Driver programs are Fortran source main programs that call relevant user-provided subroutines from a particular optimization or linear algebra package, and which obtain function, derivative and other problem information directly from CUTEr subroutine tools. A driver is compiled and run by the interface to that package.
For example, the CUTEr distribution includes an interface to the PRAXIS package. This interface is provided by two UNIX scripts, sdprx.pro and prx.pro, stored in $CUTER/build/prototypes, which are cast into sdprx and prx and subsequently stored in $MYCUTER/bin. Both scripts make use of the auxiliary script runpackage, cast from prototype runpackage.pro, which is common to all interfaces. More information on the usage of interfaces is given in §1.9. The role of these three scripts is to decode the input problem into the proper Fortran subroutines, gather the necessary libraries and object files, link and compile them together and finally launch the PRAXIS driver, whose source prxma.f is cast and linked into prxma.o, stored under $MYCUTER/precision/bin. The driver sets up all the necessary data structures and environment required by PRAXIS and calls the PRAXIS subroutines to solve the input problem.
All supported packages are represented by an abbreviated name. For the purpose of an illustration, assume this abbreviation is pak. The interfaces scripts are called sdpak.pro and pak.pro, and the Fortran driver program pakma.f.
The packages themselves are *not* supplied in the CUTEr distribution as we only aim to provide a useful and efficient testing and developing environment. It is the responsibility of the user to get the package source or object files and properly link them.
More details regarding a specific supported package pak may be found in