Installation

Python Package Installation

EC-PeT can be installed from the Python Package Index site (pypi.org) using pip:

pip install ecpet

As an alternative, it can be instelled using a release tarball (e.g. downloaded from gitlab):

pip install ecpet-<version>.tar.gz

Windows

If your system already has Python installed, the general instructions above should suffice.

If Python is not installed, you can install it using one of the following methods:

Python.org Distribution

The official Python distribution from python.org offers the most up-to-date Python versions with a lightweight installation.

Since EC-PeT may not immediately support the very latest Python version, it’s advisable to install the latest update of the previous major version. For example, if Python 3.13.x is the newest available, consider installing the latest Python 3.12.x release instead (previous versions receive security updates for approximately 5 years).

Installation Steps:

  1. Navigate to www.python.org/downloads/

  2. Click “Download” next to your preferred version (scroll down to “Looking for a specific release?” to see all versions)

  3. Choose the installer matching your system (typically: “Windows installer (64-bit)”)

  4. Click the downloads icon in your browser and select “Open file” (or similar) and follow the installation instructions

  5. Open a command prompt or terminal window [1]

  6. To install EC-PeT:

    py -m pip install ecpet

(7.) Update to the newest Verion by:

py -m pip install --upgrade ecpet

To launch EC-PeT:

  1. Open a Windows terminal (as described above)

  2. Launch EC-PeT:

    py -m ecpet

Anaconda Distribution

Anaconda is a comprehensive Python distribution that bundles Python with many scientific packages. It’s designed primarily for data scientists and researchers, making it ideal for EC-PeT users.

You can download Anaconda from anaconda.com (registration not required—look for the “Skip registration” link). EC-PeT has been tested with the full “Distribution Installer” but should also work with the lighter “Miniconda installer”.

Installation Steps:

  1. Download the installer of your choice

  2. Click the downloads icon in your browser and select “Open file” (or similar) and follow the installation instructions

  3. Open the Anaconda Prompt:

    • From Start Menu: Start Menu → Anaconda → Anaconda Prompt

    • From Search: Click Start button, type “Anaconda” in search bar, select “Anaconda Prompt” from results

  4. Create a dedicated environment for EC-PeT:

    conda create -y -n my-ecpet-env

    or for a specifc python version:

    conda create -y -n my-ecpet-env python==3.11

  5. Activate the new environment:

    conda activate my-ecpet-env

  6. Install pip package manager:

    conda install -y pip

  7. Install EC-PeT:

    pip install ecpet

(8.) Update to the newest Verion by:

pip install --upgrade ecpet

To launch EC-PeT:

  1. Open Anaconda Prompt (as described in step 3 above)

  2. Activate your environment:

    conda activate my-ecpet-env

  3. Launch EC-PeT:

    ecpet

Debian and Ubuntu

All Debian-based Linux distributions using APT (Advanced Packaging Tool); also including: Linux Mint, elementaryOS, bash on Windows and others.

EC-PeT .deb is currently only available from the repository at Universität Trier and you will need a password to access it from outside the campus.

First, add the certificate of the repository to your keyring files:

wget -qO - https://meteo.uni-trier.de/debian/keyFile | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/uwm-archive-keyring.gpg

Then add the the repository:

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/uwm-archive-keyring.gpg] https://meteo.uni-trier.de/ubuntu/ noble main non-free contrib" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/uwm.list

Next, store the password (replace ++++++ with username and ** with the actual password):

echo "machine meteo.uni-trier.de login ++++++ password ******" | tee -a /etc/apt/auth.conf

Finally download the repository contents and install ecpet:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ecpet

Available architectures:

  • amd64 (64-bit Intel)

  • armhf (ARM 32-bit hard-float)

Supported Distributions (as of 07-2025):

  • Ubuntu 24.04 “Noble Numbat”, LTS, amd64

  • Debian 12 “bookworm”, armhf only

Requirements

EC-PeT requires Python 3.7 or later and the following packages:

  • numpy >= 1.18.0

  • pandas >= 1.0.0

  • scipy >= 1.4.0

  • matplotlib >= 3.1.0

  • wxPython >= 4.1.0 (for GUI)

  • netCDF4 >= 1.5.0

  • sqlite3 (included in Python standard library)

Verification

To verify your installation, run:

ecpet --version

This should display the version number and basic system information.

For a quick test of functionality:

ecpet --help

This will show the available command-line options and confirm that the installation is working correctly.