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Metis 5.1.0

1. Introduction

Metis is a high-performance library for graph partitioning, mesh partitioning, and sparse matrix ordering. It is widely used in scientific and high-performance computing applications where large graphs and meshes must be efficiently decomposed.

Metis helps in:

  • Reducing communication overhead in parallel applications
  • Improving cache efficiency
  • Optimizing load balancing across processors

Typical application areas include:

  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Large-scale graph analytics
  • Scientific simulations

2. Key Features

  • Multilevel graph partitioning algorithms
  • k-way and recursive bisection partitioning
  • Mesh partitioning support
  • Sparse matrix reordering (nested dissection)
  • Efficient handling of large-scale graphs
  • Shared and static library support

3. Prerequisites

Ensure the following dependencies are available:

  • CMake (required)
  • GCC or a compatible C/C++ compiler
  • GKlib (included in the Metis source tree)
  • Linux-based operating system

⚠️ Important
For Metis 5.1.0, make must not be used directly. The build process must be performed exclusively via CMake.

4. Cleanup Old Builds (If Any)

Before starting a fresh build, remove any existing build artifacts:

rm -rf build CMakeCache.txt CMakeFiles

This removes:

  • Previous build directory
  • Cached CMake configuration
  • Temporary CMake files

5. Create Build Directory

It is recommended to build Metis in a separate directory.

mkdir build
cd build

If errors occur, you can safely delete this directory and retry.

6. Configure Using CMake

Run the following command from inside the build directory:

cmake \
  -DGKLIB_PATH=../GKlib \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/Metis-5.1.0 \
  -DSHARED=ON \
  ..

CMake Options Explained

  • -DGKLIB_PATH=../GKlib Specifies the path to the GKlib directory bundled with Metis.

  • -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/Metis-5.1.0 Defines the target installation directory.

  • -DSHARED=ON Builds shared libraries (.so).

Example (OpenFOAM Integration)

cmake \
  -DGKLIB_PATH=/opt/OpenFoam2112/ThirdParty-v2112/sources/metis/metis-5.1.0/GKlib \
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/OpenFoam2112/ThirdParty-v2112/platforms/linux64Gcc/metis-5.1.0 \
  -DSHARED=ON \
  ..

7. Build the Project

After successful configuration, compile Metis:

cmake --build . -j$(nproc)

This uses all available CPU cores for faster compilation.

⚠️ If errors occur, review the output carefully, fix the issue, and re-run the build.

8. Install Metis

Install Metis to the configured prefix:

cmake --install .

9. Verify Installation

Confirm that Metis was installed correctly:

ls /opt/Metis-5.1.0

Expected directories:

  • bin/ – Executable utilities
  • lib/ – Shared and static libraries
  • include/ – Header files

10. Post-Installation Notes

Update Library Path

If the library directory is not in the system default path:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/Metis-5.1.0/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Linking Against Metis

Applications using Metis must:

  • Include headers from include/
  • Link against libraries in lib/

11. Conclusion

Metis 5.1.0 provides efficient and scalable graph and mesh partitioning capabilities. When properly configured and installed, it can significantly enhance the performance of parallel and scientific computing applications.