On Big Red and Quarry at IU, how can I use SoftEnv to customize my software environment?

On this page:

• Viewing available software packages
• Default ~/.soft file
• Changing your environment
  • Temporary changes
  • Permanent changes
• More information

Viewing available software packages

The SoftEnv environment management system is used on the clusters to simplify application and environment configuration for both users and administrators. When you log into Big Red or Quarry at Indiana University for the first time, a ~/.soft file, defining system defaults, will be created for you. These defaults, such as Intel's C/C++ and Fortran compilers and OpenMPI, may suffice, but if they don't, you can add additional packages, such as MPICH.

The softenv command will show you the software available on the system you're using, and the keywords for accessing each software package. At the command prompt, enter:

Keywords and the associated software are listed with a preceding "+" (plus sign). Macros (pre-defined lists of keywords) have a preceding "@" (at sign).

Default ~/.soft file

The default contents of the ~/.soft file are as follows:

• For IU users on Big Red: @bigred
• For IU users on Quarry: @quarry
• For TeraGrid users on Big Red and Quarry: @teragrid-basic @globus-4.0 @teragrid-dev

Changing your environment

You can either temporarily or permanently remove a keyword (used to access a software package) from your environment. For example, you can remove keywords for software you never use, add keywords for software you expect to always use, or make temporary changes for testing.

Temporary changes

To temporarily add a keyword to your environment, enter:

To temporarily remove a keyword from your environment, enter:

To restore your environment to the default settings in the ~/.soft file, enter:

Permanent changes

To permanently change your environment, edit your ~/.soft file. For the changes to take effect, enter resoft , or log out and then back in.

Note: If you wish to prepend @remove lines or other software paths to your environment, place them at the beginning of the file, before any keywords or macros.

More information

See the Using SoftEnv page in the TeraGrid User Support and Documentation, or enter man softenv-intro at the system prompt.

This document was developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 0503697 to the University of Chicago and subcontracted to Indiana University. Additional support was provided by IU through its participation in the TeraGrid, which is supported by the NSF under Grants No. 0833618, SCI451237, SCI535258, and SCI504075. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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