Install R packages in your home directory on the IU research supercomputers

On this page:

Overview
Set up your user environment
Install R packages
Search installed R packages
Get help

Overview

R packages are extensions to the R language. Developers commonly contribute packages to R package repositories, such as the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) repository.

On Indiana University's research supercomputers, many third-party R packages are installed to supplement commonly used R builds. If you have a unique need for a third-party R package that is not installed, you can install the package in your home directory. If you know several researchers are interested in using an R package that is not already installed, you can send a request to the Research Applications and Deep Learning (RADL) team to have it installed as a system-wide site package.

Set up your user environment

The IU research supercomputers use module-based environment management systems that provide a convenient method for dynamically customizing your software environment.

To install R packages on an IU research supercomputer, you must have R added to your user environment.

To add R to your user environment, load the r module; on the command line, enter:

module load r

For more, see Use modules to manage your software environment on IU research supercomputers.

Install R packages

Create a subdirectory for the R packages you're installing (for example, ~/r-packages); on the command line, enter:
```
mkdir ~/r-packages
```
Create an R setting file (for example, .Renviron) in your home directory; on the command line, enter:
```
touch ~/.Renviron
```
Use your preferred editor to add this line to your R setting file (replace ~/r-packages with the path to the subdirectory you created for R packages):
```
R_LIBS_USER="~/r-packages"
```
Download the distribution archive from the source; for example, to download foo-1.0.3.tar.gz from the CRAN repository, on the command line, enter:
```
wget https://cran.r-project.org/src/contrib/foo-1.0.3.tar.gz
```
Install the package; on the command line, enter (replace foo-1.0.3.tar.gz with the distribution archive you downloaded):
```
R CMD INSTALL foo-1.0.3.tar.gz
```

Search installed R packages

Use the following commands in the R terminal to search installed package directories and installed packages:

.libPaths()
library()
library(lib.loc='~/r-packages')

Get help

If you have questions about using statistical and mathematical software at Indiana University, contact the UITS Research Applications and Deep Learning team.