[Critical] Release Binaries Segfault on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Library Mismatch)

[ayush4874]

The pre-compiled Linux binaries (v8.x.x) crash immediately with a Segmentation fault (core dumped) when running on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. This appears to be a library mismatch (likely related to system MPI or glibc versions) between the SU2 build environment and the current Ubuntu LTS standard.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Perform a clean install of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat).
2. Download the latest SU2 Linux binary from the GitHub Releases page.
3. Add the executable to the system path.
4. Run any command (e.g., SU2_CFD --help or a configuration file).
5. Result: Immediate Segmentation fault (core dumped).

Desktop:

• OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• Architecture: x86_64
• Install Method: Pre-compiled Binary

Diagnosis
The crash persists across different shell configurations. Debugging suggests the binary is linking against older system libraries that are no longer binary-compatible with the versions shipped in Ubuntu 24.04.

Solution / Workaround
I successfully resolved the issue by compiling SU2 from source using the Meson/Ninja build system. Crucially, MPI must be explicitly disabled to prevent the build system from linking against the conflicting system libraries.

Working Build Command for Ubuntu 24.04:

# 1. Install dependencies
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y build-essential python3-dev ninja-build python3-pip
pip3 install meson --user

# 2. Configure with MPI disabled (Prevents Segfault)
./meson.py setup build -Dwith-mpi=disabled --prefix=$(pwd)/install --buildtype=release

# 3. Build
ninja -C build install

Recommendation
The Linux build servers/pipelines likely need to be updated to support the newer libraries in Ubuntu 24.04, or a specific warning should be added to the installation documentation advising users on this OS to build from source using the flags above.

[bigfooted]

Works for me, both serial and parallel, and I have 24.04. First try the serial binary and see if you can get it working, because it also seems that your mpi installation is not correct.

[ayush4874]

Thanks @bigfooted. Makes sense, it's likely a specific MPI/library mismatch on this clean install.

Since the Meson source build works perfectly (and is better for dev work anyway), I'm unblocked. I'll leave this up for visibility in case other Ubuntu 24.04 users run into the same crash.