New Documentation Platform for Northwestern IT Research Computing and Data Services
Please reference https://rcdsdocs.it.northwestern.edu for the new technical documentation related to the Research Computing and Data Services. In December of 2025, the Knowledge Base content on this page will be removed and replaced with a link to the new documentation platform. Until that time, this Knowledge Base article will no longer be updated, and the latest information can be found on the new documentation platform page . If you have any questions, please reach out to quest-help@northwestern.edu for assistance.
Software should be installed in your home directory (for software used only by you) or your allocation’s projects directory (for software used by several people in your group).
Only request to have software installed on Quest as a system wide module if one of the following applies:
- the application is not already in the list of available software and applications on Quest
- installation requires root access to Quest in order to be installed
- multiple groups express interest in creating a module for the software
- you have encountered an issue while trying to install the software yourself
We provide information on a wide variety of methods to perform your own non-root software installation below: