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The module system

Learning outcomes

  • Practice using the UPPMAX documentation
  • Can find pre-installed software from the documentation
  • Can find pre-installed databases from the documentation
  • Understand why there is a module system
  • Can find pre-installed software using the module system
  • Can load a module
For teachers

Teaching goals are:

  • Learners have practiced using the UPPMAX documentation
  • Learners have found pre-installed software from the documentation
  • Learners have found pre-installed databases from the documentation
  • Learners understand why there is a module system
  • Learners can find pre-installed software using the module system
  • Learners can load a module
  • Learners can unload a module

Lesson plan:

gantt
  title Modules
  dateFormat X
  axisFormat %s
  section First hour
  Prior : prior, 0, 5s
  Present: present, after prior, 2s
  %% It took me 9 mins, here I do that time x2
  Challenge: crit, challenge, after present, 18s
  %% Here I use the same time it took me to give feedback
  Feedback: feedback, after challenge, 9s

Prior questions:

  • What would happen if all users would be allowed to install software on Pelle?
  • Describe a situation when two users that have admin rights on the same account of the same computer cannot both be happy
  • How can one run different versions of the same software on a same computer?
  • How can we have users use different versions of the same software?
  • What is the UPPMAX software module system?
  • What is a module?
  • Has anyone already used the UPPMAX module system?

Feedback questions:

  • Why is there a module system on UPPMAX?
  • Why don't we just load all modules for you at UPPMAX?

Why?

The module system allows you to run your software, of your favorite version, installed by us :-)

Additionally, there are big databases (think terabytes!) that are also available to you.

In this session, we'll search for pre-installed software, pre-installed databases and use these.

Exercises

Need a video?

Watch the YouTube video Intro to UPPMAX Day 1: the module system

Exercise 1: find the software

Go to the UPPMAX documentation at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se, then answer these questions:

  • Find to list of installed software. Estimate how many pieces of software are installed on Pelle
Answer

One can find the answer at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se/software/software-table/, where one can find around 800 pieces of software installed

Exercise 2: find the databases

Go to the UPPMAX documentation at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se, then answer these questions:

  • Find to list of databases. Estimate how many collections of databases are installed on Pelle
Answer

One can find the answer at http://docs.uppmax.uu.se/databases/overview/, where one can find around 7 collections of databases installed.

Exercise 3: work with modules

Go to the UPPMAX documentation at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se, then answer these questions:

  • Find the UPPMAX documentation on modules
Answer

One can find the answer at https://docs.uppmax.uu.se/cluster_guides/modules/, where the module system is explained

  • Search the module system for a tool called cowsay to find out in which module it is installed
Answer

Use module spider to search:

module spider cowsay
  • Load the latest version of the module for cowsay
Answer

After having used module spider cowsay, we've seen that the latest version is 3.04. Hence we load the module like this:

module load cowsay/3.04

  • To confirm cowsay works, type cowsay hello. A cow that says 'hello' should appear

  • Unload the module for cowsay

Answer

One does not need to add a version to unload a module:

module unload cowsay
  • Confirm that cowsay does not work anymore, by typing cowsay hello. This should give an error