Software

Dotkits

Using software on the Broad server is done via dotkits. To see a list of all the pre-installed dotkits on the server, use the command use -la. If you want to search for dotkits containing a particular search term, you can use usa -la | grep <search_term>. Once you have decided on a piece of software you would like to run, entering use <software_name> into the command line will load the software into your local environment.

Shell Configuration

In order to configure your shell on the Broad server, you can edit the file located at ~/.my.bashrc. This file will be run as a shell script each time you open a shell on the Broad server, so it is a convenient way to load oft-used software or set shortcuts to commonly accessed file locations. Do not edit the regular ~/.bashrc file as it is system-supplied. There is a simple example located here. At the very least, it is generally seen as a good idea to add some of the basic dotkits (e.g. UGER and the Google Cloud SDK) to your bashrc.