"Old" Intel compilers and Conda

[V-I]

I would like to compile old code with the "classical" Intel Fortran compiler but when I searched in Conda the oldest compilers I found were from 2022.2.0 intel_8734 and after.

Is it possible to get older Intel compiler versions?

Does it require a license?

[RahulC_Intel]

Hi Vru, Please note Intel® has decided that Intel® oneAPI Toolkits Versions: 2024.2.0 and earlier are not supported anymore. We urge users to upgrade to the latest version of Intel® developer tools.   

The unsupported versions do not include the latest functional and security updates. These versions are targeted to be removed after a period. For more information refer to the link: 

 https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/release-notes/oneapi-supported-product-versions.htm, and scroll down to the Unsupported Product Versions.   

However, Intel® oneAPI users with active Intel® Priority Support can access older versions & support via a secure portal and gain access as part of support subscription.   

Refer to the link: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/get-help/faq-priority-support.html and know more about priority support. 

[V-I]

Hi RahulC,

Thank you for your answer, I am aware that they are unsupported and will move to the new versions when possible, however as long as I am stuck with this old code I have to compile it with old intel compilers.

I managed to find 2021 icc/icpc/ifort versions and install these on my PC using the Debian-based package management command in Ubuntu, and that should be old enough.

That required downloading a public GPG key and adding a repository that Intel publicly provides, so it should be all legal for this install, right?
It would have been great to have them publicly distributed via conda though: I am not expert in this area and someone else would have to do it, but would that comply with Intel's terms or is there something preventing it?

[Alex-F]

Hi Rahul,

Thank you for the answer. If I am understanding it right, Intel is not planning to host older versions of their developer tools on the new conda channel? Instead, they can be accessed via a secure support portal outside of conda?

If I am understanding right, then this is unfortunate news. If we can't trust this channel to keep the packages hosted, it won't be a viable solution for many user's and their codebases. I can understand the importance of migrating users in terms of functional and security updates, but perhaps a warning when installing would suffice, vs. removing older packages? Removing them (especially without notice) introduces issues with reproducibly, maintainability, and trust with the channel. I will likely begin looking into alternate build methods outside of the conda ecosystem. 

There are a few tickets, linked below, seeking clarity on the issue that could benefit from your statement.

Related Tickets:

1. Disappearance of intel conda channel (Part 1)
2. Disappearance of intel conda channel PART 2
3. Problems installing with conda - HTTP 403 FORBIDDEN
4. Re: Using conda to get the Intel compiler runtime libraries

Thanks,

Alex

[RahulC_Intel]

Hi Vru, we have sent you a private message. Kindly check your inbox.

[V-I]

Hi RahulC,

I hear what you say, but for years I had access to the Educator Intel® Parallel Studio XE Cluster Edition for Linux and hence never had any paid subscription, and now none of the links I used to get the latest versions works and I end up on the API pages.

Some of my students used Conda, but that also stopped.

What are Intel's solutions for academia?

Regards,

VI

[RahulC_Intel]

Hi Vru, we have sent you a private message. Kindly check your inbox.

[V-I]

Thanks RahulC for your email, although I do not understand why you do not answer on the forum...

Obviously if we had an infinite budget we would buy all the licenses possible but that is not the case in academia

Had we known years ago that Intel would let us down like that we would have started to work with a different compiler chain but we were led to believe that these old compilers would always be available

Much appreciated

[RahulC_Intel]

Hi Vru, we’re reaching out to you directly to discuss some sensitive information that we prefer to keep confidential and not share in public forums

However, Intel® has decided that Intel® oneAPI Toolkits Versions: 2024.2.0 and earlier products are not supported anymore. The older products has been undergone deprecation over time due to lack of functional and security features. Due to that, it has been removed from our download repositories and even our internal archives.

We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Intel® developer tools. It's available for free to all users.

[V-I]

Hi RahilC,

Does it mean that the supported compilers will be back somehow on an Intel conda channel?
Any idea how that will work (maybe is it already in place?)?

[Alex-F]

Hi Rahul,

To echo V-I's question: Will any intel package that is seen as depreciated no longer be hosted via Intel's new conda channel?

I can understand removing a packages from a conda channel because they're depreciated in terms of security and features. However, there appear to be quite a few users who have been caught by surprise by the lack of hosting. On the anaconda hosted channel, older packages were hosted and readily available. The sudden change has been very disruptive.

Were there any warnings provided before this change? I understand that Intel had to migrate their channel to a self-hosted one suddenly which may have made communication a challenge, but this sudden change makes it very difficult (or impossible) to migrate our older codebases. Some of the systems we run on do not yet support Intel® oneAPI 2024.2.0.

Is it at all possible to have a brief window where these older packages are re-hosted? This would allow developers time to compile their projects and test migrating them to build with Intel's newer software versions.

Thanks,

Alex

[RahulC_Intel]

Hi Vru, we have sent you a private message. Kindly check your inbox.

[Sahira_Intel · Accepted solution]

Thank you for reporting your issue. The Intel channel is no longer available at anaconda.com so instead please use the Intel-hosted channel on https://software.repos.intel.com/python/conda . Additional details and instructions are available in this document: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/docs/oneapi/installation-guide-linux/2024-2/conda.html

Not all the older versions were posted in the new channel but some still might be available so you can take a look. Please note that Older versions do not have the latest functional and security updates and Users should update to the latest version of oneAPI Toolkits and components.

Despite that some older versions have been restored, if there is any particular one you need for your use please open a Priority Support Ticket with Intel. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/tools/oneapi/commercial-base.html#gs.f9mewg

Sincerely,

Sahira