How to use environment modules

Environment modules are a convenient and efficient way to use non-standard and version-specific software in Unity. The following guide will show you how to enable and disable modules, view all currently active modules, search for modules, and unload all active modules.

stylus_note

While modules work on the login nodes, the login nodes have strict CPU and memory limits. Jobs that require more processing power should always be scheduled through Slurm.

List all available modules

To list all available modules, use any of the four commands listed below:

module available
module avail
module av
ml av

The module available command outputs a list of all the modules available in Unity, as shown in the following example:

------------------------------------------------- /modules/modulefiles -------------------------------------------------
   R/3.6.2             cuda/10.1.243 (D)    gcc/9.2.0               julia/1.1.1         openmpi/4.0.4
   cmake/3.7.2         cuda/11.0.1          glxgears/1.0            jupyter/3.6.8       python/2.7.16
   cmake/3.15.0 (D)    fd3dspher/1.0        gmsh/4.4.1              mathematica/12.0    python/3.7.4  (D)
   cuda/8.0.61         gcc/5.5.0            gpu-burn/default        mesa/19.0.8         qt/5.13.1
   cuda/9.0.176        gcc/6.5.0            gromacs/2020.2C         miniconda/3.7       stress/1.0.4
   cuda/9.2.148        gcc/7.4.0     (D)    gromacs/2020.2G  (D)    opencl/2.2.11       vtk/8.2.0

lightbulb

The module list is rapidly growing. To see the full list, use the module spider command in your terminal.

Search for modules

To search for specific module types in the available modules list, use the module avail command followed by the type(s) of modules you are searching for. In the following example, module avail gcc only filters the gcc modules:

module avail gcc

Replace gcc with any category to search for modules within that category.

Load modules

To load a module, use the module load command followed by the module of choice. In the following example, module load gcc/9.2.0 loads the module gcc/9.2.0:

module load gcc/9.2.0

stylus_note

Not all modules are shown by default in module avail. To see a full list, go to the module hierarchy.

Unload modules

To unload modules, use the module unload command followed by the module(s) of choice. In the following example, module unload gcc unloads all gcc modules:

module unload gcc

Unload all active modules

To unload all active modules, use the following command:

module purge

The module purge command quickly unloads all modules that are currently active.

List currently loaded modules

To list the modules that are currently loaded, use the following command:

module list

Do not mistake the module list command for module avail. While module avail lists all available modules, module list shows all modules that are currently loaded.

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