# Singularity, ERROR: Unable to find compatible target in system image

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/singularity-error-unable-to-find-compatible-target-in-system-image/57619>\
**Category:** Julia at Scale\
**Created:** [March 20, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/singularity-error-unable-to-find-compatible-target-in-system-image/57619 "2021-03-20T18:55:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Perrin\_Meyer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/perrin_meyer/32/15686_2.png) [@Perrin\_Meyer](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Perrin_Meyer)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/singularity-error-unable-to-find-compatible-target-in-system-image/57619/1 "2021-03-20T18:55:42Z")

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I’m trying to compile a Singularity container for running on a HPC cluster.

My container works on my laptop (where I build it), but when I transfer it over to the cluster, I get a:

ERROR: Unable to find compatible target in system image.

Does someone know what the build instructions are to make this work. I’ve tried

I’ve tried make --cpu\_target=generic, but that does not seem to be a recognized option?

thanks  
(from the singularity def build file)

```julia
        git clone https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia.git
        cd /julia
        git checkout v1.5.4
        ## from ERROR: Unable to find compatible target in system image.
        make -j 8 --cpu-target=generic 
        mkdir /opt/julia 
        export JULIA_DEPOT_PATH=/opt/julia
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("SpecialFunctions")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("BSON")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("LinearAlgebra")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("Printf")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using SpecialFunctions; using BSON ; using LinearAlgebra ; using Printf'

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Perrin\_Meyer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/perrin_meyer/32/15686_2.png) [@Perrin\_Meyer](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Perrin_Meyer)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/singularity-error-unable-to-find-compatible-target-in-system-image/57619/2 "2021-03-20T20:54:51Z")

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Solved… this seems to fix the Singularity build, Julia runs inside Singularity on the HPC cluster.

`export JULIA_CPU_TARGET='generic;sandybridge,-xsaveopt,clone_all;haswell,-rdrnd,base(1)'`

from [https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/devdocs/sysimg/](https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/devdocs/sysimg/)

Next question, Is there a better way to build the packages I need? (I.e some magic with PackageCompiler?).

```julia
        ## from Singularity def build file
        ## build Julia from github source
        git clone https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia.git
        cd /julia
        git checkout v1.5.4
        ## from ERROR: Unable to find compatible target in system image. 
        ## this seams to solve it
        export JULIA_CPU_TARGET='generic;sandybridge,-xsaveopt,clone_all;haswell,-rdrnd,base(1)'
        make -j 8
        mkdir /opt/julia
        export JULIA_DEPOT_PATH=/opt/julia
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("SpecialFunctions")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("BSON")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("LinearAlgebra")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using Pkg ; Pkg.add("Printf")'
        /julia/julia -e 'using SpecialFunctions; using BSON ; using LinearAlgebra ; using Printf'

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dilumaluthge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/dilumaluthge/32/29283_2.png) [@dilumaluthge](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/dilumaluthge)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/singularity-error-unable-to-find-compatible-target-in-system-image/57619/3 "2021-03-20T22:50:10Z")

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You may be interested in [GitHub - JuliaContainerization/SimpleContainerGenerator.jl: Create container images for using Julia packages (especially useful in environments without Internet access)](https://github.com/bcbi/SimpleContainerGenerator.jl)

It generates Docker images, but it is very easy to convert Docker images to Singularity images. I routinely take the Docker images generated by SimpleContainerGenerator.jl, convert them to Singularity images, and run them on HPC clusters.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Perrin\_Meyer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/perrin_meyer/32/15686_2.png) [@Perrin\_Meyer](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Perrin_Meyer)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/singularity-error-unable-to-find-compatible-target-in-system-image/57619/4 "2021-03-21T00:00:55Z")

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That looks awesome! Thanks! (strange that didn’t come up in my google searches.) I’m glad I struggled to burn my own from scratch (good learning experience), but once is plenty…

I have access to an academic HPC cluster, but not for long. Do you have any experience running Julia/Singularity containers in the google Cloud, AWS, or other commercial cloud vendors? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Now that I can actually get my code running, I’m curious the best way to get results back from the cloud (database, git repos, etc).

thanks again