ROCm installation overview#
2024-06-27
4 min read time
To install ROCm, you can use the AMDGPU installer or the package manager. You can also opt for single-version or multi-version installation. These topics are described in detail in the following sections.
If you’re new to ROCm, we recommend using the Quick start installation guide.
Note
If you’re using a Radeon GPU with graphical applications, refer to the Radeon installation instructions.
Package manager versus AMDGPU installer#
ROCm supports two methods for installation:
Using the Linux distribution package manager
Running the
amdgpu-installscript
There is no difference in the final installation between these two methods.
Using the distribution’s package manager lets the user install, upgrade and uninstall using familiar commands and workflows. Third party ecosystem support is the same as your OS package manager.
The amdgpu-install script is a wrapper around the package manager. The same
packages are installed by this script as the package manager system.
The installer automates the installation process for the AMDGPU and ROCm stack. It handles the complete installation process for ROCm, including setting up the repository, cleaning the system, updating, and installing the desired drivers and meta-packages. Users who are less familiar with the package manager can choose this method for ROCm installation.
Single-version versus multi-version installation#
ROCm packages are versioned with both semantic versioning that is package specific and a ROCm release version.
Single-version installation#
The single-version ROCm installation refers to the following:
Installation of a single instance of the ROCm release on a system
Use of non-versioned ROCm meta-packages
Multi-version installation#
The multi-version installation refers to the following:
Installation of multiple instances of the ROCm stack on a system. Extending the package name and its dependencies with the release version adds the ability to support multiple versions of packages simultaneously.
Use of versioned ROCm meta-packages.
Attention
ROCm packages that were previously installed from a single-version installation must be removed before proceeding with the multi-version installation to avoid conflicts.
Note
Multi-version install is not available for the kernel driver module, also referred to as AMDGPU.
The following image demonstrates the difference between single-version and multi-version ROCm installation types:
