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Software Guide

This page contains software-specific information. For more general information on how to run different types of jobs on our clusters, consult Running Jobs on RCDC resources.

Software Modules

RCDC uses Environment Modules for managing software. The modules system permits us to set up the shell environment to make running and compiling software easier. It also allows us to make available many software packages and libraries that would otherwise conflict with one another.

When you first log into any of our clusters, you will be entered into a very barebones user environment with minimal software available. The module system is a script based system used to manage the user environment and to “activate” software packages. In order to access software that is installed on any of the clusters, you must first load the corresponding software module. We advise users not to load different versions of the same applications simultaneously, and to learn about any potential conflicts between loaded applications.

The only module loaded by default upon login into Opuntia is openmpi/1.8.3 which enables a set of OpenMPI built with GNU compilers, so that users have MPI tools available if needed.

Basic module commands:

Command Description
module avail lists all available software modules
module avail [name] lists modules matching [name]
module load [name] loads the named module
module unload [name] unloads the named module
module list lists the modules currently loaded for the user 


Software List

The best way to view the most current software offerings of RCDCis to check the list of available software modules with the module avail command on each cluster. You may also view the complete Opuntia Software Module List online.