Docs: Installation: Package Installation

If using configure to build PETSc, check 'configure --help' for options to specify external packages. If using the default mode of building PETSc libraries then use the following instructions:

First install the external package following its instructions. Make sure you use the same compilers and MPI that you plan to use with PETSc
Edit the file bmake/${PETSC_ARCH}/packages file to add lines indicating the location of the external package.
- If the file bmake/${PETSC_ARCH}/packages file does not mention the package you wish to interface to then look in the other bmake/.../packages files and copy and paste over the entry you need.
- Make sure it is not commented out (there is no # as the first character in the line)
- Make sure that the directories and library files listed actually exist

Installing Optional Package after PETSc

We recommend installing all optional packages before installing PETSc but if PETSc is already installed you can still add optional packages.

Update the information in bmake/${PETSC_ARCH}/packages as above
In the PETSc main directory do
make package PACKAGE=packagename BOPT=xxx PETSC_ARCH=xxx PETSC_DIR=xxx

where xxx denotes the usual values and packagename is the same as in the packages file, for example SPOOLES or MATLAB_ENGINE. Note that packagename is always capitalized.