Modules

Overview

Modules are the system by which most software is made available. Modules allow, via a simple interface, the update of various paths (such as PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, etc) that allow access to software.

Using modules it is also more convenient to switch between versions of a particular piece of software (such as compilers).

There are 3 possible locations for the module description files. There are the system ones which include vendor supplied software, there are the software ones which include debuggers, numerical libraries etc. and you can also provide your own modules for your own convenience.

Restrictions on Use

Modules are available on all systems and are free to use.

Set Up Procedure

Modules will be setup automatically for your default shell. However if you change shell often modules are not setup (for example bash on the origins), in this case you will need to reinitialise modules.

Initialisation files appear in the directory /opt/modules/default/init on Newton and /sanopt/modules/modules/init/ on the origins. These must be sourced in order to initialise the modules for a given shell. This is achieved by using the source command for tcsh and csh, and using the . (dot) operator for bash, ksh and sh.

For example, to initialise modules for bash on the origins you would need to do

. /sanopt/modules/modules/init/bash

Running the Code

There are various key commands that are used to with modules.

• module list - lists currently loaded modules
• module avail - lists all available modules
• module load [modulename]- loads module
• module unload [modulename] - unloads module
• module switch [oldmodule] [newmodule]- switches between 2 modules
• module help - lists the available module commands

Further Information

• Please contact the helpdesk if you require further help using modules.