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Installing Software on the HPCC

Much of the work that happens on the HPCC requires some sort of software. As such, we support multiple approaches for installing new software to support a broad a number of applications as we can.

Tip

The HPCC maintains a large library of software to support our users. Often, the software you need is already present.

To see whether the software you need is already available, please see our documentation for Searching software modules.

Installing software on your own

If the software you need is not present, we encourage users to first install software on their own, if possible. Not only does this help reduce the maintenance necessary to make the system-wide library available, but it also allows you as the user to have better control over the software you need for your specific tasks. Additionally, installing it yourself often is the quickest method to gain access to the software you need, particularly if you use an automated approach like EasyBuild or Conda.

There are multiple approaches you can take to install new software. Please note that while ICER staff is always happy to help you with installing software, we cannot install software into your home directory for you using these approaches.

EasyBuild

Users have access to EasyBuild, the same tool which ICER uses to install software in the module system, and can use it to create local modules. EasyBuild supports installing a wide variety of software, including alternate versions of many system modules. Our EasyBuild tutorial will walk you through the process of finding and installing software with EasyBuild.

Conda

Software may be available precompiled through Conda, particularly in the field of biology through the bioconda channel. Conda is also a useful for tool for managing python environments if you have software or code with conflicting requirements.

Manual compiling

If you are comfortable with building software yourself, the HPCC provides numerous compilers and libraries along with documentation (e.g., our overview of compilers and libraries).

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have when installing software that you can send using our contact form.

Requesting a system-wide installation

There are times when it may be preferable to add a piece of software to our system-wide library. You can submit requests using our contact form with the subject line "Software Installation". At minimum, include a link to the software and its documentation.

To have the best chance of your request being accepted, please consider the following factors and provide supporting information:

  1. How quickly do you need access to the software? Adding software to the module system is not a trivial process and you should expect that it will take at least 24 hrs for the software to be available through the module system across all of HPCC. If the software is not already available through EasyBuild, ICER may create a recipe for the software so we can properly maintain and a reproduce the module, which will require additional time.

  2. How popular is the software? If it is not broadly used software, are there other users on HPCC who would also be using it? If you are the only one using it, we would recommend it be installed in your home directory.

  3. What type of license agreement does the software have? Some software licenses may restrict use even when they are free. Examples include software with export controls, specific end-user license agreements, etc. When software licenses restrict use, we typically recommend the user directly make an agreement with the software provider to obtain and install it in their home directory. If it will be used by a group of people, it can be installed in a research space or the HPCC system administrators can help with setting up group access in compliance with the license agreement.

  4. Is the software well maintained and up-to-date? If the software you wish to install is legacy software or is not being well maintained, chances are its installation will require an older version of its dependencies as well. The effort to install this software may then be greater than the effort required to find an up-to-date software with the same, similar, or even better functionality. It may be time to consider transitioning to using a newer software.

  5. Is the software available through EasyBuild with an ICER supported toolchain? ICER uses a tool called EasyBuild to install software that is provided via "recipe" files or EasyConfigs. See the entire list of available EasyConfigs. Note that software is installed with a "toolchain" (see our EasyBuild tutorial for more information). ICER only officially supports software installed under the following toolchains or subtoolchains (including gfbf, gompi, iimpi, iimkl):

    • foss/2022b
    • foss/2023a
    • foss/2023b
    • foss/2024a
    • foss/2025a
    • intel/2022b
    • intel/2023a
    • intel/2023b

    For software that does not have an existing EasyConfig or which has an outdated EasyConfig, ICER staff may be able to create a new one. However, this process is labor intensive, may extend the time required to install software, and is not always possible.