Modules are a utility which allow users to load and manage applications and their versions. The modules of software packages allow you to dynamically modify your user environment by using “modulefiles.” Each modulefile contains the information needed to configure the shell for an application. After the module software package is initialized, the environment can be modified on a per-module basis using the module command, which interprets modulefiles. Typically, modulefiles instruct the module command to change or set shell environment variables such as PATH, MANPATH, and others. The modulefiles can be shared by many users on a system.
📝 Note: Some modules cannot be used simultaneously, such as an Intel compiler and a GNU compiler (information on compilers). If you attempt to load a module that is incompatible with a currently-loaded module, you will be prompted of the conflict. To avoid the error, you may have to unload or switch modules.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| module list | Lists modules currently located in user's environment |
| module avail | Lists all available modules on a system in condensed format |
| module avail -l | Lists all available modules on a system in long format |
| module display | Shows environment changes that will be made by loading a given module |
| module load | Loads a module |
| module unload | Unloads a module |
| module help | Shows help for a module |
| module swap | Swaps a currently loaded module for an unloaded module |
Modules: Local repository
By default the local repository is used as a source of software installations. To list available modules, type module avail. To load a module, use module load module_name. Similarly, unload modules by typing module unload module_name.
Modules: CVMFS-based repository
A CVMFS (Cern Virtual File System)-based repository is available for use that has several software packages available for use. To use the CVMFS-based repository run the following commands from your login node:
source /software/dev_tools/swtree/cs400/modulefiles/switch-modules.shswitch_modules oasisAfter entering the above commands the new repository should be active and the command below will list the software available for use:
module availSimilarly switch_modules local will bring back the local modules to use.
To see a list of available modules, type
module avail📝 Note: If you need a module that is not available, please contact us.
You can check for the existence of a module and its versions using module avail <module-name>.
$ module avail cuda
----------------- /software/dev_tools/swtree/cs400/modulefiles -----------------
cuda/6.5 cuda/7.5(default) cuda/8.0When you load a module, your environment is modified to use a specific software package. To load a module:
module load vmdTo verify your module has loaded, you can type module list.
To display information about the attributes of the module such as the size of the module, the compiler or the source from which the module was created, etc., use the following command:
module display your_moduleUnloading a module will avoid conflict and/or messages of failure due to different versions or dependencies.
module unload PE-gnu/1.0Switching between different module versions can accomplish the task of having to load, unload and load modules in multiple steps. In the following example, cuda/7.5 is currently loaded. After running the command, cuda/7.5 is unloaded and cuda/8.0 is loaded.
module switch cuda/7.5 cuda/8.0You can unload all the modules on your environment, by executing the module purge command:
module purge