CASA Container

This repository contains the necessary files to build containerized environments for running different versions of CASA.

Container Details

• Base Image: Ubuntu 22.04
• CASA Versions:
  • 6.4.1 (Refer to casa_6.4.1_singularity.def)
  • 6.2.1 (Refer to casa_6.2.1_singularity.def)

Makefile Usage

The Makefile contains several targets for building and running the CASA containers:

General

• make all: Build both 6.4.1 and 6.2.1 Singularity images.

CASA Version 6.4.1

• make casa_6.4.1.sif: Build Singularity image for CASA 6.4.1.

CASA Version 6.2.1

• make casa_6.2.1.sif: Build Singularity image for CASA 6.2.1.

Downloads

• make casa-6.4.1-12-pipeline-2022.2.0.64-py3.6.tar.xz: Download CASA 6.4.1.
• make casa-6.2.1-7-pipeline-2021.2.0.128.tar.xz: Download CASA 6.2.1.

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository.
2. Run make all to build both Singularity images.
3. Use the .sif files as needed for your CASA tasks.

Working with Data

Singularity automatically mounts the current working directory (PWD) inside the container at the same path, allowing you to easily access and work with your local data. By default, Singularity changes to the $HOME directory when a container starts. To make it stay in the PWD, use the --pwd flag:

singularity exec --pwd $(pwd) casa_6.4.1.sif your_command

Mounting PWD to Container and Setting as Initial Working Directory

If your current working directory (PWD) is different from $HOME, you can use the --bind and --pwd flags together to both mount the PWD and set it as the initial working directory:

singularity exec --bind $PWD:$PWD --pwd $(pwd) casa.sif your_command

Best Practices for Running Alternative Commands

Overriding the CASA Command

To run an external script using CASA, you can use the -c flag like so:

singularity exec casa_6.4.1.sif casa -c 'execfile("your_script.py")'

Running Custom Commands

You can run any command inside the container by prefixing it with singularity exec:

singularity exec casa_6.4.1.sif your_command