Add WRF build guide

docs/build-install/applications/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[](){#ref-build-applications}
+# Application installation guides
+
+This is a collection of installation guides for commonly-used software that is not [officially supported softare][ref-software-sciapps].
+
+!!! note "Contributions welcome!"
+    The guides here are best effort, and may become out of date.
+
+    If you see that a guide is out of date, you are welcome to [propose an update](https://github.com/eth-cscs/cscs-docs/issues) or make a [contribution][ref-contributing].
+
+## Guides
+
+* [WRF][ref-software-packages-wrf]
+

docs/build-install/applications/wrf.md

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+[](){#ref-software-packages-wrf}
+# WRF
+
+[The Weather Research & Forecasting Model](https://www.mmm.ucar.edu/models/wrf) (WRF) is a numerical weather prediction system designed for both atmospheric research and weather forecasting.
+
+It is used for CPU-only simulation on [Eiger][ref-cluster-eiger], for which this guide applies.
+
+## Using Spack
+
+Spack provides the [wrf](https://packages.spack.io/package.html?name=wrf) package, which we can install using the [uenv-spack][ref-building-uenv-spack] tool.
+
+First create a working directory where you will install the software.
+Here, we create it in your project's [Store][ref-storage-store] path, where the package can be accessed by all users in your project.
+```bash
+mkdir $STORE/wrf
+cd $STORE/wrf
+```
+
+Then follow the steups in the [uenv-spack][ref-building-uenv-spack] guide to install `uenv-spack`
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/eth-cscs/uenv-spack.git
+(cd uenv-spack && ./bootstrap)
+```
+
+The [`prgenv-gnu`][ref-uenv-prgenv-gnu] uenv is suitable for building WRF.
+```
+uenv start prgenv-gnu/24.11:v2 --view=spack
+```
+In this example we use the latest version of `prgenv-gnu` on Eiger at the time of writing -- check the `prgenv-gnu` [guide][ref-uenv-prgenv-gnu] for the latest version.
+
+```bash
+# build the latest version provided by the version of Spack used by prgenv-gnu
+$ uenv-spack/uenv-spack $PWD/build --uarch=zen2 --specs=wrf
+
+# build a specific version
+$ uenv-spack/uenv-spack $PWD/build --uarch=zen2 [email protected]
+
+# build a specific version with WRF-Chem enabled
+$ uenv-spack/uenv-spack $PWD/build --uarch=zen2 [email protected] +chem
+```
+
+!!! note
+    See the wrf Spack [package documentation](https://packages.spack.io/package.html?name=wrf) for information about options that can be enabled disabled.
+
+Finally, it is time to build the software:
+
+```
+cd build
+./build
+```
+
+This will take 30-60 minutes, while Spack builds some dependencies then WRF.
+
+### Using the Spack installation
+
+The installation creates a module file in the `wrf/build` path, that you created.
+Let's assume you have installed it in the `$STORE` path for your project, add the following to the top of your sbatch script:
+
+```bash
+#SBATCH --uenv=prgenv-gnu/24.11:v2
+
+module use $STORE/wrf/build/modules
+module load wrf
+```
+
+!!! example "Modules installed by Spack"
+    Spack creates a module for ever
+    ```console
+    $ module use $STORE/wrf/build/modules
+    $ module avail
+
+    ------------------ /capstor/store/cscs/cscs/csstaff/wrf/build/modules ------------------
+       boost/1.86.0             kokkos-tools/develop    netlib-scalapack/2.2.0
+       cmake/3.30.5             kokkos/4.4.01           ninja/1.12.1
+       cray-mpich/8.1.30        libtree/3.1.1           openblas/0.3.28
+       fftw/3.3.10              lua/5.4.6               osu-micro-benchmarks/5.9
+       fmt/11.0.2               lz4/1.10.0              python/3.12.5
+       gcc/13.3.0               meson/1.5.1             superlu/5.3.0
+       gsl/2.8                  netcdf-c/4.9.2          wrf/4.6.1
+       hdf5/1.14.5              netcdf-cxx/4.2          zlib-ng/2.2.1
+       kokkos-kernels/4.4.01    netcdf-fortran/4.6.1
+
+    $ module load wrf
+    $ which wrf.exe
+    /capstor/store/cscs/cscs/csstaff/wrf/build/store/linux-sles15-zen2/gcc-13.3.0/wrf-4.6.1-owj2dsfeslzkulaobdqbad4kh6ojh6n5/main/wrf.exe
+    ```
+
+## Installing by hand
+
+The process for building by hand is more difficult -- so try the Spack approach first, before contacting us.
+

docs/build-install/index.md

@@ -2,28 +2,29 @@
 
 CSCS provides commonly used software and tools on Alps, however many use cases will require first installing software on a system before you can start working.
 
-Modern HPC applications and software stacks are often very complicated, and there is no one-size-fits-all method for building and installing them.
+<div class="grid cards" markdown>
+
+- :fontawesome-solid-earth-americas: __[Application guides][ref-build-applications]__ – guides on how to install commonly requested or difficult to install software.
 
-## Programming environments
+</div>
+
+Modern HPC applications and software stacks are often very complicated, and there is no one-size-fits-all method for building and installing them.
 
 <div class="grid cards" markdown>
 
 - :fontawesome-solid-earth-americas: __[uenv][ref-uenv]__ – uenv provide isolated software environments for applications and developers.
 
 </div>
 
-## Python
-
-There are multiple ways to install Python software.
-
 <div class="grid cards" markdown>
 
-- :fontawesome-brands-python: __[pip]__ – create a virtual environment using python in a uenv
+- :fontawesome-brands-docker: __[Podman][ref-build-containers]__ – for building software in containers.
 
 </div>
 
-  [pip]: pip.md
+<div class="grid cards" markdown>
 
-## Containers
+- :fontawesome-brands-python: __[Python][ref-build-python]__ – create a virtual environment using python in a uenv.
+
+</div>
 
-CSCS provides [Podman][ref-build-containers] for building software in containers

docs/build-install/pip.md

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
-# Installing Python software with pip
+[](){#ref-build-python}
+# Installing Python software
 
-todo
+!!! todo

docs/build-install/uenv.md

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+[](){#ref-building-uenv}
+# Building with uenv
+
 Uenv are user environments that provide scientific applications, libraries and tools on [Alps][ref-alps]. 
 This article explains how to use them to build software.
 

docs/contributing/index.md

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+[](){#ref-contributing}
 # Contributing
 
 This documentation is developed using the [Material for MkDocs](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/) framework, and the source code for the docs is publicly available on [GitHub](https://github.com/eth-cscs/cscs-docs).

mkdocs.yml

@@ -72,8 +72,11 @@ nav:
     - 'Building and Installing software':
       - build-install/index.md
       - 'uenv': build-install/uenv.md
-      - 'containers (podman)': build-install/containers.md
+      - 'Containers (podman)': build-install/containers.md
       - 'Python with pip': build-install/pip.md
+      - 'Applications':
+        - build-install/applications/index.md
+        - 'WRF': build-install/applications/wrf.md
     - 'Debugging and Performance Analysis':
       - software/devtools/index.md
       - 'Linaro uenv': software/devtools/linaro-uenv.md