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Installation Center

BioGrids provides a streamlined installation process for individuals and institutions. Follow the steps below to get your environment set up.

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure you have your consortium credentials ready.

Join the Consortium Register Your Account

Step 2: Choose Your Installation Type

Personal Installation

Best for: Individual researchers installing specific software on workstations or laptops. - Select only the applications you need. - Control your own update schedule. - Smallest disk footprint.

Site Installation

Best for: Institutions or labs providing BioGrids to many users via shared storage (NFS). - Complete software collection (800+ apps). - Automated monthly updates. - Centralized management for research groups.

View Site Installation Details

Step 3: Download & Activate

Select your preferred interface below to see the download links and activation steps.

Best for: Desktop users who prefer an intuitive visual catalog.

Activation

Simply launch the app and enter your site name, username, and key in the startup wizard.

macOS Users

A system reboot is required after the first activation to enable the /programs symlink.

Best for: Advanced users, server deployments, and automated pipelines.

Activation

Run the tool in your terminal: 

./biogrids-cli activate <site> <username> <key>

Step 4: Install Software

Once activated, you can begin adding tools to your collection.

# Search for a tool
biogrids-cli search samtools

# Install specific packages
biogrids-cli install samtools blast+ python
  1. Open the Programs pane.
  2. Search for a tool and click Install.
  3. Go to the Tasks pane and click Execute.

Step 5: Verification

After installation, initialize your shell to verify everything is working:

source /programs/biogrids.shrc
samtools --version

Support

If you encounter errors during installation, please consult our Troubleshooting Guide or contact our technical team.

Contact Technical Support