Customizing environments

Attention:

From Runtime 25.1, customizing R-based environments is not supported any more. It is still possible to install packages directly from notebook code and create a custom image.

Descriptions of available customization methods
Customization type Description
Customization is defined in an environment template and applied by pip or when a runtime starts - The additional libraries and files are not persisted but they are installed each time that the runtime is started
- All project members can access this environment template
- By default, packages are installed from pypi.org
A IBM Software Hub administrator installs a custom runtime image. Tools that can be used when building a custom image include pip (Python packages), install.packages() (R packages) or microdnf (operating system dependencies) - A new custom image is built and uploaded based on an existing runtime image by using a Dockerfile
- An IBM Software Hub administrator is responsible for maintaining image updates, including security patches.

The default settings for pip in an environment template require that runtimes have access to the public network at the time that they are started. If access to the public network is not available or desired, you can customize the pip configuration to access libraries by alternative methods. For details, see Customizing environment templates.

Alternatively, ask your platform administrator to build a custom runtime image for you.

For more information, see Customizing environment templates

Note:

If you use Spark and Hadoop environments, you can't configure a software customization or build a custom image. However, you can still install software with pip, or install.packages().

The diagram illustrates customization methods that you can apply if you want to use libraries and packages that are not included in the standard software configurations. The diagram shows options for accessing libraries in the public network as well as options for customizing without public access.

The diagram presents customization options that you can use to create environment templates that suit your needs

Note:

For packages that are installed directly from inside a notebook and packages that are installed at runtime, an IBM Software Hub administrator can:

  • Specify an internal Binary Repository Manager with channels that contains:
    • A local mirror or cache for packages from remote origins
    • Packages developed locally
  • Set up a corporate proxy or a file channel that is located on a Network File Storage system