The migration from ARC4 to Aire created a large backlog of software installation requests. While we work through these requests, you don’t need to wait.
Here are three ways you can take matters into your own hands.
Option 1: Install Software Yourself
The Research Computing team will continue to install system-wide software and modules on Aire for access by all users, but did you know you can also do it yourself using tools already available on Aire?
Conda (Miniforge)
The open-source project Miniforge is one of the easiest ways to get started with many data science, machine learning and other scientific computing projects. It contains minimal versions of the conda and mamba environment and package managers, with specificity to conda-forge. It allows users to create and manage virtual environments with packages from the conda-forge repository. Lots of software is available via conda-forge, so it is often worth checking here first before moving to more involved build processes. Miniforge is available as a module on Aire. Further details →
Apptainer
Apptainer is a containerisation platform, which allows users to package up collections of software in a reproducible and portable fashion. Containers built on your work laptop, for instance, can be simply copied over onto the HPC to run there. Apptainer is also compatible with containers built for Docker, including those available on Docker hub. Further details →.
Spack
Spack is a powerful, portable package management tool designed specifically for HPC use. It is no longer offered as a module on Aire, but we support its use as an individual installation within a user’s home directory. A huge amount of open-source software is available from Spack’s repositories, and it is also useful for handling dependencies when installing software with less permissive licences. Further details are available at Spack’s documentation →.
CMake
CMake is a cross-platform, open-source build system that is used to control the software compilation process using simple platform and compiler-independent configuration files. Further details.
If you’d like to learn about the above tools through a more tutorial-style format, please have a look at our HPC2 course materials, a course covering Installing and Managing Applications on the HPC. We’d welcome early feedback and contributions from the wider community as we develop this resource.
Want hands-on tutorials?
Check out our HPC2 course materials covering application installation and management on HPC. We welcome your feedback as we develop this resource.
Option 2: Connect with Other Users
We have set up a dedicated channel on the Research Computing Community team where you can share installation tips, troubleshoot problems, and learn from other users’ experiences. You could also find out about other communities linked to the specific tools you’re using.Join the Research Computing Community
Option 3: Use the Aire Documentation
We’re constantly adding new installation guides and troubleshooting tips to the Aire documentation.
Want to help others too? You can contribute improvements to our docs. View documentationFind out how to contribute
When Should You Request a Module Instead?
There are some situations when requesting the module from the Research Computing team is the more sensible option, rather than installing yourself.
- Popular software: You know that the software is popular and widely used by many researchers.
- Complex installations: There is a large or complicated build process.
- System requirements: Software requires system-level dependencies or administrative privileges to install properly.
- Licensed software: Software licence requires system administrator oversight.
You can request a module via the HPC Application Install Form (login required.)
When should you opt for a DIY approach?
- Version specificity: You need a different version than what’s centrally available. in general, we keep centrally installed software up to date, and do not support older releases.
- Easy availability: Software is readily available through conda, Apptainer, or similar platforms
- Licensing restrictions: Policies prevent group access
- Customisation needs: You need to modify the installation for your research, or the software is compiled from source when the job is submitted
- Time sensitivity: You want immediate access without waiting in the queue
Your Next Steps
Ready to get started? Pick the option that fits your situation:
- Quick start: Try Miniforge for common research packages
- Complex software: Explore Apptainer containers
- Need help: Join our community
- Want to contribute: Help improve our documentation
Don’t let software installation slow down your research. Using these tools puts you in control of your computing environment.
