3.10.2. Installation Instructions for Linux and macOS

These instructions should work for most Linux distributions.

3.10.2.1. MiniZinc

Required development tools:

  • CMake, version 3.4.0 or later
  • On Linux: A recent C++ compiler (g++ or clang)
  • On macOS: The Xcode developer tools

Before compiling MiniZinc, consider whether you want to install additional solvers. In particular, MIP solvers such as CBC, SCIP, Gurobi, IBM ILOG CPLEX, and XPRESS need to be installed prior to compiling MiniZinc, so that the build system can find them. If you want to use the solution checking functionality or extended presolving, you will also need to install Gecode before compiling MiniZinc. See below for installation instructions for these solvers.

To install MiniZinc, unpack the source code (or clone the git repository). Open a terminal and change into the source code directory. The following sequence of commands will build the MiniZinc compiler tool chain:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build .

3.10.2.2. MiniZinc IDE

Required development tools:

  • A recent C++ compiler (g++ or clang)
  • Qt toolkit, version 5.9 or later (http://qt.io)

Unpack the source code (or clone the git repository). Open a terminal and change into the source code directory for the MiniZinc IDE. Then use the following commands to compile:

mkdir build
cd build
qmake ../MiniZincIDE
make

3.10.2.3. Gecode

You can obtain the Gecode source code from GitHub (https://github.com/gecode/gecode). You can find detailed compilation instructions for Gecode on its web site (https://www.gecode.org). In short, to compile from source, run the following in a terminal (from within the Gecode source code directory):

mkdir build
cd build
../configure
make -j8
sudo make install

which compiles Gecode and installs it in the standard location. You can choose a different installation directory using ../configure --prefix=. In that case you can run make install without sudo.

After installing Gecode, you can compile MiniZinc with built-in support for Gecode, which enables extended pre-solving and solution checking. In order for the MiniZinc compilation to find your Gecode installation, Gecode either has to be in the default location (such as /usr/local/include etc.), or you have to use the option -DGECODE_ROOT= when calling cmake.

In order to use Gecode as a solver with MiniZinc (as opposed to an internal pre-solving tool), you have to create an appropriate solver configuration file. Add a file gecode.msc in an appropriate location (see Solver Configuration Files) containing the following, where you replace with the actual installation path and update the version number if necessary:

{
 "id": "org.gecode.gecode",
 "name": "Gecode",
 "description": "Gecode FlatZinc executable",
 "version": "6.2.0",
 "mznlib": "<INSTALLATION_PREFIX>/share/gecode/mznlib",
 "executable": "<INSTALLATION_PREFIX>/bin/fzn-gecode",
 "tags": ["cp","int", "float", "set", "restart"],
 "stdFlags": ["-a","-f","-n","-p","-r","-s","-t"],
 "supportsMzn": false,
 "supportsFzn": true,
 "needsSolns2Out": true,
 "needsMznExecutable": false,
 "needsStdlibDir": false,
 "isGUIApplication": false
}

3.10.2.4. OR Tools

You can install the OR-Tools FlatZinc module as binary or obtain the source code from GitHub (https://github.com/google/or-tools). You can find detailed compilation instructions for OR-Tools on https://developers.google.com/optimization/. To compile the FlatZinc module from source, run the following in a terminal (from within the OR-Tools source code directory):

make fz -j8
make test_fz

In order to use OR-Tools with MiniZinc, you have to create an appropriate solver configuration file. Add a file ortools.msc in an appropriate location (see Solver Configuration Files) containing the following, where you replace with the actual installation path and update the version number if necessary:

{
 "id": "org.ortools.ortools",
 "name": "OR Tools",
 "description": "Or Tools FlatZinc executable",
 "version": "7.0/stable",
 "mznlib": "<INSTALLATION_PREFIX>/ortools/flatzinc/mznlib_sat",
 "executable": "<INSTALLATION_PREFIX>/bin/fz",
 "tags": ["cp","int", "lcg", "or-tools"],
 "stdFlags": ["-a", "-n", "-p", "-f", "-r", "-v", "-l", "-s"],
 "supportsMzn": false,
 "supportsFzn": true,
 "needsSolns2Out": true,
 "needsMznExecutable": false,
 "needsStdlibDir": false,
 "isGUIApplication": false
}

3.10.2.5. Chuffed

You can obtain Chuffed’s source from https://github.com/chuffed/chuffed. You can compile and install it using the following commands:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . -- -j8
sudo cmake --build . --target install

This will install Chuffed in the default location. Alternatively, you can choose a different installation directory by calling cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX= before cmake --build. In that case, you may be able to install without using sudo.

In order for MiniZinc to recognise the Chuffed solver, add a configuration file chuffed.msc to an appropriate location (see Solver Configuration Files) with the following content, where you replace with the actual installation path and update the version number if necessary:

{
 "id": "org.chuffed.chuffed",
 "name": "Chuffed",
 "description": "Chuffed FlatZinc executable",
 "version": "0.9",
 "mznlib": "<INSTALLATION_PREFIX>/share/chuffed/mznlib",
 "executable": "<INSTALLATION_PREFIX>/bin/fzn-chuffed",
 "tags": ["cp","lcg","int"],
 "stdFlags": ["-a","-f","-n","-r","-s","-t","-v"],
 "supportsMzn": false,
 "supportsFzn": true,
 "needsSolns2Out": true,
 "needsMznExecutable": false,
 "needsStdlibDir": false,
 "isGUIApplication": false
}

3.10.2.6. COIN-OR CBC

CBC is an open-source Mixed Integer Programming solver. You can find out more about it at https://github.com/coin-or/Cbc. MiniZinc contains a built-in interface to CBC, so in order to use it you have to install CBC before compiling MiniZinc.

These instructions apply to CBC versions 2.10/stable or newer.

To download and compile CBC, run the following:

svn checkout https://projects.coin-or.org/svn/Cbc/stable/2.10/ Cbc-stable
cd Cbc-stable
./configure --enable-cbc-parallel
make
sudo make install

This will install CBC in the default location. You can choose a different installation directory using ../configure --enable-cbc-parallel --prefix=. In that case you can run make install without sudo.

The MiniZinc build system should find CBC automatically if it is installed in the default location. You can use the command line flag -DOSICBC_ROOT= when running cmake for MiniZinc if you installed CBC in a different location.

3.10.2.7. SCIP

For SCIP (as of 7.0.0), it seems best to install the binary package because it also installs the include files and thus even when compiling MiniZinc from source, SCIP is invoked; moreover the binary package has all the bells&whistles like symmetry handling and IPOPT. Use the scipoptsuite binary installation.

If you want to compile scipoptsuite, the installation commands should be as follows.

  1. Download the SCIP Optimization Suite 7.0.0 source code: https://scip.zib.de/download.php?fname=scipoptsuite-7.0.0.tgz
  2. Untar it and change into scipoptsuite-7.0.0.
  3. Run the following commands:
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. [-DSOPLEX_DIR=/path/to/soplex]
make
# optional: run a quick check on some instances
make check
# optional: install scip executable, library, and headers
# Helps MiniZinc find SCIP if in the standard location
make install
  1. You might want to install LAPACK, bliss patch and any other support libraries for performance.

For SCIP (as of 6.0.1.0), the installation commands should be as follows.

  1. Download the SCIP Optimization Suite 6.0.1 (or higher) source code: https://scip.zib.de/download.php?fname=scipoptsuite-6.0.1.tgz
  2. Untar it and change directories into scipoptsuite-6.0.1
  3. create a build directory and change directories there
  4. Execute
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release [-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/home/user/local/scip/installation]

The first flag is necessary, the second one is optional in order to install SCIP and SoPlex non-systemwide.

  1. Compile and install SoPlex, SCIP, and its optional components:
make && make install
  1. Configure minizinc:
cmake .. -DUSE_PROPRIETARY=on [-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/home/user/local/scip/installation]

The optional prefix path variable is only necessary if you installed SCIP in a non-systemwide directory.

  1. Compile Minizinc and enjoy SCIP as a solver.

If you have folders for SCIP and SoPlex separately, follow these steps:

$ tar xvfz scipoptsuite-6.0.1.tgz
$ cd scipoptsuite-6.0.1
$ cd soplex
$ mkdir build
$ cd build
$ cmake ..
$ make -j5
$ cd ../scip
$ mdkir build
$ cd build
$ cmake .. -DSOPLEX_DIR=~/Downloads/Software/scipoptsuite-6.0.1/soplex/build
$ make -j5
$ sudo make install                    ## Now MZN should find it