On our UQAM servers as well as on clusters of The Alliance 'modules' (http://modules.sourceforge.net) are used to give access to different software packages.
Some software packages "do not like each other". Meaning when one is loaded (made accessible) it is possible that another tool does not work anymore. Which is why one should use different terminals/windows for different modules!
"Loading" a module means paths and variables will automatically get adjusted in your environment, thus removing the necessity to do it "by hand".
The following commands of the "Modules" environment are used most frequently:
Show all modules available on the system:
| module avail |
Show currently loaded modules:
| module list |
Load a specific module:
| module add <modulename> or module load <modulename> |
Unload a specific module:
| module rm <modulename> or module unload <modulename> or module purge <modulename> |
PLEASE NOTE: To be completely sure you have unloaded a particular module it is best practice to logout of the system and re-login. That will guarantee the environment contains no references to a specific module.