Investigate installing a (desi)conda environment on top of a base environment.

[weaverba137]

We currently use miniconda to install a base conda environment. miniconda is tied to Python 3.10. If a later version of Python is desired, then that has to be installed as a separate environment on top of the base environment.

There are a few specific issues that would need to be investigated:

• A module file that performs the equivalent of conda activate would be required. This is certainly possible, it would just require some attention to detail and testing.
  • Perhaps one module initiates the base environment then another module performs the conda activate. This could allow multiple installed environment on top of the same base environment.
• An alternate environment would change assumptions about the desiconda directory structure relative to the base environment. We would need to track down where directories are specified and test.
  • Related: would a separate aux installation be needed for each environment?
• How hard would this hit quotas on /global/common/software/desi?