the installer, you can move the installed library directories as you choose. Then, if you use the compilervars or mklvars .bat files, you would need to edit them, but it seems that you depend only on Makefile settings.
The choice of Program Files (x86) has always been taken by Intel Software Tools installers on Windows X64. If you want to avoid that change when moving a Makefile from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows, it seems that moving the installation yourself might be an option.

[Nikolay_L_Intel]

Hello Adam,

You should be able to install several minor updates side-by-side.

The installer supposes to provide you an option, please see attached screenshot. If you do not have such screen installing next update, please let us know and we will investigate the problem.
http://software.intel.com/file/34259

The versioning problem you have described is a back side of the product bundling when the focus is moving from standalone to set of products. So it was a decision to remove standalone versions from install location.

Please let us brainstorm for a possible workaround for your framework.

Currently we are providing per component information in text files:

/Documentation/[component]support.txt (example, /Documentation/mklsupport.txt).

Could you reuse it? If NO, what version format is suitable for your framework?

Thank you,

- Nikolay

[Adam_Azarchs]

Thanks, I probably will just try the "copy to where I want it" strategy. As for the option to install separate, I do not see it, but that could be because this is the first 10.3 version I've installed, so the first which installed to the composer folders.