Modules on MEnet Systems

The page is designed to describe the purpose and usage of the Modules package currently installed on MEnet systems.

The Modules package provides a single command line interface for manipulating your UNIX environment. The Modules interface enables users to easily add, change, and remove application specific paths, aliases, and environmental variables from your environment.

Instead of asking where something is located, you just inform Modules which package you want, using the 'module load' command and it adjusts your environment 'on the fly' so that you are able to use the package or application.

For example, the following is a typical module section taken from the end of a user's .cshrc file:

	# load modules
	module load tex matlab proe

The above code would have prepared the users environment so that he or she could access, in addition to the standard system software:

  1. TeX
  2. The most recent version of Matlab
  3. The most recent version of Pro/E

The order of the modules listed on your module load line is significant because it is in this order in which your PATH, MANPATH, and other variables are modified.

For information on using the module command, simply 'man module'.

To find out which modules are available, type 'module avail'. To get module-specific help for a particular module, type 'module help modulename'. And if you are curious about what a particular module does, type 'module show modulename'.

Note that for some packages, notably Pro/E, Ansys, and Matlab, we've provided modules that load the most recent available version.

Also note that the basepath, basealias, baseenv, manpath, and userpath modules are loaded by default.


Any questions? Contact enet@enet.umn.edu.