Software installations on the cluster span many applications, and many different version numbers of the same application. It is not possible (nor desirable) to use them all at the same time, since different versions of the same application may conflict with each other. In order to simplify the control of which application versions are available in a specific session, there is a system for loading and unloading ‘modules‘ which activate and deactivate the relevant parts of your user session.
Which modules are loaded?
To see the modules currently active in your session, use the command
# module list
Which modules are available?
In order to see a complete list of available modules, issue the command
# module avail
The resulting list will contain module names conforming to the following pattern:
- name of the module
- /
- version
What are the modules doing?
To see the functionality of the module, use the command
# module whatis <module>/<version> # module help <module>/<version> # module display <modules>/<version>
How are modules loaded?
In order to enable software or libraries, issue the command
# module load <module>/<version>
How are modules unloaded?
Keeping with the above example, use the following command to unload the module again:
# module unload <module>/<version>
How do I switch to a different version of a module?
Switching to another version is similar to loading a specific version, issue the command:
# module switch <module>/<version1> <module>/<version2>