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Research article2015Peer reviewedOpen access

BioImg.org: A Catalog of Virtual Machine Images for the Life Sciences

Dahlö, Martin; Haziza, Frédéric; Kallio, Aleksi; Korpelainen, Eija; Bongcam-Rudloff, Erik; Spjuth, Ola

Abstract

Virtualization is becoming increasingly important in bioscience, enabling assembly and provisioning of complete computer setups, including operating system, data, software, and services packaged as virtual machine images (VMIs). We present an open catalog of VMIs for the life sciences, where scientists can share information about images and optionally upload them to a server equipped with a large file system and fast Internet connection. Other scientists can then search for and download images that can be run on the local computer or in a cloud computing environment, providing easy access to bioinformatics environments. We also describe applications where VMIs aid life science research, including distributing tools and data, supporting repro-ducible analysis, and facilitating education. BioImg.org is freely available at: https://bioimg.org.

Keywords

catalogue; virtual machine image; virtual appliance; container; software repository; cloud computing

Published in

Bioinformatics and Biology Insights
2015, Volume: 9, pages: 125-128

    Sustainable Development Goals

    Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Bioinformatics (Computational Biology)
    Genetics and Breeding

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.4137/BBI.S28636

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/71836