CASA 6.5 is based on Python 3, and available either as a downloadable tar-file distribution with Python environment included, or as a modular version that can be installed with
Pipeline are only tested and validation on Linux RedHat, and are not supported for Mac OS. For more information, see the
, they are expected to work for mutiple LINUX and Mac computer operating systems, including
versions. In CASA Docs we list a
, which shows the different Operating Systems and Python versions on which current and future CASA versions are expected to work, and for which the CASA team accepts bug reports.
CASA 6 can optionally be installed through modular pip-wheels, with the flexibility to build CASA tools and tasks into a customized Python environment. Instructions on how to install the pip-wheel version of CASA 6 can be found in CASA Docs:
The modular pip-wheel version is not yet used in production by ALMA and VLA, and does not include any pipelines.
Pre-release versions of CASA can be found
here (see also this
download through Google Drive). Pre-release versions reflect ongoing CASA development and are not supported. Use at your own discretion.
CASA 6.5 is fully validated against the operational configuration of NRAO instruments, currently RHEL7 with Python 3.6. Furthermore, automated verification tests and manual package testing have been performed for the following operating systems:
- Linux RedHat 7
- Mac OS 11 (Big Sur, x86 Intel)
- Mac OSX 10.15 (Catalina)
Other system that we expect CASA to work on, including certain versions of Ubuntu, are listed in the
compatibility matrix on CASA Docs. CASA accepts bug reports for all combinations of OS and Python that are listed there.
Mac M1: CASA for Mac OS is officially supported for x86 Intel chips. At this moment, the CASA team does not have the resources or infrastructure in place to produce, test, and support CASA packages for machines with the ARM-based M1 chips. Nevertheless,
automated testing shows that CASA tasks and tools work on M1 machines. We therefore recommend that users with M1 machines should use the OS 11 x86 packages or
pip-wheels to run CASA in those machines, and report any problem to casa-feedback@nrao.edu.
Mac OS 12: We recommend that users of Mac OS 12 (either x86 or M1 based) use the OS 11 x86 package to run CASA in those machines, and report any problem to casa-feedback@nrao.edu.
Other LINUX: CASA may also work on other flavors of Linux, but this is at the discretion of users. Some tips from the community can be found
here.
NRAO has installed a suite of CASA and pipeline versions for local users, visitors, and users who request remote access to NRAO machines. More information on running CASA locally at NRAO can be found
here.
To efficiently run CASA, a balanced hardware configuration regarding memory, processing
power and file I/O may be required. Recommendations on the CASA hardware requirements for VLA and
ALMA data can be found on this
'Hardware Requirements' page.