Software Module Lifecycle
To keep the YCRC cluster software modules catalogs tidy, relevant, and up to date, we periodically deprecate and introduce modules.
Deprecated Modules
The two major criteria we use to decide which modules to deprecate are:
- A software module has not been used much in the past year
- We are ending support for the toolchain with which a module was built
As we deprecate modules, every time you load a module that has been marked for removal a warning message will appear. The message state when the module will no appear in the module list. If you see such a message, we recommend you update your project to use a supported module as soon as possible or contacting us for help.
Toolchain Support
The YCRC maintains a rolling two toolchain version support model. At any given time on a cluster, we aim to support two versions of each of the major toolchains, foss and intel. The two versions are separated by two years and new software is typically installed with the later version. When we introduce a new toolchain version, we phase out support for the oldest by marking software in that toolchain for deprecation. A few months later, software in the oldest toolchain version will be removed from the module list and no longer supported by the YCRC.
Spring 2021 Deprecation Cycle
In February 2021, we are marking modules built with unsupported toolchains as deprecated. Below is a list of the toolchains we are removing and introducing. If a module you are using is marked for removal but there is not a newer module available, please contact us before May to install a replacement. If you must use an older version of a software for reproducibility purposes, please contact us so we can discuss how to properly support your project.
Grace and Milgram
Deprecated Software (will be removed by May 31, 2021):
- Modules built with a 2016b toolchain, GCCcore/5.x, or iccifort/2016.3.210
- Unused modules
Supported Software
- Modules built with a 2018a toolchain, GCCcore/6.4.0 or iccifort/2018.1.163
- Modules built with a 2018b toolchain, GCCcore/7.3.0 or iccifort/2018.3.222 (Grace only)
- Modules built with a 2020b toolchain, GCCcore/10.2.0 or iccifort/2020.4.304 (new)
- Commonly used modules not otherwise deprecated
Farnam and Ruddle
Deprecated Software (will be removed by May 31, 2021):
- Modules built with 2016a, 2016b, 2017a, or 2017b toolchains or GCCcore/4.x, GCCcore/5.x, GCCcore/6.x
- Unused modules
Supported Software
- Modules built with a 2018b toolchain or GCCcore/7.3.0
- Modules built with a 2020b toolchain or GCCcore/10.2.0 (new)
- Commonly used modules not otherwise deprecated