Introduction to Linux Containers with Singularity Part 2 (2020-03-11)

WebEx recording of Singularity class taught to NIH community by David Godlove on March 10, 2020. (Part 2 of 2.)

Part 1 available at:

Course materials available at:

Excerpt from original class announcement follows:

There's a lot of buzz around Linux containers, so what are they?!

Linux container platforms such as Singularity and Docker allow you to install and use software within self-contained, portable, and reproducible environments. Linux containers allow you to do things like:

- Run an application from the Sylabs Container Library or Docker Hub without actually installing anything
- Quickly and easily use software with complicated dependencies and environment requirements
- Use a package manager (like apt or yum) to easily install software without root privileges and without changing anything on the host system
- Run an application that was built for a different distribution of Linux than the host OS
- Run an application with the same environment reproducibly on multiple systems
- Archive an analysis for long-term reproducibility and/or publication

You will learn how to install Singularity and use it to run existing containers from Docker Hub and the Sylabs Container Library. Then you will learn how to build your own containers from scratch and publish them so that others can use them. We will finish the class with some advanced examples showing how to tightly integrate your container environment with the environment on the host system and how to "fake" the installation of an entire application on the host system through Singularity.

Requirements:
- Familiarity with the Linux/Unix command line
- The desire to learn and have some fun!