HPC/Module naming scheme 2016

Configuration files used

You have files: .bashrc and …		Remark	CentOS-5 uses:		CentOS-6 uses:
			module names	files	module names	files
–	–	Starting situation.	old	.bashrc only	new	.bashrc only
–	.modules-el6	Switch over, recommended.	new	.modules-el6 and .bashrc		.modules-el6 and .bashrc
.modules-el5	–	Avoid! – file ignored on EL6.	old	.modules-el5 and .bashrc		.bashrc only
.modules-el5	.modules-el6	For advanced users.	old	.modules-el5 and .bashrc		.modules-el6 and .bashrc

Migration to new-style module names

Rules

Adapt module commands present in your shell "dot"-files and job scripts to new-style names as follows:

• Remove version numbers from module names of the old-style packagename/version, leaving only packagename. This is the recommended approach, as you will automatically benefit from future updates.
• To insist on a specific version for a package in the new style, use the form packagename/compilername/version or packagename/mpiname/compilername/version as appropriate. To see available flavors and versions, separately run the command module avail packagename.

Configure in .bashrc

To switch over to new-style module names on both CentOS releases you could continue making all your module choices in ~/.bashrc.

vi .bashrc

Apply the changes shown in the #Rules section.

• Tell CentOS-5 nodes to use the new module style as well. Simply create an empty customization file:

touch ~/.modules-el6

Configure in dedicated files

It is perhaps cleaner to perform the module selection in dedicated files. To migrate your existing configuration:

• Move your previous module selections into a conspicuously named but otherwise unused file, e.g., .modules-el5.inactive.

cd      # Go to home directory
grep -A 1  module .bashrc > .modules-el5.inactive

• Duplicate the file.

cp .modules-el5.inactive .modules-el6

• Adapt contents to new module names, just as shown for .bashrc in the previous section. Clean up errant lines that the grep above might have included.

vi .modules-el6

Apply the changes shown in the #Rules section.

• Edit ~/.bashrc and remove all lines with "module" commands.

vi .bashrc

• Test.

bash -l     # open a sub-shell (option is lowercase L)
module list
exit        # leave the sub-shell

CentOS-dependent module selection

If you encounter difficulties with making your module selection work simultaneously for CentOS-5 and CentOS-6, use separate configurations instead.

1. Follow the steps as above.
2. Re-activate the older module selection.
3. Test.

cd      # Go to home directory
mv .modules-el5.inactive .modules-el5
vi .modules-el5    # clean up errant lines

# Test
exec bash -l
module list