# nf-core/configs: NU_Genomics Configuration

All nf-core pipelines have been successfully configured for use on the Quest Genomics Nodes at Northwestern University.

To use, run the pipeline with `-profile nu_genomics`. This will download and launch the [`nu_genomics.config`](../conf/nu_genomics.config) which has been pre-configured with a setup suitable for the Quest Genomics Nodes. Using this profile, a docker image containing all of the required software will be downloaded, and converted to a Singularity image before execution of the pipeline.

## Before running the pipeline

There are several important steps to take before this pipeline will run successfully on Quest. First, you must have an active Quest allocation. If you do not, please apply [here](https://www.it.northwestern.edu/secure/forms/research/allocation-request.html). You will also need access to the Genomics Nodes. If you do not already have access, please apply [here](https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form?EQBCT=9b3647a8cb2145929737ab4a0540cb46). Finally, you will need to perform a local installation of Nextflow and add it to your path. Please follow the basic installation instructions shown [here](https://www.nextflow.io/), or install in your home directory as shown. If you already have a bin directory in your path, you will not need to create the directory or append to your path.

```bash
cd ~
mkdir bin
cd bin
curl -s https://get.nextflow.io | bash
export PATH=~/bin:$PATH
```

Note that you may need to install an "edge" version of Nextflow, depending on which pipeline you use. Please read the documentation carefully to see if this is the case, or you may see an error when running the pipeline. If this is the case, you need to explicitly set the version when installing, e.g.:

```bash
curl -s https://github.com/nextflow-io/nextflow/releases/download/v20.11.0-edge/nextflow-20.11.0-edge-all | bash
```

## Use of iGenomes

A local copy of the iGenomes resource with all commonly used genomes has been made available for all of Quest so you should be able to run the pipeline against any reference available in the `igenomes.config` specific to the nf-core pipeline.
You can do this by simply using the `--genome <GENOME_ID>` parameter. While you can technically "stream" genomes from iGenomes directly using the pipeline, this is a substantial use of bandwidth and resources on both ends, and potentially poses reproducibility issues later on. Please use the local copies unless absolutely necessary, and save your own to your personal allocation where necessary.